2020

Rotary Matters, w.c. 14 Dec (20)

It was a night of celebration at the Rotary Club of Inverurie on Tuesday 15^th when we had our customary 'Christmas Lunch'! Except, of course, it wasn't yet Christmas and it started at 6.30 pm, not the usual time for lunch! Of course, it was all make-believe as we joined together courtesy of Zoom!

President Kay, after her customary welcome introduced Rev Rhona Cathcart from the West Kirk who set the evening off with a short address – her Christmas Message to all of us which received swift acknowledgement from the Rotarians and their guests. Yes, it is amazing how many individual faces you can cram into a television screen! Great to see so many partners/wives/ husbands joining in.

Vice President Bill Duncan thanked Rhona for her wise words then introduced our Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Past President George Ross who was to lead the entertainment provided exclusively by The Glee Club! On this occasion, members were to play a solo part and that was tough enough, goodness knows what it would have been like had we attempted some chorus work!

So, we had songs from George who in a tribute to our dear departed fellow performer Jack Hendry, also recited 'Auld Davie's Drawers' a particular favourite, then more songs from Howard Hughes, Stuart Watson, Joe McDowall and David Taylor with a story and a couple of poems from yours truly.  Worked in to that lot was a competition and even an invitation for the scattered audience to join in  a special Ross the Bakers' '12 days of Christmas'! The nearest thing yet to pandemonium!  Interestingly, I should add that one performer went to extraordinary lengths for his contribution - there was David Taylor with a super rendition of 'The Green Green Grass of Home' dressed in a convict's striped vest and apparently sitting in a prison cell! Brilliant – how did he do that?  We may never know.  Strangely, that is true of all the performances, whilst the performer does the business, all other guests are muted! No matter how good, bad or indifferent the individual contribution, at the end – dead silence!  How odd!

Not a lot of Rotary business done on the night, a few quid made from the competitions etc to add to our charity funds but for once the principal aim of our 'Christmas Lunch' was to spend time in each other's company – just one of the benefits of being a Rotarian!

Jim McColl  

Rotary Matters, w.c.7 Dec (20)

Twenty six members 'clocked in' for this week's meeting of the Rotary Club of Inverurie. Unfortunately, there are still a few problems with the electronics, but it is a small price to pay for the reality of continuing to meet up weekly so enabling us to keep our various support programmes on schedule.  There was no guest speaker as this meeting was classified as an 'Information Night'. In other words, officials and committee convenors could update the membership on our commitments in the coming weeks.

High on the list was arrangements for next week's so-called 'Christmas Lunch'!  It will be a repeat exercise, in other words, conducted on Zoom next Tuesday evening, just like our St Andrew's Night when we were entertained by Craig Pike.  On this occasion, however, the entertainment will be provided by members of the Gee Club! It is their first gig of the season and under ordinary circumstances that would be quite challenging, gracious knows how this electronic masterpiece will turn out!  No matter, it typifies the determination of the membership to carry on as normal with traditions, regardless of the present pandemic.

That is just exactly how families are re-acting across the land at present and endorses the family feeling there is within the Rotary movement. The analogy goes a step further, our club has always maintained contact with the families of Rotarians who are 'no longer with us' by inviting them to attend appropriate functions.  There may not be the opportunity to welcome them this year with hugs and kisses nonetheless, they will all be invited to 'tune in'! 

Otherwise, it was business as usual, with updates on progress.  Still on the Christmas theme, it was reported that, in all, 199 Shoe boxes (containing a range of gifts) had been despatched by our team to arrive in destinations in Eastern Europe - as seasonal gifts to disadvantaged young people.  Arrangements are in hand to provide Christmas surprises for the children attending St Andrew School, the very successful annual Primary School quiz is likely to get the go-ahead in a 'virtual' format and links have been made with the authorities in charge of Uryside Park with a view to providing some seating in key areas. 

All of that proves that our Rotary club will continue with its objectives of improving the lives of a wide range of people in the community whilst still remembering others worse off than ourselves in 'far away places with strange sounding names'!

Rotary Matters, w.c. 30 Nov (20)

Twenty Nine members attended the Rotary Club of Inverurie's weekly meeting, chaired by President Kay Diack, linking up by Zoom.  In fact we had two meetings in one!  Our regular scheduled weekly get together was short and to the point!  It was followed by a Special General Meeting which serves to endorse all the final reports from the 2019/20 season, such as that from the Club Treasurer!  This was followed  by  endorsement of the office bearers for the 2021/22 session!   The President will be Bill Duncan, with Judy Whyte as his Vice President, Secretary Dorothy Lamb and Treasurer Charlie Taylor). 

Members then went on to discuss the future which is not without it's problems outwith the present difficulties relating to Covid-19! Leading up to the Special meeting, in recent weeks, members have been discussing our priorities, not to change them but to modernise our aims and objectives, to encourage and attract younger people to join Rotary. Why? Because we have a job to do! Our weekly reports quite obviously explain the 'why'!  Every Rotary Club in the land brings together people from all walks of life with the time, energy and commitment to help those in their society less fortunate to lead a better life.  A look down the list of projects we have embraced, endorsed  and helped fund over the last twelve months and regularly reported to readers, is evidence enough!  From the youngest to the oldest in our society, from the deprived and the less well, our aim has been to offer support. In a wider context, members have worked to support projects in our environment which benefit all residents and visitors alike.

Some of our fund-raising efforts contribute to the needs of societies across the globe. The End-Polio-Now initiative is widely recognised but there are numerous others. Our club have supported that incredible St Kizito School project in Uganda – the children now have a school  to go to. Previously, these children would have spent most of their day fetching fresh water for their family! Now, they have a fresh water supply on their doorstep, so to speak. These youngsters now have the opportunity to learn and to develop, hopefully leading to a more purposeful and meaningful life.

I should add that many Rotary Clubs across the land have similar projects 'on their books'!

Finally, you will recall our report a few weeks ago about helping fellow Rotarians in Australia, involved in raising funds to fight the horrendous forest fires which beset their land!  That story ended with us  making a visual link with them - across the globe!  Just one more aspect of our movement – for Rotary, read Fraternity and Friendship!  Who wouldn't want to be part of it?   

Jim McColl

          

Rotary Matters w.c 23 Nov (20)

This week's meeting of the Rotary Club if Inverurie, still courtesy of Zoom, had a very different air about it because we were celebrating St Andrew, our National Patron Saint. This annual event usually takes the form of a dinner/dance with a guest performer or two and  like our other, more social events, it is also a fund-raiser helping to finance some of the charitable ploys and projects we become involved in.  This year there was no dressing up in the finest, a special dinner and all the trimmings but we did celebrate St Andrew and raised a few bob in the process.

President Kay welcomed members and their invited wives, husbands, family, friends to our meeting, dispensed with much of the business but not before marking the support and dedication of two members, with 30 + years service to the club - Immediate Past President Iain Mathers and         Rotarian Don Gordon. She then handed over to Vice-President Bill Duncan, chairman of the entertainment and fund-raising committee who described the programme he had organised.

First up, President Kay reminded us of a few facts about St Andrew, including his crucifixion on an X-shaped cross which is recognised in the design of our national flag.

Then Past President George Ross introduced our guest entertainer for the evening – Craig Pike who  was to sing a few songs, accompanied on the piano by his Mum! Craig is very well known to folks in these parts, by day he is part of the Ledingham Chalmers team but in his own time he is very well known in the entertainment scene – for years the producer of the Inverurie Christmas pantomime and of course, a member of the Flying Pigs entertainment group.

Amazingly, it all came together rather well – Craig decided what songs he would sing, Mum then recorded the accompaniment and on the night, Craig simply switched on the recorder and sang his songs – from his own house! We had songs by George Elrick and associated with Harry Gordon, Billie Connolly, Scotland the What and a poem written by Flora Garry. It worked a treat!

