March 2015 - Embalming to Motor Bikes through Small Change

some really fascinating talks


9th March - Sue Barke told us about the history of Embalming

Our Junior Vice President Sue stepped in at the last moment, when our advertised speaker failed to appear, and gave a most interesting talk on embalming through the ages, with particular reference to the Ancient Egyptians.  The need for embalming in hot climates is understandable, but Sue underlined its importance today with major accidents etc. and lack of identification.

I don't think your correspondent was alone in being thankful he had finished his lunch before Sue's Talk, but he need not have worried!


16th March -  Ted Bell's talk 'Small Change"

Ted Bell gave us an informative talk about small coins, something we tend to take for granted.  The English silver penny lasted 600 years, had bits snipped off it to provide payment for smaller sums, and was melted down for 'bounty'!  This, and the emergence of 'Trade Tokens' happened because Government did not address the need for smaller coins.  Government inertia has a long history!

Ted took us through the history of coins, fakes, tokens, and the part Bolton and Watt played in developing more usable currency.

The vote of thanks was given by Trevor Hathaway.


23/3 Blood Bikes Stuart Yeowart  We had a short but most illuminating talk from the Blood Bike Charity.  The objective is to provide a local out of hours courier service, that is free and funded through the drivers themselves and thereby saves the NHS money.  The riders are all qualified, regularly tested, and tend to come from the Police and similar organisations.  This branch has three motor bikes which are regularly maintained etc.


The ease with which JVP Sue mounted this monster bike left our President wondering...

30th March - Richard Farman talked about the origin of picture postcards

Richard Farmer gave an interesting talk about the development of the Picture Postcard. To illustrate his talk Richard brought along many items from his Collection.

Richard is a well known local historian, collector and writer having produced a number of books with Geoffrey Sowerby on “Old Postcards” and historical photographs of Burton upon Trent and surrounding area. 

Anything, no matter how small, that adds to records of local and social history is of value, especially those personal recollections which might otherwise go unrecorded.

Richard covered earlier printed versions through newspaper examples and then the development of the “penny” post in 1840 by Sir Rowland Gill followed by the Victorian and Edwardian era where pictures and the development of photography enabled postcards to become the type we recognize today. 

As an enthusiastic “philatelist” having a GB Collection from the 1840 Penny Black I was just as interested in the stamps on the postcards !!! Some of these were fine examples of Queen Victoria and Edward VII stamps.

I am sure Richard gave Members a little more knowledge and interest in our local scene as it once was and that by showing items in his collection he gave us pleasure, aroused memories and his collection makes an invaluable contribution to local records of the past. 


Related pages...

March 2023

more John Etchells on National Service ; Kathryn Caple on Rotary Foundation ; Trevor Wright and Yvonne Campbell on the Burton Carribean Association

February 2023

more Steve Smith, 'My Job' ; Richard Farman, 'Zeppelins over Burton' ; A Welsh Music and Supper Evening

January 2023

more Mark Semmence, Head of Repton School ; Richard Winterton, Auctioneer ; Burns Night Supper

December 2022

more Business Meeting / SGM ; Queen's Green Canopy ; Santa's Grotto ; Christmas Party ; Christmas Service & Lunch

November 2023

more Special General Meeting ; Burton Rotary Quiz Night ; 'the Shoebox Appeal' ; 'Derby Wood Recycling' ; Who am I?

