Meeting reports 2018

MEETING REPORTS 2018

‘Young Musicians’  – 20th November 2018

The Club held its annual ‘Young Musicians’ competitions at the Marine Hotel. The winners, who will proceed to the Rotary District 1150 round, to be held at Aberystwyth in January 2019, were:                                                                                                                                                                       Instrumental competition  – Iestyn Jones (cornet), year 10 student at Ysgol Penweddig, whose repertoire included Andante(Mozart), Rondino (Allan Street) and The Lost Chord (Arthur Sullivan).                                                                                                                                                                     Young soloist competition  Guto Lewis, year 13 student at Ysgol Penweddig, who sang Arlunwyr Cwm Culfain (Eric Jones),  Papageno(from  ‘The Magic Flute’, Mozart), and Mab y Mynydd (Idris Lewis).

The adjudicators were Rhiannon Lewis and Chris Lockley. The competition evening was organised by Alan Wynne Jones on behalf of the Club’s Youth Activities Committee.

Huw Spencer Lloyd : ‘Pilgrimage to Flanders and the Somme’ – 13th November 2018

At this Rotary Club meeting, two days after Rememberance Sunday, Huw Spencer Lloyd, past-President of the Club, gave a talk on his ‘pilgrimage to Flanders and the Somme’ a few years ago.

His interest in the events of the first world war had been kindled by having in his possession the medals won by his great  uncle, David Hughes, who had served in the Welch Regiment and killed in action at Passchendaele on 8th August 1917. Reflecting on his emotional visit to the scenes of battle and immaculately maintained war cemeteries, Huw reminded members of the great losses and sacrifices that had occurred on all sides – 16.5 million casualties, including civilians. Around ¾ million soldiers from the British Isles had not returned home. At Mametz Wood alone, in 1916,  over 4,000  – mostly Welshmen – had been killed. Historic buildings in the town of Ypres had been destroyed, although the impressive Cloth Hall had been rebuilt by 1964 and now housed a museum to commemorate the war.

At Ypres, Huw had visited the Menin Gate where the losses are remembered each evening to this day by the playing of the Last Post, and the Thiepval Memorial in the valley of the Somme, built to commemorate those from France, Britain and the Commonwealth whose place of burial was not known. Nearby, he saw the Lochnagar crater, where tunnels were dug under the trenches of the German forces by Welsh miners at the start of the battle of the Somme. He also visited  Artillery Wood cemetery in Flanders, where the poet  Ellis Humphrey Evans – Hedd Wyn is buried. Whilst the scenes of terrible slaughter have long been restored as attractive and peaceful countryside, there were still relics such as pill-boxes and bunkers as a stark reminder of the past.

Professor Michael Woods : ‘In search of the global countryside’ – 6th November 2018

‘In search of the global countryside’ was the subject of a stimulating talk at last week’s  Rotary Club meeting by Professor Michael Woods, of Aberystwyth University’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences. He commenced with a reference to Alwyn D Rees’ research and publication on ‘Life in a Welsh countryside’ (1950) and to the work that has continued over several decades at Aberystwyth on the human geography of rural areas.

From Wales, Michael Woods took us to places as far afield as Tasmania, Taiwan and Brazil, giving examples of the effects of globalisation and how, for example, the ‘westernisation’ of diets in China had led to an increase in demand for western food products and the expansion of international trade. Dairy farming in New Zealand had doubled over past decades to meet the demands of new markets. It had led to more intense farming, and in countries such as Brazil the need for irrigation had had a marked effect on the landscape. Milk produced in Tasmania was now being flown to China and Taiwan where it is sold, as a fresh luxury product, at the equivalent of £9 per litre.

Increasing demand for animal feed such as soya had the effect of squeezing out small farmers used to more traditional methods and products in countries such as Brazil. There is also extensive migration from rural communities in countries such as Brazil and China, which can be encouraged as a way of bringing capital into the areas. Some of these migrants also end up in rural areas – as many as 1,500 had moved from Brazil to the small town of Gort in Western Ireland.  Similar trends in globalisation was seen in the fishing industry, and there were examples such as in Canada where communities traditionally dependent on sea fishing were responding to the challenges of over-fishing by diversifying into manufacturing and tourism.