To finish a fine evening, the fund-raising raffle was drawn to bring us back to earth! And that was topped by the report that we had been able to assist two worthy groups in the community with their arrangements for Christmas – the Inverurie Brownies and a local charity that provides respite care or children with special needs!

Makes it all worth while, doesn't it?
Jim McColl 

Rotary Matters for w.c. 16 Nov (20)

The attendance at  the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club if Inverurie was nigh on perfect with only two absentees! One member away on business and the other  nae weel but hopefully on the mend!

In other words, we are getting quite used to this style of meeting. I have no doubt that when we return to normal, able to meet up in person, the on-line technique will be used for committee meetings etc 

Our guest speaker this week was introduced by Murray Matthew. Receiving a warm welcome and    back with us for the second time this season, was  Andrew Musslewhite  to give us an up-date on the activities of ALEC –  the Aberdeenshire Life Education Centre.  The service provided for   Aberdeenshire Schools free by the Council jointly funded by Aberdeenshire Rotary Clubs and Coram Life Education with courses, designed for Primary school children, centred on Health & Wellbeing. 

Andrew and his colleague Amy Clark would customarily visit schools for sessions with the children on the vagaries and dangers  of growing up in modern Britain, the message being delivered in an inflatable classroom referred to as Lifespace which is decorated with a myriad of teaching aids to help relax the children thus enabling the  tutors to get their message over.  The star of the show has become a  rather well known glove puppet called Harold the Giraffe, but as a result of the regulations in place with respect to Clovid-19, Andrew and his colleague have been unable to visit schools in person. During this period, the team have had to alter their methods of delivering the key messages a not insubstantial task, delivering up to 400 messages in an ON-Line format!

The seriousness of the present situation is emphasised when you consider that the team is unable to interact with something like 25 thousand primary school children.

Mental health and well-being have become central to the Alec message, and in that context Andrew was able to report that another experienced teacher has joined the team. Susan Rhind, a mental health specialist with 20 years teaching experience has recently signed up. At the heart of the message being conveyed to the children is a circular diagram which features the main message -  Connect – Be active- Get creative -Give to others – be Mindful- (and back) to Connect!  Quite brilliant! 

During the question time, Andrew was asked if their work took them into Secondary Schools. A start had been made to this further development, dealing with topics like drug misuse but due to Covid-19 it has stalled.  Another teaser was – how do you measure performance?  Not surprisingly, at this early stage, the answer was a cagey 'difficult to measure'!

It was another top class presentation and quite justifiably, Rotary must be proud  of their involvement in the project – from day one.

Jim McColl  

Our speaker with "Harold" 

Rotary Matters w.c. 9 Nov (20)

As members of the Rotary Club of Inverurie zoomed in for their weekly meeting, a rather sombre air prevailed! President Kay quickly got proceedings under way by informing the members of the death ,earlier in the day, after a short illness, of W.F.(Bill) Murdoch a Paul Harris Fellow, a long time member and past President of the club.

Known as an Information Evening, there is no guest speaker at this monthly business meeting. On this occasion President Kay invited Past President Stuart Watson to deliver a eulogy to mark Bill's passing and not for the first time, Mr Watson excelled himself . He briefly reminded the members of Bill's background and his 'career' in Rotary. As a teacher of children with special needs, Bill had served as Headmaster of St Andrews School.  He joined the Rotary Club of Inverurie in 1973 but took leave of absence for a time when his specialist knowledge saw him posted to an advisory role in Scotland. In 1985 however he re-joined the club, becoming Secretary in 1986 and  President in the year 2000. In later years Bill became our very efficient Attendance Officer! Above all else, members will remember Bill Murdoch as a sage adviser, an undemonstrative debater, a willing worker and a subtly humorous good friend and colleague. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers being with his wife  Chris and the family at this sad time. We then observed a minute's silence.

Members then returned to the usual agenda which follows the monthly meeting of our Council. Importantly, we were reminded that now is the time to begin selection of our new council by nomination, to serve in the year 2021/22!  Following the usual updates from President, Secretary and Treasurer, the various committee chairmen/women were invited to update the members on progress with planned programmes of fundraising, community involvement and socialising!  Unfortunately much of our work and planning is being frustrated by the present rules pertaining to Covid-19 nevertheless 'it shall be done' though it takes a wee while longer than anticipated.

Jim McColl

Our late friend and fellow Rotarian Past president and Paul Harris Fellow, Bill Murdoch.

Rotary Matters w.c.2^nd Nov (20)

President Kay opened this week's  meeting by thanking the members who 'answered the call' from the Royal British Legion to help with selling the commemorative red Poppies at  Morrison's as we remember those who gave their lives to protect our freedom in two World Wars.  From our District, there was a further report on the End Polio Now campaign which I reported on last week.  Readers will remember the story of the immunisation of children and the fact that the continent of Africa is now free of the disease.  It has been reported subsequently that the 'bad guys' having been at it – selling false immunisation medication which does NOT give protection!   No doubt we will here more of this in days to come.

Our guest speaker this week was one of our own members. Sandy Scott joined our club quite recently and  was invited to give his 'my job' talk! As a member of the City of Aberdeen Parks and Open Spaces team, Sandy enthralled us with his account of the development of the Duthie Park through the ages. The first plans for the Gardens were submitted in 1883 following a very generous offer of finance from Miss Duthie a resident of the City from a well-off family. She wanted no recognition for her generosity which stemmed from a realisation that many of the citizens of the City did not have anything like the social opportunities she could enjoy which included foreign travel! She had in mind wide open recreational spaces to be enjoyed by all, right where they lived.

Using a selection of  photographs, Sandy took us through the lifetime of Duthie Park as it has evolved over the decades to meet the needs and the fashions of the changing ages. Even in our own lifetimes there have been significant changes. Suffice to say, the citizens of Aberdeen and the tourists who have visited,  have been well-served over the years by the teams of planners and horticulturists responsible for the changes, leading to national awards like The Green Flag and has been honoured by visits from HM Queen Elizabeth and before that HM The Queen Mother .

Sandy was able to bring us up to date by describing the Heritage Lottery Fund Grant of £5.5 million to re-design the park to serve modern needs. The plans and alterations demanded by the conditions of the grant took 7 years to complete! This was not without some regrets in that the 'Heritage' element of the award demanded that some of the popular recent developments had to be undone to comply!  The famous rose mountain was a classic example – it had to be returned to it's previous status as The Hill. In our lifetime, much of the credit for the reputation of Aberdeen Parks in general, the massed plantings of roses included was given to David Welch, Director of Parks,  from the late 60's until he moved on to become Director of the Royal Parks in London! 

From time to time throughout his talk, Sandy commented on how, since joining Rotary, he realised that the attitudes and intentions of the local authority to serve their communities is mirrored by the aspirations of the Rotary movement! In modern times, the Parks  have engaged with volunteers  to help with maintenance and to run clubs for young people, involve schools, provide space for community gardens etc. No  longer are they just there to be admired!

It was a wonderful journey through time. I first visited Duthie Park circa 1943 or 1944 when holidaying  in Aberdeen with my Grannie and Grandad! I was back several times later with my Mum, Dad and Sister! Dad was a gardener too so the first visit on arrival was always to Duthie Park to see the magnificent displays of Dahlias!  My relationship with Aberdeen Parks was renewed when I came to live and work in these parts in 1973!  Can't wait to have the chance of a blether with Sandy!

Warm thanks to Sandy were offered by Ian Ewan.

Jim McColl                

Our speaker Sandy and the most beautiful beech tree

Rotary Matters w.c.5 Oct (20)

Another full house this week as the Rotary Club of Inverurie members settled down in their favourite chair for this week’s meeting, courtesy of Mr Zoom! Following the usual formalities, President Kay handed over to Rotarian Sandy Lamb to introduce our guest speaker - his daughter Fiona an architect, based in London but also a visiting lecturer in the University of Birmingham.

