Free Portland News

FPN End July 22

Calling all dog lovers, dog owners, competition goers, fun lovers and anyone who reads this.

The Rotary Club is going to experiment with having a Fun Dog Show on the Island on 20th. August for the first time ever, but this is also a fun day out with stalls etc. so something for all.

The day will last from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and this is an open invitation to you all to come along and join the fun.  With or without pooches.

If it fails it will not be for the want of trying, but, if it works well and is popular we may well make this an annual event – it is up to you.

Entries are £1-50 for the first class and a reduced fee of £1 for entries into any other class.    

The list of classes for you to enter is                              

1.Waggiest Tail                                            

2. Most Handsome Hound over 1 year                                 

3. Prettiest bitch over 1 year                                         

4. Happiest Smile                                             

5. Best Recue Story                                             

6. Best Golden Oldie over 10 years.                                     

7. Coolest Puppy under 1 year                                     

8. Best Trick                                                              

Entry forms can be obtained from scurtis&co@aol.com

Back to normal matters now, and my thanks to all of you who supported the Table Top Sale at the start of July in aid of Prostate Cancer Awareness.   A thoroughly enjoyable, as well as useful day    Please note – there will be NO Table Top Sale in August – too many people are on holiday – assuming that the planes are flying of course!!   Our next TT Sale will be on 10th. September in aid of a Hedgehog Friendly Portland.

We are now settling down to the new Rotary Year with President Mark Townsend in charge. Changes have also happened at District and at National level, but the biggest change of all is that, for the first time ever we have a lady President of Rotary International – Jennifer Jones who hails from Ontario.   A bubbly, dynamic, media company head, Jennifer has given us a theme this year of – Imagine Rotary.  This is the theme which will be interpreted all over the world in many ways – a bit like Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream”.   But Jennifer wants us to dream big and harness our connections and the power of Rotary to turn those dreams into reality.   I imagine a Table Top Sale where over 1000 attend, or a dog show with 1000 entrants – but maybe I set my sights too high!  It looks like being a great year with her at the helm and our club members will imagine their own ways of helping those in need.

Finally we had a lovely meeting a couple of weeks ago when Robert, one of our members gave a fascinating talk about solar-powered cookers for use in, particularly, third world countries.  We think this may be of use when our club next visits Nepal in November.  But at that meeting we also saw a host of letters from the students at Westfield School following their visit to Crealy Park last month on Rotary Kids’ Out Day.  The students really had a ball, and I end with a few of their comments – they can describe their day far better than I could.

Dear Rotary Club.  Thank you for a wonderful time at Crealy.  We enjoyed our food and drinks and the rides.  We loved going on the coach.
Thank you. I loved the water slides.
I enjoyed Adventure Zone.   See you in 2023.
I went on the Shark Bay rides multiple times.  I loved it.  See you again hopefully in 2023.
Thank you for the hat.  The thing I like is everything.
My favourite ride is the water slides and I liked the egg sandwiches.
But the spinny rides made me sick.  I am better now.  I liked the other rides.
The coach was so cool – I wish I could go again.
I enjoyed the rides so much.  I didn’t want to leave.
The Twister it spun round.
We went on the log ride.  I was scared at first but my friend took me on it.
I got soaked on the water squirters.  I did not want to get wet at first but I got soaked just standing on the edge
I love the log slide because I love getting wet.
Thank you for an incredible day at Crealy.  My favourite ride was the bumper boats me and my friend got soaked

My comment - this is what Service Above Self is all about!!