Studies in Aberystwyth continued to focus of the effects of globalisation on the rural economy and communities of mid-Wales. As farmers face political uncertainties and inceased competition, there is an even greater need for the leadership and research provided by centres such as Aberystwyth University.

Barbara Salerno : ‘Blesma – a Limbless Veterans charity’  – 30th October 2018

Speaker at this meeting was Barbara Salerno, who has recently joined the Club following her move to Ceredigion. Barbara’s background is in Public Relations and Marketing, with experience in fund raising for a hospital project and for the Mental Health Charity MIND.

Barbara spoke about the work of Blesma, a Limbless Veterans charity for which she is an associate director for fund raising. Established in 1918 to support the thousands of Veterans who had lost limbs during the First World War, it continued as a charity to support Veterans who had lost limbs in the Second World War and subsequent conflicts including Afghanistan and Iraq.  Amputees supported by the Charity have competed in the Invictus Games.  During a century of service Blesma has assisted serving and ex-service men and women who have suffered a life-changing loss of limbs or eyesight.  Support to individuals and their families is for life, and includes practical help as well as advice and guidance.  The charity, which raises £4.5m each year, works with the NHS to ensure that advances in prosthetics are converted into practical solutions, and provides a programme of activities for amputees.  Currently 3,000 individuals, including widows, are receiving support; the youngest is aged 19 and the oldest 104.

Visit of District Governor, Clive Edwards – 23rd October 2018

The Club was visited by Clive Edwards, from Porthcawl. Clive is this year’s Rotary District Governor for Southern Wales, a district covering 63 Clubs in an area extending from Aberystwyth to Usk. Noting that Aberystwyth, with 44 members was one of the largest clubs, Clive referred to the district’s aims of increasing membership and promoting projects to support the environment, humanitarian issues, and youth activity. One of Rotary’s main targets internationally has been the elimination of Polio, and whilst the number of cases world-wide had decreased substantially, there had been a slight resurgence of the disease recently which called for continued campaigning and vigilance.

This year’s theme for Rotary’s activities was ‘Be an inspiration’ and Clive hoped that this would be reflected in its work at community level. He thanked the Aberystwyth club for all that it had done over the 70 years of its existence.

Clive Parker : ‘Travels in Eastern Europe’ – 16th October 2018

Rotary Club member Clive Parker gave an account of his recent visit to the Balkan states of Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia.

Montenegro is a long narrow stretch of land about two-thirds the size of Wales, and was currently the subject of considerable Russian and Chinese investment in tourism-related development. Crossing over to Tirana, the capital of Albania, one saw a contrast in economic prosperity, with around one-third of working Albanians having to find work abroad, sending their earnings home to support their families. Mother Teresa was Albanian, although born in Skopje the capital of neighbouring Macedonia to where her parents had emigrated, and the main square in Tirana had been re-named in her honour. Religion had been banned in Albania during the Communist era, but the population now consists of both Muslims and Christians co-existing quite amicably.

Macedonia was a country with about the same land area as Wales, and a population of around 2 million. It had, along with its neighbouring states, applied for EU membership, but had been vetoed by Greece, largely as Greece itself has a state called ‘Macedonia’ within its borders.

Clive’s talk was accompanied by photographs of landscapes, and artworks and adornments on the various mosques and churches visited.

Louise Jagger : ‘A new life for Old College’ : 9th October 2018

Guest speaker at this meeting was Louise Jagger, Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Aberystwyth University. Her subject was the exciting project for transforming the iconic Old College building into a modern facility that will serve both the university and the local community. Proposals include providing space for meetings and conferences, events and activities; there would be  studios for cultural activity, and an enterprise and innovation centre to support and offer facilities for start-up businesses in areas such as digital technology. It would be an opportunity to put on display the extensive collections of art works and museum artefacts that are currently held by the University. The aim was to make ‘Yr Hen Goleg’ a vibrant hub of activity, attracting many more people to  use it, but in a way that does not compete with or displace other local facilities and attractions. It would further strengthen the well-established town-gown partnership which the current Vice-chancellor, Elizabeth Treasure, was very  keen to develop.

