The Rotary Governor

The Chain Gang

2010-07-12T22:34:00.000+02:00

OK! So here's the proof! Taken on 1st July, when two Past District Governors look quite pleased and over-joyed while the new Governor smiles "what I have I taken on?" "Why are they so happy?"

The Time Has Come!

2010-07-02T21:22:00.000+02:00

The time has come to say goodbye. After a year of writing short blogs about all sorts of ‘things Rotary’ it is time to see a new face in the header and a new hand at the keyboard.

At a special Handover Dinner in Bodmin, last evening, all the chains of office were passed on from one to another. District 1290 now has a new Governor, who will take on the writing of “bits and bobs”, or should it be “bits and blogs”? A new team of officers is in place, ready to lead the way, while I become simply a “passed-it”.

I know a lot will happen in the next twelve months. It will all make interesting reading.

Have fun.

The Future of English Cricket is safe

2010-06-25T23:28:00.000+02:00

The future of English cricket is safe.

Well, it is if what I have just witnessed is an indication. This afternoon, Thursday 24th June, I attended the finals of the Rotary U13 - Schools 20/20 competition held at Cornwood Cricket Club. The standard of play from these youngsters was outstanding and I learned that about half a dozen of the boys there were Devon County players as well.

The ball came down the pitch so fast it was difficult to see it, yet the batsmen still scored fours and sixes with uncanny ease. Getting scores of 170/180 in twenty overs requires some real skill. Well done to Devonport High School for Boys for coming a very close and admirable second place in the competition beaten in the final by Exeter School. I was delighted to be asked to share in the award giving ceremony at the end of the afternoon, handing out medals and shaking the hands of some promising players.

This was another occasion when Rotary has given young people the chance to show what they can do, while giving Rotary some well earned public image awareness to parents and teachers.

Great work all round. I hope I can see it all again next year.

Rotary Youth Leadership Award

2010-06-14T12:45:00.000+02:00

Rotary Youth Leadership Award

(RYLA)

Throughout the country, many Rotary districts organise Leadership courses for young people. They vary in style, location and in length but the course ably organised by the District 1290 team is regarded as one of the best.

At this moment there are some 40 course members going through their final preparations and, probably, wondering what they have let themselves in for! If they have spoken to anyone who had completed the course in recent years they will know that they will face challenges, physical, emotional and intellectual. For seven days they will be put into situations that will stretch their minds and bodies, often taking them out of their ‘comfort zone’.

They will spend their time on Dartmoor, based at Brimpts Farm, and whatever the weather, they will climb rocks, abseil down rock faces, plunge into cold water, find their way in the mist, and all the time having to work as a team to achieve their goals.

Watch the website to learn about how they are getting on or find out how you could be involved next year.

Farewell to our Venezuelan visitors

2010-05-27T11:33:00.000+02:00

The members of visiting Group Study Team from Venezuela will now have arrived back home or enjoying a few days of extended stay in Britain after a very successful four weeks in Cornwall, Plymouth and West Devon. What a super group of girls they were, too. Ably led by their Team Leader, Rotarian Carmen Rojas from Caracas, they experienced much of what this region has to offer young professional and business people.

They proved why it is that Venezuela has won the Miss World title more than any other country and I watched many Rotarians’ eyes glued on the girls during their presentations, no doubt wishing that they were 30 years younger!

We wish them well with the careers and future personal development. Now we look forward to welcoming a team from India next year.

The photograph shows the visiting team, wearing blue scarves, along with the team from this area that have recently returned from four weeks in Venezuela, after the girls' last presentation to the Rotary clubs in the Plymouth area during a meeting held at The Smithaleigh Hotel.

What a Concert!