With 25 years experience, Fiona specialises in care ,maintenance and restoration of listed buildings. This sometimes includes making alterations in order that the building can have present day use - not just a present day reminder of past glories! Quite obviously such buildings are of significant historical interest to many, attracting countless visitors therefore in some cases, Health & Safety issues come high on the list of priorities.

To highlight the scope of her work, Fiona used two very different projects in London but first, she asked a question ‘How old must a building be to be listed?’ The answer was quite surprising - only 10 years old! The Isokon Building in London was built in the mid-thirties, at that time, a very modern block, built of iron and concrete! It was Fiona's first example chosen, to be compared with the National History Museum also in London of course, built in the 17th century!

The Isokon building has evolved over the years, to suit changing needs and fashions, for example, from apartments to bars and restaurant on the ground floor with penthouse accommodation on the roof requiring a significant re-design inputs. The History Museum on the other hand, has to be nurtured because of it’s age and that often means replacing some elements. The big challenge being to make the new look like the old with the  biggest headache in the restoration of such an ancient building being the need for complicated scaffolding! It was a fascinating story, many questions being asked, for example - are there enough craftsmen being trained to be able to cope with these maintenance and restoration challenges and as you might imagine, there are firms who specialise in this very important sector.

Stuart Watson proposed the vote of thanks, an opportunity to acknowledge the fact that Fiona’s mother and father Dorothy and Sandy are club members as well as congratulating Fiona on her style and fascinating presentation.

An enthralling well told story indeed but needs must, the work of Rotary must go on. Following the talk, President Kay returned to club business with some good news reports for example the  new 'President’s Fund' is now receiving donations. It was created by inviting members to donate to it, loosely relating to the money members have saved by not paying for a meal every Tuesday night! This initiative was introduced in an effort to compensate for the loss of some of our money-earning events. This new fund will enable us to support our charity projects as planned. In that context, the Inverurie Men's Shed had acknowledged our £300 contribution to their fund-raising efforts as they develop their new site. Continuing in the same vein Joe McDowall reported that his money-raising ploy in aid of Prostate Cancer has now passed the £1k mark! Well done , Sir.
As is our custom,  President Kay closed the meeting with a Toast to Rotary and Peace the World over.

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters w.c.28 Sept. (20)

President Kay Diack welcomed 24 members to the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Inverurie, once again, on ZOOM. As a courtesy in this 'new normal' after a few words of welcome, instead of going straight in to the business part of the evening, Kay invited our guest speaker to 'take the floor'.

For the second time in as many weeks, we were to hear about the setting up of a new Rotary Club this time  in our own area.  A couple of weeks ago, we listened to a very animated tale of how the new Forth Bridges Club had started up and this week it was the turn of an Ythan Valley Club founding member to give us an update. Eleanor McAllister had had experience of Rotary membership but with one or two like-minded  friends, decided to make a fresh start in a local area perhaps not best served by existing clubs – Methlick/YthanValley/Newburgh. Having approached the Rotary national hierarchy for advice and receiving an indication that their idea was acceptable, they were basically invited to go ahead.

Starting with a clean sheet, Eleanor and one or two colleagues canvassed the area, concentrating on  civic-minded people by arranging  7 meetings in the area, on one or two occasions only one person turned up! Finally, on a Sunday afternoon they held a gathering in a local hostelry, with free pizzas on offer, 35 people attended! They celebrate their first official birthday in October this year!

With reference to that 'clean sheet', the aim of this new club was to be 'project-lead'. No traditional weekly meeting with a formal meal, no annual sub of £100 or thereby etc. etc. The Rotary ethos is not changing, there is no doubt about that but, the way in which it achieves it's objectives is gradually being updated!  These elements were evident when we heard the story of the Forth Bridges club and reinforced by Eleanor.  At one time, new clubs were 'sponsored' by existing clubs, if memory serves me correctly, the Inverurie Rotary Club is the 'Mother' club of Ellon and Ellon subsequently is the Mother club of Oldmeldrum.  There is no need  for such an arrangement nowadays. To be recognised officially, there has to be a minimum of 20 members and interestingly enough it would seem that Rotary UK is happy with the notion that there should be more clubs in rural areas.  (In that context, it surprises me that there isn't a club in Insch, considering the size of the community)

The new Ythan Valley club members come from a wide range of experience and employment. They have a  management team  like others President and Deputy, Secretary and Treasurer but no committees! A WhatsApp arrangement like ourselves is in operation, the members  meeting twice per month. One meeting for business and the other for pleasure and enjoyment!

Asked about projects , Eleanor expanded on one of their main topics – identifying families in the area in need of clothing in these troubled times. A team of five set about finding storage facilities and with a financial grant from one of the superstores and supplies of packaging boxes suddenly located  they were in business! The vote of thanks fell to David Taylor and immediately there was an air of expectancy!  So, the Inverurie club was formed in the Fifties when one of the most popular musical groups was 'The Clyde Valley Stompers'. He reckoned that this new Rotary Club should be re-named the Ythan Valley Stompers!  Congratulations to them and best wishes for a successful future.

It was busy night with reports of progress on various projects  AND more congratulations – to Rotarian Joe McDowall. Although the great Inverurie Bike Ride had to be cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Joe decided to complete the course because he had invited friends to sponsor him!  So far, he has raised in excess of £800 for the Prostate Cancer Appeal.  Well done lad, our warmest congratulations to you.

Jim McColl 

Rotary Matters w.c. 21 Sept. (20)

President Kay Diack, in her opening remarks at this week's meeting of the Rotary Club of Inverurie welcomed two guests.  Firstly, our Honorary Member John Ramage who doesn't have much to say for himself these days but he remains very attentive to the club's business! Our other guest was a complete surprise, speaking from her home in Lancashire was Past President Cath Nash! It was good to see Cath, our first ever Lady President looking fit and well after a period of serious illness. Needless to say she was given a very hearty welcome by the members.

Every year the Rotary clubs in this NE corner have competed in what is known as The Gavel Competition.  Described as an evening of fellowship as teams from each club meet in a league format, they participate in a number of 'parlour games', the choice each time of the 'home' side! Sometimes challenging and sometimes just daft, these games are a means to an end and that is Fellowship, a strong tenet of the Rotary movement. Our Gavel Reporter Mike Barron announced that this year the competition would be a 'virtual' event – like the virtual village shows, virtual concerts etc. Can't wait to get the feedback!  If that is to be the new normal, I hope it will be a success, it certainly has all the makings of a new normal comedy show!

The overall theme for our guest speakers over the last month or two has been - Our Town. The speaker this week was to be a break from that to pick up on another Rotary tradition. New member, James Kerr, a native of Inverurie was invited to give a 'My Job' talk. After a career which took him round the world and back again, he has moved home recently from Derbyshire.  Trained at the Inverurie Loco Works, James went on to qualify as a Mechanical Engineer, moving to Derby, a rail industry hot seat. From there, his expertise was to take him to Saudi Arabia, then Singapore where they were developing a 'mass transport system'. Back to London and then as a consultant, he was assigned to Athens, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore for 3 years involved in their Eastern Express project, South Korea......so the geography lesson went on to Taiwan, Bombay, Istanbul, Bangkok !  It was quite a journey, covering varying facets of transport development over the last 30 years or thereby.

After answering a variety of questions, some about the different lifestyles and attitudes of these various societies, Treasurer Charlie Taylor gave the Vote of Thanks.  Then the lights went out so to speak but I guess the questions continued, it was fascinating stuff!

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters w.c. 14 Sept. (20)

It would be true to say that Rotarians are becoming quite accustomed to the weekly meeting using Zoom. Once again we had a good turnout or, more accurately, should it be an audience, for this week's get together.

