Awards

The Club met by Zoom to celebrate a number of awards which would have been presented at an actual meeting had it not been for the pandemic. First up were some of Fife’s Young Carers (FYC), those remarkable children who, as recounted by Bruce Alexander, provide vital support for a parent or other close family member with a disability. Covid meant they had faced even greater challenges than usual and had also prevented Rotary from organising, as it usually does, personalised treats. Regan Ball, for FYC, thanked the Club for its continuing support and for having presented six of the young stars each with a certificate and £100. The recipient of the Club’s Citizen of the Year award was Marjory Finlay of the St Andrews Tennis Club. Described by Bill Whyte as the “head, heart and soul” of its coaching programme, Marjory has introduced hundreds of youngsters to the game. She herself said it was a privilege to do so, especially now when their lives have been circumscribed in so many ways by the pandemic. The Elgin Salver was previously a light-hearted annual games contest between the Rotary Club and the Inner Wheel, but the latter has now disbanded. Instead, the Salver is to be awarded for outstanding service to the Club and the first recipient is Colin Brown, whose novel ideas and energy have done so much to maintain fellowship and fund-raising despite the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, the Club would have been welcoming Rotarians from around the world for its annual International Golf Week. Let us hope it will again in June 2022!