Guest and speaker at our club meeting was Mandy Morton from Texas and here since September as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar working towards a Masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at St Andrews University.

The ambassadorial scholarship is the oldest of our Rotary programmes and, fittingly, Mandy hails from Nacogdoches - the oldest town in the Lone Star State - Davy Crocket apparently passed that way on the road to the Alamo!

Already holding a Political Science degree from Austin State University, Mandy hopes that, after St Andrews, she will be able to work within the State Department of the US Federal Government. She is particularly interested in post-conflict work and the ways towards international understanding, goodwill and peace. She spoke movingly of the sobering effect  of field work in Bosnia - especially Sarajevo.

We were also interested to hear of alumni of Rotary scholarships increasingly moving to senior and influential positions within governmental organisations - encouraging to hope that Rotary may also be helping to make a difference in such a way.

In conclusion to an interesting and professional address, a warm vote of thanks was proposed by club vice president Roderick Skinner.