Newsletter - 270 - November 2015

                                             Rotary Club of Stranraer

Monthly Newsletter No 270

 Nov 2015

Service above self

Imminent Activities                           

Mon 2^nd Nov – Eric Wilson will be talking on a local history topic.

Mon 9^th Nov – evening – Mike Beasley will be telling us about the Men’s Shed project. Hopefully we will be admitting a new member!

Mon 16^th Nov – Fellowship

Mon 23rd Nov – John Adams will be telling us about bees and bee keeping.

Mon 30^th Nov – Hugh Aitken will be speaking – possibly on a Scottish theme as this will be St Andrew’s Day.

Dates for your Diary

Sat 19^th Dec – Christmas Street Collection

Sun 20^th Dec – Christmas Collection at Morrison

Mon 21^st Dec – Christmas Lunch

Fri 24^th June 2016 – 10^th Annual Golf AmAm

Tues 19^th Jan 2016 – Annual Burns Supper

Sat 4^th June – Mull of Galloway Trail Marathon

Recent Events 

Mon 5^th Oct – Jock Smith gave us his ‘impressions of Eastern Europe’ after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This was an interesting talk given Jock’s military experience in Germany at that time and his subsequent travels!

Mon 12^th Oct – evening – Fellowship including a report on the District Conference

Mon 19^th Oct – Ian Clark, a retired Headmaster well known to many members, provided a very entertaining talk about his views about the future of Stranraer. Some of us may have thought early on in his talk that he may have ‘lost his marbles’ but then it dawned on us that this was very much a ‘tongue in cheek’ presentation!

Mon 26^th Oct – Neville Wright told us about ‘The life and times of James Braid’ – a great golfer who won the Open 6 times and designed over 200 golf courses including our excellent Stranraer course.

Fri 30^th Oct – Race Night – see below.  

Good news! 

An application to join Donald McColm, a recently retired farmer, yachtsman and curler, has been approved. Donald is already well known to many members.

Community Service Award

Please contact Mike Sheppard with nominations.

Race Night                    

Thanks to Brian Park and his helpers, particularly John Munro, for this enjoyable fun event which raised around £700 for Club funds. The final amount will be confirmed at our next meeting!

Christmas Collection

It has been decided that the proceeds this year will go toward a local project for the provision of a special meeting for young special needs people.      

After Glasgow Warrior’s fantastic performance last season 6 of our members and one member from Kirkcudbright bought season tickets for this season as have 2 of our regular guests. Other members are welcome to join in for individual matches if tickets, which are in short supply for most games, can be obtained - just contact Tom Mitchell.

So far this season we have attended matches against Scarlets, Connacht and Dragons and in November we will be attending games against the Dragons on Sunday 1^st, Northampton on Saturday 21^st and Treviso on Friday 27^th. The latter game is not being televised.

A trip to Belfast is being planned for the match on Friday 12th February. Please let Tom know if you are interested in joining the party!

Fit and generous members         

Walker Miller, together with other members of his veterinary practice, raised over £5,000 for the Motor Neuron Disease Association by walking the equivalent distance of Stranraer to London.

John Service and his friend Gary Lafferty cycled 100 miles from Stranraer to the Beatson in Glasgow and raised around £3,000 to raise funds for the Beatson Cancer Charity and Teenage Cancer Trust.

Gary Small ran the Glasgow half Marathon with his daughter, Claire, and raised over £700 for the MS Society. 

Steve Dampney ran in the same event and raised around £800 for the Beatson Cancer Charity.

What a great effort by these members and friends!

Press Officer

Members should get in touch with Tom Mitchell, in his role as Press Officer, if they have anything they wish included in the Newsletter or reported in the press.

He particularly wishes photographs for publication and/or Club archives.

Some thoughts –

 Wrinkles - Something other people have, similar to my character lines.

·       Raisin - A grape with bad sunburn. 

·       Secret - Something you tell to one person at a time.