Lockdown - week 2 reports 1

The first person to respond to my request was from Alan S in Florida,

all being well Alan comes home on Tuesday 7th April

Photo 1   Alan took this picture of Mike Queen at Lytham. We were at the Seniors Golf Open last year supporting David McKenzie from Melbourne. David finished a credible 5th.

Photo 2  Alastair Cook

Photo 3  Golf hazzard in Florida !

Photo 4   Old Annfield
I watched and played many games here. My daughter sent me this. The house in the background was the changing rooms, players’ room, office etc. It is now the care home.

Photo 5  The temperature on March 28th in Florida

Photo 6  Alan's 2 cars in Florida

Photo 7 Alan trying to hide from the virus
Photo 8  ?

The next contribution came from Alan R

So how long does it take to do a 1500 piece jigsaw of the Universe - well probably if I recorded all the times I spent sitting at the dining room table it would probably add up to about 24 hours, maybe the next time I do it I will try and do it all in one go - that would be cool.

I have had this puzzle for a few years and never got around to doing it but now I have the time my knowledge of the universe has been greatly expanded, so if anyone wants a go please let me know. (IT IS BRUTAL). 

Alan R

Next was a contribution from Mike Queen

Tales from my Stamp Collection. - Part1
As the weeks go by in self-isolation and boredom I begin to wonder if our lives will ever be the same again?
It was some weeks ago at our Rotary Lunch on Friday 28th February when Philip Allison very kindly presented his ‘Life of the Atlantic Salmon’ in my place as I was unable to find a Speaker. After twenty-seven years I had, much I am sure to Member’s relief, dried up and had nothing to say or talk about.
It really wasn’t because I had nothing to say it was really because I was too lazy to work on a presentation and couldn’t find anyone to speak in my place. I had been working on something but at the time it was not ready. With time to spare with self-isolation over the past weeks I have decided to work again on the presentation, and I hope you might find it interesting and possibly while away a few moments of your time.
Going through some old boxes of files and documents I found eight old passports that dated back to 1952 and which when glancing through highlighted some high and low points in my life that I would like to share with you over the next months or so if you are interested.
Here is my first chapter!
My first passport was issued sixty-nine years ago on 26th July 1951 by the Foreign Office in London and then renewed in 1958 by the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in Salisbury (now Harare), Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) until 28th July 1961.
The first stamp in the passport are to enter France at Dieppe dated 1st and the next dated 8th August 1951 when I left. These stamps were my first ever trip abroad to attend a Boy Scout Jamboree at Bad Ischl in Austria. I do not remember too much about this trip abroad other than I travelled through France and Switzerland non-stop by train with a group of Sussex Scouts and met Scouts from all over the world who attended the Jamboree. I remember writing to an Italian penfriend I met and was much impressed by the Americans with their badges and loads of candy. Although we went through Switzerland and into Austria, I guess we were passed through as a Group because there are no other stamps relating to this trip.
Although I spent eighteen months in Minden, West Germany doing my National Service and made several trips back and forth I have no records of this in my passport because I would have travelled as military personnel from  Harwich to Hook of Holland then by rail to Minden, so the next entry in my passport of any significance is the arrival 16th May 1956 which was the date I arrived in the Federation of Rhodesia having emigrated from Britain to work as a Customs Officer.
Having spent my last night in the UK on a pub crawl with my best friend Tony Barraud in the West End of London, I spent the night in a B&B and took the bus from Victoria Coach Station to Heathrow Airport which you will understand was much smaller then.  I was expecting to fly in the Comet or some quite large airliner to Salisbury (now Harare) in what was Southern Rhodesia. After finding the Departure Lounge where it was so simple to book in for the flight. Just present your ticket, have your baggage checked in, go through Customs and Immigration into the departure lounge. There were no seats allocated and you just took what was available. So simple compared with the modern ways of airline travel with Security etc. 
After completing the formalities our flight departure was announced and when I went onto the tarmac expecting a large aeroplane but I only saw a Vickers Viking VC1 of Central African Airways with a capacity for 36 passengers and a top speed of 263 mph. The plane was full and consisted mainly of immigrants travelling to a new life in Africa. I am sure we all wondered how on earth was this small plane was going to get us all that way to Africa?
Well it did but it took four days which included three nights in some of which in those days were among the world’s most best hotels.
                                                
