Rotary Club of Gloucester

TWO talented youngsters came to a lunchtime meeting in June following grants of £250 each given by the club in conjunction with SportsAid South West.

Joel Thomas (17) a Great Britain water polo player and Samuel Wyer (16) an England squad skier, both live in Churchdown and were awarded the grants to help with coaching, travel, subsistence and accommodation costs.

The club and SportsAid teamed up to help reduce the financial strain on Joel and Samuel, both having been identified by their sports governing bodies as promising new talent.
SportsAid is a charity working to help talented young sportspersons between the ages of 11 and 18 compete at the highest levels in their chosen sports.

Joel is a member of both the GB Junior and Senior Water Polo squads. He played for GB U19s at the European Championships last year and hopes to be selected for England at the next Commonwealth Games.

Samuel is a member of the England Ski-ing squad and is ranked number one in England in his age category in the Super Giant slalom, He won the British junior championships in the Giant Slalom in 2004 and hopes to gain selection for the Home Nations Development Squad this year.

Going places: President Angela with Joel and Samuel ...........two lads who could go a long way in their respective sports.

CONGRATULATIONS to Colin Rogers on being voted the club's Rotarian of the Year......a well deserved award. Colin is one of those unsung members who does an awful lot 'behind the scenes' to support and promote the club's agenda.

I know, as editor of In Gear, that Colin is unstinting in tracking down sponsorship, taking photographs and distributing the magazine. It was Colin who prepared our successful entries for both the local and national competitions.

This year (as has been the case for many years) Colin has also liaised with the Westgate Association and others to organise the city's Medieval Fayre. It was in no small way due to his efforts that this year's event - which was bigger and better than ever - was not bogged down in a quagmire of council paperwork.

Again, 'behind the scenes' Colin has been a regular and active member of club committees and this year is chairman of the all important Membership Committee.

Colin is one of those members who is an example of Rotary fellowship in action. Whatever he says he will do gets done and he has frequently made his office (and wine) available for club committee meetings.

Affable, gregarious and ebullient, Colin rarely misses club meetings and he and Tess are great supporters of all club events.
Can I say more............JOHN LOVELL

A PERSONAL view of Rotary Centenary Convention in Chicago was given to club members by Andrew Hurley who was one of 41,000 Rotarians and partners who attended from all over the world.

In a fascinating presentation, which could have gone on for longer, Andrew, one of the serjeants at arms, described both the venue centre and some of the many highlights at the convention.

Like most things American venue was enormous although in reality it was one building with a series of extensions. In one hall alone there were 5-600 stalls and exhibitions while the actual conference hall was like an enormous aircraft hangar which seated at least 20,000 Rotarians and guests.

The highlights included a flag ceremony during which the flags of 161 nations with Rotary clubs were presented to the World RI President, It was later announced that two other countries had now joined Rotary's global family.

Another highlight had been his visit to Chicago Rotary Club which met in the city's Athletic Club and had 268 members.

He was also hosted at a home hospitality session which was held in a park by the side of Lake Michigan and where entertainment was courtesy of a Glenn Miller Band and a female vocalist.
In his capacity as serjeant at arms, Andrew also helped the disabled delegate. These included past World RI President, American Cliff Dochterman whose personality was only matched by his ability to capture and retain members' attention when he was giving a speech.

On Tuesday July 12 we had two finals - the Under 12s and Under 14s.

The Under 12 game featured Sir Thomas Rich's School (STRS) v Crypt and there was a wealth of talent on show including a very promising slow left arm bowler of whom we will hear more about in the future I'm sure. STRS batted first and scored 51 with extras being top scorer. When Crypt batted they came up against some very good bowling but thanks to some very level-headed batting by one of their openers they won comfortably by three wickets.

The Under 14 game was always enthusiastically competitive and, despite a fine rearguard last wicket stand, STRS beat Beaufort by 30 runs. A feature of this game was the fine fielding from both sides.

On Thursday July 14 we were again blessed with real cricket weather and two cracking matches.

The Under 13 game between STRS and Churchdown was the highest scoring game of the four matches with a plethora of boundaries. STRS batted first and amassed a formidable score of 170 which appeared to be well beyond Churchdown's reach but some spirited batting saw them only fall 20 runs short.

The U 15 match between Crypt and Beaufort proved to be a very interesting game where a couple of tactical errors cost Crypt dear. Beaufort got off to a hurricane start with 40 off the first four overs and appeared to be heading for an impressive score. However things completely changed when the Crypt captain put himself on to bowl and took five wickets in an impressive and hostile spell of fast-bowling so that Beaufort ended up 91 all out.

When Crypt batted they lost early wickets to some good bowling helped by a wicket where the bounce was very variable. They were never able to retrieve the position and were put under pressure by some excellent fielding by a close- knit Beaufort team who supported each other throughout. Beaufort ran out winners by 30 runs.

A great deal of credit should go to all who took part, the staff members who did so much behind the scenes and to those Rotary members who umpired.

The club's newest member is a lover of paintings and literature, a former professional writer and a poet with three books to his name. Andrew Fox is also Gloucester City Council's Heritage and Museums Manager.

Andrew who came to Gloucester from North East Lincolnshire has been on the board of - or managed - 13 different museums, many of them in Scotland and to do with the sea.
He has been a Rotarian before at Anstruther in Scotland - about eight miles from St Andrew's famous golf course. He was favourably impressed and is fully in agreement with Rotary's Service Above Self' message,

It was another of Andrew's passions - the theatre - which brought he and his Russian wife together. Having been moved by Russian contributions to the Edinburgh Festival , he started corresponding with Russians with similar interests .................one of these was Lyubov, a top barrister then living in Siberia.

