1 May

Speaker -  Rev. Gordon Craig, "The UK Oil and Gas Chaplaincy"
Ellen now introduced the Rev. Gordon Craig, the UK Oil and Gas Chaplain, whom she had first met at Mannofield Church when he had given a talk there about his work.

Gordon had previously worked as a chaplain with the RAF in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He gave a fascinating insight into the challenges he faced both in his military service duties
and so far since he had become the Oil and Gas chaplain last year. 2013 was also the 25th anniversary of Piper Alpha, and this was a stark reminder to us of the need for a pastoral and spiritual role to support families that lose their loved ones, whether in the Oil Industry or
in the Armed Forces. Gordon was clearly a person who had special qualities, the ability to
to share the banter of the RAF camp or the oil platform with the personnel there, the commitment to give pastoral care to airmen and oil workers, the compassion needed to support  bereaved families, the character to hold religious services in a tent boiling with the heat of the Afghan sun while under rocket and gun fire.

Dave P. gave the Vote of Thanks and said, speaking as a member of the oil/gas industry, he was very grateful for the 24 hour quality of support that Gordon gave to an industry where there was the potential for things to go wrong in a big way.
 

24 April

Speaker  - Bill Jamieson  - ‘Drop the W’

No one had any inkling about the subject matter to follow! Then it was revealed; a picture quiz, ‘Where in Aberdeen ?’.  20 pictures were displayed on screen showing just a snippet of some ‘famous’ sites in Aberdeen (allegedly!), and participants (some collaboration might have gone on, I suspect!) had to ‘guess’ the location to the nearest foot, or in our case to the nearest 10 miles!  It was a thoroughly challenging exercise for most of us and when the answers were revealed in ‘Where in Aberdeen?’, it was clear most of us went around with our eyes wide shut!! A thoroughly enjoyable evening and the quiz was won by Doug Nisbet with 14/20 – wow!  Graham Payne, on behalf of the club, thanked Bill for some excellent entertainment and whilst it was obvious we must all get out more, it seems also to have given Graham some ideas for the next ‘real’ rotary quiz – hmmm...!!

3 April

Speakers:  Linda Gray & Zoe Barbour: Local charity ‘Inspire’

Inspire (Partnership through Life) is an award-winning charity that was established (initially as Partnership Housing) as part of the Care in the Community initiatives (which closed many long stay institutions and hospitals) in 1988. Aberdeen charity Cornerstone was likewise founded at about the same time and the two charities do link up on some activities.

Inspire strives to understand the ambitions and aspirations of the individuals who use its services such that it can provide them with the right amount and type of support to broaden their horizons and access opportunities and experiences that most other people are able to take for granted. Historically, 97% of Inspire’s funding has come from local authorities but in common with other 3rd sector organisations it is under increasing pressure to become less reliant on such funding and to raise more money itself.

See http://www.youtube.com/user/InspireonlineTV for various videos about Inspire and its activities.

Ian Arthur gave the Vote of Thanks, particularly noting the commitment and enthusiasm of Linda & Zoe.

20 March

Speaker - Gary Macalister (District Marketing Communications & PR Chair) – ‘Public Image & Awareness’

Gary gave a detailed presentation covering many aspects of trying to get the Rotary message across to the public and paid particular attention to some new approaches and use of social media sites.  Rotary is very concerned about its public image,
•         to try and attract new members
•         to support existing members
•         to create external credibility
•         to support partner organisations
•         to create internal credibility 
The campaign within RIBI has been to use Google (pay per click), National advertising (Times Telegraph, Irish Times), door drop in selected areas (Westhill being one, but was not regarded as successful perhaps due to a lack of consultation with the local club – lessons to be learned!), use of local radio (eg Northsound), TV and social media sites (facebook & twitter).  If a small % of the no. of clicks on Google (some 27,000) were translated into new members, Rotary would not have a membership problem.
When advertising events etc for the club, we need a ‘hook’ to draw people in – basically nice pictures (with people doing!), nice attractive headline and a very few words to describe.  A checklist of questions should ask,
1. Will it be eye-catching to the person flicking through?
2. Does it show Rotary in a good & positive light?
3. Does it show club in a good & positive light?
4. Would it encourage you to join Rotary?
Samples of adverts/press releases are available to download from the website.

John M, on behalf of the club, thanked Gary for enlightening us on PR generally and also on some of the benefits and pitfalls of using the social media networks.

6 March 2013

Speaker – Erica Manfroi “Aberdeen City Council – Waste and Recycling Awareness”

Erica came from Italy to the UK seeking employment and secured a position with Aberdeen City Council in the Waste Aware Division.

The new Aberdeen City Waste Strategy 2010-2025 was adopted on 13th April 2010.  The Strategy provides a statement of the key outcomes for all waste management in the city for the next fifteen years and provides a framework for the development of the next generation of waste infrastructure and services.  The Strategy has been developed identifying the following key themes and targets.
Key themes:
• Waste is a resource not a problem
• Gain value from waste at all stages of treatment
• Our resource, our solution
• The proximity principle
• The waste hierarchy
• Pragmatic, value for money but challenging
Targets:
• Waste growth will be eliminated by 2015
• Source segregated municipal waste recycling and organic waste treatment targets are:
- 45% by 2013
- 50% by 2020
- 56% by 2025
• Introduce organic waste collection for all households and develop treatment facilities within the Aberdeen area by 2013
• Municipal residual waste treatment capacity (including Energy from Waste) should not exceed 45% by 2020 and 40% by 2025
• No more than 5% of municipal waste to be landfilled by 2025

After an interesting question and answer session, Des, on behalf of the Club, thanked Erica for an informative talk on how the City is addressing its waste.

27 February 2013

Speaker - Dave Fryer   'Enterprising Communities'

Dave used to work for the Council but now uses his skills to get all sectors, private, public, the communities,
working together to provide a matched-up service. The future focus should be at community level, where trusting relationships are built up, you ‘under-promise, but over-deliver’.

An example of success in bringing shops back to use has been in Torry where there were around 20 units empty, but Scottish Government funding together with public sector and private money, has reduced that now to 4 or 5. The city project Retail Rocks chose 7 local small businesses through a ’Dragons Den’ type competition and these budding entrepreneurs benefit from rent-free premises for one year.

Dave will also be involved in the micro-management of the ‘Feast on the Green’ project where a festival is being planned with support of corporate sponsorship. It is intended that hundreds of people who live in and around the Green should be involved.

Jim then asked for questions and there was a very interested response from all quarters of the Club.
Ken asked if there was an area similar to the Green in Torry. When Dave responded, not really, Ken then
broached the idea of a ‘Fish Festival’ in Torry, an idea that Dave considered well worth thinking about.
There were also many issues for small businesses raised, such as difficulties in getting bank loans or relief from business rates, and the fact such local rates are hived off to central government in Scotland.

