DG's Visits Week 12/13

The final event of the week was the attendance by Daphne and I at the 55th Charter Dinner event of the Huntly Rotary Club. The Huntly Club has achieved much in its lifetime and I hope that the next 55 years are at least as succesful. It is interesting to reflect that back in the days of Huntly's formation by the Rotary Club of Keith, the District consisted of only 27 Clubs. My, how we have grown! President Greg and VP Paul had determined that this would be a light hearted evening, with a minimum of formalities and a maximum of good food, drink and entertainment, and so it proved. The speakers were excellent but not overly lengthy, with Procurator Fiscal Jim Robertson rounding off the evening in fine style. He really has mastered the art of amusing a mixed audience and was greatly appreciated.

DG's Visits Week 12/13

On Friday morning, I had the privilege and pleasure of sharing in the official opening of the NAFAS/Rotary Golden Wheels of Service with Annie Adams of NAFAS and Jim McColl of Beechgrove Garden fame. The event was sponsored by 18 of the north east Rotary Clubs and all the displays exemplified various Rotary causes and themes, such as Adopt a Minefield, WaterAid Mercy Ships and ShelterBox. The displays were mounted in the beautiful St Machars Cathedral, a very familiar location from my days as a student at Aberdeen University. As student in the near by Botany Department and a resident of Crombie Hall just down the road, this was all very familiar territory. The floral displays were quite outstanding and Nature cooperated by providing the most beautiful weather. I hope that the event received enormous support and that the two chosen charities, Breast Cancer Care and CRANES, benefitted from an always welcome boost to their funds.

DG's Visits Week 12/13

Thursday brought us back to Aberdeen and a visit to the Balgownie Club in their delightful meeting place in the Mains of Scotstown Inn at Bridge of Don. I spent a very interesting evening with President Ron and his members hearing about their plans for the current year. Especially impressive are their recruiting plans, with mail shots for an Information evening which cover thousands. I will be very interested to hear how this goes and wish them every success. The fact that at least 20% of their members will bring prospective members to a Club meeting also augurs well for a very succesful recruiting drive. Most Clubs are looking for 2-3 new members. Balgownie are targeting at least five. The Club is also well to the fore in looking at cooperative activities with other Clubs, as evidenced by their joint involvement with Ellon RC in helping to organise The Sandwalk, a test even for those in prime physical condition. Keen supporters of the Wishaw Games and other events in their local community, the Club is also a staunch supporter of the various 'Box' schemes.

DG's Visits Week 12/13

Wednesday evening took us to the third of my experimental joint Club meetings which involved the Peterhead and Central Buchan Clubs-one of our older Clubs with our newest. Again, my thanks to AG Andrew for making all the arrangements. It was a pleasure to meet up with Presidents Mick and Donald again, and to hear about their differing experiences in the current Rotary year. On the one hand we have Peterhead, fully established and with a definite track record of proven events. On the other, we have the bold young Rotarians of Central Buchan, still learning but eager to do so and to move forward to make their own mark on the Rotary world. Not surprisingly perhaps, there are a number of things which they can learn from ech other in the process of change which is passing through the Rotary movement today. Enthusiasm blended with wise counsel and a steady hand. What better combination could you get. Peterhead are seeking to add new blood to the Club while Central Buchan have just recruited their first additional member. It is great news to hear how Clubs all round the District have embraced the drive to increase member numbers and I wish everyone great success.

DG's Visits Week 12/13

Monday morning meant a very early start to fly from Inverness to Stornoway where we were met by President Bob who very kindly left us to catch up with much needed sleep in the afternoon before taking us out for a superb meal along with his wife Janette and Club Secretary Kenneth, preceded by drinks with them, Kenneth's wife Sandra and SVP Donald. The following morning was gainfully occupied with a tour and briefing on Stornoway with President Bob, before we headed off to meet the rest of the Club members. This is yet another Club whose activities are vital to the local community and whose fund raising belies their smaller numbers of members. It was a great pleasure to visit Lewis again and enjoy their magnificent scenery and equally impresssive food. I could do serious damage to my waistline there, so perhaps it was just as well that we had to set off back to Inverness in the afternoon. However, the promise of a warm Western Isles welcome will soon draw us back again.