The estimated total cost of the project was in the region of £22.6m, including £10.5m earmarked by the Heritage Lottery Fund secured in 2017 on a ‘match-funding’ basis. The Univerity is targeting further sources of grant funding and will also launch a fundraising appeal early next year, and there were already indications of support from Aberystwyth alumni. Plans will be revealed to the community later this year for further consultation. It was hoped to have the new centre ‘up and running’ in time for the University’s 150th anniversary, in 2022.

Louise Jagger was thanked for her interesting and informative talk by Vice-president David McParlin, one of several Rotary Club members who had worked for many years in the Old College building.

Dr Warren Docker: Unlocking Churchill’s Last Great Secret : 2nd October 2018

This week the Club warmly welcomed Dr Warren Docker of the  Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University, who gave a presentation based on a recent TV documentary he had been involved with, unlocking a little known facet of the life of Winston Churchill.

Evidence in the form of letters and tapes has come to light pointing to an affair between Churchill and Doris Castlerosse, a high living socialite in 1930s London. Doris had a reputation for fast living in her search for a rich, preferably titled, husband  and had found one in the shape of a maverick Irish peer, Valentine Castlerosse. She was rumoured to have had several affairs during her marriage  and apparently first met Churchill in 1933 during his three week stay at the Château de la Raison near Cannes. Clementine Churchill hated the place because of its wild parties and louche atmosphere and the vast sums Churchill gambled while there.

Churchill seemed to become infatuated with Doris and painted her four times. He met up with her in London the following year and is known to have spent over £1000 per night on expensive suites and entertainment. They seem to have written to each other extensively and very warmly during this period although hardly any of her letters to him have survived in the archive.

Following Doris’s divorce in 1937 she moved to the USA and was reliant on support from rich  friends there. When Churchill stayed in the White House in 1942, on one of his war time summits with Roosevelt, the two met up again. It is alleged that the documents and paintings Doris had at that time were seen as potentially explosive for Churchill’s reputation as a senior war leader, and he was encouraged to use his influence to get her back to the UK.

Doris died in 1942 of an overdose of sleeping tablets at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Churchill’s paintings of her somehow found their way into the possession of her brother, Dudley de Lavigne and are now well known.

The evidence shows that, despite Churchill’s high reputation in parts of the UK and abroad for his part in the defeat of Hitler, he had the same faults and weaknesses of many rich and privileged men.   President Michael Deaville thanked Dr Docker warmly for his provocative and informative talk and the way in which it gave us a more rounded and complete picture of the man.

Rachel Donnison : ‘FIJI’  : 18th September 2018

Each year, the Rotary  Club awards a Lionel White Scholarship, which offers financial support for a young person from the Aberystwyth area wishing to travel abroad for humanitarian and experience-widening purposes. This year’s recipient was Rachel Donnison, a former student of Ysgol Penglais now studying at Bath University.  Rachel visited Fiji under the ‘Think Pacific’ project, a Fijian charitable trust which aims to empower disadvantaged young people to overcome poverty and achieve holistic health, to improve their education and their sports development.

She reported on her experience in an informative illustrated talk to the Club. The visit had involved staying in a traditional village, meeting families, visiting schools and ‘shadowing’ teachers. It had given her an insight into the way of life and customs of the Fijian people. Interestingly, although the Fijian language is widely spoken in community life and in church services, it appears that English is the  main medium of teaching in schools.

The ‘project’  ran a healthcare workshop, emphasising the importance of a balanced diet and educating on health issues such as heart attacks and strokes, and the treatment of cuts and bruises. Rachel had enjoyed contributing to work in the classroom, whilst benefitting from a new and different cultural environment, and was grateful to Rotary for the support that had enabled her to undertake the visit. It was, she said, “an experience and a challenge, rather than a holiday –but a lot of fun”.       Club President Michael Deaville thanked her for her interesting account.