The fairness for established traders in a community when only those setting up were receiving financial or advisory assistance was raised, but Dave pointed out that the whole community benefits from these new small supported businesses, with their income flows and the employment they create. Ken was impressed by Dave’s presentation and joked that ‘he saw the light, and this is ’the first time I have listened to you’.
Dave also talked about bringing in community buy-outs to the cities and towns with matching Government funding as has happened with some projects in the Highlands and Islands.
Other views expressed included ‘micro-financing’ of potential new businesses, with rate exemption and support from Enterprise NE Trust as additional ways forward, while the continued need to cut bureaucracy at Local Government level, and the releasing of funds and responsibility for community developments to those at the grassroots, was emphasised.

27 February 2013

Speaker  Dr Derek Gray  Aberdeen FC Club Doctor

Jim called on Derek R to introduce the evening’s speaker, Dr Derek Gray. Derek R had known Derek Gray for over 40 years as a friend, and later as his GP when he moved to Cults. Dr Gray had been in practice for 38 years, latterly as a senior partner, and also had been Club doctor at Aberdeen FC for many years. Derek R said Dr Gray had practised when you ‘really were a doctor’ who could be called out to a patient at any time. Tonight he is going to give us real stories, often hilarious, sometimes bizarre, about his many experiences while in general practice.

Dr Gray has published a book called ‘Tis strange but True’ with many stories from his challenges and experiences with patients ( without breaking any aspects of confidentiality of course!). All the stories in the book are true. His talk will be linked to these stories and is going to be highly entertaining. However the best way to summarise his many humorous and lively stories is certainly to read his book.

A female patient had only been married for 6 months. She felt her marriage was falling apart ‘He does not love me anymore.’ When asked why, she replied ‘Each night now, after making love three times, he just falls asleep’.

Then there was the story of the disagreeable consultant who liked to be superior with patients on his grand tour, and used Greek terms to name illnesses and impress patients and nursing staff.  He was picked up
by a patient for his inaccurate use of Greek, and tried to belittle the objector. ‘So you are an intellectual and do the Times crossword in10 minutes’. To which the patient replied’ Never taken 10 minutes yet’, putting the puffed up consultant totally in his place.

Members questions included the following: Were many patients were now using the Internet to become would-be doctors, to self-diagnose?  Derek said yes, and they were often foreign patients, even more particularly Dutch ones – don’t let Jelte hear about that. Also some footballers who earn huge sums of money can be very difficult to deal with, though not in his experience Aberdeen players who still earn large salaries but are not in the Chelsea or Manchester City pay (or play) league. Comments were then made about how it was now difficult to see a doctor quickly today, and Derek explained his view of the problem, much of it blamed on recent Government policies. To postcode boundary decisions which reallocate patients in and out of practices, sometimes when they have been long established members, he was very critical. He said that to enforce such decisions was usually unnecessary and patients should always come first.

6 February 2013

Speaker  Fiona Mair – History of Aberdeen Art Gallery

Fiona started her talk by outlining how the Aberdeen Art Gallery was conceived.  The origins of the Art Gallery & Museums can be traced to 1873 when John Forbes White and a number of local art collectors decided to hold a public exhibition to display their works.  This was a great success attracting some 90,000 visitors in 4 months (!) and proved the demand for such an asset.  In 1882 there was a public subscription (similar to our art event) and by 1884 the site on School hill was purchased.  Alexander Macdonald had bequeathed enough money to build the gallery, if built within 3 years of his death in 1884.  Low & behold Aberdeen’s impressive granite Art Gallery, designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, was opened in 1885.  Hope Macdonald later bequeathed virtually all the family’s private art collection to the Gallery.  Prior to her death, the void (nae art works to show!!) was filled by Aberdeen Artist Society exhibiting local and national artists.  Sir James Murray was another benefactor (Chairman of the Art Gallery committee in 1900) and was instrumental in erecting the granite pillars – he also donated the ‘Tennis Party’ painting.  Other later exhibits were donated by James Cromar, James McBey & Bill Gibb.  In 1907 the Town Council assumed control of the Gallery and continued its development to the present.  Curators decide on collecting priorities and exhibits.  Funding for the future is a big issue but there are many different sources to tap into, incl. the National Collection Scheme for Scotland and the Contemporary Art pot.  The Gallery is expected to close next year for 3 years whilst restoration work is undertaken and a new floor is added – some of the work will be displayed elsewhere during construction.  Doreen, on behalf of the club, thanked Fiona for her enthusiastic talk, noting that the Gallery was completed in 3 years.

23 January 2013
Speakers  - Hugh Black & Sandy White - The Big Hole

The quarry was first opened in 1740 but closed in 1971 on economic grounds.  The quarry is some 375m in circumference and about 140 m deep and full of water, as pumping also ceased in 1971. It was bought in 2010 by 2 Aberdeen lads, Hugh & Sandy (with a very bold offer!), not with any particular plan in mind at the time.  However, 2/3 years on and they are well ahead with plans for a heritage and visitor centre focusing on the granite traditions of the city.  They have been working closely with Architects, Halliday Fraser Munro to hopefully build a centre hanging over the top of the quarry (which could be completed by 2014) and thereby create an inspiring visitor experience.  The 2nd part of the talk was a video which was shown last year at the Granite Festival with stunning images of how a boat was crane lifted into the quarry (because of access difficulties), underwater scenes showing much debris & old granite working machinery and outline plans for a futuristic centre.

So far everything has been v. positive.  They have lowered the water level in the quarry by about 3 m using a simple submersible pump and carried out the bathymetric survey.  Although they would like to fund most of the development themselves, realistically they are also looking to Council and Scottish Enterprise support.  There will also be room for other and possibly commercial activities.  Mike H, on behalf of the club, thanked Hugh and Sandy for their excellent presentation (despite tech hitch!) and wished them every success with the venture.

Fred Dalgarno is Dean of the City of Aberdeen and also Chairman of Sport Aberdeen Trust.  Sport Aberdeen was established after the Council decided, in 2006, to set up an independent body.  The sports assets of the Council were ultimately transferred on license to Sport Aberdeen in July 2010 and the Trust has been managing these sports and leisure facilities ever since, on behalf of Aberdeen City Council.  In June 2010 the then Board decided not continue.  Fred (+ 2 others) then contacted the Council to see what could be done.  After some hasty discussions, Fred agreed to become a chairman of the Trust only to be told the whole project had to go live in July.  A two week delay was eventually negotiated and the Trust became operational on 9 July.  The Trust runs 7 swimming pools and 1 leisure pool, 9 sports centres, an ice rink, 7 golf courses and many other facilities. 314 people transferred to Sports Aberdeen, under the TUPE arrangements, and interim management was put in place for 18 months before interviews could take place for permanent staff/board members.  Sport Aberdeen is a charitable trust committed to providing a rewarding sporting experience for every age and ability.  Budget on day 1 was £6.3m for first year, but due to financial constraints that figure was never realised and there has been continuing cut-backs each year.  As a non-profit organisation revenue is used to continue improving facilities and services. The Trust faces many challenges going forward, not least of which is the continuing monitoring by Council staff (7 people!!) and pool overcapacity.  However, things are improving and Fred is confidant they will make a success of the venture, despite the Council bureaucracy and ‘questionable’ decision-making. Ewen, on behalf of the Club, thanked Fred for his most interesting talk and also for not telling any worse jokes than our President!