DG's Visits Week 12

From a sombre start to the week, it ended with an absolute blast. The District Council moved things forward with agreement on the revised standing orders which will allow the District to appoint up to 10 AGs. Approval was also given to set up a committee which will endeavour to ensure that there will be at least one candidate for every elected post. This is not an attempt to deprive any Club of their democratic rights but quite the reverse. They will have the final say on any individuals which the committee think might be worthy of a Club's support. Finally, the Council agreed that an in depth investigation be undertaken into the possibilities of electronic voting. This should help the Clubs which feel that they are currently deprived of their democratic rights through an inability to attend District Council meetings.
Events then moved on with an ever accelerating pace with a first class reception provided by Highland Council, a superb dinner and excellent entertainment from Mary Queen of Scots and two of our former Rotaractors who are now making a name for themselves in the musical world. The next morning saw us down to business in earnest with a series of first rate speakers on topics as diverse as PolioPlus, WaterAid and Cancer. The afternooon provided a choice between further Rotary business, a visit to the new centre at Culloden, a walk round Loch an Eilean or a delightful concert by the young musicians of Dundee High School. In the latter, all the youngsters performed superbly, but few in the audience did not have their heart strings tugged by the two young ladies who sang 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' and 'A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square'. This was followed rapidly by a reception for the Club Presidents and first time attendees and then another superb meal. We were then magnificently entertained by Robin Mather and Tripper whose music was of such a high calibre that the floor was never empty until the end of the evening. Sunday started with the traditional church service with the collection going to Help for Heroes, then more excellent presentations followed.It is impossible to thank all who contributed but to the Conference Centre and hotels, the speakers, the entertainers, the organisers, especially Stewart Wilson and my own Club's organising committee, and to everyone who attended, may I say an enormous thank you.

DG's Visits Week 12

Early on the Wednesday morning we set off westwards to visit the Ullapool Club. A brief detour to see the suspension bridge over the Corrieshalloch Gorge was well worthwhile. The weather was stunningly good after the weeks of indifferent weather so perhaps an Indian Summer is in prospect. The two visiting German tourists we met half way across the bridge were certainly impressed, but whether that was the weather or the height exposure on a swaying bridge was not clear! Ullapool itself looked fantastic and we were soon enjoying the warm welcome and hospitality of President Rick and his members. There was also a brief opportunity to touch base with area AG John Sutherland who happened to be visiting Ullapool that day. The Club has embarked on expansion in several directions, both aiming to increase their member numbers and substantially increase their fund raising over and above the considerable amounts they already raise. It was with some reluctance that Daphne and I had to take our leave, but the District Council meeting and District Conference due to start on the Friday were already beckoning.

DG's Visits Week 12

Tuesday took us westwards to Aberlour which is another of my former Clubs when I was AG in the north east of the District. It was a pleasure to meet up with them again, especially long serving Secretary, Tim Dolan, who I knew from earlier days working on malting barleys for brewing and distilling. The Club has long been noted for its friendly welcome and nothing has changed. President Jeff has lots of ambitious plans, with an increase in membership at the top of the list. It will be of great interest to hear about their special Open Evening for potential members. Their fund raising plans for PolioPlus by holding soup and sweet lunches, coffee mornings, etc round the neighbouring villages are also novel and I wish them every success. The Club's other big interest is in RYLA where they have managed to build up a real head of interest in the scheme amongst local schools, and always provide candidates of excellent quality.

