Tales from Scatter virtual visits on 13th January

President Hamish Tait welcomed members and guest Ken Blackwood to the first meeting of the year of the Rotary Club of St Andrews.   Members who had used the previous ‘Scatter Week’ to visit other Rotary clubs, via Zoom, reported on their experiences. 

Hamish visited a club in Chelsea, Massachusetts, where members were invited to give a story, happy or sad, and donate $1 per story for charity.

Angela Fowlis gave clues before revealing her destination.  An exotic, ‘green hollow’ of a place and a cathedral city, formerly called the second city of the Empire. Glasgow, of course, with the second oldest Rotary club in the UK, of which Angela was previously a member.

Frank Quinault chose Reykjavik, in Iceland, a club he had previously visited in person, with just nine members.

Eric Brown visited Dundee, St Andrews’ mother club, of which he is a former member.  The speaker, a court prosecutor from California, asked her audience searching questions about the new norm after Covid.

Austin Dunn chose Helsinki, having been to Finland on a youth exchange when he was 16.   Members were amused by his recollections of jumping into cold lakes and keen to hear about the political situation in Scotland.

John Christie visited a club in Treasure Island, Florida, where the speaker was an inspirational young woman who had set up a non-profit company helping young people to gain work experience on Washington’s Capitol Hill.

George Finlay tried to speak to a club in Ukraine but they were on holiday so he joined one in South Germany, where he heard how a large savings bank has managed to increase turnover and recruit many young employees despite the pandemic.

Bill Sutherland contacted namesake (but no relation) Alison Sutherland, who will be the next District Governor for Rotary in South Wales.

Ann Baird also visited a Glasgow club and renewed friendships she and her husband had made many years ago.  The speaker was musician Robert Baxter and they shared their concern about the current lack of opportunities for young people in music and drama.

Colin Mitchell won the prize for having travelled furthest. He went to Orkney and to two clubs in the USA, at one of which he was roped into sending out cancellation notices because Capitol Hill had just been invaded!

Everyone who took part in the scatter week had been made very welcome and had taken the opportunity to talk about St Andrews. President Hamish thanked them warmly for participating.