2010-05-16T21:55:00.003+02:00

Sunday afternoon at home! Tedious! Last week was different. Last week I spent the afternoon in Plymouth Guild Hall listening to a concert given by “The South West All-Stars”, a band of sixty ex Royal Marine Bandsmen conducted by Lt.Col. John Ware. John is a member of The Rotary Club of Callington, which organised the concert in aid of Help for Heroes.
Those of you who were there will agree that it was a thoroughly enjoyable concert. We all came aware uplifted and in good spirit after experiencing some stirring music played with such gusto and enthusiasm. You will all be delighted to learn that the event raised over £6000 for the charity, which was represented by David Gammell, the Devon and Cornwall co-ordinator, along with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress who were thanked for Plymouth City Council’s generosity in providing the venue.
Well Done Callington Rotary!

Can you live without the Internet?

2010-05-12T09:59:00.001+02:00

Life without the Internet.

I would not have believed, a while ago, that I would one day say that I could not survive without the Internet! Life has proved me wrong. My Internet service went down and I lost contact with so many things that have become part of my everyday life.
Not only did I lose my email but could not control my bank accounts and credit cards on-line. My insurances and energy bills are all on-line services now. I could not top-up my Tamartag without going into the office.
Google Maps always provided my route plan when travelling to new places. How do I get that missing post-code when I cannot get onto the Royal Mail website?
Then there is the family tree research; the purchase of ink cartridges; checking the weather forecast and latest news.
I never realised just how much I used the Internet. Thankfully it has all been restored! There was a fault in the BT Exchange. But who found the fault and fixed it? My ISP.

The Venezuelans should get here

2010-04-21T23:15:00.000+02:00

It was only 24 hours ago that we were all panicking and fearing that the team of young professional and business people making up the Group Study Exchange team from Venezuela would not arrive in Plymouth as planned. The suspension of all air flights into and out of the UK looked as though it would prevent them from getting here.
Today the skies were full of aircraft and vapour trails patterned the blue. Hopefully, this will be the norm again and our friends from across the Atlantic will arrive in Plymouth on Saturday afternoon, to be met by a band of friendly and welcoming Rotarians.

Polio is a Dying Disease

2010-04-19T21:25:00.004+02:00

OK! Yes Polio can kill. So people are still dying needlessly from a disease that can be eliminated. Still endemic in only four small areas of the world, not even in entire countries, it is being killed by mass immunisations. It IS a dying disease. Last weekend we were told that there had be no new cases of polio for four weeks, in the small area of northern India, one of the four areas. Will we soon be down to three small areas. When Rotary is determined, it will not give in until the job is done completely.

Famous Five in Venezuela

2010-04-13T23:14:00.004+02:00

The Group Study exchange Programme of Rotary International is one of the best educational experiences that anyone can give to young professional/business people. Roatry District 1290 has sent out a team of four young people, with a Rotarian Team Leader, to Venezuela. Here they will live with local families and experience everyday live and the work done by people of similar professions.

They will also visit local industries and businesses as well as go to many of the historic sites and places of natural beauty.

The photo shows the team from Cornwall and Plymouth along with the team of Venezuelans which will be spending four weeks in our communities to learn more about the British way of live. Try to spot the blue name badges! That's our team.

April Fools Day is still alive.

2010-04-09T22:38:00.002+02:00

April Fools Day lives on. Many of the more mature readers will remember a famous BBC broadcast, back in the days of black and white pictures, of the spaghetti harvest with scenes of orchards of trees festooned in bunches of pasta laces ready for harvesting. Broadcast on 1st April 19??.
Rumour has it that a well-known Rotary club secretary devised a new Rotary Logo for a novel ‘friendship’ group, which was to promote the idea of Rotarians cycling to meetings. It consisted of two Rotary roundels/wheels being used as wheels of a bicycle with a free-drawn frame superimposed.
This was sent by email to RIBI marketing department. The response was immediate and ‘reprimanding’, pointing out that the logo contravened all accepted RI rules on the use of Rotary emblems etc. “Please redesign the logo so that it abides by the constraints of RI rules”.
When it was pointed out by someone else, that the email was sent on April 1st, the recipient humbly apologised and agreed that he had been “had”.
Who said that there is no fun in Rotary and that we cannot accept when we make mistakes?

WE'VE DONE IT !!!

2010-04-01T21:53:00.002+02:00

We did it !! And there’s more to come.

