Lunch time meeting held on 30th October 2014

On Thursday 30th October 2014 President Elect Wilna Roger in the absence of President Chris Grist welcomed 26 Club Rotarians and Ann Forbes to this lunch time meeting held at the Gilvenbank Hotel. Two apologies for absence were received. On reception this week was Brian Johnson who said grace, Lars Christiansen and John Ferris. Jim Boyd brought back greetings from the Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy and Burntisland and Kinghorn whom he had visited last week. IPP Tracy Thomson mentioned Easyfundraising and if members were looking to purchase goods for Christmas through the internet then register on the Easy Fundraising site, she also advised that she was about to book tickets for the pantomime Snow White in December 2014 at the Dunfermline Carnegie Hall and for those interested to put their names down on the list which was circulated. Will Wishart advised that the last match in the Gavel Competition against the Rotary Club of Cowdenbeath ended in defeat. President Elect Wilna Roger advised that the Rotary visit to the heritage Centre for the WW1 Exhibition has been cancelled due to insufficient numbers. The Walk for peace / Light up Rotary and we are for Communities will go ahead starting at the local High Schools at 6pm on Thursday 6th November 2014 and proceeding to the War Memorial for 7pm. The Lord Provost for Fife Jim Leishman will be in attendance, where there will be musical entertainment. The Inner Wheel Christmas Party will once again take place at Balbirnie Golf Club on 13th December 2014. This week, Thursday 2nd October 2014 our speaker was our own Stuart Morris who gave his first vocational. Born 1961 he was brought up in Aberfeldy. He was christened in Kenmore Church and also attended Kenmore Primary. In 1977 the family moved to Cupar living in the Medieval Merchants Town House where Stuart attended the old Bell Baxter High School before moving on to Elmwood College where he went on a Business Studies Course. Whilst in the Army Cadet Force he experienced Balgonie Castle which was up for sale. He told his parents and said they should buy the partially restored Castle, which they eventually did in 1985. The Morris Family have undertaken a very slow and careful restoration of the castle since the purchase. The keep and chapel have now been fully restored, and the castle is lived in by its current owner and laird, Raymond Morris, and his family The original tower was built around 1296-1300 by a Knight, Sir Robert Sibbald. Balgonie Castle has been the seat of the Sibbald, Lundie, Leslie, Maxwell and Balfour families over the past 700 years. The castle was visited by King James IV, Mary Queen of Scots, Rob Roy MacGregor and Benjamin Bush.. The castle is open to the public, and the restored chapel and great hall can be hired for events such as weddings. Stuart married an American girl Kelly last year, Kelly is a Genealogist. Stuart has many interests, he founded the Scottish Castle association, He founded the Tay Bridge Memorial Trust, He was made a Freeman of the City of London in 2001. This year he attended the Queens garden Party. The Rotary Vote of thanks was given by Tracy Thomson. This coming week on Thursday 6th November 2014 will be at Gilvenbank Hotel with the meeting commencing at 12.55pm, the speaker this week will be Michael Longstaffe CEO of Tullis Russell. On reception on Thursday 6th November 2014 should be, Stuart Morris, Edgar Shields, David Ritchie and John Ferris