3 October 2013 Nick Rawlings - Nicaragua 34 years after the revolution.
Thu, Oct 3rd 2013 at 12:00 am - 12:00 am
Member Nick Rawlings gave an illustrated talk to the club about his experiences and views on Nicaragua.
Last Thursday's well attended meeting saw the induction of new member, Andrew Hilley who was proposed by Peter Holmes.
President Colin Strachan then invited member Nick Rawlings to address the club and give his talk which was entitled 'Nicaragua: Land of Lakes and Volcanoes: Journey into the 21st Century.'
Nick has visited Nicaragua three times in last five years and gave a very interesting illustrated talk about Nicaragua's colourful history, the stunning scenery and his own involvement with the country.
Nicaragua's most recent history is dominated by memories of the 1979 revolution and the following counter revolutionary years after the Sandinistas seized power. The counter revolution was supported and funded by the CIA and led to terrible loss of life on both sides. Finally, there was a settlement, elections were held and new government formed and the country started out on the road to peace.
Nicaragua does not have any significant mineral resources and is one of the poorest countries in Latin America (only Haiti is poorer in GDP terms), however as Nick's slides showed, it has some stunning scenery - Nicaragua has the second largest lake in Latin America, has several active and dormant volcanoes which offer great tourist potential and has a good climate and soil suited to agriculture.
Nick summed up by suggesting Nicaragua is a good place to visit as an independent traveller, inviting members to 'Try Nicaragua if you enjoy unusual places.'
Bob Watson gave the vote of thanks.
On Sunday, 14 members turned out to support the Strathcarron Hospice 10K Run in Denny. Despite competition from the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow, over 300 runners took part and helped raise funds to support the good work done by the Hospice.