Much of the business side was dominated by the problems we have in meeting our promises to others because many of our fund-raising activities are 'on hold' during this pandemic. Take for example the annual Christmas Car Raffle aimed at helping the likes of Charlie's House.  This year, there will be no car  but there is still an intention to have a raffle in the Bon Accord Centre with 'no actual cash changing hands' only cards allowed. Two or three significant cash/vouchers will be offered as prizes.  I sensed that the Inverurie members, usually strong supporters of the raffle taking their turn in the Centre every year,  were not too keen on the idea BUT, they will be prepared  simply to sell tickets.  Methinks that is a very justifiable compromise.

Following on from the fantastic news that the Continent of Africa has now been cleared of polio, World Polio Day is still to be celebrated on 20th October but I guess that will also be more low-key than normal. From the foreign desk came another great news story from John Nicol concerning our projects to help a community in Uganda. The Health Clinic we helped finance is almost completed and has already been nominated to be up-graded! At Monde School the teachers residing in the new school are holding classes for children and adults in the local community, including basic agriculture. As a result they are now cultivating  1.5 acres of land with resulting produce being taken by the local community! That alone will have significant benefits to health and wellbeing.

…..and then, to top that good news story Rotarian Howard Hughes introduced Jim Brand, known to quite a few of the once-fit Rotarians who played rugby with him at Garioch RFC!  As a First Responder, Jim gave  us a fulsome update on the SCAA  - The Scottish Charity Air Ambulance.  Recently retired from the oil and gas industry, Jim has devoted his efforts to this invaluable, life-saving facility and it showed!  With a series of slides to illustrate his tale, he kept members enthralled, gob-smacked even, with the facts and statistics relating to how it came about and how it operates, dove-tailing with Government sponsored emergency services.

In Scotland, we have two helicopters and two fixed wing aircraft  providing the emergency  ambulance  service.  The charity air ambulance helicopter, based in Aberdeen, has a crew of two pilots and 6 paramedics on duty 12 hours per day.  Their  motto being 'Saving time, Saving lives' and as an example, Jim quoted a few comparisons: From Ballater to ARI by ambulance takes 65 mins, by SCAA  - 15 mins.  Huntly to ARI by road 54 mins, SCAA 14 mins and in the west, from the island of Arran to Crosshouse Hospital (near my home town of Kilmarnock )  ambulance by ferry and road - 127mins, by SCAA -15mins.  And so the intriguing story went on! Since the service began they have logged 2500 emergencies !   All of this activity, seen to be so vital, costs a lot of money. One mission can cast £2.5K. The service needs £4m per annum.

One of the successful fundraisers is a monthly lottery with a first prize of £1k, to use an old saying, 'you must speculate to accumulate'! Needles to say there were countless questions and suggestions for compensating the loss of income because of the virus pandemic. Just one example being waste collections by the local Scouts which can raise £20k annually, have had to be stopped for the time being.

Jim Sommerville offered our thanks for an excellent presentation which will certainly have registered with our fund-raising  committees!

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters w.c. 7 Sept. (20)

We are all becoming familiar with the phrase 'new normal' which, of course, refers back to  the type of society we have lived in till now, which has evolved over decades. Post Covid-19, will society and lifestyle look all that different or will we just slip  back in to the habits of yesteryear?  That remains to be seen but if this week's meeting of the Rotary Club of Inverurie is anything to go by, changes are afoot whether we like them or not!

Once again, we experienced  another 'first' that I can remember in something like the forty odd years of being a Rotarian!  In this new Rotary year we are becoming used to meeting on Zoom, in addition we have come to expect that the 'order of service' is likely to be altered for all sorts of legitimate reasons. We have shared our meetings with clubs in the south of England and in Australia!  What next, might I hear you ask?  Answer - At this week's meeting, we had a message about 'change' from four enthusiastic members of the recently formed Forth Bridges Rotary Club.

Now comes the philosophic bit (a first for me)!  What do you do with a crumbling old building, loved by many and which still has it's uses? In my view there are three option. Firstly, you can do nothing, just let it be and watch it steadily deteriorate, secondly –  you renovate it and thirdly – knock it down and start again despite it's honourable and valuable history. That's the easy bit but what about the residents or should I say the members, because as you will have jaloused by now,  I am referring to the Rotary Club if Inverurie!

Our fellow Rotarians from the Rosyth area  had decided that a fresh start was their preference. In the group there was one bloke and  three quines, all under 50 years of age, indeed two of them might have been under 40! (Allan, Izzy, Vicky and Helena)  The club started with four members who then invited four friends to join them until they had 20 where they paused despite being inundated with applications  for membership (dream on Inverurie). Meeting fortnightly with no formal meal proved less demanding and more in line with modern lifestyles.  Young Mums able to take the child with them, just bubbling with enthusiasm (aye, the Mums no the wains) for their projects which were actually very similar to what our club tackles on a regular basis. - local  social problems, helping the needy, disadvantaged and old folks, involved with schools and with projects in foreign lands.

Quite obviously the only difference between our clubs is AGE! The young Forth Bridges Club has no history!  Does that matter?  Not to them but it does to the Rotary Club of Inverurie.  Since it's foundation over half a century ago,  members of our club have raised tens of thousands of pounds to be able to help  thousands of people across the globe.  'Lest we forget......!'  

There were numerous questions fired at our guests, an indication that we enjoyed the presentation and the exchanges. Our thanks were enthusiastically expressed by George Ross.

The club members then went on to discuss our on-going commitments, fund-raising made more difficult because of Covid-19 but we will achieve our objectives.  That said, I guess the members went off to bed with one word in their heads – RENOVATE!   That has to be the way ahead.

Jim McColl   

 Rotary Matters w.c.31 Aug (20)

The members of the Rotary Club of Inverurie are obviously enjoying the ZOOM meetings. This week, with a couple of visitors, the 'attendance' figure topped the 30 mark. To accommodate our speaker, the order of the meeting was reversed once again. After the customary welcome, President Kay introduced Sarah Bell the Business Development Manager for the Garioch Community Kitchen, based in the Wyness Hall.   The organisation, founded back in 2012 was awarded charity status in 2015 and since then, has helped over 3 thousand clients. They deliver their skills, courses and services in-house and when appropriate, out in the community too.

The team's objectives are to enhance the health and well-being of deprived people and importantly children in poverty. Other priorities include tackling obesity and isolation which sometimes leads to mental illness.  Clients and members of the public are invited fortnightly to attend a Friday lunch to foster social inclusion.  There is no set charge but there is a gift box! There's method in that simple ploy – work it out for yourself! During the pandemic, the organisation has turned their skills to delivering food parcels to those in need, delivered by school pupils, members of the local Masonic Lodge and others. In answer to a question, Sarah confirmed that this service has been going for 26 weeks and will continue for a month or two yet!

Financed in the main by Aberdeenshire Council but with significant additional support from local organisations – like Rotary, it costs over £30,000 per year to run the Community Kitchen.  From the number of questions asked, it was obvious that the members were engaged by Sarah's presentation which augurs well for the club's continued support.  Our thanks were expressed by Pat Mitchell.

Lest we forget!  Members were up-dated on a ceremony to commemorate the work of the late Pat Walker, a past President of the club. The Friends of Inverurie Hospital unveiled a shelved plant stand, situated on the veranda of the Donbank Ward to mark the dedication and work carried out by Pat who had served as Chairman of the Friends.  The stand was actually made by Rotarian Eric Massie!  

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters w.c. 25 Aug (20)

We had two visiting speakers at our meeting this week. First up was Jim Hatter, a one-time club  member who transferred to the Kintore/Kemnay Club a few months ago but it was in his role as an Assistant District Governor that he addressed us, bringing an up-date from ‘Head Office’! The District theme for the year is ‘Rotary Opens Up Opportunities’. It certainly does and basically this endorses our Club's continuing support for our local community, one of our main reasons for being! Mention was also made of a major Rotary fund-raising effort on behalf of the people of Beirut in their dire situation. These thoughts from Rotary District will, no doubt, be heeded as our various committees continue to work on their fund-raising schedules for this coming year.