Speakers  Susan & Allan Bree - Improvements to Aberdeen City Centre

Business Improvement Districts (BID’s) started in USA, eventually coming to Scotland in 2009 and Aberdeen in 2011 with the appointment of Susan as CEO of Aberdeen Inspired (AI).  Susan’s role is to create BID for Aberdeen City centre.  Aberdeen Inspired is not part of the Council - it is led and funded by the city centre business community but its aims are wide ranging, designed to reinvigorate the BID for the benefit of all who work, live and shop in the area.  The main aim is to make the city centre a more attractive place, with the overarching goal of increasing footfall and making it a destination of choice rather than just somewhere to shop.  AI is funded from 1% of Non Domestic rateable value in the area.  Businesses within the BID zone will be eligible for a grant of up to £1,500 each to go towards exterior revamps, gutter clearing repairs etc.  The main projects being planned/implemented by AI are within the following themes: Marketing & Promotion, Safe & Secure, Getting Out & About, Attractive City.  Examples of project initiatives are; 2012 Winter Festival, free ‘Hopper’ bus in run up to Xmas, empty shop window dressing scheme, Facewatch (beating crime), purple flag, big belly bins (to reduce emptying & mess), website surveys etc. (more info available on AI website link, here ).  Allan explained the AECC Marketplace initiative, where Aberdeen Retail Traders showcased their merchandise at the Oil Exhibition and which was deemed to be a great success by all parties.  Harry, on behalf of the Club, thanked Susan and Allan for an interesting and inspired (!!!) presentation wishing them well with their very ambitious agenda.

21 November

Speaker  Richard Burn  ‘Antarctic Travels on my Skidoo’

Richard gave an illustrated talk on his expedition to Antarctica in 1977.  He was employed as a Geologist with the British Antarctic Survey team and his work was involved in the ongoing mapping of the Continent.  They left Southampton and sailed to Montevideo which took 3 weeks and then on to Port Stanley (Falklands Islands).  After another week and sight of first icebergs, they arrived in Antarctica and camped on snow before erecting their accommodation hut.  Points of interest Richard mentioned,
• His first aeroplane flight ever (must have been scary!!) took him to the Adelaide Island base. 
• This was the first time they had used skidoo’s for transport, rather than Huskies, together with Nansen Sledges (Ash built – maybe not for much longer!!) – needed more care identifying crevasses, as no dogs to fall in first!
• The main obstacle/danger to travel was the crevasses and of course poor visibility, when all travel had to stop. 
• They also used early Sat Nav for survey purposes and it took some 8 hrs to get triangulation!
• The Whaling Station in South Georgia was abandoned in 1965 with all its assets, ships etc, due primarily to factory ships being commissioned.
This was quite an adventure.  John E, on behalf of the Club, thanked Richard for his most interesting talk and fascinating insight to living in Antarctica.

7 November

Speaker  Sue Hope  ‘Freedom from Fistula Foundation’
Over 2 million women in Africa are suffering from obstetric fistula caused by prolonged, obstructed childbirth and lack of access to maternity care, unlike in developed countries.  To be pregnant in Africa is ‘to have one foot in the grave’. Women suffering from obstructed labour mostly without pain relief or medical intervention often struggle until the baby dies and the loss of circulation causes tissue to die, leaving large gaps between the birth canal and bladder or rectum, causing incontinence.  The main aims of the Foundation are for all women in Africa to have access to healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth and to help eradicate obstetric fistulas, by:
• Expanding/developing fistula services across Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone, Kenya & Malawi
• Partnering with other organisations already providing fistula surgeries
• Training surgeons
• Training midwives in maternal healthcare (£1300/person)
• Financing access to healthcare & necessary caesarean sections during pregnancy and labour
• Educating girls at age 13
• Improving the prospects of women in Africa suffering from the condition to make life worth living
Mike C, on behalf of the Club, thanked Sue for an inspiring talk about the condition and all too apparent barbarism, for which the men in Africa must shoulder more responsibility and also be better educated about.
 

31 October

There was no speaker as it was a Partners’ night visit to Belmont Cinema for a private viewing of ‘Salmon Fishing on the Yemen’.  Prior to the viewing we enjoyed a ‘light’ meal (some of course went back for seconds!!) and drinks in the basement cafe.  Judging by the laughter (and little asides) throughout the film it was also very much enjoyed by all.  Many thanks to Mike C and his committee for a super night’s entertainment (for some – yes the Tweedies! - the film, even second time around, was still most enjoyable).

24 October

International Students Evening

Our annual international evening with ’overseas’ students from RGU saw a very good turn-out of students and each was asked to introduce themselves and speak on a topic prepared by Norman.  The topics varied from,
• What were your first impressions of Aberdeen?
• What places and why would you take someone to in your home town?
• Who has been most inspirational person in your home country?
• What places do you intend to visit whilst in Scotland?

Almost without exception they thanked us for the invite to our club meeting, commented on the warmth and friendliness of the people they have met in Aberdeen and also that it’s not necessarily the warmest place (weather-wise!) they have ever been to.  Many also described some interesting parts of their own countries to visit and some mentioned they had relatives who were Rotarians.  Des, on behalf of the club, thanked all the contributors (particularly Sam whose comments on our youth were noted!!) and ‘recommended’ they try Haggis, Neaps & Tatties before they leave Aberdeen. All in all it was a great evening, and many thanks to Norman & committee for making the arrangements.

10 October

Open Evening

Rotary and Club banners greeted our guests as they made their ways through the hotel to our venue upstairs. We also displayed very prominently our vast selection of banners from visiting Rotarians or from clubs our members had visited. The film loop featured prominently and, we believe, gave good first impressions to visitors of many enjoyable, lively and worthwhile activities going on in our Club.
Each visitor was immediately met by several Club members, and they helped to make all guests feel quickly at ease, while also enjoying a welcoming glass of wine or soft drink. Our visitors seemed relaxed and happy, chatting about themselves, asking questions about our Club meetings and activities, and listening to our comments.
At dinner visitors and members mixed and socialised at 5 different tables. On each table there was a copy of our members ‘Rotary moments’ to read. Convenors spread around the different tables to give more information about what they and their committees did. The buffet meal seemed to go down well with our guests!
After dinner Mike R and Jim took the floor. Jim C hosted a session starting with presentations by current RCAD convenors. They used relevant parts of the photo loop to illustrate concisely what they and their committees did, and this seemed to be very well appreciated by our visitors. Robert B also added comments about RCAD’s considerable contribution to the much valued annual ‘Kids Out’ event. Jim then outlined how we met, and what we did, emphasising again the 4 Fs, discussing member attendance, and also giving details of annual fees and costs for Club members. There were no questions at this stage from our visitors. So, had we run a successful, informative, and enjoyable evening? We definitely think so. Feedback from our visitors before they departed seemed to back up that view. Jim thanked everyone for coming and assured our guests that we would follow up on this evening’s contact. The meeting closed with the raffle.