Twelve months ago Rotary clubs throughout Britain and Ireland were taking on the challenge of raising £1million in a week to help Rotary International achieve its aim of ridding the world of the last few cases of Polio and producing a Polio-Free world.
This week is was announced that the sum already accounted for, that clubs have raised during the last week of February this year, has exceeded the target. Yes, and there is still more to come. How much more, you ask? Only time will tell.

Plymouth Lord Mayor shows an interest in Rotary projects.

2010-02-25T16:13:00.001+01:00

Wow! What a week we are having! “Thanks for life – End Polio Now” week is well under way and will not finish until 28th February. All over Cornwall, Plymouth and West Devon the Rotary clubs of District 1290 have been taking the message into schools, clubs and to the general public. What ‘Message’? Raising the awareness and knowledge of how the crippling and life-threatening disease of Polio has done to generations of people here in Western Europe, has been afflicting children all over the world until recent years and now remains in just four small pockets worldwide.
Thanks to the work of Rotary, the generosity of Bill and Melinda Gates’ Foundation and money donated by people in every corner of the world, where Rotary clubs exist Polio is almost a thing of the past. Very soon we will be able to say “Good bye Polio – Thanks Rotary”.
If you did not see the great activity that went on throughout our area on Tuesday, keep your eyes open for the collectors who will be stationed at Tesco stores on Saturday 27th.

Yes! I said ShelterBox as Hospital wards!

2010-01-23T21:38:00.003+01:00

So! What's this? Twice in one evening!

I did not show this image in my earlier writing. It has just come through to me. This lad has lost part of a leg and a ShelterBox is his cubicle in the hospital!

2010-01-23T18:21:00.000+01:00

Rotary does it again!

Once more Rotary and Rotarians lead the way in humanitarian aid. The devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti, which has killed more than a thousand people and left an estimated 2.5 million people homeless, has dominated our news recently. What has not been so well publicised, though, is that Rotary’s own ShelterBox had response teams there within 36 hours and now more than 1000 boxes have arrived and are being used as hospital wards as well as shelter for those who lost everything.
If any of you have been to a supermarket over the past few days, it is quite likely that you will have found a team of Rotarians armed with collecting tins and buckets outside the main doors. Some will have had a demonstration ShelterBox on display, as well!
Many, many, many thanks for the amazing sympathy and generosity shown by the public. The message is coming from all quarters that sums between £1500 and £2000 have been given by you in a single day. You have helped Rotary and ShelterBox make like more bearable for so many unfortunate people. The task is not finished. There is still a long way to go. Please continue with your support.

2010-01-08T23:28:00.000+01:00

Yes! I’m back again! It’s been too long since I put something on the web. My unexpected stay in hospital, some eleven days, knocked the stuffing out of me. Three or four weeks of enforced inactivity, afterwards, left a backlog of Rotary ‘duties’ and visits to be caught up on. Now I am almost restored to strength, it is ‘head down and get on with it’.
All the Rotary clubs in our district were fully occupied over the Christmas period and large sums of money were collected, to be used to provide support and aid to a wide variety of good causes. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard and to the great generosity of the public, who, despite the tightening of our belts because of the financial situation, gave freely and in many cases more than last year. If I learn of exactly how much was raised by our 41 clubs, I will let you know.
Now! Happy New Year to everyone. Are you keeping to those resolutions? A new year and a chance to renew the efforts. There is a lot planned for the coming months.
Watch this space. Sorry - no 'photo.

Thanks for Life

2009-10-26T17:16:00.002+01:00

Hi there happy reader! Yesterday I suggested a search engine entry. Even better, try typing in ‘Thanks for Life’ and see what you get. You will be led to a range of pages that will tell you what Rotary is doing around Great Britain and Ireland and several links for individual Rotary clubs and what they are planning. Having seen it, why not get in touch with your nearest club to see what you can do to help.

Spot the difference! Is this a Cornish Chough?

