Speaker: Alan Priddy,

Our speaker this week was Rotarian Alan Priddy who gave as his title 'a day in the life of...........' Alan shared with great enthusiasm, stories from his adventures as he has travelled extensively both for Rotary and GSE, and also as an 'adventurer' sailing around the world. He told us about his current boat building and that the boat being built will lead the Diamond Jubilee procession on the Thames. He also told us about his charity and the school he has founded in India for 130 children who attend school from ages 2 till 6 and then leave school to go out to work! This is an exciting project which reflects our own club projects as we seek to make a difference internationally.
Alan reminded us that life is for living and a full life is exciting - we have one life to live.
Alan reminded us that Rotary is a great organisaition and as Rotarians we have lots of opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others in our world.  

Alan Priddy, is a member of the Rotary Club of Southsea Castle.  Alan has spoken to the Club several times previously and is always a welcome visitor, especially as on each visit he reveals something more of his varied life and activities.

Never a person to shirk a challenge, Alan was brought up on a Council Estate in Portsmouth.  He left school at 16 and, by the age of 17, he had started his own engineering business.  Over the years it has grown and as Express Gearbox Co specialises in gearboxes and their repair and restoration and is one of the leading companies in the field.

 Alan has always had a love of adventure and learned to sail when a teenager  It was then that he met Sir Alec Rose who had circumnavigated the world single-handed in his boat Lively Lady in 1968.  Sir Alec inspired Alan and several years ago Alan was involved in saving Lively Lady and set about establishing a project to help disadvantaged youngsters to gain experience and confidence by taking part in sailing Lively Lady round the world again.  But this time with a young inexperienced crew. By the time they returned to the UK the young people had developed into mature young people who went on to make a success of life.  The project called