Sixty Four and Counting

Another memorable Charter Lunch on October 28 at the Magic Mushroom restaurant, our traditional venue for the last few years.  This was the 64th anniversary of the founding of our club, and the presentation of our Charter. Another proud year, another reason to celebrate in style.

Well Earned Tributes

President Roger opened the proceedings by welcoming our Honorary Member The Lord Petre. DG David Willis and wife Sandra, Keith Dewis (2nd VP Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower, Brian Pratt (President Rotary Club of Billericay Town) and our speaker for the day, Dr. Kim Wallis.

It was a delight as always to have a table of our good friends from the Rotary Club of Basildon - always great to see them with us, not least since we share with them and our international colleagues from France, Sweden, Spain and Italy, a desire to foster and improve Rotary causes internationally, and especially our good friend Rtn. Janet Mudd who we haven’t seen in a while, but was in very good spirits.

He also made a point of paying tribute two other guests, Barry Howe (also RC Billericay Mayflower) and wife Jan (RC Billericay Town) for all the good work they do in working with the charity TEECH to take convoys of Aid to Moldova and install washrooms and toilets where there are none.  Working with our member Peter Greene, they had recently obtained a Disaster Fund grant to fund aid for Ukrainians in Moldova and travelled there in August to deliver the Aid.  Barry responded with his thanks and made a special mention of Peter who had done the work to obtain the grant which made the trip possible, despite the sceptics within RC Billericay Mayflower.

Bucket Collection

Finally, Roger remarked that World Polio Day was October 24, just a few days before. Thanks to the efforts of Rotary International ,and its allies in the Global Polio Elimination Initiative, polio cases had dropped form 350,000 cases in the 1980s, and from three endemic types to one, and that this year there had only been nine deaths from Polio, all in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and all from one genetic strain of Polio.  

In the bucket collection during lunch the terrific sum of £413.50 as raised, over 20% more than last year.   Thanks to the Chancellor this will grow by £103.375 in Gift Aid, and thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this will be tripled so that the End Polio Now campaign receives a final total of £1550.63.  At 12-19c (UNICEF) per polio vaccine, this is enough to fund up to fifteen thousand End Polio vaccines!  Well done everybody!

Michael Ginn read Grace, making special mention of prayers for our two invalids – member Bert French, and Jeannie, wife of member Ken Smith.  Following an excellent lunch, as always at the Magic Mushroom, and loyal Toast, the Objects of Rotary were read by our founder member and nonagenarian Ben Clarke.

Great Pride

In his address, president Roger thanked the club for members’ support, as it was the team that ensured the club’s success, with everybody contributing.  He especially mentioned secretary Brian Wellman for all he did and particularly organising the Charter as a whole, and congratulated Founder Member Ben Clarke on his reading of the Object of Rotary and for his more than 64 years remarkable service to the Club.

Roger highlighted his pride that we initiated and managed the Soapbox Derby until Covid intervened, and although our aging membership meant we no longer had the resources to do it again, he thanked Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower Vice-President Keith Dewis for his club agreeing to take on the event for the benefit of our community.  Although, as Roger said, we happy to advise and help where we can be of value.

“More recently, our Kenyan Borewells project was a source of great delight for the club””, he said.  “Working in partnership with the Rotary Club of Embu in Kenya, and with the support of our linked Rotary Clubs of Basildon, Karlshamn (Sweden), Beausoleil (France) and Alba and Ovada (both in Italy) we raised approx. £30,000 and ensured fresh water is available to over 5,500 primary schoolchildren in 10 schools in Kenya.  What a success!”

“That’s not all, we continue to support the Rotary Foundation with every member donating $100 every year, and its End Polio project where we donated nearly $6,000 last Rotary year and were hoping to match that amount again in his year.  Other supported charities included disaster relief funding in Turkey and Syria, St. Luke’s Hospice, Young Lives vs. Cancer, Lennox Children’s Cancer, Mary’s Meals, Smile Train and many others.  
Finally I want to recognize Mike Sinclair’s work with our Rotakids Clubs, which both won prestigious Rotary GB&I Presidential citations, and thank Stephen King and Peter Greene for stepping to take over this role this year.”
“We plan more fundraising and charity support in the coming months and an ambitious new event – Watch This Space!”

Hail Fellows

Paul Harris was the founder of Rotary and the Paul Harris Fellowship (PHF) is given to Rotary members and particular members of the public, to recognise meritorious service to our community.  In certain circumstances a PHF Sapphire (PHFS) is awarded to members who already have a PHF to recognize contributions above and beyond expectations  “Members don’t Rotary join for self-reward but it is really nice to recognize their contributions”, he said.  A PHF was awarded to Bob Godfrey and a PHFS to Patrick Rothon and Peter Greene.  (See separate report on this achievement).

The reply on behalf of the guests was given by District Governor David Willis, who had high praise for all Billericay achieves.  He told the assembled members and guests that we are a Rotary Club that should be proud of all that we do, from our major project of the Borewells for primary schools in Kenya to our support for The Rotary Foundation and End Polio Now.  He was fulsome in his praise of what we have achieved, and how well the Billericay Clubs worked together to achieve outstanding results.  

Wild About Bats

President Roger then introduced our speaker for the day – Dr. Kim Wallis from Essex Wildlife Trust.  

The day ended with a vote of thanks to Kim by our president and the final toast to Rotary and Peace the World Over.

Let’s look forward to our 65th Charter Lunch 2024.