DG's Visits Week 12

Monday evening saw us in Huntly where the wonderful Scottish autumn colours were just beginning to appear. Mere yards from the main road west of Huntly, one can see the spectacular peregrines in flight, with top speeds allegedly approaching 200mph in a dive. They are truly magnificent fliers. At the Huntly Club itself, President Greg and his members were in fine form, notwithstanding all the last minute preparations leading up to their 55th Charter Dinner. Huntly have a tremendous involvement with their local community, with everything from Santa Claus to the town's floral decorations emanating from their efforts. They have a number of very talented members and I hope that these skills will be brought forward to District level in due course. It is good to see their recent lady members having an increased involvement in the Club's activities, with their Immediate Past , and first Lady, President taking the Club forward to achieve several RI Awards. President Greg set off immediately after the meeting to move his boat to its winter quarters. When I saw him a few days later, he referred to an 'interesting' sail, which probably meant that it was about a Force 7!

DG's Visits Week 12

Week 12 began on a sad note with Daphne and I attending the funeral of Past District Governor George Cram of the Rotary Club of Dundee. George was everything you could wish for in a Rotarian. Fun to be with but nevertheless totally committed to Rotary's ideals. He was my mentor and constant source of encouragement, as indeed he was to numerous new Rotarians. I have little doubt that I would never have scaled the heights of being a District Governor without his support. Early on in my Rotary career, it was George who encouraged me to attend District and other Conferences, and to get involved with District affairs. My Rotary life would have been much the poorer without this. He also worked tirelessly for the District, in particular wading through the tomes which constitute the papers for the Council on Legislation , without which we would have had little or no knowledge of Rotary's administrative process. George was a first class DG and he brought the commitment to this position which he also brought to the many other activities he was involved in. He will be greatly missed.

DG's Visits Week 11

My eighth and final visit of the week was a return visit to the Rotary Club of Stirling, my previous visit having had to be cut short due to ill-health. Whether this was 'swine flu' or some other unwelcome bug, is irrelevant, but it was nice to have the opportunity to thank President Alan and his members for looking after me so well and making sure that I got home unscathed. The Stirling Club is a very similar vintage to my own and there are lots of old friendships formed on the golf links and other venues. It was a great pleasure to me to hear about their support for PolioPlus, Foundation, Shoeboxes and so on, and their ambitions to raise even more money for a range of Rotary's good causes. This is another Club which has been exceedingly successful at bringing in new members and they have a vibrancy which belies the Club's years. The social side is never ignored, not least in arranging social events for the community's elder citizens. It was a great pleasure while at the Club, to formally present their Presidential Citation to Immediate Past President Malcom Cordwell-Smith. This truly demonstrates a successful Club. Malcolm was obviously as keen to give as to receive, when he returned the Gordon Boyd Trophy which he won for his outstanding golf performances at last year's District Conference. Unfortunately, he will be unable to defend his title at this year's Conference.

DG's Visits Week 11

After my all too rare visit to my own Club, it was time to hit the road again and head up to Aberdeen to visit the Westhill Club. I have a number of old friends there, not least PDG Bill Leslie, who was away about his business of forming yet another new Club, a job he does superbly well. However, I will catch up with him at the District Conference. Bill and I share the same philosophy of 'let's stop just talking about it and get on and do it'. The Club was absolutely buzzing with ideas and projects both for the present and the future. The world quite literally is their oyster, with projects in Nepal and Indonesia in progress or planned, tremendous help and support for their local young people and excellent support for the local communities, especially for the senior citizens. With their support for international activities such as PolioPlus and Shelterbox, Westhill typify all the good things about Rotary. It was a great pleasure to meet up with President Russell and his members again and a return visit is definitely on the cards to hear about their latest overseas achievements.

DG's Visits Week 11

Thursday lunchtime was my 60th Club visit of the Rotary year and just happened to be to my own Club, Dundee. It was a somewhat strange experience being there after so many weeks away, but also entering the Club as Governor rather than just one of the members. However, any such feelings soon evaporated with the warmth of welcome from our Fellowship team of Charlie, Gordon and David. All the other members from President Graham down were equally welcoming and it was nice to be home, for all the many pleasures I have had from visiting the other Clubs in District. It was also great to catch up with all the Club news, with ambitious plans for the youth side of Rotary(watch this spot), very successful fund raising events and every one eagerly looking forward to the District Conference in just over a week's time. It was a very suitable occasion to thank all the Club members for the tremendous support which they have given to me and Daphne, and especially the Conference Planning Committee who have worked their socks off to organise a Conference which has something for everyone and will make for a very happy week-end. More Club visits are the order of the next few weeks but it was really nice to touch base, if even for a short time. I look forward to welcoming many of the Club members next Friday in Aviemore.

