Speaker Gordon Rhind - 'From Slide Rule to The Bible'

The Club members were delighted to have some of their hard work rewarded when St Andrews Community Council Chairman Callum McLeod visited to present a certificate marking their efforts on floral matters.

Mr McLeod praised in particular the work done to arrange and maintain the flower arrangements on Largo Road adjacent to the Community Hospital. The certificate in recognition of this was presented to Rotary Club President Ewen Allan.

In addition, Mr McLeod noted that the Community Council had difficult times recently, but that it now seemed to be in good health and its 23 members looked forward to a positive contribution to St Andrews.

Principal speaker of the evening was Club member Gordon Rhind, with a presentation intriguingly entitled “Slide Rule to Bible”.

All was revealed…

As a 16-year-old schoolboy in Bathgate, Gordon first was introduced to a slide rule and its various uses. It fostered a life-long interest – and career – in electrical engineering, bolstered by a degree in the subject at Edinburgh University.

Gordon went on to work in research and development for global electronics company Ferranti and subsequently Hewlett Packard. His work aided the production of much of the military technology used by all the British forces and many others worldwide.

In 1990, life took a different turn in a manner which Gordon described as his “champagne moment”.

While mourning the untimely death of a close friend’s young daughter, Gordon answered a knock at the door to greet two Canadian evangelists. After a three-hour discussion with them, Gordon realised he had found the Christian faith, after a lifetime of really paying no attention to religion.

He then applied himself to bible studies, joined the church, was baptised and by the end of that year was a fully-committed Christian.

Since then, Gordon has carried out a wide variety of assignments designed to help his fellow man. These included a five-year period organising and often driving on truck convoys taking humanitarian aid to Romania, several years assisting in Christian helplines and he spent 10 years working as a Christian counsellor before settling in St Andrews in 2009. He has since continued in whatever charitable works he can aid.

Gordon eloquently summed up his role in such matters by stating, “The question is not what life is all about, rather what am I contributing to life. My view is I am there to care for others.”

A hearty vote of thanks was proposed by George Donaldson, who was firmly of the opinion that Gordon was a person who indeed practised what he preached.