Rotary Young Citizen of the Year Winner

Gillian Gamble was warmly welcomed to speak via Zoom as she had attended St Andrews University and is well known to most Rotarians in the club.   She left our town seven years ago and now lives with her husband, Steven, in Bishop Auckland where she has been home schooling her two daughters and working as an artist/illustrator.

Gillian’s first book was “I Love St Andrews”, featuring a young girl on her first visit to the town, and she brought into the book all the things she was familiar with and loved.  Still learning, Gillian has already gained enough confidence to make her living as an artist.   The slides of her work were impressive.

Going back, Gillian comes from Dundee and her first job before university was at the Hilton Hotel in Dundee where she met the then manager, Rotarian Eric Brown.   Eric noticed that here was a girl with special attributes and he gave her time and valuable information on management.  Colin Mitchell also gave her advice, on how to write letters and how to engage people when public speaking.  She attributes much of her success to Rotary and the Rotarians who helped her.

While in first year Gillian went with her father to India and while they were there they came across an orphanage housing approximately 30 young people in a very poor building.   When she returned to St Andrews she set up a fund- raiser to improve the orphanage.  She raised the money needed in six weeks and to-day the orphanage is thriving.   She has also been involved in numerous social enterprises.   As a result of her extraordinary efforts Gillian was awarded BBC Rotary Young Citizen of the Year in 2008, in addition to many other awards for entrepreneurship and social enterprise.   Recently, she has been working with children on a literacy project, resulting in the publishing of a book written by the children and illustrated by Gillian, which has brought confidence and fun to the young writers.

Eric Brown gave the vote of thanks for Gillian’s excellent presentation, remembering how special she had been while working with him.Over the last number of years Gillian has inspired many at home and abroad.