DG's Visits Week 11

The evening took us just over the hill to visit the Rotary Club of Forfar, another Club with a great track record in recent times for bringing in new members. It was a great pleasure to be involved in the induction of another new Rotarian, Alan Cairns, the eighth such occasion already this year in the Clubs I have visited to date. It will be fantastic if this momentum can be maintained throughout the year by our Clubs. A strong supporter of Trust Banks and other overseas schemes, Forfar nevertheless have an extensive involvement with the local community. They are very keen to raise the public profile of Rotary, recognising the benefits this can bring in promoting their big fund raising events such as their very succesful Marafun, scheduled this coming year for 30 May. Their youth involvement is especially extensive, involving RYLA, Primary School Quiz, Dictionary for Life, Young Musician and Young Chef. They have a similar involvement with our older citizens. President David has even further ambitions for the Club and I wish him and his fellow Rotarians every success.

DG's Visits Week 11

The middle of the week took us first of all to the lunchtime meeting of the Rotary Club of Carnoustie where at long last the sun was shining, the clouds had gone and the temperature was a very acceptable 19.5 degrees Centigrade. The locals assured me that Carnoustie weather was always like this, especially on the golf course! I was delighted to visit a Club which has been so succesful at reinvigorating itself, with a significant number of new members brought in during the past year. It was very appropriate that the architect of these changes, PP Hamish Leslie, was in the chair, and to have the opportunity to meet some of these new members. Carnoustie have a very strong tradition of supporting the local community but nevertheless look to suport both PolioPlus and the Shelterbox schemes. They will also continue to support a charity which is building a clinic in Rwanda. This last has a very interesting link with the local High School where some of their senior pupils have already been out to Rwanda to help. As a Club I have known and visited over many years, it was a great pleasure to visit them again.

DG's Visits Week 11

With the weather at long last showing signs of relenting from the endless downpours, Tuesday evening saw us in the south of Fife to visit the Rotary Club of Burntisland and Kinghorn. This provided an opportunity to catch up with PDG John Minhinick and hear more of his superbly masterminded campaign on Thanks for Life which will be celebrated next February. John's drive and innovative ideas are greatly envied by other Districts in RIBI. The evening was filled with all sorts of activities, first of which was the induction of new Rotarian, Ken Hunter. I wish him every success and enjoyment from his membership. This was followed by the presentation of gold medals to a number of ladies, young and not so young, who had raised substantial sums of money for charity by their walk round the various courses laid out by the Club in and around Burntisland. President Derek and his members are really buzzing with new ideas, including their experimental system where the old boards which circulated the Club on all sorts of activites, and were not always seen by every member present, have now been replaced by a continuously circulating display using a laptop and digital projector, viewed on a large screen on one side of the tables. This flags up events, seeks Rotarian participation, etc, and is an innovation which other Clubs could usefully copy. It was another excellent evening of fellowship and I look forward to a return visit to the Club.

DG's Visits Week 11

The lunchtime visit to the Rotary Club of Pitlochry brought back memories of early trips to see the then very new Festival Theatre, still performing under canvas at their original site on the north side of the main road. Wet windy evenings were an occupational hazard then which could lead to cancelled performances. How might they have faired with our current weather? Pitlochry RC now enjoy a superb level of accomodation in the refurbished Fisher's Hotel which is almost unrecognisable from its previous state. President Sandra and her members were in great form despite the continuing wet weather outside. They have a happy balance of support for causes both abroad and within their own community, allied to an active social calendar, all of which must help to attract new members to the Club. I suspect that Christmas in Pitlochry would not be the same without them. With their hoped for increase in support for young people, the good work they do for Shelterbox and WaterAid, their collaboration on the Nepane Project and their heightened PR profile, there is much to congratulate them on. Their top team are managing the balancing act of change without going to fast, superbly well, andI look forward to hearing more about their new initiatives.