Our main speaker’s topic could not have been more different, considering the subjects covered in previous weeks - Middle East Affairs, The new Inverurie Sports Facility, Uryside Park and the The effects of Clovid-19 on our community! Alan Duffill, a partner in Stewart & Watson, Solicitors talked about “Wills, Power of Attorney & Guardianship”!! A rather appropriate topic for many of us no doubt. If we hadn’t considered these matters by now, Alan's message could be read as  'maybe you should'.  Not surprisingly, there were quite a few questions for our guest after which, it was my privilege to propose a vote of thanks.


Finally, discussions are still continuing  with regard to a return to live meetings but there is to be no hurry. Government rules at the moment prohibit meetings of over quite small numbers of individuals and most members are quite prepared to obey the rules, much as we miss talking to colleagues face to face.  In the meantime, the team are doing a great job despite the limitations of the electronic system.

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters w.c.17 Aug (20)

For the first three or fours weeks of our new 'term' Inverurie Rotary Club members listened to a series of excellent speakers, concentrating on what might be called 'Home Affairs'! In other words they were principally concerned with our community. Now, better informed, members will undoubtedly take these elements to their various committees as we decide on our workload over the next year. That said, 'Foreign Affairs' have not been forgotten!  We had that extraordinary exchange with Rotarians in England and in New South Wales courtesy of Zoom, concerning the dire needs of Australian citizens following the bush and forest fires in their part of the world. Then, last week we had  that extraordinary link-up with journalist George Mitchell from his base in Spain as  he graphically described the plight of communities in the Middle East giving us more food for thought.

This week's meeting brought us back home as our guest speaker Kevin Bonarius, Manager of the Garioch Sports Centre brought us up to date with developments there. With an edict to 'promote an active life in the community' the Centre, like so many other businesses, has been frustrated by the affects of Covid-19. Agreed plans for the continuing development of the facility have had to be put on hold though some progress has been possible on small parts of the scheme.

Outlining the over-all picture, Kevin  described their Three Phase Plan.  The first phase is already under way with £250 thousand funding being set aside to  prioritise 'early learning' in sports and recreation for children from 3 years old upwards. Mums and children are already benefiting from this facility which has been possible by re-jigging some existing spaces.

Phase Two has a one word title – Tennis!  Many would have been surprised to note that Inverurie does not have a dedicated tennis facility!  With the backing of the Scottish National Tennis Federation, hopes are high that that will be remedied ere long.  Many readers will remember that Judy Murray, mother of Jamie and Andy, has already visited the site on behalf of her Foundation       offering to assist in developing membership with emphasis on families. In itself this would also help to develop more interest in the sport with more clubs being formed in the area.  The present plan for the Inverurie facility to is build a three indoor court unit (with viewing boxes)

Phase Three is perhaps 4- 5 years ahead but included will be 3 or 4 outdoor playing pitches, running track and more indoor facilities for activities like squash and dance.  Kevin's enthusiasm for this project shone through as he described  add-ons like  indoor and outdoor learning centres for youngsters, a cafe, function suite and areas for the older generation to enjoy such bizarre activities as 'walking football'!

There is much for the citizens of Inverurie to look forward to.  After questions, budding walking footballer Ian Ewan gave an enthusiastic vote of thanks!

There may be a sense of 'all talk and no action' in these recent reports entirely caused by the present pandemic but there is a significant amount of planning being done. To end on a sporting adage, be assured, the Inverurie Rotarians will be 'out of the starting blocks' as soon as the starting whistle blows! 

JHM               

Rotary Matters w.c. 10 Aug. (20)

This week's Zoom meeting, attended by 28 members and guests was chaired by Vice-President Bill Duncan. There are not very many good things to say about the present Covid-19 situation but in his introductory remarks and welcome to all, Bill was able to draw attention to the fact that Honorary Member John Ramage was able to join our meeting on Zoom from his home.  That was, indeed, a welcome surprise to us all.

Our attention as also drawn to the fact that, recently knighted Capt.Tom Moore had been awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship (PHF) by his local Rotary Club! 

Customarily, each committee convenor is asked for updates in their plans for the coming  months and not surprisingly there was little to report except from Bill himself, convenor of our events and fund-raising committee.  Some of our fund-raising events are in jeopardy because of Clovid-19 so the committee are working on ideas and projects which will allow us to fulfil our plans to assist others. Watch this space!

Mike Barron was then invited to introduce our speaker, from his current location in Spain! George Mitchell  noted Journalist and Writer is, of course, a local lad, known to many of the members. The title of his address was 'Perceived Dangers of the World' ! A rather different scenario compared with   the topics covered at our meetings over the last month, all of which concerned our local community! 

George, who writes a weekly column for the P&J Saturday magazine, concentrated on his visits to the Middle East. As a regular traveller to these troubled lands, with the use of some rather graphic pictures, he gave us an insight into life for ordinary people. His picture of sharing a family meal in a refugee camp speaks volumes. Quote “ We can walk down the street in the UK  and feel safe because of our laws BUT that said I feel safer walking down a street in Gaza because the local people are naturally very friendly!”   

As a journalist, George would have occasion to interview people on either side of the 'divide', in itself a dodgy situation, his guiding principle being 'do your homework'. The Middle East to most of us remains a troubled place and as George commented it is also a very confused place, power and control changing hands over  a period of years with  the 'good guys' becoming the 'bad guys' and needless to say complicated  by interference (sometimes well-intentioned ) by other world authorities.  Sadly, caught up in it all are ordinary people and their families.

It was  quite an experience to have listened to George's story. Once again we learned that when politics and power get out of hand, I repeat, it is the majority of ordinary people who have to bear the consequences.   After several questions and comments, Vice-President Bill Duncan offered our thanks for such an interesting and thought-provoking story.   

Jim McColl 

Rotary Matters w.c.3 Aug (20)

President Kay Diack welcomed 28 members and guests to this week's Zoom meeting of the Rotary Club of Inverurie. Following the normal committee reports, courtesies and notifications from 'Head Office' (in our case Rotary District 1010)  Neill Baillie brought us up to date on the activities of our Associates Group. Their principal task in recent weeks has been to help homeless people who are about to be housed, by providing them with basic, essential items. Concurrently, the Associates are still working to attract more like-minded people willing to join them.

Our guest speaker was Allan Jones Aberdeenshire's  Housing Manager for our area. Housing has been his focus for 16 years but on this occasion Allan's theme was centred on Homelessness and what the Council is doing to tackle the problem and the consequences.

Not surprisingly, current pressures centre round Covid-19, which has resulted in a dramatic rise in unemployment and with it, an increase in homelessness.  The Housing team have been working tirelessly, day and night in their efforts to help find accommodation  for what must seem at times an endless queue of  people in dire need. The Council's residential unit has been available to provide safe short term shelter for such homeless people. Not surprisingly perhaps, the majority of homeless  are single men.

Allan then gave us an analysis of the size and style of properties available to the Council to house the many on that waiting list, currently standing at over 800!   

Needless to say, there was a host of questions from members, an indication of the intense level of interest and concern felt by all of us. 

Our thanks were expressed by John Nicol.

Over the last three weeks, our guest speakers have covered a wide range of subjects which affect the daily lives of all of us living in Inverurie (and ten miles round, as they say). Lessons have been learned and at times you can almost hear the old brain cells ticking as Rotarians begin to formulate their version of 'What can we do to help? In other words these three sessions have undoubtedly left members better informed about the needs of our society, focussing our thoughts on what we should be doing currently for the society we live in. No surprise there because that's one pillar of the Rotary movement!  Watch this space!