2009-10-25T23:29:00.001+01:00

Don’t say I didn’t tell you! A much more mundane two weeks have gone by! Not to say that I have been sitting at home doing nothing or haven’t driven very far. The Government is certainly getting more than its fair share of income from me in the form of Fuel Tax and VAT, especially as the price of petrol is rising rapidly again. But all these journeys have been smooth, even if I did get held up by tractors and roadworks!
I have kept up the pace with visiting Rotary Clubs around Cornwall, none in Plymouth or Devon, recently. I have also been up to Alcester, to the Headquarters of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland. I was there for a day long committee meeting to discuss the progress being made and future plans for the various activities and projects being undertaken by Rotary Clubs in these isles to help the youth and elderly, the disadvantaged and those in need, of our own communities and those abroad. What a lot is being done! I might be accused of bias but I have to say “Well done, Rotary”.
I was amazed at just how much was done to help the victims of the flooding in the Severn Valley and in the North East and, of course, the international aid to disasters around the world being provided by Rotary’s flagship programme, ShelterBox.
Competitions for young people in the areas of music, singing, public speaking, cooking, technology and art, to name a few, are all about to get underway again very soon. Watch out for news items in the press and on the TV.
Of course, 24th October was World Polio Day. Not really a celebration. It is more of a recognition of the fact that, although we in Western Europe have not seen an epidemic of Polio for more than 50 years – in fact, many of our younger generation don’t even recognise the name or know what Polio is – there have been some 1000 new cases registered in a small part of northern India, in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, so far this year. Rotary International has been working with WHO and UNICEF since 1985 to try to eliminate Polio worldwide. They have almost achieved their goal but the final push has to be made. Type ‘End Polio Now’ into your search engine and you will be given dozens of links that will tell you more of what is being done by Rotary and its partners. Go on! Give it a go!
Even better still, get involved.

Who Chose the wrong days? Weather-wise!

2009-10-12T17:06:00.001+02:00

Thank goodness my back was up to doing some driving, having covered almost 700 miles visiting Rotary clubs and functions since making myself return to operative-mode. This included five meetings in six days! It was especially good, though, to be present at one Rotary club’s 50th anniversary celebration. There was a splendid five-course meal, if you include the birthday cake, interspersed with musical entertainment. It was all concluded with dancing until 1.00 am, at least for the young and fit!
The joint venture between another Rotary club and the local branch of the Soroptimists was a tremendous success financially, as well as being real fun. I have learned that the proceeds of the collection made in Dingles, Plymouth and the Celebration of Youth Music Concert have enabled a cheque for £5000 to be donated to The Precious Lives Appeal. Well done everyone concerned. Rotary is certainly proud of your efforts.
Early this week, I was setting off from Newquay airport to fly to the Isles of Scilly to visit the Rotary club on St Mary. It was a little cloudy but calm and we all had some good views of the north coast of Cornwall on the way down. I had not been to St Mary for over twenty years and it was almost as though time had stood still. Hugh Town was much as I remembered it. After a good meal, lots of fellowship and some good story telling, I crept back into the hotel to try to get some much needed sleep - after dosing myself up with the cocktail of painkillers given me by the doctor.
The next morning was grey, very wet and windy! After a late breakfast, I sat in the lounge having a cup of coffee when I managed to just hear an interview on Radio Scilly, in which my visit to the Rotary Club of The Isles of Scilly was mentioned. Gosh! I never expected to be famous enough to have my visit recorded on radio!
By lunchtime panic began to set in. I learned that there had been no flights to or from the islands because of the weather. Was I going to get home? Luckily, the weather improved and by mid afternoon the planes were shuttling back and forth in an attempt to catch up on the schedule.
I eventually took off about 45 minutes late. And what a flight! The little 16-seater was being buffeted about by the wind while stationary on the ground, with the wind getting under the broad, flat wings. Getting airborne was not too bad but once up we were certainly driving along a road with a lot of big potholes!
Then landing at Newquay was an experience I will remember all my life. I could see the lights on the runway ahead through the cockpit windows and they swung from one side to the other, disappearing either side of the plane. It was rather like sitting on a float and sliding down one of those snaking water chutes at a summer theme park. Or, imagine being a counter coming down a snake on a Snakes and Ladders board. Just before touch down the plane was facing the runway at about 45 degrees and at the last moment the pilot deftly threw the plane round to land in a straight line. As we slowed and came under full control, there was an automatic, spontaneous round of applause from all the passengers, which included Andrew George, the MP for West Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly. I reckon the flight matched the excited discussions at his meetings, mainly concerning the upgrading of the Ferry Link.
I bet the next blog-bit will not be anywhere near as adventurous!

