Vocational Talk - Mary Patrick

The weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy was held at the Dean Park Hotel on Tuesday 30^th January. There were 27 Members in attendance.

Presidents business included mention of the recent Young Musician competition which had taken place at Balwearie High School, five youngsters had taken part and 3 of them were through to the next round.

The Kirkcaldy High School Interact Club are to do a sponsored walk to raise funds for a shelter box. There is a shelter box on display at the school to raise awareness of the initiative, the box will also be displayed at St. Andrews before being taken to the Mercat for the open day.

PP Ann Mitchell commented that The Young Chef competition had taken place in Dundee and that 2 pupils from Kirkcaldy had taken part and while they enjoyed the event had not been successful in further qualification.

PP Iain Gow is looking for volunteers from the new membership to participate in the Literacy Day meeting on the 13^th March. The theme for this year is humorous poems.

SVP Robert Main reminded Members of the event being held at the Mercat on 10^th February. Robert also mentioned that during the Ingolstadt visit a fellowship dinner would be held on Sat 2^nd June in the Old Manor Hotel Lundin Links.

The primary school quiz will be held on the 13^th February and Alice Soper is still looking for volunteers for the evening.

Swapan was given free rein to vote on behalf of the Club at the Rotary GB&I presidential Election.

The speaker was Club Member Mary Patrick who was giving her vocational talk.

Mary’s father was a Blacksmith from Milnathort and her mother was in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, they had met in Kinross. With a downturn in work Mary’s parents moved to Leslie where her father found work in the Linen Mill. Mary grew up in Leslie and remembers a childhood travelling all over Scotland.

Mary attended Nursing College in Kirkcaldy and went on to marry and live in Cupar. In 1977 Mary’s husband had the opportunity to take a position with the oil firm Caltex in South Africa, and so they emigrated. In South Africa Mary continued with her nursing career and also became involved in training. Her training role took her into the University of Cape Town and it was while on many visits here that she attended a talk on Archaeology and developed an interest in the subject. Mary then became a student at UCT studying archaeology. Mary’s career in archaeology led to many interesting projects, in particular she was involved with impact assessments and worked on both the Berg River Dam site and the Greenpoint Stadium.

On returning to Scotland Mary has continued her passion for the past and assisted with a number of local initiatives including founding ‘Friends of Leslie House’.