October 2022

more WORLD POLIO DAY ; 'Seham Village Project, India' ; District Governor's Visit ; 'Vernon Barnes' Golf ; Bucket collection for Pakistan Flood Relief ; golf match v Ashby ; Ukrainian Aid ; Evening of Magic ; 'The Octagon Centre' ; 'Fall Fighters'

September 2022

more The 2 of Us ; A shared reflection of the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ; Philip Metcalfe, 'Future Plans for the National Forest'

August 2022

more The Club Summer Party; The Archie Gentles Trophy golf tournament; Rolleston Scouts; Visiting Angels; a 'Scatter' week

July 2022

more Risk ; Winshill Football Club; the Caudwell Charity and Caudwell Sensory Packs; Burton Rotary Club Under 11’s Shield

June 2022

more The Club Assembly ; Clive Baker, 'Paddle steamers' : Andy Pownor, 'Army Life' : The Club Handover

May 2022

more The Washlands Litter Pick ; The resumed AGM ; Tony Rundle on 'Taking Better Pictures' ; Peter Barnett, 'Walking into Retirement' ; Charlotte Greenwood on her trip to Ghana

April 2022

more 'Christians Against Poverty', the Pirelli Stadium Poster Parade, the AGM, & the St George's Day Dinner at Bretby

March 2022

more The Club's 85th Birthday; and talks by Clive Kearney on his career, Kim Smith on 'Winshill Community Centre', and Emily Bakhita on 'Service to Children'

February 2022

more John Moffatt on 'Peace Building & Conflict'; A Joint Meeting with Bretby RC for Rotary Day; and an introduction to Rev Mike's Hearing Dog.

January 2022

more Burns Night, and a talk by Donna Adams on ‘Connecting Communities’

December 2021

more The Club Christmas Party, President's Walk, and a talk by Julie Groves on Christmas Past

November 2021

more Everest Base Camp (at The Winery), Curry Night at The Apne, Business Meeting & Special General Meeting, 'End Polio Now', 'William Bagshaw Stevens'

October 2021

more Club Quiz, Vernon Barnes Memorial Golf, DG Martyn Bye's visit, Mrs. Paul Harris, Trafalgar Day dinner, The Northern 500

September 2021

more 'Kids Aid, Tanzania', 'Membership Development, Ideas & Plans', 'Modern Policing'

August 2021

more The Archie Gentles Golf Tournament, The President’s Garden Party, and a Scatter Meeting

Tom Day hands over to Ben Robinson

June / July 2021

more A double handover, a new President takes office, and a lockdown release party. Talks on Rural Action Derbyshire and Burton Albion Community Trust.

March 2020

more Repton's new Village Hall, Sign Language for beginners, The Mighty Amazon.
Meetings between March 2020 and June 2021 were online.

February 2020

more The Butterfly Children, an evening meeting with RC Bretby, Skittles, and our Charity Race Night

January 2020

more Burton Prostate Cancer Support Group : Antiphospholipid Syndrome : Jack's Teddies

December 2019

more Joint Carol service and Christmas Meal at the Dovecliff; Christmas Lunch with partners; Post-Christmas Walk

November 2019

more Special General Meeting; Burton YMCA; Bonsai; Burton Speakability & the Stroke Association. It was a clean sweep for Bretby RC in our quiz: Bretby City won with Bretby All-Stars runners-up. Must do better!

October 2019

more Burton Mail Heroes Awards; District Conference at Scarborough; Archie Gentles Golf Trophy; Wheelchair Football; Trafalgar Night Dinner

September 2019

more The Staffordshire Search & Rescue; Burton Albion Community Trust; the Great Dane link; Julia Coffin, a Rotary Peace Scholar; Vernon Barnes Memorial Trophy

August 2019

more The Club Summer Party, an Indian Banquet for charity, and Burton U3A

July 2019

more A new President takes office. The Lymphoma Action Organisation; Gambling & Young People; Rotary Young Leadership Award; Summer Social Walk.

June 2019

more The Club wins the Bernard Simcox Trophy

Club Assembly; From Clinigen to the Dovecliff; The Club Website; President’s Celebration Dinner & Handover; Marquee Summer Party at Repton School

May 2019

more French meal at the Mulberry, The Children Reading Project, Views on Cricket, Know your Blood Pressure

April 2019

more AGM, Microbreweries, and Archives

March 2019

more Our Charter dinner, a golf tournament, and Adventures in Happyland!

