Rotary Club of Gloucester

JUST reading Amanda Chamberlayne's CV notes leaves one breathless. She seems to have crammed more into her life so far than many would fit into three or four lifetimes.
Although she was born in Australia she was brought kicking and screaming to England as a baby and after attending Elmbridge Infants and Junior schools was a founder pupil at Selwyn School.

During weekends and holidays she worked in her grandfather's bakery (Lawrence Bros.) and shops as well as in her grandmother's café (The Tudor Café) in Northgate Street.

After leaving school she did nurse training in London before giving up 'for some inexplicable reason.' to go to Milan in Italy for nine months to teach reading to a young English girl going to an Italian school.

Witin four weeks of returning home she was off to Australia to join her then boyfriend Humphrey Chamberlayne. Here they became engaged, both worked and subequently enjoyed a fantastic outback adventure in a beaten up old Holden estate.

It was also here that Amanda learned about her Australian roots in Tasmania - it appears her great, great, great grandfather was a surveyor there in the early 19th Century.
Back in England, Amanda was 22 when she and Humph were married and she took charge of Ashleworth Court. She writes: "What a privilege. I should have found it daunting but didn't think about it."

Faced - over the years - with bringing up four children, a large house and garden, Amanda (assisted by numerous students and au pairs) just got on with it. To pay for children's school fees she ran a flock of about 60 ewes and their lambs, after which she kept a herd of Dexter cattle and sold the resulting very tasty been to local customers.

In terms of paid employment she worked as a waitress and front of house at Corse Lawn Hotel, dabbled in antiques and then successfully ran a B&B at Ashleworth Court for 12 years.
Locally she and Humph, together with Jeremy and Mary Barnes at Ashleworth Manor, have organised numerous festivals, exhibitions, suppers and barn dances for the parish church. This has helped rehang the bells, replace the organ, reroof the church, restore the Coat of Arms and provide an investment to help fund the church for the future.

For 13 years Amanda ran a drama workshop week in July for 30 children aged 10 to 18. This involved providing a campsite, feeding the children and making costumes, props and scenery for a production in the Tithe Barn. The week became more and more frantic in the run up to performance night, which was preceeded by a picnic on the lawn. Great pressure, great fun and great satisfaction.

Amanda details her hobbies as gardening, gardening and gardening ....and travel. After an absence of 26 years they returned to Australia in 1995 and now have a house in Western Australia as well as a tiny cottage in France.

Of the future Amanda says that she and her husband have now moved to a new home and she is enjoying the challenge of furnishing and decorating it as well as creating a new garden from nothing - a process she anticipates will take a couple of years. Thankfully she and Humph have three grandchildren who give them great joy and are all living in Ashleworth

Incidentally the longest time she has spent doing any one thing is being married to Humph for 38 years!!!

SINCE assistant District Governor Martin Greaves kindly penned the district overview on Page 5, Rotary's flood relief plans following July's deluge have taken a dramatic turn with the proceeds of Naomi Campbell's fashion show in London at the end of last month which raised a whopping ,000.

In addition to Naomi's incredible contribution, the movement's own national relief fund has topped ,000. Of this national pot more than ,000 has now been earmarked for this district. On top of this sum, district Rotarians have themselves raised more than 000 for local projects.
Temporarily at least, our efforts to repair, restore or replace communal facilities clobbered by July's floods are awash with money. At club level we are overseeing a district project to replace seven motability scooters damaged beyond repair in the Westgate area of the city. The cost of this project will be 50, of which 50 was raised by local Rotarians during a collection at Gloucester's Tesco superstore in August. To emphasize Rotary's involvement each scooter will have the Rotary logo.

Another project involving the club is a plan to provide the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service with four flat bottom boats for use in emergencies. This project is costed at 080 for which the club has had matching grant offers both from our friends in Rodez and the George club in South Africa. We have also received from the Ormskirk Rotary Club and a cheque from the Inner Wheel Club of Cambridge.

At the time of writing the club has written 00 into the accounts as our contribution towards the project's costs but President Robert Hall told In Gear that there was a distinct possibility that district would pick up the entire cost - leaving the club to oversee the administrative details.
Robert also indicated that while he was in contact with the Fire and Rescue Service he would see whether there were ways in which the boats could be improved or whether the Service required other equipment for use in flood emergencies.