DG's Visits Week 11

Club visit number 54 took Daphne and I to the Rotary Club of Anstruther. It was nice to meet up again with a number of friends made back in my days as the Club's AG. The warmth of their welcome was undiminished and we enjoyed a very convivial evening in their company. The Club has a full programme planned for the year ahead, especially in increasing their numbers and promoting Rotary to the wider community. Their many activities with the local community will continue, especially in supporting their young people with participation in RYLA, Euroscola, school debates, the Primary School Quiz and dictionaries for senior primary pupils. If you add to this their support for PolioPlus, Foundation and the various "Boxes", then President Bill and his team have a tremendous year ahead.

DG's Visits Week 10

My week was intended to end with the Rotary Club of Elgin's Charity Concert to raise funds for Help for Heroes. They had managed to secure the presence of the Royal Marines Band and an evening of superb entertainment was in promise. It was with very great regret that I learned on Friday that the Concert had been cancelled due to the extreme flooding in the area. I know just how hard President Graeme and all his Rotarians had worked to make this evening a success, and my commiserations go to them for all this being cut short at the last minute, due to the vagaries of the British climate. I wish them well in their endeavours to reinstate the event on another occasion.
The above unfortunate events did free up some of my time which I used to visit the Dundee Food and Flower Festival, itself almost a victim of the elements and in fact losing one of the three days the event was intended to cover. Two Rotary Clubs were present with their displays, to both inform the public about Rotary and to raise funds for various good causes. Dundee had one of the superb Shelterboxes on display, ably publicised by AG Harry and his fellow Rotarians, and Abertay a display of lots of aspects of Rotary and their 'Find a lucky Nail' competition, with the silven tongued blandishments of several Past Presidents pulling in the unwary but nevertheless interested passers by. I hope that both had a productive day, notwithstanding the still very wet conditions underfoot and the chill wind which was sweeping acrosss the site.

DG's Visits Week 10

The week ended on a real high note with the 10th Charter Dinner of the Rotary Club of Oldmeldrum where I had the pleasure of sharing the speaking duties with such high profile figures as Past RIBI President Gordon McInally and Past District Governor John Minhinick. President Hilary and her members had really done a fabulous job of organisation, with excellent food and drink, a wonderful Highland backdrop to the evening and the production of a superb booklet on the activities and achievements of the Club over the previous ten years. Rotarian partners were not excluded, with an excellent parallel event at the Redgarth. I am not sure what our fabulous young GSE team from District 5510 made of the events but they participated with enthusiasm in the passing of the Oldmeldrum Quaich which, filled with whisky, has to be passed round the assembled company without being put down. Some Rotarians showed extreme reluctance to even pass it on to their neighbours! May the Club's next ten years be equally successful as the first.

DG's Visits Week 10

By Thursday evening, the monsoon weather if anything has increased in intensity. Just how wet can you get in five yards? President Ian and the members of the Arbroath Club made us most welcome and I was greatly impressed by the large turn out despite the appalling weather. Some of the members put this down to the fact that very little prior notice of my visit had been given! One of our oldest Clubs, Arbroath still maintain their enthusiasm, their willingness to embrace change and their great success in a wide range of projects. New members and better PR are high on their list of priorities and with their past successes, one can be pretty certain that they will succeed. Great supporters of PolioPlus and Foundation, as well as the Shelterbox scheme which is so vital in times of disaster,they raised funds for the latter by a sponsored walk carrying a Shelterbox over Jock's Road. With the advancing years, I think I might find it hard work to carry myself over that route nowadays. They also find the time and resources to continue their care and support for the children of Chernobyl, and the Nepane project for safe drinking water in Nepal. In addition, they also provide much support for the young people of Arbroath and other groups. There are lots of good things happening in Arbroath RC.