February 2019

more The best service project in the District

A Murder Mystery, The Methodist Housing Association, Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust, an evening meeting with partners

January 2019

more A Taiwan Expedition, Homestart and Derbyshire Cricket

December 2018

more Rotary Hearing Ambassadors, a Fayre, two collections, the Carol Service, Christmas Lunch and the Christmas Walk

November 2018

more Special General Meeting, Carol Hickebottom's 'My Job', The YMCA Sleep-out, Can’t drive a bus - can fly a plane part 2, Annual Club Quiz, Global Sight Solutions

October 2018

more The District Conference, Chris Cutchey's reflections on Bumrungrad, Can’t drive a bus - can fly a plane, and Trafalgar Night

September 2018

more An Umpire’s Road to Wimbledon, an Antarctic Expedition Cruise, Around the World in 20 Minutes, and a golf match

August 2018

more The 'Auntie' project, and 'Sheila's Life in Pictures'

July 2018

more A new president and visit from the new District Governor, a local hero, a garden party, Tom Day's 'other Job', Royal Crown Derby, Young Carers, and the 'Archie Gentles' golf tournament.

June 2018

more Club Assembly, Iron Man, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, a visit to St Kilda, Rotary Football, an outing for Carers+, and the President hands over.

May 2018

more Do you remember Berni Inns? A visit to Amazon

April 2018

more The National Conference in Torquay and a Devon safari, Scatter Week, Rotary Peace Scholars, our Annual General Meeting, 'Know your Blood Pressure', and Young Photographer Competition

March 2018

more The Pirelli Stadium Parade, Tony Bentley's 'My Job', the District Quiz, Addiction and Redemption, and our 82nd Charter Dinner

February 2018

more The Crich Tramway Museum, First Responders, 10 pin bowling, a joint evening meeting with Bretby RC, and the induction of two new members

January 2018

more Donna Louise Hospice, Dentaid Boxes, The Falklands War and 'Young Chef'

December 2017

more Charity Collection, 10 pin Bowling, Carol Service, 2 Christmas Lunches, Christmas Walk - and Disasters!

November 2017

more 'Just Us', Indian Polio Vaccination, Rotary Quiz, a charity 'sleepout', The Thai-Burma railway, and Burton - a Great Place to do Business

October 2017

more Repton Crypt, Purple for Polio, Trafalgar Night and Muddy Boots

September 2017

more A Family at War, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award

August 2017

more RYLA and Burton Albion Community Trust

July 2017

more Carers, Drones and our Summer Party

April 2016

more The Young Photographer competition & Photography for Dummies

March 2016

more Trade Aid and Marketing

February 2016

more Third World Poverty, Terminally Ill Children, After War and Forensic Science

January 2016

more Helping children across the world

December 2015

more Air Ambulance

November 2015

more Polio to Farming

October 2015

more Group Support, our Club's History and Social Media for Dummies

September 2015

more Youth Services and an introduction to various Charities

August 2015

more Kidney donation and third world issues

July 2015 -

more World Challenge & Car Rallying

June 2015 CAB to the Navy

more a month of fascinating talks

May 2015 Dementia

more As the Rotary sponsored Memory Cafe is opening in June 2015 this was particularly timely talk

April 2015 Bletchley Park

more One fascinating talk and lots of Bank Holidays

January 2015 - Bees, Barnardos and the Jinny Nature Trail

more wide ranging topics this month

December 2014 - Visionaid, Music and Moravia

more some excellent pre-Christmas talks

November 2014 - Dementia, Auntie and Pumps

more A wide range of talks about different charities

October 2014 - Food banks and a visit from the District Governor

more A quiet month but with two thought provoking talks

September 2014 - Football, solicitors and Danes

more A really busy month - four speakers and a visit from our Danish twin club

August 2014 Models and War

more Some very different talks in August

July 2014

more DEBRA, Street Angels and Ben Robinson's My Job

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