Obviously with additional money now becoming available as a result of the London Fashion Show, thoughts are turning to other and possibly bigger projects. If you know or can think of any I'm sure Martin would be delighted to hear from you.
Don't forget to turn to Page 5 for Martin's report

THE pivitol role the Crown Prosection Service (CPS) plays in our criminal justice system was explained to nembers at a lunchtime meeting last month by Mary Harley who had postponed a Crown Court appearance to ensure her presence.

Born in Cardiff, Mary (pictured left) entered the CPS after studying law and had now risen through the ranks to be senior prosecutor for this area - which is one of 14 in the UK.
In short the CPS is responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales.

To this end Mary's duties include visiting police stations and advising officers on points of law and discussing how to investigate specific serious cases to ensure the CPS has enough evidence to bring a viable case against a defendant with the best possible chance of success.
Turning to the jury system, Mary said that it was still the best system for deciding most criminal cases in the country but for more complicated fraud cases which often ran into months in court more expert financial and legal knowledge was often required to decide a defendant's guilt or innocence.

She said that the CPS, like any other public body, had to be accountable and were subjected to the usual budgetary restraints.

In conclusion Mary answered many questions from members and received a very warm round of applause from an appreciative audience.

IT was at the end of last year when Mark Newey was inducted as a club member ...... and, at the tender age of 45 promptly reduced the club's average age!

In August he gave us a fascinating insight into his work as an architect as part of his job talk.
Despite his (relative) youth Mark has already seen a revolution in the way architect's work - from pen and tracing paper when he started, to today's hightech IT virtual reality images and drawings which are considerably more customer friendly.

It's evident that a love of buildings is more than a part of his job since he regaled us with details of a cycling trip - a few years ago - across Europe looking at many of the continent's architectural gems. It was an excusion where pasta was cooked in a kettle and vin ordinaire was drunk out of plastic bottles. It's a passion he still retains but now as a married man he tends to sleep in hotels rather than a multi-man tent.

Since those halycon days of youth and through determination, many years of study for qualitifcations and by dint of hard work Mark has carved out a successful career.

For some time he and his landscape architect wife Helen used to run their own business although they have now merged with the successful partnership headed by another club member, Ian Stuart.

Nothing seems too large, or small, for Mark's talents. Apparently his smallest commission has been a garden pavilion three metres by three metres while he's also had an oversight of considerably larger projects - and not only in this country either.

The benefit of a job talk also lies in other, more personal, details which emerge about our newer members - such as Mark's enthusiasm for rugby and his work as coach to a local junior rugby club which has only lost three games in three years. From coaching, Mark is now turning his attention to the more formidable challenge of refereeing.

He and Helen liove at Malvern and have two sons - James and Olly. President Robert thanked Mark for his excellent illustrated talk.

The most recent dining evening organised by club gastronome Bob Short was ideal for lovers of Italian food. The venue this time was Gianni's Ristorante in Cheltenham and although over subscribed, a few last minute drop outs meant that Bob's planning for a maximum of 24 was almost spot on. Our photos show a few of the Rotarians not previously pictured at these increasingly successful event. Once again a very big thank you to Bob for organising the event..................keep up the good work.

Alan Myatt is one of those larger than life characters - both literally and metaphorically. Big hearted Alan is one of the city's best loved and recognised personalities having been Gloucester's Town Crier for more than 19 years. In consequence he needed little by way of introduction when he came to talk at a lunchtime meeting at the end of August.

Alan explained that before becoming Gloucester's Town Crier (a position which dates back to Norman times and was imported from Normandy) Alan was already a well known member of the Gloucester Operatic and Dramatic Society.

Having won a competition at the Barton Fair to become the city's crier, canny Alan decided to forgo the annual honorarium in order to concentrate on the post's commercial prospects.
And hasn't the boy done well. He's now a much sought after toastmaster as well as a themed character actor. In fact, as he told members during an amusing and fascinating talk: "I can be anything you want as long as you've got a budget."