3 October

Speaker        Murray Duncan      ‘The Deeside Railway at Milton of Crathes’

Murray gave a tremendously detailed and very enthusiastic account of the development of the Society’s project since 1996, a joy to hear whether you were a railway buff or not. The Society now has over 200 members, was first onsite in 2002, started laying track in 2004, purchased its first diesel engine in 2005 and now runs steam trains as well, with several hundred passengers in total on a busy weekend day.

  They have found suitable stock from all over the country, including ‘Bon Accord’, a former Aberdeen harbour steam engine that they have lovingly restored; carriages from Carlisle; a locally resourced brake-van; and the old electric battery unit (that ran on Deeside from ‘58-’62) from a Yorkshire museum. I used to travel on that unit to Lumphanan in my youth - and it frequently broke down.  

Restoration has included painting the rolling stock in the authentic colours of the Great North of Scotland Railway. The Society has even moved a complete original Victorian station, section by section, from Oldmeldrum to Crathes. Murray also showed us a small library of ‘steam-powered’ slides associated with the tasks and stages of their railway developments and also included nostalgic rail pictures associated with Aberdeen in the days of steam power. So far the restored line runs for about a mile, but ultimately will be 2.5 miles long, running from Milton of Crathes into the centre of Banchory. 
           

19 September

Speaker       Gerry Bowyer of Aberdeen Street Pastors

Gerry gave us thought-provoking insight into his team’s involvement in Aberdeen city centre street life late at night, and started by showing us a clip of typical street activity on such weekend evenings. The mantra from the pastors was ‘caring, helping and listening’. They liaised closely with local councils, social workers, police, club operators and many different church groups, to support and calm revellers, assist those under the influence of drink or drugs, and generally help the socially fragile. In essence they worked the streets and took on these challenges during the mayhem of typical weekend city night life.

Gerry, Martin and James, the three main drivers of the venture, now have over 80 volunteers working for them. What they have achieved is extremely impressive, and they continue to successfully prevent many arrests and visits to hospitals, while also helping those in distress by skilful street counselling and their calming presence.

We were informed that there could be up to 20,000 drinkers in 130 bars in Aberdeen on a typical weekend night. Binge drinking and’ front loading’ were all too common practices, particularly amongst the young. The pastors also work with the homeless and potential suicide cases, and can use follow-up processes in partnership with bodies such as local churches and Alcoholics Anonymous.
.
Ken gave the vote of thanks and reminded us to look out for the blue jackets if we were in town on a Saturday night – but don’t ask for flip-flops (that’s of course unless you really need them!). As Ken said, it was a ‘wonderful talk’ that Gerry gave.

12 September

Speakers  KirstyBell & Calum Macleod – RYLA 2012 Experiences @ Abernethy

Both Kirsty & Calum spoke confidently and very enthusiastically of their experiences at the recent RYLA girls and boys camps, supported by short videos showing their highlights.  Both are now in 6th year and hoping to go to Uni to study Primary Teaching and Veterinary medicine respectively.  Kirsty’s team came 1st in swimming and Calum was presented with one of only two endeavour awards.  The main themes which emerged from their experiences were:
• Making new friends, despite not knowing any of the other participants beforehand
• Inspirational early morning talks
• Evening quizzes
• Leading a project (variety of activities incl. canoeing, mountain biking, hill walking, rock climbing, swimming, etc.)
• Working well in teams
• All-in-all a truly memorable summer experience
• Plan to address school Assembly to tell others of their experiences
• Target group should be 5th & 6th years
• Future camps may benefit from more interaction with other teams/team members

5 September

Speakers  GSE Team – What do you know about Pennsylvania?

Bob (RC Lancaster - team leader) – introduced the team and the theme for their presentation which was to tell us a bit about the history, culture and attractions of their part of USA and links with Scotland.  Pennsylvannia has some 13 million people and is 45,000 sq. miles in area.  It is possibly best known for all the wrong reasons – the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident!  Each of the team then talked about a few aspects of their home towns, viz.
James (RC Harrisburg Keystone) – famous for the Battle of Gettysburg, a 3-day battle during the American Civil War which proved the turning point for Union forces Vs Confederate army and ultimately led to the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln.
Emily (RC Carlyle, Cumberland co) – famous for Hershey’s chocolates (samples of which were enjoyed by all!). Names such as ‘Twizzlers’, ‘Reese’s’, ‘Ice Breakers’ are all made at Hershaw’s factory, where there is also a Chocolate World amusement park.
Ben (RC Lancaster) – similar countryside to St Andrews environs.  Famous for Amish people who have a strong sense of community, don’t like being photographed, use traditional farming methods, but have wonderful cooking recipes which they have successfully marketed.
Casey (RC York) – 1st capital of US, snack capital & factory tour capital of world!  Home of BAE Systems, but really famous for Harley Davidson manufacturing plant (William Davidson’s father came from Brechin – a little known fact!)
Bill, on behalf of the club, thanked all the team members for their individual contributions, commenting that although he was wearing specs he was not Amish and referring to the ‘limitations’ of the runways at Sumburgh, nonetheless wished them a safe onward journey to Shetland!!

22 August

Speaker  Vinay Ruparelia – Books Abroad

Vinay started by telling us a bit about his background.  He was raised in Uganda but left some 40 years ago, went to University and then opened a pharmacy in Portsoy.  About 10 years ago he decided to get involved with Books Abroad Charity which aims to supply quality second hand books to schools and other educational centres overseas.  RC Banff has a close and continuing relationship with the charity. Books Abroad has come a long way since it was set up 30 years ago, with an ever expanding service now at Rhynie (having previously been at Huntly Library).  They have supplied some 3 million books in over 80 countries since 1982, and that’s a tremendous achievement for a locally based organisation.  Surprisingly, it is cheaper to ship books from Rhynie to Mombasa than to London (did I get that right this time?).  Vinay is hoping to expand their operations even more in the future to be a more comprehensive/all round service.  Quentin, on behalf of the club thanked Vinay for a most interesting talk and agreed that education and better communications in the developing world are the keys to help avoid conflicts and resolve disputes.  This fits in quite well with the RI theme for the year, ‘Peace through Service’.

8 August

Speaker  Meg Forbes – Interact

Meg gave a short presentation on how St Machar Club had gone about setting up an Interact Club @ St. Machar Academy.  This was a useful information gathering session for our members and some of the points she made are summarised below:
 Charities have benefitted significantly.  Interact have to have an international charity to support.
 Rotary members have gained experience of the students needs
 Interacters are part of the ‘Family of Rotary’
 Interacters come to some Rotary meetings and likewise Rotarians are encouraged to go to theirs.
 Interacters have learnt a more formal and focused approach to fundraising and international issues, e.g. Polio+.  Also they learn to take minutes of meetings, filing, admin. etc.
 Natural progression from Interact to Rotaract and then hopefully Rotary
 Initially contact should be made with School Charities group and best to get Head Teacher involved at early stage
 Speak to potential members at School Assemblies
 Include 4th year as well as 5th and 6th years
 Minimum of 10/12 Interacters as core group
 Interacters may already know about Polio+, Shoebox Scheme, Shelterbox and Kids Out due to involvement with a local Rotary Club.
 Interact handbook is best source of info.  Aim to give Interacters pack of info (supplied by Alasdair Campbell)
 Anne Mitchell is D1010 New generations Chair.
Anne Russell, on behalf of the Club thanked Meg for a most informative talk, which will be food for thought in the coming months.

