Mar 2013 Club 47th Charter Dinner - Selwyn College 7.00 for 7.30, Prof Peter Wadhams

South Cambridge RC presents Paul Harris awards at Charter night

The 47th Charter Night Dinner of the South Cambridge Rotary Club (SCRC) was held at Selwyn College on 22 March 2013. This is an annual celebration of the inaugral meeting of the club (Black tie). The evening included a lovely meal in the old hall of the college, speeches by emminent guests plus entertainment.

Rtn Bob Sadler, President-Elect, gave an amusing Grace and following the meal Isobel Leventhorpe (supported by her accompanist Vanessa Scott),  the District winner in the Rotary Young Musician competition, beautifully sang :

    My mother bids me bind my hair - Haydn

    In haven - Elgar

    A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square - Sherwin

In the Review and Toast to the Guests, the President, Mike Smith said that one of the things he has always been impressed with in Rotary is the inspiring annual Rotary GB&I conference. South Cambridge Rotary Club's members and partners like to attend this, thus promoting a distinct sense of fellowship (and have been awarded the best attendance shield!). The club has a very positive 'can-do' attitude and is very willing to build on other people's good ideas!

At the Edinburgh Rotary GB&I conference we heard about the Homeless World Cup. The then President, David Adamson came back inspired to think that we should do something locally in Cambridge. So we started an annual football tournament. The player of the tournament in that first year, who had been in lots of trouble before, was thrilled to have been selected for an award and his self-esteem rose significantly.  Many of you will know the amazing story, reported in 1080 news, that he then went straight on through the selection procedures to Captain the England Homeless football team on Copocabana beach in Brazil and, as with any English Football team, reached the quarter final. In this case they were not beaten on penalties! This year the Homeless Football tournament in Cambridge will be on 19 May.

At another Rotary GB&I conference we heard about Memory Cafes. Rtn Richard de Horsey and the club said yes, 'We can do that'.  Over two years of monthly events later it has been a great success and other clubs are visiting and have been enthused to start their own memory cafe.

Last year at the conference we heard the Rotary National Final Young Musicians of the Year play and sing. Rtn Paul Dover came back inspired with the thought that Cambridge has some wonderful young musicians and yes, the club said, 'We can do that'. The club thus organised the Cambridge heat and the District final this year.  Vocalist Isobel, along with a brilliant young Cambridge violinist, Alexander Harris, will be competing in the Regional final on Sunday. The club has also said 'yes' to the spreading of the Peace message to 6th Form students in 8 local schools last September (as part of -Peace One Day- activities which we also heard about from Jeremy Gilley, at yet another Rotary GB&I conference). Actually this time it was the RI worldwide President who stole our idea ( !!! ) and made this year's theme -Peace through Service-.

The club's signature fundraising activity has become the Car Parking in Cambridge at Christmas. Rtn David Ellis has led this project wonderfully, with Rtn Terry Gardner. A couple of years ago we manned 3 university car parks for several days and raised £13,000. Then Terry came back with a proposal that we should take over the organisation of the Christmas season of 9 days, and support the other Charities that had operated for a day or so in previous years. David and Terry and the club said 'We can do that', and they made it happen. We collected £19,500 from motorists, who paid (or rather contributed to good causes) for a longer period of parking (a lesser amount than they would have paid in the central car parks, which were full too). The shops benefited from additional and more relaxed customers. It is a real win-win situation and a super feel-good project to be involved in. In 2012 Terry came back and said that we had 13 days of car parking on offer from the University. This would mean that we, with our partners and friends, had to 'man' around 230 slots of 2.5 hours during the coldest part of the year. Again the club said, 'Yes!'. Again David and Terry made it happen.  The result - for club projects and local charities - was a staggering £32,000. This means that the club can afford to continue to support a wide range of fantastic activities. Mike said it was an honour, a couple of weeks ago, to present cheques to 6 absolutely delighted local charities, and hear the fantastic use the money will be put to ; in one case it will mean two more puppies being trained to support 2 disabled people to become virtually independent;  in another it will allow more people to die in a dignified manner in their own homes with great care from the local Arthur Rank Hospice.

Mike said that the club has, this evening, given him an even greater honour - that is to recognise the amazing contribution of David and Terry - a Paul Harris Award.

Mike thanked our partners and friends for their considerable help. He welcomed guests Alison Wilson (with whom the club is working to support food banks), Gillian Johnson - President of Inner Wheel (with whom we have such a super relationship), Leon and Eileen Lovett (with whom the club had such a wonderful relationship for the regular concerts at West Road Concert Hall, and without whom we could never have held such successful Cambridge and District heats of Young Musician) and also thanked Bill and Dorothy Redmayne for fitting us into their very busy schedule - he said that whenever he goes to a Rotary event, Bill is always there playing an important role for Rotary.

Also an especial welcome and thank you went to Professor Peter Wadhams, who had just flown in from Fairbanks in Alaska that day, and who spoke eloquently about global warming. Peter is Professor of Ocean Physics at the University and leads the Polar Ocean Physics Group studying the effects of global warming on sea ice, icebergs and the polar oceans and is also President of the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans. His special interest is in the worldwide consequences of the loss of sea ice in the poles due to global warming. The Queen has recently awarded him the Polar Medal (equivalent to a DSO).  Peter is often in the media and appeared on the TV in - Operation Iceberg. He showed us that the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is shrinking fast, and within 3-4 years the ocean may be largely ice-free by September each year. This is causing global climate change to accelerate, with methane being released from the seabed and significant rises in global sea level. Peter talked about what changes this will bring during the next few years and the dangers arising from inaction.

Rtn Alan Franklin thanked him for an inspiring presentation on a subject that is and should be 
of great concern to the whole world.

Rtn Derek Baldry, the club's founder member, acted as Master of Ceremonies.

DGE Bill said 'Again may I thank you all for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to Dorothy and me. It was an excellent meal, found your guest speaker most interesting, if causing me concerns for our grandchildren !  The football match is in the diary, please confirm nearer the time, location and kick-off time. Finally may I repeat my congratulations on the service South Cambridge is extending to your local community.'