In his various roles and guises which have taken him all over the UK and Ireland, Alan has mingled with the stars, become cosy with numerous dignitaries and top business people in addition to rubbing shoulders with royalty.

During his varied career he's been involved in launching new products, opening new stores, promoting fayres and exhibitions as well as leading processions and pageants.
Whether you're looking for a traditional figures to help in a promotion, an historic character to add colour to a festival or someone to add a little panache to a family event, then Alan's your man.

We could have listened to his experiences a lot longer than time allowed.
As Gloucester's town crier, Alan has been a tremendous asset in promoting Gloucester ....thanks mate...we need it.

Hail and farewell. In July the club said farewell to Majors Lorna and Paul Doust who are now soldiering on to pastures new after being in charge of the Gloucester Corps of the Salvation Army for several years.

Our picture (right) shows them with President Robert Hall at a lunchtime meeting when members were able to express their own thanks to the two majors for their help in the past.
Thanks to their hospitality our club has built a close relationship with the Salvation Army which began when Rotarian and Salvationist John Smith became club president. With their agreement John staged a charity concert at their HQ in Eastgate Street - a concert which has been repeated every year since and which has raised £000s for presidential charities.
The corps has also enhanced the club's annual dinner by providing musicians for a session of rousing carol singing, now a traditional part of this well attended festive occasion.

We wish Lorna and Paul every success and happiness in their new appontment in Bristol.
Replacing them will be Captain Fred Eardley from Sidmouth who was brought to a lunchtime meeting by John Smith. (Fred and John are seen in the bottom picture with new member Pat Collins).

Fred is already a Rotarian and we hope he will join our club when he has had time to settle at his new job here in Gloucester.

CHRISTMAS is a-coming (all too quickly) and we've received this plea from Tracy O'Hanlon on behalf of Gloucester Women's Refuge.

She tells us that following harvest thanksgivings they are frequently the recipients of tinned goods but as the festive season comes closer there will be a demand for all things Christmassy such as puddings, cakes, chocolates, biscuits ........... anything in the food line which makes the period special such as a delicious treat.

In addition there is always an onging need for ladies toiletries, perfumes, jewellery sets.............top which can be added socks, slippers and umbrellas.

Sadly there are always children at the Refuge, 0-12 year-old boys and 0-15-year-old girls. Anything creative or 'arty' would be most welcome, they can even be second had if they are in good condition......but cuddly, soft toys must be new because of health and safety factors.
One final request, an obvious one really, if you have any spare wrapping paper or Christmas decorations then they would be extremely welcome and save a run on the Refuge's limited budget.

Please could you channel any donations (money will always be useful too) to Rotarian Sue Smith .....phone Gloucester (01452) 417358 or 381022.

A fascinating overview of life in an Amish community was offered to members by Dr Ray Morgan who spoke at a lunchtime meeting about this Christian group who are found today in America and are distinctive for their adherence to pre-20th century dress and a simple lifestyle.

The group originated in Switzerland and Alsace Lorraine. The Amish were persecuted until the early 19th century when many migrated to North America. There are now no Amish communities in Europe but there are about 50 Amish settlements in the USA and Canada, with the largest communities found in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.

Traditionally, the Amish live in German-speaking, semiclosed self supporting rural communities based on an agrarian economy and without the need for money between Amish families.

Dr Morgan (right) said that since they are mainly successful farmers they have created substantial wealth within the sect principally through selling handcrafted Amish quilts, Amish furniture, dolls and other crafts Yet at the same time, they live a simple lifestyle, making little use of modern inventions as these are perceived to destroy community ties or create unnecessary and divisive wealth.

They are pacifists whose main concern is freedom to worship God, known to them through piety and personal religious experience. They hold to adult baptism and a literal reading of the Bible. If a member is cast out from the church they may be 'shunned' by the rest of the community.

During his illustrated talk, Dr Morgan showed pictures of members of the sect in traditional costumes and of their well known mode of transport, the buggy or horse and carriage. He said that young couples are not allowed to ride in closed carriages until they are engaged and then only with a hood. Only after marriage can they ride in traditional box carriages.

It was an intriguing look at a sect whose way of life still retains all the virtues and few of the vices of a bygone age.