1 August

Speaker  Catherine Cowie – ‘Erskine – Caring for Veterans since 1916’

Erskine Hospital was founded in 1916 to care primarily for soldiers needing nursing care as a result of injuries inflicted in WW1.  At the time it was not envisaged that there would be a long term need or indeed funding to run the hospital beyond a year.  However, due to ever increasing need for its services, funding support enabled the hospital to carry on with its good work and expand/increase services to treat generations of veterans through WW2, Korea and now Afghanistan.  Today Erskine is the foremost, and the most modern, care facility for ex-Service men and women in the United Kingdom.  It provides residential, nursing and dementia care in purpose-built Homes and each year looks after more than 1000 ex-Service men and women of all ages in permanent and respite care.  In Aberdeen, Erskine is in partnership with Barchester Care Homes to provide ex-Service men and women with access to the highest standards of care possible at Fairview House, Bridge of Don.  Catherine thanked the Club for supporting the charity at the forthcoming Walk or Run event and assured that any monies so received would be spent locally.  Catherine concluded her talk by showing a moving film account of the wide range of services they provide together with interviews with some of the residents who are benefitting from their care.  Ellen, on behalf of the Club, thanked Catherine for her talk and for filling in the gaps in our knowledge about Erskine.

25 July

Speaker  Eric Ronsberg 'State of the Art Drill Ships'

The Speaker was Eric Ronsberg the son of Rotarian Karre. His talk was titled “The development of Drill ships”. Jim introduced Eric and said he was looking forward to the talk as he started his oil career on a drillship that was a converted troop carrier.

Eric is the Engineering Manager for Stena in Aberdeen and he focused on the design evolution of the Stena fleet of 7 drill rigs that ranged from a 1970’s semisubmersible to the pride of the fleet, a brand new Arctic class drillship, the ICEMAX.

Stena is a privately owned company that is involved with ferries, property and offshore drilling.

The new vessel has a speed of 12 knots (compared with 2 to 7 knots on semis) can take a 20000tonne deck load, has 3 times the displacement of older vessels, has a 6 thruster dynamic positioning system and is automated for safety reasons. Automation keeps men away from the hazard. Its control systems are triplicated.

Anne Russell thanked Eric for a fascinating and educational talk and asked if the Christmas trees on the ICEMAX had fairies on them. The club showed its appreciation in the usual way.

18 July

Speaker Ian Reid -  Ferry Laupers 

Ian started by saying he would have liked a talk from an educationalist but they were all on holiday. He then considered a presentation on RCAD members erecting tents but was not sure of the ropes. He then made rude, but true comments, about some members attempts to erect a shelter box without reading the instructions. These members, whilst finding the experience intense, had a cracking time.

He then gave his talk on Ferry Loupers and his holiday with old friends in a sunny Orkney.

His plan was to visit 10 inhabited islands in 10 days. He gave details on the sights, means of transport and walks on 3 islands. Hoy and the old man, Hoxa and a short eared owl and Deerness and the covenanter’s tower. The weather was terrific and the cottage he stayed at first class.

Derek Robb then thanked Ian for a fascinating talk. He admitted in the past he went south for holidays but would now consider Orkney.

4 July

Speaker  Stewart Aitken – ‘Aberdeen International Youth Festival’

This year (1st to 11th Aug) will see the 40th AIYF (having been held in the city since 1973), although in the early years only the rehearsals were held in Aberdeen but the actual performances were in London.  However that changed very soon mainly for logistical reasons of an expanding participation and have been held in Aberdeen and surrounding areas ever since.  It has now become a multi-arts festival and over the years has had > 25000 participants from some 80 countries. The core objective is to ensure the very best in youth talent, locally, nationally and internationally is showcased at the festival. This year there will be over 100 shows in the 11 days of the event.  AIYF continues its commitment to nurturing and developing artistic and creative talent by providing world class venues for young people to perform to welcoming audiences. AIYF is not just about the shows, it also offers inclusive, participatory workshops and master-classes to local people, such as the ‘Jazz Lab' the ‘Dance Lab' and ‘Summer Schools', where up and coming artists can hone their skills.  This year there will be an expanded festival in Aberdeenshire, Moray and Edinburgh. Ewen, on behalf of the Club, thanked Stewart for his talk acknowledging the dedication and hard work needed by all concerned to make it so successful over the years and was confidant of another successful festival this year.

27 June

Speaker  Maree Garden – ‘Working with Autism’
Maree is currently working @ Maisie Munro Children’s Centre (VSA) in Aberdeen after having spent 10 years as a support worker with Autism.  She was first introduced to the difficulties associated with this condition whilst babysitting at the age of 16 and this experience was instrumental in shaping her future training and career as a support worker for people with autism.  Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people.  It also affects how they make sense of the world around them. It is generally not diagnosed until about age 2 and around 1:100 people have it (4x greater incidence in boys).  There are degrees of difficulty, from people with Asperger syndrome (mild) who are normally very clever (commonly at Maths & Science) and can lead a fairly normal life, to severely autistic who typically have a developmental age of about 5.  Common traits among people with autism are: no social interaction – they see people as objects, don’t make eye contact, slow to develop speech, don’t have imaginary play, take everything literally, don’t like waiting for things.  Maree loves working with autistic people, as the small successes are so rewarding.  Mike R, on behalf of the club, thanked Maree for her ‘truly epic’ and most enlightening talk based on her personal experiences.
 

6 June

Speaker  Peter Reiss “Community Councils"

Peter as Chairperson, Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber Community Council (CBMCC) gave a very informative and interesting talk on role of the Community Council within a community. The CBMCC consists of 18 elected members plus 4 ex officio members including City Councillors and the local Community Police Officer.  Community Council members take responsibility for a number of areas of interest including planning, roads, Environment, Community Service and Crime Prevention.  The Community Council has statutory rights, the most important being that of consultation in relation to any planning developments in the area. Recently the Council has responded to the AWPR, Stuctural/Local Development Plan and planning applications including the 3000 house development on the western outskirts of Aberdeen at Countesswells – in particular the concerns that the roads and schools would not be able to cope with this size of development.  Additional information on other activities undertaken can be found on the CBMCC website -http://www.cbmcommunity.org.uk.  It should also be noted that a) Community Councils are non-political in make-up and b) The meetings are open to the public and members of the public are welcome to raise any issues of concern they may have.
Mary, on behalf of the Club, thanked Peter for his talk.