Karen Pearce : ‘A painter of Aberystwyth’ : 4th September 2018

The guest at the lunchtime meeting on 4th September was local artist Karen Pearce. She began her talk with a brief introduction on her background; she had moved from Fiji to Wales as a child and attended Ardwyn Grammar School, where her Art teacher was the late Hywel Harries. At that time, she said “I didn’t think I was any good at art”. Some years later, after attending classes where she learnt to draw, she had revisited Hywel Harries to  thank him for ‘sowing the seed’. She started her formal art training at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1998 and three years later completed her degree in Fine Art. She followed this up with am MA project, with support from the James Pantyfedwen Foundation, which mainly focussed on painting local landscape scenes including Tanybwlch, Allt-wen, and Cwm Rheidol. In addition to working from her studio in Aberystwyth, she is also a part-time tutor at the University, where she teaches community art classes at the Arts Centre.

Most of her contemporary work involved working ‘in series’, on local geographic subjects, developing a theme and going more deeply into it, picture by picture.  Karen has also worked in the past on semi-abstract still-life paintings published by the Art Group, London, and has sold her works through Habitat and IKEA. She now paints mainly in acrylic, having also produced a number of works in oils and watercolour. She had been “energised by the weather” and by light and space, ever since she had first come to Aberystwyth , and was happy to recognise that the work of J M W Turner, and the Caernarfon-based artist William Selway, had influenced her style.

Karen’s visual presentation included a number of her paintings of the  Aberystwyth sea-front and townscapes, and of inland locations which appealed particularly to her, such as Cwm Rheidol and the Elan Valley. Club President Michael Deaville  thanked her for her most interesting insight on her style and method of working as an artist.

Annie Lewis – work visit to Tanzania : 21st August 2018

The Rotary Club was delighted to welcome Annie Lewis as guest speaker. Annie, from Capel Bangor, had just graduated with a degree in physiotherapy from Cardiff University. As part of her training she had spent several weeks in June working in hospitals in Tanzania in east Africa, supported by the Rotary Club’s Lionel White Scholarship; this is a fund which provides financial assistance to young people from the Aberystwyth area to travel abroad for humanitarian purposes.

Annie gave an absorbing account of her experiences. Tanzania is a poor country with a population of some 55 million, many existing on less than £1 a day. Life expectancy is 62 years and the realities of day to day healthcare are in stark contrast to the UK’s well-developed NHS. Her first placement was in the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute in Dar es Salaam where Annie saw patients with injuries following road traffic accidents and from work in the construction and logging industries. Given that Swahili was the principal local language with very little English spoken, Annie had to use a ‘phone app for translation purposes! On her second placement she spent a week in a remote village called Kidodi, an eight-hour bus journey south west of Dar es Salaam. It provided a fascinating insight to rural African life. Annie stayed with a family, both the parents were nurses and unusually for the area, their house had secure walls. The diet was predominantly starch based and consisted of grains and potatoes.

Noting the disparity between Tanzanian and UK health care, Annie described how patients would, for example, be left outside accident and emergency wards until they had paid up front. Only the well-educated and wealthy would be treated promptly. For childbirth, which Annie observed in Kidodi, services were quite under developed. Women could not afford pain relief and were left very much to their own devices during labour. In hospital, informed consent for treatment, so well established in the UK, was not practiced. Patients often go first to local healers in their community. Lack of resources in the hospitals meant that infection control was haphazard.

Annie’s abiding memories were of a beautiful country with wonderful people, many of whom had heard of Wales’s Gareth Bale! The healthcare system, however, was at least 40 years behind that of the UK. Annie thanked the Club for the Scholarship which had enabled her to undertake her placements in Tanzania.

President Michael Deaville gave a vote of thanks, noting Annie’s excellent presentation and expressed the Club’s pleasure at having supported such a worthwhile travel experience.

 ‘Health Services in Mid-Wales’ : 14th August 2018

Jack Evershed, of Wallog, was the guest speaker at today’s lunchtime meeting of Aberystwyth Rotary Club. His subject was ‘Health Services in Mid-Wales’ , and he commenced with an outline historical perspective, spanning the establishment of the NHS 70 years ago to the opening of Bronglais hospital in 1966, and the succession of management bodies leading to the present Hywel Dda Health Board within a devolved NHS service for Wales.

