Club Meeting

At the virtual meeting of the Rotary Club of South Queensferry on 11th February, President Irene Brownless welcomed speaker Barry Fisher to the Zoom presentation. Barry, who has worked in the charity and volunteer sector for twenty years, is chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful. He recalled being involved in the first Abseil while working for Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Barry is also a board member of Dunbar Harbour Trust and the Ocean Youth Trust Scotland. He observed that much commendible community work has been done in Queensferry to improve the environment, protect the town's heritage and keep it clear of litter. Keep Scotland Beautiful's remit is to reduce litter and waste, help the government achieve zero carbon emissions by 2045 and protect and enhance the environment. In partnership with housing associations, they conduct audits and assessments of buildings. They have a suite of awards programmes to incentivise participants. As Rotary has added the environment to its area focus, Barry hopes that Rotary and Keep Scotland Beautiful can work together on joint projects. He said that to achieve environmental improvement, behavioural change is required by everyone. To that end, he visits primary schools and works with food outlets to bring home the message of binning litter. He observed that during the current pandemic, it is noticeable how many masks and rubber gloves have been discarded, particularly in the countryside.

The vote of thanks for a most interesting presentation was proposed by Vice President Derek Clark.

SIGNIFICANT APPOINTMENT FOR HONORARY MEMBER

Gordon McInally, an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of South Queensferry and now a member of the Rotary Club of Kelso, has been appointed Chair of Rotary International's Operations Review Committee for the Rotary year 2021-2022. A past Director of Rotary International and past President of RIBI, Gordon will be the first Rotarian from the United Kingdom to chair this pre-eminent committee which monitors the effectiveness and efficiency of Rotary International projects and internal systems. In the capacity of committee chair, Gordon will attend Rotary International board meetings. We congratulate Gordon on this very important appointment.