23 May

Speaker  Dave Pottinger “What is a Process Engineer"

  ‘I am a Process Engineer’; ‘You’re a What’ was Dave’s opening. He then gave a well structured, amusing
and very clear account of what a process engineer does and what his job entails. He explained that he designs oil and gas processing equipment. Process engineering comes first, then other specialist engineers take it on from there. There were several exchanges of good-humoured banter with other Rotarians who had different engineering backgrounds and roles –‘ The process engineers hold everything up’  - or debating the legal or honest difference, if any, between dumping and discharging.
   Process safety was to do with keeping the stuff in the pipes and avoiding disasters like Flixborough or Piper Alpha. Dave also referred to the pros and cons of his work, the shortage of engineers, technical challenges, budget controls and time schedules, playing with simulation models, no two days the same, the stresses of getting it right. He highlighted process safety in which quality assurance( keep checking), competencies, people knowing what they are doing, were all key to process safety, and also that effective solution integration was essential.  (Hope this layman minute secretary’s interpretation is somewhere near the mark!).
   At the end members posed a wide range of interesting questions , on technical aspects such as life-cycles of components and lean management approaches to resource use. These were fielded by Dave with relaxed skill and good-humour, just part of an excellent overall presentation.     

16 May

 Speaker  Sarah Oxford – ‘RWPF Programme’

Sarah explained that she has been a bit of a nomad, originally from West Virginia and more recently having lived in California, Cameroons and now Bradford.  She is currently rotary sponsored Peace Fellow, studying for a master’s degree (15 month course).  Her particular specialism is conflict resolution, using sport (football!!).  Prior to Bradford she studied (2004) and later worked for an NGO in the Cameroons.  The Cameroons have Desert in the north and Jungle in the south, speak > 200 different languages, have > 27 different religions and have been governed by a dictator, Biya for c. 25 years, which is certainly a recipe for conflict if ever there was.  Sarah founded the ‘Breaking Ground’ project there which is for women entrepreneurs, capacity building and infrastructure.  Over 300 women have taken the entrepreneurs course and she started a girl’s soccer team, because the culture there is such that the football is seen as a male only sport!  Sarah gave an example of another cultural gender issue which occurred when an outside agency provided a village with a well so that the women would not have to carry water from a nearby source.  The agency had done this with the best of intentions but without consulting the villagers, and particularly the women.  Shortly after opening the new well, it was poisoned – carrying the water was the only time these women were away from their men folk and were able to congregate by themselves!  Sarah will be doing a summer research project looking at gender and thereafter hopes to continue studying conflict resolution.  Graham Payne, on behalf of the Club, thanked Sarah for coming to talk to us about her peace studies and work in the Cameroons, and was particularly impressed with the role sport had played in bring people, with next to nothing, together.

2 May

Speaker  Graham Payne “Fishbox to Alpine Trough”

Graham began by showing the members a polystyrene fish box.  This was followed by a detailed Power Point presentation on the step by step procedures to convert this simple fishbox to an extremely attractive glazed pink granite stone-like trough planted out with Alpine plants. 

Norman, on behalf of the Club, thanked Graham for his enthusiastic, enjoyable illustrated talk which was surely worth a Blue Peter badge.

18 April

Speaker   Clive Rice – Scottish Gold – history, present and future

Clive introduced us to geology and history associated with gold that has been found in Scotland.  Gold was first discovered many centuries ago in the Leadhills of Lanarkshire and regularly mined since then mainly for royalty, but the first nugget was found in the 19^th century in Helmsdale, Sutherland and made into a ring for the then Duke of Sutherland and remains to this day in his family. This prompted the Helmsdale ‘gold rush’ of the 1860’s, which lasted about 2 years.  Gold has also been found in Rhynie Chert (subject of another talk earlier in the year) which is the only epithermal deposit to be found in the UK but, unfortunately for Clive at least, not economically minable!!  However moving on the present, Scotgold have now obtained all licences to develop the mine in Cononish, near Tyndrum, in the Loch Lomond National Park for mining.  There is a £150m pod of gold already proved at surface levels and also silver in significant quantities.  Mining is likely to start next year.  Clive is also involved in research for known gold deposits along a fault line in N. Ireland, which he believes will extend also through Scotland.  Maggie, on behalf of the Club, thanked Clive for a most interesting and fascinating talk, hoping it wouldn’t be another 50 years before she gets her next piece of gold!

4 April

Speaker  Julien Brown – Kids Out

Julien gave a very informative and interesting talk on Kids Out which clearly demonstrated the benefits and enjoyment for the children. The presentation included numerous photographs from last year’s event showing the children enjoying a huge variety of activities.  Some additional information from Juliens’s presentation on Kids Out is listed below:

• Kids Out aims to provide an annual fun day out for children who have mental or physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties
• History: 1989 – John Moores of Littlewoods started Liverpool Annual Motorists Outing for Disabled children, in 1990 link with Rotary made, in 1999 Kids Out (National Charity) formed
• Kids Out Aberdeen, started by Rotarian Bob Fitzpatrick in 1994, initially run at the Bridge of Don barracks, 2001/2 moved to Craibstone in Dyce, 2007 Charity formed -  “Kids Out Aberdeen”
• Kids Out Aberdeen 2011: Children 500, Staff and helpers 465, Cost £11,000
• Kids Out Aberdeen 2012: Budget, approx £12,000 - approx £500 per Aberdeen Club plus grants
• 2012 Trustees: Chair - Graham McWilliam, Vice Chair – Elisabeth Davidson, Secretary - Ellen Smith and Treasurer - Julien Brown
• DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES -13^TH JUNE 2012 – KIDS OUT

John Martin, on behalf of the Club, thanked Julien for his talk.

28 March

Regrettably the speaker was unwell and her talk is to be re-arranged for another night.  However, Ian R stepped into the breach with a cut down (or up?) version of the recent Primary Schools quiz.  We were sorted into teams of 4/5 to answer questions on General Knowledge, Maths, History, literature (Harry Potter??), Environment, Music – to name but a few.  A fierce competitive spirit prevailed to the end, with much questioning of the question master and demands for recounts!!  As far as I could make out there were 3 winners (as no one was able to answer the tie break question!).  Not sure if we did collectively better or worse than PS kids? Bob, on behalf of the club, thanked Ian for organising a most enjoyable evening at very short notice.

21 March

Speaker Ian Young - 'Its a Plant's World'

After Ian gave up the day job in 1997, he turned to his passion for plants and art.  We were treated to a small insight into this passion for plants and in particular those he has planted and now grow all year round in his garden ranging from local species to those imported from round the world incl. Himalayas, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa (to name but a few).  He aims to have garden colour in phases all the year round with careful selection of plants, and minimal maintenance (the chores!). These plants have to be hardy to withstand the local climate and can be found growing in v. harsh environments, e.g. seaside, mountains, granite walls and sets!  All can be obtained in cultivated forms for sowing/planting in your garden.  Ian has an ongoing plant blog on the Scottish Rock Garden Club Website, The Scottish Rock Garden Club Ian Young's Bulb Log .  In case you don’t want to access this webpage, pdf of latest blog is embedded below, with all the plant names I could never hope to spell!!. Ian now travels the world to give talks to various groups.  Ernie, on behalf of the club, thanked Ian for his most interesting talk, saying it was a privilege to give the vote of thanks to such an enthusiast.