DG's Visits Week 10

Thursday saw us face to face with Scotland's own version of the Great Flood. Even the short distance from the car to the safety of Cowdenbeath's Half Way House venue, saw us both thoroughly soaked. However, again the warmth of welcome soon made me forget about the dampness of my jacket. An hour spent in President Alex Cuthbertsons's company is always an hour well spent. A deep thinker on matters Rotary, one of Alex's major objectives is to expand the number of members. In this, he has already taken the first steps and it was great pleasure to be involved in the induction of their new member. Stuart brings youth and enthusiasm into the Club and I am sure that he will be a great asset. I wish him every success and enjoyment in his Rotary career. It was also useful to bounce some of my ideas for change in District off Alex and to hear his thoughts on the future. I was particularly pleased to hear about the Club's initiative in launching a Fife Young Musician of the Year, which I hope will attract massive support from all the Fife Clubs.

DG's Visits Week 10

Wednesday morning provided another brief respite from Rotary duties and allowed the opportunity to visit the beautiful Pitmedden Gardens , once the domain of Head Gardener, George Barron, of Beechgrove Garden fame. The fruit trees were at their best and there were many other plantings of interest to the horticulturally inclined. It was therefore no surprise to meet up with Jenny Shirreffs and a party from Probus also out to enjoy the gardens in the limited relief from bad weather. The evening took us further west to visit the Rotary Club of Ellon, home of such District luminaries as Doug Westland. The mastermind behind so many new Clubs, it was a great pleasure to meet up with Doug again and to talk about the pros and cons of modern Rotary. President Allan and his members have been trying a number of interesting initiatives to get new members and have been exceedingly successful, bringing in 6 new members in the past year. Perhaps there are matters here which other Clubs can learn from. Ellon are staunch supporters of 'joined up Rotary' and their many projects show evidence of good collaboration and forward planning with the various Club committees. They certainly do not neglect the social side of Rotary and came to the notice of both senior RIBI and RI officials through their high attendance at the RI Convention in Birmingham and their very successful ceilidh. Many congratulations to everyone involved in this achievement.

DG's Visits Week 10

Tuesday saw phase 2 of my experiment to see if several Clubs could join together for the DG's visit.On this occasion it was Alford, Inverurie, Kintore and Oldmeldrum. Presidents Ron, Alan, Jim and Hilary were well supported by members of their Clubs. The range of activities I heard about on this occasion was quite breathtaking and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to talk to so many different Rotarians. They also seemed to appreciate the occasion for a number of Clubs to meet together to exchange ideas, and also consider whether or not there might be projects on which they could work together. It will be for the Clubs and future DGs to consider whether or not they wish to continue this way for DGs to visit Clubs and for Rotarians to meet their DG in the flesh, but the current logistical problems of visiting all 87 Clubs in the first 4 months of the Rotary year seem almost untenable and clearly will become exceedingly difficult if our aspirations for Club growth are met. I am especially grateful to AG Andrew McCartney for his good offices and hard work in bringing these joint meetings about.

DG's Visits Week 10

Is it really 10 weeks already? Monday night saw Daphne and I on Deeside, with the wet weather still with us. It would be nice to arrive at one Rotary Club unencumbered with an umbrella along with all the other gear. The Aboyne and Upper Deeside Club meets at the Boat Inn which seemed an aptly named venue, especially with what followed later in the week. However, despite the wet weather, President Ernie and his Rotarians were in fine form, with the fun and fellowship in full flow. For one of our smaller Clubs, they undertake a wide range of activities and are especially supportive of their local community with considerable resources devoted to the local primary and senior schools. However, overseas aid is also well to the fore with support for such projects as dental aid in Peru. They are a very warm hearted group and it was with some reluctance that Daphne and I went on our way. The next morning provided a few hours respite, so I was able to introduce Daphne to the Dinnet Muir, the site of some of my early research into wild violets. However, the changes to the landscape are astonishing even with the intervention of some 40 years. Once open moorland is now well cloaked in birch and rowan. The highlight of our short walk was the Vat, a relic of the times when the area was buried under a glacier. It is still a delight to visit and a great attraction for little boys and girls who are able to give their imaginations full reign in entering it through the almost hidden archway.