SELDOM can such a unimpressive title have hidden such an immensely rewarding experience as the evening spent with the Dutch Engineering and Construction Band at a Rotary charity concert at Gloucester's King's School.

The band, now in its 25th year, comprises more than 50 hugely talented amateur musicians whose repertoire ranges from classical to swing and from the not so recent to contemporary.
The band's full range, from the hauntingly beautful strains of the Dance of the Blessed Spirits by Gluck composed in the 18th century to a foot tapping collection of Latin American dances compiled by American Alfred Reed in the last century, was on display.

Many demonstrated the virtuoso of individual soloists, none more so than the dazzling display of musical dexterity on the clarinet by Karin Teunissen, the wife of musical director and conductor Dick, which had many of the audience on their feet in appreciation.

The mood changed constantly - from opera to jazz, from musicals to dance rhythms - while the composers included in this musical feast included Gluck, Schubert, Saint Saens, Khachaturian and Elgar......a range which underlines the band's international credentials.

The concert had started with a delightful composition entitled Merry Go Round which highlighted different sections of the band and the event appropriately ended with Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance which had the audience singing and clapping and brought a standing ovation at its end.

The encore once again demonstrated the band's individual talent when flautist Cees Hockstra amply demonstrated the musical potential of the piccolo. His finale came only minutes after his son had featured in a rousing percussion item on the drums - and, not to be left out, the entire evening's programme had been introduced by mum Gury.

The musical feast had been organised by Trevor Picken, a member of the Rotary Club of Gloucester who is also President of the Stroud Brass Band Festival. He has several links with the band going back over many years and had invited them to launch this year's festival at the Subscription Rooms.

When they offered to perform a second event for charity Trevor arranged the concert at King's School - all proceeds from which are going to the Star College at Ullenwood, this year's charity chosen by Rotary club's president Robert Hall.

In thanking the band, vice president John Sargent said that they were amateurs who played as professionals and that the camaraderie in the band had shown through in their joy of music making. It was certainly an evening to remember.

THE musical extravaganza for club members had started earlier in the day when the musical director of the Dutch Engineering and Construction Band, Dick Teunissen gave a fascinating powerpoint presentation to a lunchtime meeting.

In addition to his commitment to the engineering ban Dick, an accomplished musician, is also involved with the country's Radio Chamber Orchestra which started its life in 1945 and had recently undergone a name change.

Here he plays the trumpet and at our lunch meeting we heard and saw Dick playing Vivaldi's double concerto and Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary both of which brought appreciative applause.
He emphasized the range of the band's repertorie from baroque to pop and said that the band had a wider range of instruments than would be ususal in a brass ensemble.
Dick said there were around 70 players in the band.

All worked in the engineering industry and some travelled up to 200 kilometres for rehearsals which lasted up to four and a half hours once a month.

This was the band's second visit to the UK, the last being about 10 years ago, but on the Continent they had travelled fairly extensively and had staged concerts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They had also made a number of CDs (some of which were on sale later at the King's School concert).

In answer to a question Dick said it was becoming more difficult to recruit younger members to the band in urban areas but slightly easier in rural areas where making music was still part of the culture.

NORMALLY the District Governor's visit is a fairly predictable affair with a polite introduction and vote of thanks and with much Rotary fellowship and a call to arms in between.

And this year's visit by Peter Davey from Monmouth in August certainly started off that way with a cheque presentation to the Rotary District's Three Counties Floods Appeal Fund by club president Robert Hall.

In his brief talk Peter inevitably spoke about the two Rotary appeal funds - District and RIBI - which had been set up to alleviate some of the problems caused by the July floods.

He said there had been a spontaneous outpouring of generosity by Rotarians and others both in this country and abroad and that the two appeals had been established to respond to this.
Peter emphasized that monies were to be used to reinstate, repair or replace communal facilities, which had suffered due to flooding. He hoped communal projects might be identified quickly and that spending on them could begin very shortly.

Peter emphasized the appeals were not there to provide help for those who chose not to be insured......a statement which prompted a couple of tough questions from the floor.