Jim McColl  

Rotary Matters w.c. 27 July (20)

The time approaches when the Rotary Club of Inverurie may be able to meet up  physically once again, so we learned at this week's get together on Zoom.  Whilst there was obviously tacit approval for the move, it was also quite obvious that members were not in a 'sooner the better' frame of mind! President Kay opened the meeting welcoming all, especially our two guests Martin Auld and Sandy Scott.

Peter Donaldson was asked to summarise the Zoom meeting last week with clubs in England and in New South Wales, Australia. The Aussies organised the event to be able to thank the UK clubs for their financial support following the disastrous fires which had devastated parts of their countryside. We were delighted to learn that our contribution had been used to help train young cadets  in their Fire Service.

Secretary Dorothy Lamb read out a letter of thanks from Jacqueline Duncan, manager of the Bennachie Care Home further to our gift of a couple of Gazebos for the use of residents and their guests, much appreciated now that lock-down conditions have been eased! 

Our guest speaker, this week was Martin Auld, Chairman of  Trustees of the Ury Riverside Park Charity who manage the new countryside facility right on our doorstep. It was a fascinating and informative slide presentation which I'm sure left members intrigued and delighted with the progress so far and the ambitious plans for the future of the area. The park extends to around 60 Hectares (148 acres)  (that would be equivalent to about 100 football pitches!) and there is much yet to be done to enhance the facility, such as the provision of  a  fine granite- built entrance area, a children's play area and a new bridge near Uryside School. Already, in excess of 2,000 trees have been planted and more are planned. Without doubt, a significant mount of fund-raising will be necessary, certainly giving plenty scope for a bit of input from our members!

It is a very diverse area of land home to a great assortment of wild flowers including wet land species and a further range found on drier land. A significant population of wildlife is already inhabiting the area, so far some gems have been spotted – Kingfisher, Osprey Roe Deer and Otters !

The good news is that the area is starting to be used by a wide range of people  in the area for example, The Saturday Park Run is supported by 2 to 3 hundred people! Given the end of  Covid-19 restrictions, it is expected that the area will become a well used outdoor classroom!

Mention of Covid-19 brought up a significant problem – the spread of Giant Hogweed, a handsome plant for sure but not only has it a dominating tendency to take over whole areas, the sap is poisonous. In other words Hogweed and young people are incompatible! Regrettably, cutting it down to prevent seed production did not happen, no doubt because priorities lay elsewhere but  that will allow it to spread further – timely action come spring will be sorely needed!

Sandy Lamb offered a hearty vote of thanks to Martin    

Adding in the contribution of our two previous guest speakers, I would say there are exciting times ahead for the Burgh of Inverurie!  It is the place to be!

Jim McColl

Rotarians Past Pres.J S Watson PHF and Jim Sommerville at Bennachie View Care Home where Gazebos were donated by the club.

Rotary Matters w.c. 20 July (20)

We had another very busy meeting of the club this week courtesy of Zoom with 28 members and two guests tuning in, to be welcomed by president Kay Diack. There was an excited air about the first topic which is to link up with fellow Rotarians in England and New South Wales – yes , in Australia!  More of that next time but I should add that because of the time difference as their members sit down for their regular early evening meeting, we will be joining them at 10am BST!

Following on from last week's reports by the President, the sub-committees have met to discuss their plans for the coming months which each convenor described in detail including some interesting ways of fund-raising! Suffice to say, despite Covid-19 we are going to have a busy time.

Our guest speaker this week was Caroline Smith currently Garioch Community Planning Officer. Having listened last week to the Chairman of the Community Council, you can see where our research is targetted  at the moment – how can we help the citizens of Inverurie lead a full and happy life.

Caroline has been working in our area for two years,in that time able to take an overview of what makes our society tick, highlighting failings and where improvements can be made. This work entailed having regular  meetings with representatives from the police, fire service, health workers and councillors. This background work  is leading to a Development Plan for the town and its residents. Two examples mentioned were related to the need to further develop flood prevention banking and  the Men's Shed plans to create Allotments.  But needless to say, during the present emergency much of the time is being spent in helping solve difficulties experienced by vulnerable groups and individuals in the town.

In answer to one question, Caroline illustrated how one community had solved a problem for people who are having to isolate themselves by shielding or simply living alone, perhaps with no modern communication gadgets!  The group, in Westhill, involved members of two churches, a representative from a senior citizens group and one from the Rotary Club. They made it their aim to find such folk, some in dire need of support.

It was another excellent talk and discussion and in offering our thanks, Judy Whyte was able to comment on some of the excellent work being done in Inverurie, sometimes simply by neighbours helping the less able.  One idea which did make sense was to create a Forum, linking groups together to avoid overlap or duplication and vitally, to spot the  people who  are maybe left out.

There is much to be done, rest assured the Rotary team will be dong their bit for the community! 

President Kay then closed the meeting with thanks to all who took part and a toast to 'Rotary the World O'er'

JimMcColl

Rotary Matters w.c.13 July (20)

President Kay Diack called the members to order with a Roll-call for the first meeting of the new Rotary Year  on ZOOM with a bit of good news – we may be able to meet together for real, ere long! Kay also reported on the Virtual Sunday Afternoon Tea just celebrated when 30 members, families and friends joined together for an afternoon fly-cup and a blether courtesy of modern electronics! Judged to be wearing the most appealing sexy headgear for the occasion was retired Secretary Mike Barron!Such was the level of enjoyment that there is talk of another similar event!

The business part of the meeting followed on immediately with reports from the first Board meeting when our programme for the coming year was agreed in principle.  Each sub-committee convenor was then given the opportunity to enlarge on the various projects to be tackled – more of each one in due time!

There was an element of briskness to the business session because lined up as our guest speaker was Chairman of the Inverurie Community Council (ICC)- Colin Wood. What was to follow soon had the members sitting up like school children as Colin's agenda unfolded.  

What is ICC for?  Ans - It serves the statuary function of making  public bodies, like elected councils, aware of the opinions of the citizens.  Members of the ICC are volunteers. Colin went on to describe some of their current and future projects, for example – Heritage Walks, Riverside Park, Twinning but during the current pandemic much time and effort has gone into supporting families in need.

Looking at the wider picture, housing, employment opportunities, recreation and traffic present a number of challenges.  Colin went on to voice some of the ICC plans  for the next 10 years, listing their objectives aimed at giving the citizens of Inverurie a sense of identity and a vision for the future such as the development of a transport hub situated in the Railway Station environs leading to the pedestrianisation of the area in front of the Town Hall thus creating an open air events amenity whilst enhancing and creating a 'Sense of Space'. 

It was a well prepared and well received talk full of enthusiasm which certainly intrigued and entertained the members. Crucially, having earlier heard of our club plans for the coming year, it is evident that there is a significant role for Rotary to play in all that is planned by the ICC?  You bet there is!

Our thanks to Colin were expressed by Vice-President Bill Duncan.  

Jim McColl

   

Rotary Matters w.c. 6 July(20)

This week's meeting, once again held courtesy of ZOOM was one of the key occasions in the Rotary year, referred to as 'Handover Week' which simply describes the end of a President's year of office and day one for the  new President! In the case of the Rotary Club of Inverurie it was a very hearty farewell with generous congratulations for a job well done to Iain Mathers and an equally warm welcome to our new  President Kay Diack.  

The physical handover of the Chains of Office was achieved by introducing a short video – clever stuff! President's chain from Iain to Kay and Kay's Vice-President Chain to our new Vice-president Bill Duncan.  The members responded enthusiastically to that brief ceremony. 

Now it was down to business as President Kay  proceeded to re-affirm her objectives for the coming year which incorporated 1. Continuing to maintain the high standards associated with the Rotary Movement, 2. Working to secure the Club's future which, of course centres on the recruitment of new members. 3. Enhancing the Rotary objectives of helping those in need in our community and further afield. This to include the development of a President's Fund (to enable us to deal with emergency situations) and forming closer links with other local organisations. Finally Kay's  4th objective: To maintain the physical experience of being a member of Rotary  - an 'all work and no play' reminder!

