Are we too parochial?


Are we becoming just a bit too inward looking? It's my impression that in recent times the focus for our local members has tended to be the weekly meeting at the Buccleuch, and there's been a lack of adventure. This thought has been nurtured by several aspects of our club's life. When Jack gave me the list of speakers planned for the coming weeks, I was pleased to notice that we had several visitors. Recently we seem to have had an increase in DIY speakers. I was guilty of it myself: it's easier perhaps than finding a visitor. But it's incestuous, and we're losing sight of our links to the world. We also need to think about the strength of our enthusiasm for visiting other Clubs, for their weekly meeting, or for their Presidents' Nights, and for attending Conference. In a busy life, it's only too easy to stay safely within the confines of the Thursday meeting.

I believe we need to learn from other Clubs and from other layers of Rotary. In some ways we're ahead of the game. We have a Group Study exchange volunteer, Vicki Moyes, and we very successfully sent three students to RYLA last summer. We have a Club website which gives news of our activities and members, and we are represented on the Hawick Online website and in the Hawick News.

Could we not do more however to keep the enthusiasm going? How many of our members with internet access actually use the range of Rotary websites to find out what's going on? What do we know of solar oven projects, or of the progress of the battle against polio? Did we know that the Rotary Club of Duns in February held a Sportsman's Dinner which raised

Related pages...

Our New Website

more

Something to think about

more

Report on Aviemore Conference

more

PP David Woolfenden

more

Proposals for Change

more

Change in Format of Club Meetings

more

Foundation Contributions

more

Angus Neilson, Movember 2010

Support Gus and Prostate Cancer Charity

more All of Movember 2010, the month formerly known as November I’ve been donating my face to raising awareness about prostate cancer. . . . .

back to page above this...

Monthly Newsletter

back .