Both Ken Watson and Peter Cosgrif queried whether such a restriction failed to take into account those who were uninsurable or the very poorest who could not afford insurance premiums. It was evident from murmurs in the room that others felt similarly.

Whilst expressing sympathy with those who fell into those categories Peter bravely stuck to his guns - but was left in no doubt as to many members' feelings.

Earlier Peter had said that in visiting clubs he never ceased to be impressed by the range of projects with which Rotarians were involved and it made him extremely proud to 'wear the pin.'

On the other hand he was equally concerned whether thriving clubs now would still be around in 10 to 15 years time. "Too many clubs are aging and not bringing in new members," he commented.

However on a brighter note he said that RIBI after a few years of slight decline in membership were hopeful of a rise in both the number of Rotarians and clubs this year.

Turning to another subject Peter said that some excellent speakers had been lined up for the district conference which, he hoped would be well cupported. These included Roger Royal, Michael Fish, the Malawian High Commissioner and a senior Rotarian from India who would be explaining how the money raised locally in the wake of the 2004 Bowing Day Tsunami had been spent.

All in all Peter's visit demonstrated that Rotary fellowship can survive and is often strengthened by the occasional disagreement.

As thoughts turn to Autumn, the catastrophic floods which hit Gloucestershire and neighbouring areas are easily forgotten. But for many the nightmare of those July days will not be easily forgetten.

Even before the rain had stopped, Rotarians had recognised there was an impending crisis and had begun to assist those in need. The first step was a telephone helpline, set up by Cheltenham Sunrise in conjunction with BBC Radio Gloucestershire, for housebound, elderly or vulnerable individuals in need of water deliveries. As calls increased so did the scope of services to include delivering 'grey' water as well as drinking water.

In total, the helpline took nearly 1,000 calls from the Gloucester and Cheltenham area with services delivered by Cheltenham Sunrise, Cheltenham, Cheltenham North, Gloucester, Gloucester North and Tewkesbury Rotary clubs. Help to individuals went beyond the provision of water, however. Many hospitals were unable to provide life-saving services, so Rotarians offered transport for patients to attend alternative health-care centres.

Similarly vital assistance was provided to many smaller care homes unable to carry out their normal laundry. Three clubs outside the affected area (Dursley, Ross and Newent) provided assistance and helped the most urgent cases. Thanks to them laundry was collected, washed and returned to very grateful homes.

During the crisis Rotarians were also called upon to supervise at various water distribution points in Gloucester, act as guides for Coastguards and provide assistance for the Red Cross at their emergency depot in Quedgeley's Waterwells Business Park.

Support to individuals in and around the County was unprecedented and words of praise are still being received but it is only now the waters have receded that the floods' impact on community groups is being fully realised.

The Rotary District 1100 Flood Appeal has been very successful raising 000 (nationally Rotary has raised more than ,000), and community groups throughout the district are receiving funds to help them recover lost goods, restore damaged venues and restore their activities.

Since their first meeting in late July the Appeal Committee, whose members are senior Rotarians from affected areas, have assessed 19 claims. Payments have already been agreed for SARA (to replace a Landrover), for Westgate Mobility Centre in Gloucester (to replace motorised shopping scooters). for Tewkesbury RFC, for Tewkesbury Cricket Club (to reseed the cricket field), for the Tewkesbury Town Band (to dry out premises and music), for the Lower Avon Navigation Trust (to replace lost moorings), for the Hereford 180 Youth Group (to replace safety matting), for the Abbeydale Youth Project (to fund temporary venue rental), for the Tewkesbury Scout Group (to re-equip the kitchen) and for the Newent Cill Out Zone (to refurbish premises).

The committee will meet again on October 9 to assess further claims.

Glyn, who spoke at a lunchtime meeting last month, said that the academy owed its roots to the Beauchamp Music Group started by Caroline and Alan Lumsden 25 years ago. More recently it had moved to a city centre location off Westgate Street where it provides musical teaching to around 200 young muscians.

He explained that the Academy was entirely self-supporting and operated on a financial knife edge. Nevertheless it has much of which to be proud. It is officially affiliated to the Trinity College of Music and has links with other junior conservatories. Its Prima Corda, an advanced string ensemble, has performed throughout the region to critical acclaim and regularly tours to Europe to take part in International Festivals and Concerts.