We have a good laugh in Rotary - as well as work hard

2009-09-29T14:59:00.001+02:00

The end of September draws near. It won’t be long before Rotary clubs all around the country will making final touches to their plans for the Christmas activities; parties, celebrations, carol concerts and major collections by going door to door with Father Christmas and his sleigh or having them outside supermarkets and in shopping precincts.
It was good to see Rotary working with yet another charitable organisation. After recently joining forces with the Oddfellows to run the Young Singer of The Year Competition, one Rotary club has worked with Soroptimists International, Plymouth Branch. They had a ‘Wishing Tree’ in Dingles for five and a half days and then put on a ‘Celebration of Youth Music’ in Theatre 1, The Levinsky Building, at Plymouth University. It was a wonderful display of the full range of musical talents of young people. Both of these raised much-needed funds for The Precious Lives Appeal of Children’s Hospice South West. You will have seen the news item on TV showing the first turf being cut ready to make a start on the new facility being built near St Austell, Little Harbour.
I was delighted to be asked to take part in Plymouth High School for Girls’ “Shake, Rattle and Role” - Social Enterprise Day Activity. This was organised by the Tamar Business Education Partnership. As a representative of ShelterBox, I, and another, gave a presentation to a class of girls about the work of ShelterBox. The girls were set in groups, and each group then had to devise a presentation of their own which was to persuade the general public to make donations to our cause. Similar things were happening in three other rooms with Water Aid, Jeremiah’s Journey and Transplant Sport UK as other organisations taking part.
The winner in each charity group then went forward to a “Final”, in the afternoon, which was judged by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Plymouth.
The rest of my week, after that, was spent mostly in a horizontal position suffering from some awful back pain. Vast quantities of prescribed painkillers and much laziness appear to have produced the desired effect and I am now about to restart my routine of visits to clubs and other activities.

Full of Action

2009-09-13T21:55:00.003+02:00

Wow! What a busy two weeks! I have made four more ‘official’ District Governor visits to clubs and have actually managed to attend my own club for the first time since 23rd July.
One of the real highlights of this time has been joining the Rotary Club of Drake Plymouth for their excellent, annual event, the Diana Pursuit, named after the late HRH Princess Diana. This day provides disabled and handicapped people of all ages the experience of being on the water in sailing yachts or motor cruisers chasing each other around a course in Plymouth Sound. Supported by the Royal Western Yacht Club and local businesses, this is the 25th year that the club has put on this event.
It was a pleasure to see the delight and excitement on the faces of ‘the crews’ when they had pasties and ice creams in the yacht club’s restaurant and then receive medals and cups. What a difference this made to the lives of many who would not have had an outing like this without the work of Rotary.
Another memorable occasion was getting down to Liskeard very – and I mean ‘very’ – early to spend time with our District Overseas Projects Team as they made final preparations to leave for the long drive across Europe to Albania and Kosovo, taking fire engines and medical equipment to one of the most deprived areas of modern Europe.
The day started as it was getting light. The target was to leave Liskeard at 09.09.09.09.09 – nine minutes past nine on 9th day of the 9th month of ’09! I bet their arrival will not be that precisely timed! Reports come in daily, telling us of the teams progress. Many of you will have seen the departure shown as a news item on BBC Spotlight the day after. There have been the expected hold-ups at border controls and customs. Not everyone drive across Europe in a fully operational fire engine, even if they haven’t got the ‘bloos and toos’ going.
The next two weeks promise to be action packed as well, with lots of excitement and fun to report on later. What do they say? Watch this Space.