7 March

The Cults Academy Ceilidh Band treated us to a splendid evening of music and song.  The band played a selection of polkas, jigs, waltzes, reels and a selection of Burns music in addition to a bagpipe solo and solo singing - all to an extremely high standard.  The Jimmy Shand “piece” brought back many happy memories to a number of club members of Saturday nights at home gathered around the wireless. Doreen thanked the band for sharing their time and talent with the club.  

29 February

Partner Evening Vist to the Aberdeen Town House

As it was a Partners Night we were out and about. We visited the Town House and were hosted by Deputy Lord Provost Bill Cormie. We had a glass of wine and some nibbles prior to our tour of both the old and new part of the building. We had our photograph taken in the Chambers and then the lady Town Sergeant gave us an excellent informative view of the various rooms. The paintings in the old part are truly magnificent. Kaare had the opportunity to sit in the chair used by the city hangman in days of old.  He looked quite comfortable!

I think us locals were pleased and proud to be in a super historical city building
Doug on behalf of the Club that all who had contributed to an excellent evening including Robert the Bruce who had paid for the wine.
 

Speaker Moira Morrison - Marie Curie

Moira Morrison who is a Community Ambassador for Marie Curie gave an excellent talk on the work of the charity. It is mainly concerned with providing care for a person who is suffering from an illness that is terminal and who wishes to remain at home during the final period of their life. The nurse who provides the care is also concerned to help the family at this difficult time. The charity has over 2000 nurses in the UK of which 55 work in the North East. No charge is made to the family and NHS provides around 50% of the cost and fund raising of all sorts meets the remainder. A nurse doing a nightly 9-hour shift costs around £180.
The charity is involved in research as well as having 9 hospices 2 of which are in Scotland.
Moira also said that money raised locally is spent locally.
Mike H thanked Moira for her thought provoking talk on what is a very difficult subject.
 

15 February

Speaker David Fryer - Aberdeen’s Third Sector Interface

David gave a most interesting and thought provoking talk on his new job and the role of ACVO (Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations) in this new era of a cash-strapped public sector and increasing role of the voluntary sector to fill the gap.  ACVO in Aberdeen City exists to represent, support and develop the ’Third Sector’ or ‘Volunteering Sector’ which includes church groups, charities, community bodies, social enterprises as well as some co-operatives and mutuals. It aims coordinate the activities of these organisations and develop the people within them to become more entrepreneurial.  This sector contributes c. £200m to the local economy and about 44,000 people work within it.  There is a big focus currently on reshaping services for the ‘crumblies’ (over 50’s!!) which the public sector are unable to provide, through the Change Fund which is administered by the Community Health Partnership. ACVO try to ensure that older people’s views are taken into account when developing all these changes.  Ewen, on behalf of the Club, thanked David for his talk referring to the huge task of coordinating these diverse groups for the good of the community but hoped his services wouldn’t be required, for him at least, any time soon!!

1 February

Speaker Andy Thorpe - North Sea Bird Club

Andy Thorpe, a guest of Bill Jamieson, gave a fascinating talk on Wildlife on the Rigs. Andy is a professional Ornithologist and runs The North Sea Bird Club.

The club was set up to record data on bird sighting on the Rigs since the 1970s and to promote interest in birds. The birds seen are mostly on migration journeys. They vary from albatrosses to wrens. On the Morecambe bay rigs Gannets have even started nesting. In addition whales and dolphins are seen offshore and also butterflies. An interesting talk that led to a lot of discussion.

25 January

Scottish Evening

This was our annual Scottish evening and we were spoiled with a good dinner some excellent music and a fine speaker.  The band was from the Strathspey Reel Society who played a selection of music ending in a great sing-along. The speaker was Jenny Brown who left her sick bed to give us a very interesting talk on flax weaving and the history of Broadford Mill. The Old Mill 1808, constructed as a fireproof spinning mill of brick and stone built is the oldest iron-framed mill in Scotland and the fourth oldest known to survive in the world. The talk then took us through a journey of politics, finance and war to the present day. The site eventually became Richards and is to be redeveloped.  Norma gave the vote of thanks.

All in all a great evening, with thanks to Mike C and the rest of the SS committee for all their hard work in organising!

Partners were invited and the raffle was for a framed special Rotary Poem,  donated by Alison Skinner of Doric Ditties .  This was won by Harry and his wife pictured on the right.

For more details of Doric Ditties click on the picture of the poem.

18 January

Louise N (Traffic Planner) & Louise B (Police Officer), ably supported by Ian Dow, gave a very interesting account of their experience respectively as students and leader of the GSE (Group Study Exchange) team who represented D1010 on a visit to D7950 Rhode Island, USA in May 2011.  The team (4 students + team leader) started in Boston, finished in Boston and visited Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard in between.  They were hosted by 5 families and attended 13 Rotary Clubs in addition to the D7950 Conference, making numerous presentations en route.  There were cultural visits, informal events/parties/BBQ’s, sing-along’s, boat trips and, of course, work experience.  All thoroughly enjoyed their trip of a lifetime and most importantly learned from their experiences personally and professionally.  David F, on behalf of the Club, gave the vote of thanks.

21 December

Christmas Party at the Royal Northern Club

There was no speaker as it was our annual Christmas bash, for the 1st time at the Royal Northern Club, Aberdeen.  We had an excellent meal excellent company and excellent entertainment – what more could one possibly want?  The entertainment was in the form of quizzes (which SS Con managed to con his way to winning!!) and music from Dr Craig Beattie and a section of the Bon Accord Silver band, and not to mention our wonderful carol singing.  All in all a great evening, with thanks to Mike C and the rest of the SS committee for all their hard work in organising!

Nigel gave an absolutely fascinating account of Rhynie chert, which contains the oldest known preserved terrestrial hot spring system in the world.  It was first discovered by Dr William Mackie (who was a medic to training, but more interested in rocks!) in 1912.  It is, of course, the fossils which are within the chert rocks that are of great interest.  The fossils are of early plant and animal origin and are uniquely preserved in silica from the hot spings within the chert, in a complete state.  The fossils can then be examined by cutting thin slices of the rocks and putting under a microscope.  At that time, Rhynie was 30º S of the equator (perhaps we might get back there sometime soon!!) and the plants & animals, most of which are now extinct, still bear a striking resemblance to those found now.  This geological find can be compared to and correlated with the modern day hot springs of Yellowstone National Park.  Mike C, on behalf of the Club, thanked Nigel for enlightening us, in layman’s language, on this little known geological ‘nugget’, which could and should be a great attraction for the area.