A more recent development has been its partnerships with professional organisations such as the English Symphony Orchestra, which enables its musicians to play in front of large audiences and at more prestigious venues such as Gloucester Cathedral.

In fact out club has reason to be particularly grateful to Glyn since he kindly provided several musicians for a musical concert in the Cathedral's Chapter House earlier this year in May.
In answer to questions Glyn was critical of the music opportunities offered in state schools .................proof, if any were needed, that the existence of his Academy is even more important. We wish him continued success in the future.

With such ominous phrases ringing in their ears a UK expedition of 'nutcases' (plus one American) set out in 1993 to cross the desert by camel and on foot despite the gloomy forebodings of the locals.

The expedition consisted of military personnel - with one exception - that of Richard Graham whose reason for being there was that he could speak the language. And it was Richard, a former Airways executive and now prospective Conservative candidate for Gloucester, who spoke to the club of the expedition's trials and tributions - and ultimate success - at a lunchtime meeting.

The crossing was a formidable challenge.....two months of treckking (a minimum of 20 miles a day) in hostile conditions ....... over 800 miles of desert in temperatures in excess of 40C ..... and all on just two litres of water a day.

On the credit side the scenery was spectacular while on the debit side communications with the outside world broke down early on.

There was certainly no guarantee of success. Richard himself was seriously ill with dysentery and only days into the expedition water for the camels became a vital issue.

Fortunately, for Richard, the only female on the team was a nurse and almost certainly saved his life with powerful antibiotics while, fortunately for the team they were able to successful dig for water every four/five days to save the camels and ensure the expedition's ultiimate success.

It was a fascinating story of determination succeeding in the face of adversity ...or as Richard put it: "If you think it's impossible, go for it in any case and you might just pull it off."
Incidentally the expedition also raised a significant sum for a leukaemia charity and spawned a fascinating book 'Through the Fearsome Taklamakan Desert' by Charles Blackmore the expedition's leader.

Following July's deluge the club had an urgent plea from Tracy O'Hanlon, the Gloucester Women's Refuge's Children and Family Support Worker. She contacted the club with a request for toys, games, books, art supplies, musical instruments and play equipment to replace those destroyed when the charity's basement was flooded.

The club responded immediately when President Robert Hall, gave an immediate donation of to the Refuge.

In a letter Tracy wrote: "We use our basement as the children's play room, art room and for storing all our donations. As you can imagine, we have now lost absolutely everything and this has been incredibly distressing for the children."

However, when Jude Wheelehouse, area business manager for Stonham, came to the club to collect the club's donation for the Refuge she had an unexpected but delightful additional surprise. In addition to our offering there was a further 00.

This came via junior vice president Jeremy Keck, being half the proceeds of monies raised at a preview evening of the Merry Wives of Windsor by the Chavenage Production Committee. The Women's Refuge was one of two charities chosen by the committee and when Margaret Keck (Jeremy's other half) heard we were involved in helping they routed their money through our club.

Normally the party is blessed with good weather and members can enjoy a garden setting for what is always an informal but convivial occasion.

This year the friendship and informality were evident as always but the weather proved a lot less hospitable so the party was held indoors at the home of President Sue White and Rotarian Martyn because of the rain.

As usual it was a fun afternoon helped along by with a wide selection of delightful and delicious refreshments provide by Inner Wheel members.....and, for one member at least, a timely surprise.

Former President Jackie Matthews, who was celebrating her birthday, suddenly became the centre of attraction when President Sue presented her with a cake.

One newcomer to the festivities was Hazel Hurley, who married Rotarian Andrew earlier this year and members are now hoping that Hazel will also become a club member soon.

CHILDREN at St Catharine's Under 5s Playgroup in Gloucester and mums from the Mothers' Union filled two aquaboxes and presented them to President Robert Hall in August. They were inspired to fill the boxes following a talk to the MU by Rotarians Peter Nesbitt and John Lovell earlier this year. The club has now filled more than 150 of these emergency boxes which are sent to areas of natural and man made disaster. They contain items essential to life such as water filtration equipment.