Following announcements on future events, we were able to relax to hear from our guest of the evening. Norman English was introduced by retiring secretary Mike Barron. A professional musician and accomplished Piano Accordion exponent, Norman entertained us with a wide variety of tunes from around the world. The evening was drawn to a  close with a very fitting sing along chorus of that Vera Lynn favourite 'We'll meet Again' !

Jim McColl

Rotary Club of Inverurie Meeting 30 June(20)

Another 'new normal' meeting of the club took place on Tuesday, the last day of June – with all the members sitting at home, participating in the weekly get together courtesy of ZOOM! Retiring President Iain Mathers was in charge of a very good attendance of members, 31 to be exact.

We had a very full programme with President Elect Kay Diack clearly setting out for discussion her aims and objects for the club in the next 12 months.  Top of the list would be to develop a strategy to attract new members.  Having worked on this theme for some time during this Rotary year, we have to be prepared to look at the style and frequency of our meetings, look to further opportunities to increase fellowship sessions – the 'all work and no play' philosophy, whilst delivering the types of assistance and service to our local communities as well as to desperately needy communities in foreign lands.

Kay then invited the convenors of our four main committees to air their plans for discussion but first, Peter Donaldson picked up on the far away lands theme! He couldn't have gone much further away than Australia! Suffice to say, along with three or four other Rotary Clubs in the UK, we are linking up by ZOOM with a Rotary Club in New South Wales later in July (at 10 o'clock in the morning to tune in with their meeting at 7 o'clock in the evening)!  Should be an interesting occasion but WHY? We contributed to a rescue fund our Australian colleagues set up following the forest fires in their  area, to help restore/rescue trees and wildlife otherwise threatened with extinction!

Convenor of the Admin committee – Joe McDowall listed  their priorities which of course concerns running the club business and the meetings, in other words - housekeeping! Next came International & Foundation matters handled by Sandy Lamb which oversees our commitment to Rotary Matters world wide like the Shelter Box Scheme, Mercy Ships and of course Polio Plus.

Moving swiftly on, next came Youth & Community Service headed up by Jim Somerville, this has a very busy agenda involving schools and other local organisations. Sadly some of the projects are on hold because of the pandemic but exciting times lie ahead, if only.......!

Lastly came our Vic-President Elect  Bill Duncan who also heads up the Events and Fund-raising committee. Their plans are also blighted by Covid-19  but the dates are in the diary for our regular programme including the twice postponed Wag of Wags Dinner, a major fund raiser  now to be  held on 24 April 2021!  One virtual event is imminent!  A Sunday Afternoon Tea on ZOOM!

To cap it all our meeting ended with a big vote of thanks to the members assisted by family who were involved with Inverurie Environmental Improvement Group in transporting and putting up the flower baskets in the town. The Maitland team helped transport the baskets, the Mitchell family assisted  the IEI group in putting them up  led by Mr Fixit himself Eric Massie! We will continue to be involved in the regular maintenance of these displays

It is going to be  another busy year for the Rotary Club of Inverurie, as we play our part in the life of our community.

“Rotary Club of Inverurie – Rotary Matters w.c.22 June (20)

Once again this week’s gathering  was courtesy of the ‘new normal’ – ZOOM!  First impressions of the scene with upwards of 25 members arrayed in little boxes was to quote Mr Bassett –  a box of All Sorts! I refer of course to the colourful  range of sweaters and the shapes and sitting attitudes of the participants! My immediate thought, when considering that our speaker was just a wee lassie when I joined Rotary, was how things have changed! To be fair, change they must, forty years on!

As the current Rotary year draws to a close, the new management team under the leadership of President-to-be Kay Diack,  are working assiduously to address the changes that are necessary to cope with and cater for the changes in our society, hastened in many ways by the current Covid-19  emergency. The Rotary commitment to Inverurie  society and the wider world has to be as strong and relevant as ever. Priorities may change but long term aims and objectives must be supported too. Our club has already demonstrated that there is a willingness to step up to the plate in the present emergency  whilst support for long term  projects, like Polio Plus for example, will still feature in our efforts in the coming year. For those of you who are unaware of the Polio Plus programme it is a project started by Rotary International and in recent time hugely supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to rid the world of poliomyelitis! The good news is – we are winning!

To our speaker for the evening – Judy (Mitchel)Whyte.  Judy, daughter of Pat, has been an unofficial Rotarian since childhood with memories associated with club functions going back a long way! All these years later, as a mature and successful  businesswoman, mother of three grown-up loons, Judy has chosen to become a Rotarian in her own right.  Tracing her life since these early days, was a trip down memory lane for many of the Rotarians present – family weekends, Christmas parties, family holidays when contact was made with Rotary clubs in far away places!  Decade by decade it was a travelogue full of involvement including a University degree course in Land Economy, back to the family business, marriage to Keith and starting the cycle all over again with her own boys. 

Currently Judy, has become a Councillor as well as being  involved in the school mentoring scheme helping young people reaching maturity to cope with the stresses and strains of modern life.  With that kind of track record, Judy has much to offer the ‘new’ Rotary in this ‘new’ Society which is evolving.  Introduced at the outset  by Ken Duguid, Judy was thanked by Jim Sommerville .

This new normal is a vital necessity and has much to be said for it but I do miss the odd snide remark and dig in the ribs!”

Rotary Club of Inverurie – Rotary Matters w.c.15 June (20)

Update on the activities of the Rotary Club of Inverurie over the last few months:

“Over the last several weeks, all our lives have been affected by the pandemic referred to as Clovid-19. As we prepare to face the ‘new normal’ , we have to take stock and prepare for the future.  The club has not met as individuals for nigh on three months but the work behind the scenes has never stopped.  Communication was enhanced by using Whatsapp to communicate with each other, to be followed in recent weeks by turning  to ZOOM to be able to meet together visually.  We have now had three weekly ‘meetings’ with excellent attendances or maybe I should call them viewing figures! The meetings have been conducted as normal with President Iain Mathers in charge and with each member present able to participate in the discussions, despite a few hiccups along the way, usually caused by auld yins like me failing to manipulate the relevant buttons on the keyboard properly!  

We have had a speaker on each occasion, this week we were informed and entertained by one of Aberdeen FC’s young players – Ethan Ross, grandson of Rotarian  George Ross.  In 20 minutes, Ethan took us on his journey from aged 4, when he started to ‘kick a ball’, through his recruitment to Aberdeen FC young player squad at 10 years of age! By age 14 Ethan was included in the under 14’s ‘Scotland Youth Squad’  In time he was elected ‘Development Player of the Year’ and in recent seasons to further his skills at top level he was ‘farmed out’ to Dunfermline FC. A fascinating story of skill and determination in a very competitive field ! We wish him every success.

During our business session, we learned  that the Christmas Car Raffle, a marvellous charity fund raiser over recent years, has had to be cancelled as a result of the pandemic. It had already been announced that our own major fund-raiser of the year, the WAGS Dinner had been postponed until October but that has now been scheduled for April 2021.  That apart, members have been busy in a variety of ways over the last few weeks assisting local organisations such as the Garioch Outreach Group, Garioch Kitchen and that marvellous team making PPE to aid the NHS staffs.

Truth to tell, the membership is anxious to get back to business. Already we have a significant list of potential fund-raising projects to benefit our own community but always with an eye to worthy projects across the world.” 

Rotary Matters w,c, 2 Mar (20)

As we constantly stress Rotary is NOT just a social club – that side of it is a bonus. At this week's meeting of the Inverurie club we had a talk from Andy Musselwhite one of the educators employed by ALEC, the letters stand for Aberdeenshire Life Education Centres.  Andy was introduced by Rotarian Murray Matthew who was in there right at the beginning representing our club when ALEC was formed, it is a Rotary Charity which works with Aberdeenshire Schools “to help children and young people develop the vital knowledge, skills and attitudes that they will need to make informed choices about their own health and well-being”.