Thanks for Life

2009-08-29T15:42:00.001+02:00

August Ends

2009-08-29T15:25:00.000+02:00

Another two weeks of the Rotary Year gone by. They told me that the year would fly by but I didn’t realise just how supersonic the speed would be. During a visit to a club this week, someone asked me if I was enjoying my time as DG, so far. My factious reply was “Well, when I have time to think about it I will tell you.” But there is some truth behind this comment.
In the last two weeks I have made visits to eight Rotary clubs and spent two days in Alcester, at the headquarters of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI), for its General Council meeting. This is the body that determines the policy and directives that Rotary in these islands will follow. I can assure you that everything is very carefully considered, with much debate, and a vote is taken on every proposal put forward by the various RIBI subcommittees and Resource Groups.
There are two major campaigns being launched by Rotary during the coming months. Firstly, Rotary is seeking new members, professional and business people, who want to join a major, worldwide service organisation to give service to their community and those who live in difficult conditions in areas overseas. The main drive will be to encourage those between 30 and 55 to offer their knowledge, skills and expertise to further the work of Rotary. If any reader wants to learn more then go to www.ribi.org and follow the tabs shown.
While there, you will also see another major project advertised and seeking your support. I refer to the End Polio Now campaign. You may find ‘Thanks for Life’ and ‘Window of Opportunity’ tabs as well. I would encourage you to look at these as they will give you all the information you will need to discover how you could help Rotary eliminate Polio from the world. It is only found in four small regions of the world thanks to a twenty-five year programme, which has already cleared it from 99% of the regions in which it was found back in 1985.
Have a good read. Get excited by the possibility. Get involved.

back to reality

2009-08-13T14:23:00.000+02:00

Is this a Fairy Land or Reality? For some it is both!

back to reality

2009-08-13T14:21:00.000+02:00

Last week-end my wife and I returned from out annual holiday in Switzerland, a country we never tire of and whose snow capped mountains and glaciers can never be described well enough to do justice to their awe inspiring magnificence and beauty. I am told that I should go to The Rockies one day! One day - hopefully, I will!
However, it is now back to the land of reality and getting back into the harness of Rotary activity, which keeps so many of us younger than our years would suggest. With four visits to Rotary clubs in District 1290 this week and another three next week, I will have managed to spread the RI and RIBI gospel to fifteen clubs before the end of August.
On 23rd and 24th August I will be in Alcester, Warwickshire, where Rotary has its headquarters for these islands (RIBI – Rotary International in Britain and Ireland), for the first meeting of this Rotary year’s General Council, which meets four times a year to agree and formulate the policies and directives for all 29 districts and 1850 clubs. Spread out over two days, this will be an interesting and informative experience.
Since I last wrote a blog, our Group Study Team, to visit Venezuela in Spring 2010, under the leadership of Rotarian Martin Taylor of Bodmin Rotary Club, has been chosen. They are Jenny Kumah, from Plymouth, a Radio Producer and Report for BBC Radio Devon; Jason Coon, also from Plymouth, a Detective Sergeant with the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary; Ana Pan-Huertas, from Hayle, a Business Administrator and Language Teacher; Rob Wintle, from Plymouth, a Crime Scene Investigator with the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. We all wish them every success in preparing for what will be a challenging, fruitful and live-changing experience.
The weeks ahead will be full of interest and activity for all 41 clubs in our district and I am sure that reports on their endeavours will make enjoyable and gratifying reading. “Watch this Space”, as the saying says.