They immediately clicked by correspondence and later when they met ..... although getting her out of the Soviet Union was lengthy and difficult.

But all's well that ends well and they've now been married for eight years. We look forward to getting to know both he and his wife much better in future.

NEW president Howard Johnson set out the objectives for his year in office having had the chain of office bestowed on him by outgoing president Angela Seddon to whom he paid a warm tribute for her courage, charm and determination during her year in office.

Howard said: "As the Rotary movement internationally starts out on its second century of service to the community world-wide, my personal perspective is that the first century has been well received and that there is a growing appreciation of what Rotary has accomplished.
"We in the Gloucester club have a record of which we can be extremely proud over 80 years of that first century, and that is well reflected within the local community who, I believe, see us as an achieving charity with a better record of ensuring that their donations reach the intended beneficiaries than some widely known and very large charities can manage.
"I would like to set out some objectives for our Club to aim at achieving in the coming year. By the end of it, let's make sure we have:

* made a permanent difference to the lives of some people in the poorest and most desperate parts of the world who could really do with our help, focussing in our case on Africa, the tsunami-hit regions of Asia, and South America

* helped as many as possible of the sections of our own community here in Gloucester who need assistance to live fulfilling and useful lives

* made the Gloucester people more aware of the existence of the new Acorns Childrens Hospice to bring dignity to the lives of terminally ill children and give respite to their family carers, and helped the Hospice to survive and thrive by giving financial and voluntary assistance

* faced and decided some of the crucial issues affecting our Club and its future
* above all of this, enjoyed ourselves with great fellowship and support for each other as we go about our task.

"There is a tendency, perhaps a natural human one, to focus our thoughts more on the negative issues which face us, real though they are. Let's instead take heart from the good standing we have in our community and refresh our belief in why we exist: great fellowship with our club colleagues and other Rotarians, and putting service above ourselves.
"Achieve all the objectives set out above, fellow Rotarians, and we shall finish the year with a club in fine shape to face the future and have made an excellent start to the contribution our club must make to Rotary's second century."

OUR club has been blessed with many memorable presidential incomings.........and President Howard Johnson's was up there with the best.

The genius of opting for a programme of Old Time Music Hall is that audience participation is assured..........and that didn't only mean singing, booing, laughing and clapping..........but also involved members and partners turning up in colourful costumes of yesteryear.
Trevor and Joy Picken even turned up in their Austin Seven to add that authentic touch from a bygone age.

Combine informal revelry with a delicious supper of bangers and mash and a pudding of apple pie or trifle and a successful evening was guaranteed.

Full marks to Howard's wife Joy and Gill Pegg who directed the entertainment.
The cast list was a plethora of talent with whom Howard has appeared both in productions for the GODS and the Cotswold Savoyards. Full marks to Sean Mayo who as chairman was never lost for words and John Lloyd whose musical dexterity ensured the evening began and ended on the right note.

But neither should we forget the excellent contributions of Rotarians Mike Westbury and Ken Watson and treasurer's wife Ginny Ring who proved what immense talent we have within our own ranks.

Nor should we overlook the contributions of a working party headed by Tony Tetley who ensured that there was a place for everything and everything was in its place.
Thanks to you all for a memorable evening.

The final word goes to our club's most senior citizen Roy Lewis who said the evening made him proud to be a Rotarian - sentiments we all wholeheartedly endorsed.
??Once again we are indebted to The Citizen for the photo of the Pickens on page one and for all the pictures on this page which capture the informality and fun of the event.

FEW members exemplify the quality of service as well as Roy Lewis who marked his then imminent 80th birthday, with a sparkling talk to the club in July which was enjoyed all the more by the bottles of champagne he had kindly put on every table.

Roy also drew on the example he had witnessed in many US Rotary clubs by marking a special event with the presentation of a cheque to the club's charity account.

In addition to his birthday, Roy was also marking 50 years membership of service clubs. It was therefore appropriate that among his guests was Tony Drake who had proposed Roy as a member of Cheltenham Round Table in 1955 and former club members Mike Bartlett and Peter Bicknell who proposed him for membership of the Rotary Club of Gloucester in 1977. Also present was Roy's delightful wife of 58 years, Iris.

Roy retired as chief executive and company secretary of West Midland Farmers 16 years ago having joined them when their annual turnover was just ,000 and leaving when it had topped m.

However, for his 'job talk' Roy concentrated on the period after he left Sir Thomas Rich's School, Gloucester in 1941 when, after four interviews, he landed a job with the LMS railway company here in Gloucester.

Roy then gave us some fascinating insights into life on the railways at a time when the war was at its height.....of empty coffins, a trainload of matches for Morelands (and we thought they made them!), of ice cold offices, of being sent to collect a halfpenny he had unwittingly undercharged, of having to perfect his shorthand skills and of having to destroy a box of 'lost property' lipsticks.

He also told of returning to the railways after the war (in which he served in the Far East), of becoming an accountant (with the highest mark in the country) and of his transfer to Cheltenham where he temporarily took over the job of Peter Bicknell.
It was an intriguing talk by a great Rotarian who belies his 80 years.

ROTARY is a microcosm of life's joys and sorrows....and it was the latter which the club marked with a standing silent tribute in memory of Wendy Sargent, wife of international committee chairman John.

Retiring club president Angela Seddon led the tribute and incoming president Howard Johnson paid tribute to the couple's marvellous example of fortitude and courage in the face of illness.
John and Wendy were a team, working together and sharing life's highs and lows. Over the weeks John dealt sensitively with Wendy's illness and constantly thanked members for their concern and prayers.


Wendy was a gracious and charming lady..........may she rest in peace.
To John and his family we pledge our condolences and continuing Rotary fellowship in the months and years to come.