General Meeting - Live

ROTARY CLUB OF CHESTFIELD

Breakfast Meeting 07.45 for 8.00am Thursday 14^th July 2022 @ the Golf Club

Present:               David M, Dave C, Paul, Sue, Pat, Spyros, Chris, Andrew & Jean M, Lesley, Maureen, Kathryn, Nick, Elaine, Robert, Hilary, Andrew B, Godfrey.

Zoom:                   Pete, Marian

Apologies:           David K, Iain, Myfanwy, Margaret, Pippa, Trevor, David B

Guests:                James Kirby from Crossroads was due to attend but didn’t

Grace:                   by Paul

BREAKFAST

Birthdays             Pat gave a card from the club to Kathy.  No card for Spyros, but Pat presented him with his Red Letter Day envelope instead.

Social:                   There is a spare ticket available for tonight at the Kings Hall to see Guys & Dolls.  Godfrey’s grand son is on the production.  Several club members will be going.

                                Maureen was asked about Ted.  He is improving and the hospital might send him home tomorrow.

                                Pat asked Dave C about a date for an afternoon at his beach hut (Tea by the Sea).  Dave has had a look at the tide tables and suggests Wednesday 14^th September from 2.00pm.  Venue will be Hut no. 154 on Herne Bay’s West Beach (painted British racing Green, near the Angling Club building known as the Red Shelter).  Dave will put a sheet in the events folder.

                                Re Wildwood, Godfrey said that it is complicated to make a group booking for the evening tour.  He suggests members make an individual booking from their website for the evening of 6^th October.  The point about the evening guided tour is that visitors can access areas not normally seen; also many animals are nocturnal.  There are currently 17 spaces available on 6^thOctober, at a cost of £30 each.

                                Pat asked members about reviving afternoon tea parties, like we did during lockdown when we could only meet in limited numbers outside.  She won’t be organising these, members need to communicate among themselves.

Fund Raising:      Nick said we still need to sell tickets for Race Night (20^thAugust).  He will invite interest from other nearby clubs.

                                Paul had new sheets for Car Parking days.  He went through the list later in the meeting to ensure we are covered for the next one ie 23^rd July.

                                Harbour Day will go ahead, but in a changed format, without money from the council.  We will have a stall on the Saturday only (13^th August).  Volunteers will be needed to staff the stall.  We need to check if the rat (Splat the Rat) is in a sufficiently robust condition.  Dave C wondered if there might be a spare one at the harbour?

                                David M and Nick confirmed that the Golf Day is proceeding OK.

                                The club accepted the design for this year’s Christmas Cards.

                                Kathy will sort out presenting the cheques for Food Friends and Rising Sun.  Lesley may go with her.  Dave C said the dishwasher for the Over-60’s club is still ongoing.  It’s a matter of finding a kitchen fitter to refit the kitchen.

International      Pat said she has spoken to Emma Slade about the trainee nurse in Bhutan.  The latter has secured funding for at least the first two years of her training, so we can take this off our agenda.  Emma and Sue will be joining us for breakfast on 28^th July.  She may now be looking for funding for two wheelchairs.  The notion of arranging funding between our district and Timpoor was raised.  David M said that such international grants can be very complicated, and take over 12 months to set up. 

                                Andrew B asked again about a volunteer to look after Loren after she attends our breakfast meeting on 21^st July.  Hilary said she has a meeting to attend which Loren can go to, after which she and Hilary can go round the university.

                                Re Apeldoorn, take this off the agenda until after they have visited in September.  Jean M asked if we could consider twinning with another club in the UK?  Maybe Scotland, ‘though Scotland would be almost as far away as the Netherlands.

                                Re Shelter Box, Andrew B is not now recommending we have a regular contribution to the latter, as in our last meeting, since it would unnecessarily tie the hands of future presidents.  Instead, we will continue to vote each appropriation separately as we do at present.

                                Andrew and David M confirmed we haven’t yet heard back from District about the grant for Ismail university.

Membership:    Pete said we have an enquiry from a potential new member, a Gerry Lennon (imagine).  He will be invited to a breakfast on 28^thJuly.  Pat confirmed that the club will pay for his breakfast.  Pat said that our other potential new member, Chris from Cozy Cat, is still keen but very busy at present.  Can Pat remember to give Pete her email?

Youth:                   Kathy will invite the new president of Interact after the new term starts in September.

Treasurer:           David M reminded those members who haven’t yet paid up that annual subs are due.

AoB:                      We haven’t been to the Whit & Tank for some time so the weeds are very high.  Agreed a date of 6^th August from 09.00am for volunteers.  We will need two big bags for all the weeds.  Maureen will ask about this.

                                Spyros asked if anyone has any unused sunglasses or prescription glasses.  Can members bring them to a meeting for him. 

Raffle:                   Was won by Pat.

Greetings from other Clubs:  Paul said he met the new president of a club in Brighton when he was staying over.  Robert has met the new district AG, and also the new president of Canterbury Sunrise.

Master-at-Arms:  Today is Shark Awareness Day, also Pandemonium Day. 

Final Toast:         Given by Nick.

Date of Next Meeting:

07.45am for 08.00am Thursday 21^st July 2022 @ the Golf Club