Having got aboard and all buckled up we were given a brochure which detailed our travel plans. The plane would be flying from London to Nice where we would refuel and then fly on to Malta and would be staying at the Phoenecia Hotel overlooking Valetta Harbour. Thereafter we would fly across the Mediterranean landing at Mersa Matru in Egypt to refuel then on over the Sahara Desert to stay in a Hotel at a place called Wadi Halfa which was on the banks of the Nile but is now sunk under the waters of the Aswan Lake which powers the Aswan Dam. The next day we were to fly on to Entebbe on Lake Victoria in Uganda stopping of at Juba and Khartoum to refuel in the Sudan on the way. On the fourth day we would leave Entebbe flying to Ndola in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) for refuelling before arriving at Salisbury Airport in Southern Rhodesia in the evening.
Quite some journey!
Each night on arrival at the Hotels and after a shower we were dined and wined and spent the night in comfortable beds before having breakfast and then back to the plane for the next stage of the journey. It was a very civilised and a comfortable way to travel and all things considered this was on the Federal Government and cost me nothing other than leaving a shirt and underwear in the hotel at Entebbe.
On arrival at Salisbury I was met by a representative of the Federal Government who took me to a Hostel at a place called Mount Hampden (an old RAF Camp during the war that had been converted and set up by the Government to house incoming immigrants.
Thereby hangs a tale spanning sixty years if you are interested in reading more then I will pen another chapter.

Mike Queen

Next contribution President Sandy

President’s Ramblings
Dear Fellow Rotarians
I hope you are all well and getting used to this social isolation. I am quite lucky as I am spending this period with Liliane in Kippen which means we can go walks and cycle in the country roads around the village and most of the time we don’t see a soul. I am quite glad to get daily exercise as I would find it quite difficult just sitting around or doing some gardening.
I am also using the time to improve my awful French. We now have a daily routine where we use a CD Conversational Course along with Liliane’s promptings and pronunciation corrections. I am a slow learner but I am getting there. It also means I have a daily objective to learn some more. I am actually really enjoying the sessions unlike when I was at school, when my father was told by my French teacher that ‘French was like a foreign language to your son’. At that time that was very true and goodness knows how I managed to pass ‘O’ level French.
I am also currently in discussions with the Rotary Club of Bridge of Allan and Dunblane after an approach by them about a joint project concerning the Coronavirus. This will also include Callander and hopefully Carse of Stirling who have still to respond. The project hopes to maximise the availability of special grants that will be available during and after the current crisis. I have detailed below the initial announcement by District about these funds.
Districts can use district grant funds to support local activities, like purchasing thermometers, protective medical gear, or other items to donate to medical professionals who need them. Districts can also use contingency funds from an open district grant or repurpose previously planned activities as a COVID-19 response. As districts prepare to submit new district grant applications for 2020-21, we encourage you to designate funds for COVID-19 responses. As a one-time exception, the Foundation will allow expenses related to COVID-19 that were incurred since 15 March 2020 to be reimbursed through 2020-21 district grants.
Andrew Hilley the President of the Rotary Club of Bridge of Allan and Dunblane aim was to apply for a District Grant for one or both of the two main charities they support, Strathcarron Hospice and CHAS. Both of the Club’s events in this respect, the golf AM-AM and the Duck Race, are cancelled so they were looking at other ways to fill the funding gap. There asking both charities if they have any specific needs related to COVID-19 that they can put together as a project, which would be used to apply for a grant.
Based on Andrew’s discussions with Bill Ross (District Foundation Team Leader) it would seem the best bet would be a COVID19-related project at Strathcarron Hospice, supported by several clubs in the area. He has spoken with Irene at Strathcarron and is working with her to try to define a project. The District Foundation Leaders are also discussing whether any of the current criteria for district grants should be relaxed given the nature of the current crisis, but it seems most likely that specific projects directly related to COVID-19, rather than cash donations, could get approval.
Andrew is now in the process of finalising which local clubs will participate. Once he has an idea of what a project might look like, it can then be decided what combined club funds are available and then apply for a matching grant from District. I will keep you all posted as this project develops. I hope you will find this proposed project something that the Club should get involved with at this time.
Well that is all for now and hopefully we will all get through this crisis safely and return to our ‘normal’ lives whatever that may be in the future.
Take care everyone

Sandy Farquharson
President

Last but not least!