Heather thanked the club for their generous donation of £1000 as a result of the walk or run event. She assured members that the money would be spent in the N.E of Scotland.
   The history of CHSSwas that it started in 1899 as the NAPT and worked to reduce the effects of TB. TB killed 7000 people a year in Scotland at this time.  This figure was reduced by 2/3rds by 1948. In the 50’s new drugs and treatments made TB no longer a major issue. The charity then evolved to become Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland   CHAS.
Heart disease is Scotland’s biggest killer
Strokes are Scotland’s biggest cause of disability
Chest illness is the main user of NHS
The club aims to improve quality of life of people affected by CHS and support their families and carers. Prevent CHS issues by promoting exercise in schools with an Active Expression Programme. And finally supports research projects by £870,000 a year
  Ian Connon gave a vote of thanks both for the support he personally had had as well as on behalf of the club.

Mary introduced each student making a gallant effort in getting the pronunciation of their names correctly. (She failed only on Cuthbert’s 14 letter surname ATWINIREBYOONA)

Each student then gave some information on themselves and answered a question posed to them. Des gave the vote of thanks after an entertaining evening.

5 October
Speaker  Keith Hewitt – ‘The Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust [PSYBT] 

Keith is regional manager for PSYBT Grampian.  The Trust is the sister charity of Prince’s Trust and has been in existence for about 22 years.  The Trust aims to help young people (in the 18 to 25 age group) to start up in business.  They will discuss business ideas with the young people and provide support in the form of free and confidential advice on business start up, assistance in writing a business plan.  They will provide seedcorn finance up to £5000 @ 4% interest and will also assist entrepreneurs who have previously been supported by the Trust to grow their business through their growth fund.  The success rate for new business start-ups to keep going is 70% after a year and 51% after 5 years.  In Grampian they are closely linked to the Business gateway, which provides the young people with free training courses.  Another grant which is available is the Market Test Grant (£250).  PSYBT work to a very tight budget and have spent £2.5m on loans already this year.  Of course, the PSYBT would not be where it is today without the help of our very own Mike Craig who is a Business adviser.  Mary, on behalf of the Club, thanked Keith for coming and telling us about the work of the Trust and wished it every success in the future.

 16 March 2011

Speakers - Charles & Margaret Wildash – MAD {Make A Difference} 

 2 March 2011

Speaker -Terri Harrison of The Nature Nurture Project, Camphill School.

 5 January 2011

Speaker  Ken Lennox - Uttermost Part of the Earth (Tierra Del Fuego)

Ken gave us an illustrated talk following the life of E Lucas Bridges who was born in Ushuaia in 1874 and was both an author and explorer.  His book ‘Uttermost Part of the Earth’ published shortly before his death details the history of his family, who came as missionary settlers to Tierra del Fuego.  It tells a story of the clash of three tribes (the Yaghan, the Ona and the Acaluf) with the white settlers and how Lucas Bridges integrated into and learned the language and customs of the tribes. He defended their way of life and beliefs, but ultimately their fate was sealed by continuing white settlements, measles & smallpox (to which they had no resistance), gold fever, conflict with sheep farmers and bounty hunters.  The population was decimated from several thousand to just 100’s in 1900 – pure bred died out completely by 1999.  Lucas Bridges later served in the 1^st World War, married a Scot and died in 1949 in Buenos Aires.  Ken and Mary’s recent trip to Argentina, South Georgia and Antarctica provided visual definition to the story.   Ellen, on behalf of the Club, thanked Ken for his most interesting and informative talk referring to her own white settler story from Isle of Lewis.

15 December

Christmas Party in the Cults Hotel 

8 December

Speaker  Mary Lennox – Postcards from a Warmer Clime 

1 December

Speaker unable to attend due to weather (snow).

 24 November

 17 November

22 September

Speaker Toby Veale - Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research 

Toby gave a moving tribute to his Dad and talked of his promise that he would try to raise awareness of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research (LLR) and so help others to conquer blood cancers (Alan had died of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia last year, within 3 days of diagnosis). LLR was founded in 1960 and although more children die from blood related cancers than any other illness, 9/10 children now survive Leukaemia. Most research to date in Scotland has taken place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee. Toby in the last year has raised c.£5000 for LLR from various events, including 2 walks at Finzean where some Rotary Members participated and is clearly a great ambassador for the charity.

Toby’s talk was interspersed with his very talented friend Cameron singing and perfoming a violin recital. Norman, on behalf of the club, thanked Toby for his confident talk and Cameron for his excellent performance. Anyone wishing to make an individual contribution can click ontohttp://www.justgiving.com/ and enter’ Toby Veale’ in ‘sponsor a friend’ box to access his WebPages.

Meeting 1 September

Speaker Doug Nisbet - Uganda Experience 

Doug spent the last two+ years of his life as Vice Chancellor of the Mountains of the Moon University and started by showing a promotional DVD. The university was founded in 2005 and student population in 2008/9 was 660, 900 in 2009/10 and with over 800 applications for this coming year, they are well on the way to meeting the 5 year plan to have 2000 students. Although power interruptions are commonplace, IT is v. important to the University, equipment having been provided by a Belgian organisation. The 5-year plan also entails building a new campus. Books for the school at Kyakatara are scarce and many have come from Books Abroad (Rhynie) via Doug. There are many different local dialects, but fortunately the common language is English. Doug conveyed Sister Theresa’s thanks for the Club’s donation towards equipment for the special needs school. It was also good to see slides of the big hole (!!) for the water storage tank at the clinic and they are hopeful that all the work on the water harvesting project will be complete by the end of the year. If Doug had known what he now knows about how stressful the job would be, he doubts he would have taken it on!

Meeting 7 July 2010

Handover & Birthday Celebrations

It was a double event for outgoing President Mike Craig at the meeting.   As well as handing over to incoming President Mike Hedges he also celebrated his 70 th birthday.   The picture below shows from the left the new team of Jim Crawford JVP,  Mike Craig, Mike Hedges and Mary Lennox SVP.

It was fitting for such a significant birthday for there to be a cake and Mike had enough puff to extinguish the candles although he was a bit unsure of the formation of players on the field.  

Meeting 30 June 2010

 

Meeting 23 June 2010

Paul Harris Fellowship

 President Mike Craig presented Ewen Hatchwell with this special award for his outstanding service not only to this Club but also for his unstinting work as ADG for the last 3 years – Congratulations Ewen, very well deserved!    Paul Harris was one of the Founding Members of the Rotary Movement

Meeting 5 May 2010

Experiences in Uganda
Speaker Des Crystal
Des, in his inimitable fashion (punctuated by the odd IT disaster!!), gave us a thoroughly entertaining account of his recent travels in Uganda. A few stats: 51% mortality rate, 7.1 children/female, pop 27million, got independence in 1962, and Sylvia excelled in the geography quiz! Des arrived in Jinja (I think!) spent some time in Kampala initially then went to Kamuli (twinned with Tillydrone!) – the charity had intended purchasing a tractor out there with cash raised in UK but because of high cost and poor condition ended up buying in UK and shipping to Uganda. Des went on safari from Fort Portal for 3 or 4 days. 

 Des finally went to Kayakatara where he visited the health centre and met Ft George, whom he described as a ‘Mr Fixit’. He was encouraged that the water project will make a significant difference to the people and we hope there is more evidence of a power supply for the pump soon!! Norman, on behalf of the Club, thanked Des for his excellent talk under trying circumstances.