In this clever world that we live in, children are exposed to situations that those of us, shall we say over 50, would never have dreamed of when we attended Primary school. Young children are introduced into an adult world with no experience and immature judgement skills and that spells trouble with a capital T.   ALEC was born to fight that situation by teaching children to recognise the dangers and how to overcome potential problems. When the project started, a mobile classroom was towed from school to school by willing and able Rotarians. That has now been superseded by an extraordinary 'inflatable' classroom invented by Oldmeldrum Rotarian Henry Riddoch which can fit in the boot of a car! Our guest Andy can have it up and serviceable in a school hall or gymnasium in a short space of time. Capable of taking a class of 30 children, it is furnished to suit these youngsters in such a way that it has been shown to be an excellent environment to attract and retain the children's attention.

Programmes have been developed to suit Primary 1 -7 and also for S2 youngsters and in 2018-19 visits were made to 150 primary schools, 17 academies and 4 special schools in Aberdeenshire. Numbers being reached with the ALEC messages are extraordinary - over 26 thousand!  Sessions are also offered for parents, 850 benefitted at the last count.

What started as an aim to teach children about the dangers of drug-taking has developed to take in a wider scenario including alcohol, mental well-being, bullying and internet misuse. 

If you wish to know more about this invaluable service, initiated by Rotary, the ALEC website is www.alec.org.uk.

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters w.c. 17 Feb (20)
At the Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday evening, Secretary Mike Barron was able to report on our Collection Cans distributed around several shops and businesses in the area. He and Ken Duguid had just collected the cans and totalled up the contents - £266 over the last 6 months. The yearly total regularly reaches £500.  A splendid effort and a credit to the good folks of the town willing to donate their spare coinage – thank you so much!  The money collected goes right back in to the community for projects like Easter Eggs for the youngsters attending St Andrew School and financing the annual Primary School quiz which incidentally takes place next week in the Hopeville   Club with nine teams competing – should be quite a night!

The speaker for the evening was Robbie Maitland who gave us an engaging 'My Job' talk.   According to one Rotarian, there have been Maitlands farming at West Balhalgardy Farm since the Battle of Harlaw, that might just have been a bit of leg-pulling, nonetheless, present owner Robbie gave us a masterful insight into his farming year. Classed as a mixed farm, there are cattle, sheep and pigs on the livestock side and a range of arable crops, including grass of course and cereals such as malting barley and grain grown to produce certified seed for farmers elsewhere – a bit like the Scottish Seed Potato market.

Needless to say, when it came to question time, there was much comment about Climate Change as well as the 'B' word.  It was a thoroughly entertaining and informative talk. Our thanks were expressed by Stuart Watson.    

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters w.c.27 Jan (20)

They say that there is no business like show business!  That describes the weekly meeting of the Inverurie Rotary Club because on Tuesday night we celebrated the life and times of Robert Burns with a traditional supper – haggis, neeps, tatties and aw that! There was no business, as over a hundred members and guests enjoyed a super evening.  As well as our own guests there were 10 other Rotary Clubs represented with their guests!

The Grace was offered by past President Stuart Watson, the haggis was piped in by David Fraser, himself a member and past Chairman of the Kintore /Kemnay Club and the Address was delivered by 'yours truly'. Then, surprisingly, because it was not on the programme, we had a Reply on behalf of the Haggis! Delivered by none other than Peter Mitchell (the P&J mannie).  I guess the good humour and hilarity started from that point!  Chairman Iain Mathers, having raised a glass inviting the company to toast Queen and Country, then Rotary the World Over handed over to Howard Hughes as MC for the rest of the evening.

The Immortal Memory was proposed by Steve Innes from Stonehaven, it was thought-provoking and very funny. That was followed by himself Mr Mitchell, this time to Toast the Lassies and just as able, accomplished and humorous was the reply from Frieda Morrison, yet another experienced performer.

To cap it all, traditional music selections to get the feet tapping were on the menu, performed by Stuart Anderson on piano accordion. A real wizard on the box!

There IS no business like Show Business!  Next week is will be back 'tae auld claes and parritch'!

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters w.c. 20 Jan (20)

Twenty-three members and one guest attended the club meeting on Tuesday night. It proved to be a busy session beginning with reports on current activities – that Car Raffle held in our district leading up to Christmas raised £43,000 for the Archie Foundation charity, the lucky winner was a lady from Stonehaven. Congratulations to all who made it possible and to the people who contributed.

It is an era of change within Rotary, we recently reported the formation of a new 'family' club in Ythan Valley and this week it was reported that the Aboyne club will meet twice a month as opposed to weekly. The fact is, in response to changes in our society hardly a week passes but there are changes to report. It is called – Evolution!

Our main speaker was none other than our very own nonagenarian – Jack Henry a walking encyclopaedia of knowledge about Inverurie and 10 miles round! His chosen subject this week was Education, from the early SIXTEEN hundreds to the present day!  The first, original school was built in 1607 where Market Place is today. By 1893 it had grown to a two class establishment with 90 pupils in each class! Can you just imagine?! Following the building of the Loco Works in 1902. a new school was built to take higher grade pupils and so the story continued to the present day. Fascinating stuff and needless to say, after a vote of thanks from Dorothy Lamb, Jack received a very enthusiastic round of applause.

Then perversely we had a report form Rotarian Jim Hatter in his role as an Assistant District Governor, it was like being back in school! Jim conveyed to members the aims, objectives and priorities for Rotary in the present era, as seen by our District leaders! 'Traditional things become dated', 'The world is changing' 'We need to recruit to continue the valuable work we carry out'. A rousing dissertation indeed stating the obvious! I have no doubt the members of the Rotary Club of Inverurie will continue to prioritise their support  for our local community as they have done since 1953 whilst also continuing to heed when possible, the dire needs of communities in trouble wherever they may be! Complacent we are not!

Jim McColl

Rotary Matters – w.c. 6 Jan (20)

Following the Christmas and New Year break, the Rotary Club of Inverurie re-convened on Tuesday 6th the Kintore Arms Hotel where their meetings have been held since the club's inauguration in 1953!

During the holiday period, Rotarians and Associates were busy, with others on the  functions held in the Christmas Cafe, The Lunch on Christmas Day and a further Lunch and Games , organised for that section of our community in need of food and friendship especially at this time and which have been widely reported on, in this newspaper.

Meantime the Glee Club have been rehearsing in preparation for a hectic few weeks entertaining various groups in the area. Our first of the new year was this Tuesday 14^th in Bridge of Don. It is seldom that we take a booking for a Rotary Night, but two thoughts occur. Firstly, technically we are on Rotary business and secondly, we had been invited back after a successful gig last year, now that is very good for the corporate ego!!

This week, a past President of the club was welcomed back - Graham Mc William returned to bring us up to date on plans for 'Kids Out 2020' that wonderful annual event, held in the grounds at Craibstone, organised by all Rotary Clubs in the area, when 600 plus children, many with learning difficulties enjoy a programme of fun and frolics.  We also had word of our Burns Supper evening to be held later in the month when amongst others we will welcome back to our midst the P&J's very own Peter Mitchell who will propose the toast to the lassies! Can't wait!

Finally, as you might expect, instructions have come down from on high entitled 'Guidance for Clubs on our Environment Sustainability Responsibilities'.  Amongst other things we have to appoint a Club Environment Officer! Climate Change is happening, and it affects all of us! Even Rotarians!  More of this in due course.

Much of the above relates to the club's activities in our community but a further  impromptu session took place last week to discuss some of the disasters in other parts of the globe which are currently making the headlines – Indonesia and Australia to name but two.  How can we help? 

…....and finally, last week  Chairman Iain Mathers had the pleasure of acknowledging the work of the KA staff who look after us so well week in week out, with a seasonal gift!

Jim McColl