three weeks in

2009-07-18T12:46:00.001+02:00

Not yet three weeks into the new Rotary year and much has happened already. Two weeks ago we saw the successful completion of this year’s Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) programme, held at Brimpt’s Farm, Dartmeet, on Dartmoor. The weather was exceptionally kind this year and all the candidates finished their week with good suntans.
It was an honour to be at the celebration dinner on the final night, held in the lovely surroundings of the Moorland Links Hotel. A good meal was followed by each of the four teams giving dramatic accounts of their experiences. Watch out world – new dynamic personalities are back in the community. Don’t tell the bumblebee!
During this time, I have made ‘official’ visits to five Rotary clubs to outline the vision of Rotary International and its aims and gaols for this coming year. There are clear challenges ahead with increasing our membership and bolstering our contributions to The Rotary Foundation, which has suffered considerably from the economic downturn with lower interest rates on deposits and decreased donations. On top of that we have the target of finally eliminating polio from the world.
Next week will be a busy one. On Monday I will be attending the Rotary Inner Wheel District Assembly in Bodmin, sharing with them the aims that we have for this year. District Executive and the Council meet on Tuesday, when we review our plans for the coming months.
Our Group Study Exchange team leader has been appointed and. On Sunday 26th, he will be helping us to choose a team of four young and promising professional/business people to travel to Venezuela for a four week “life-changing experience” in spring 2010. We will then look forward to hosting our guests from the area around Caracas.
Good luck everybody. Thanks for every thing you have done so far and keep up the good work.

2009-07-02T18:20:00.002+02:00

July 1st 2009. The day has arrived. A year of preparation and training has flown by and this evening I was installed as the District Governor for Rotary International District 1290, here in the far South West of the UK. Alan Jones has done his job well and now its up to me!
The 2008/09-year started smoothly and happily with a lot of activity and fellowship but October saw the sudden and sad death of the Immediate Past District Governor, Kevin Farleigh, and a funeral in a packed church in Brixton. This had a dulling effect on moods and sentiments and it took some weeks for us all to come to terms with it.
Rotary International (RI) and Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI), between them, certainly put a great deal of effort into preparing their District Governors to successfully fulfil their roles. In September 2008 I had to travel to Brussels for a four-day training seminar, organised by RI, where all 29 incoming Governors from Britain and Ireland met with others from all over Europe. Under the leadership of senior Rotarian trainers from around the world we explored the tasks and duties that we would assume when we took office. We came away from there with a clear picture of what was expected of us, and some good procedures in place to make it easier to achieve.
Later, in November, the 29 of us from RIBI were called to a long-weekend Seminar in Solihull, where we given further training and opportunity to develop our skills and knowledge. Needless to say, we were getting to know each other very well by this time and true Rotary fellowship played a valuable part in the proceedings.
In January we were all together yet again when we travelled over to San Diego, California for an eight-day RI Assembly, which was attended by over 500 incoming District Governors from more than 200 countries around the world. It was lovely to be able to meet and talk to such a wide selection of people from all ethnic backgrounds, but all sharing one common passion – Rotary – and what Rotary can do to improve the lives of others wherever they may have needs around the world. It was a humbling and rewarding experience, one that will live with me for the rest of my life.
Two things occurred, during that week, that stick in my mind so vividly. Firstly, sight of all the RIBI incoming DG’s and their spouses filling the stage in the main hall, entertaining the international gathering with three minutes of energetic and enthusiastic Morris Dancing and Maypole Dancing. And – wasn’t it well received! You may have seen it on the internet!
During the past twelve months I have tried to visit as many of the 41 clubs in our district. I know that I didn’t manage to get to every one but they all know that I will, without fail, attend a club meeting during the coming three months.
The District Handover was held at The Lake View Country Club at Lanivet, near Bodmin and was attended by representatives of many of the clubs in our District. Alan Jones passed over the DG’s chain of office and, as I said before, it’s now up to me! I know that much will be expected of me and the team of District Officers during 2009/10 and all I can promise is that I will do my best to live up to expectations. If I fail, it won’t be from a lack of trying.

Rotary Year Start Meeting

2009-07-02T02:11:00.006+02:00

The Rotary Year commences on the 1st of July, and yesterday I took up office as the Governor for District 1290 which covers West Devon, Plymouth and Cornwall. Over the coming months I hope to provide you with an insight into the work that Rotary does in our communities and across the world.One recurring theme will be the work that Rotary is doing to irradicate Polio worldwide, a programme that is supported by some truly remarkable people!