General Meeting

ROTARY CLUB OF CHESTFIELD

Breakfast Meeting 07.30am for 08.00am Thursday 10th August 2023 @ The Plough

Present:               Andrew B, Dave C, David M, Gerry, Godfrey, Ian, Kathryn, Maureen, Margaret, Nick, Pat, Paul, Pippa, Robert, Spyros, Sue.

Apologies:           Andrew M, Chris, David K, Elaine, Hilary, Jean, Lesley, Myfanwy, Marian, Pete, Reggie, Trevor, David B.

Guest:                  Ronan Lennon

Welcome & Birthdays:   Pat welcomed everyone, including our guest, Ronan.  No Birthdays this week.

Grace:                   Paul

BREAKFAST

Business:

Community:  Gardening at the Whit & Tank went well last Saturday despite the poor weather.  Pat congratulated Ronan for his hard work.  Maureen said the hospital was very happy with what was done.  Pat said thanks to Maureen and Pat Brealy for organising.

Membership & Fundraising:  Pat reported back on the Tuesday evening meeting about the Chestfield Fun Day on Bank Holiday Monday 28th August.  The day runs from 12.30 to 17.30, so we will have two teams staffing the stall.  The activities on offer will include: Splat the Rat; a competition to see who (adult) can ride furthest in a set time on a stationary bicycle; guess how many sweets there are in a jar; a visit by Father Xmas on his summer holiday.  There will be lollipops for the children.  However the main purpose of the stall will be to encourage new members from Chestfield-based visitors.  So we will have recruitment literature available.  There will also be a banner advertising a collection point for those houses not on the route of our Xmas collection.  NB: there is no parking for visitors at the cricket club; parking is in Grasmere Road, then you walk over a footbridge to get to the cricket ground.

Fundraising:  David M reported back about the Golf Day on 8th September.  Some sponsors for individual holes have come forward; there are still some to go.

                Paul advised members about the car parking this week end 12th August and Thursday 24th.  We have enough volunteers for this week end.  Dave C said he will get there as soon as possible, but apologies in advance if he is a few minutes late. 

International:  Andrew said he still hasn't heard back from Orpington.

Social:  Tomorrow 11th August from about 14.00 is Tea by the Sea at Dave C's beach hut.  All welcome.

                Pat told the members present that Lesley is taking a six-month sabbatical from Rotary business and meetings.  Sue will step into her place organising social events.  Members are asked not to contact her while she is away.  Pat may give us an update from time to time.

                Due to a cancellation, there is one space left on the Ales for Antiques evening. 

Any Other Business:        Nick drew attention to an email recently circulated from Georgina (who used to be a member here, and is now at Forest of Blean rotary).  She is stepping down as secretary for the Whitstable Friends healthcare committee.  Would anyone her want to become secretary of the latter.  The main duty is to take the minutes at their Monday morning meetings.

                Pat said she has a friend who is in a local rock choir, if we ever want to have a musical entertainment at any event we are running.  Can we bear this in mind?  Nick wondered if we could use them as the basis of a fund raising evening at the Gulbenkian theatre?  To be discussed at a board meeting.

                Sue said that she and Gerry are busy with organising the Xmas meal on Thursday 14th December.  They have compared menus from the Whitstable golf club and The Hare restaurant.  Several members gave favourable feedback form visits to the golf club.  Pat asked fro a show of hands, and members voted in favour of going to the golf club.  She said she will firm up the booking.

Greetings from Other Clubs:        Ronan brought greetings from the Somerset West club in South Africa where he lives for six ,months each year.  They are breakfast club like ourselves, but they meet at 06.30am!  They are very active, including in the townships where there is a lot of poverty and poor life chances.  So they support literacy and numeracy programmes, and also food distribution programmes.  To give us an idea of the difficulties faced, SA recognises 12x official languages. 

Raffle:                   Andrew won again!  So he very kindly asked Margaret to draw another ticket, which was won by David M.

Master-at-Arms:              Nick told us he was a bit premature last week; today is World Lion Day.  It's also Duran Duran Appreciation Day.  On this day in 1893 Rudolf Diesel invented the engine which bears his name*.

Final Toast:         Given by Godfrey.

Next Meeting:

07.30am for 08.00am Thursday 17th August @ The Plough

*coincidentally, one of my uncle was a diesel fitter for Freeman, Hardy and Willis (Dave C)