After some years of uncertainty, and vigorous campaigning to secure the future of Bronglais as a full District General Hospital, a Government-commissioned report by Professor Marcus Longley had recommended a collaborative arrangement involving the Hywel Dda Board, together with the Powys and Betsi Cadwaladr authorities which had led to creation of a Mid-Wales Health Collaborative. Mr Evershed had been appointed chair of this new intiative, now called the Mid-Wales Joint Committee, and new clincal intiatives were being developed, jointly with GP practices, in a number of specialties including Dermatology.

Mr Evershed felt that the new body had been able to establsh a basis of trust with the health board, and current options on the table for the future of health care in the South West and Mid-Wales appeared to recognise the need to retain and develop the present function and status of Bronglais. “Relatively small hospitals can deliver good outcomes, and centralisation does not always deliver savings and improvement”, he said. Training and recruitment of staff was crucial, and a hopeful new development was that medical students would be able to receive part of their training in hospitals such as Bronglais and Ysbyty Gwynedd, thereby making them aware of the advantages of working and living in rural areas.Whilst giving an optimistic outlook for the future, despite financial constraints and political uncertainties, he added that whilst the “will and direction” is there, the change that is needed will be a slowly emerging pricture.

Fforwm Cymunedol PENPARCAU Community Forum  : 1st August 2018

Bryn Jones and Dylan Jones of Fforwm Cymunedol Penparcau (Community Forum) were guests of the Club on 1st August and presented a full and interesting report on the Forum’s work and development since its establishment five years ago. Bryn, a full-time co-ordinator for the Forum, paid tribute to former Councillor Goronwy Edwards MBE, one of the prioneers of the project and now its Honorary President. The Forum was supported by a range of organisations, and Aberystwyth Town Council and the Lottery Fund in particular. It had developed a programme of events with the aim of raising the well-being of a relatively disadvantaged community, including a food bank which had secured the collaboration of local stores. Engagement with the community was key to the Forum’s success, and its local history and heritage groups had raised interest in the area’s rich past. The establishment of Yr Hwb – Hub – as a community centre on the site of the former boxing club was a major project which had received substantial  financial support, and was providing  a much-needed base for social activity and interaction.

Bryn and Dylan Jones were thanked for their presentation by Club President, Michael Deaville, who wished the Forum every success.

Pat Sani – ‘Below the top of the world: ice and snow’      17th July 2018

Guest speaker at the Rotary Club’s lunchtime meeting on 17th July was Pat Sani, Joint President of the Aberystwyth Inner Wheel. Her topic was “Below the top of the world: Ice and Snow”, and she gave an account of her visit to the Himalayas, supported by some striking photography. Her journey took her to Kathmandu and neighbouring townships with their unique architecture and social atmosphere, where yaks are used to carry personal baggage of mountaineers and walkers. On her 40 mile trek, she visited a Buddhist monastery and relics, a memorial to Tenzing Norgay and a school named after Edmund Hillary, to commemorate their feat in climbing Everest in 1953.There were breathtaking views of the continuously moving glaciers, of snow-capped Himalayan mountains with their deep gorges and cliff-side tracks. Club President Michael Deaville thanked Pat Sani for her talk and for “taking members to places that others had not ventured to” .

The Club is holding a lunchtime barbecue at Aberystwyth Rugby Club on Sunday, 29th July, jointly with Inner Wheel. Proceeds will go towards an international charity, supporting an AIDS orphanage in South Africa. Tickets are available from the Rotary Club at £15 each.

Installation of new President        26th June 2018

Michael Deaville was installed as President of the Aberystwyth Rotary Club at its annual Assembly Evening last week. Drawing from his background in engineering, he commented that ‘momentum’ was a term that he wished to see relevant to the Club’s programme over the coming year, whilst ‘inertia’ was never a word that could be applied to its record and activity. He succeeds Martin Davies, who in his farewell address as President referred to the Club’s lively and varied programme, and the recruitment of five new members, over the past year. The incoming Senior Vice-President is David McParlin.

Hywel Davies will continue as Club Secretary, and Robin Varley as Treasurer. Committee chairs for 2018-19 are John Harries (Community and Vocational), Howard Jones (International Services), Lindsay Fletcher (Rotary Foundation), and Clive Parker (Youth Activities).

Winner of the Club’s Sports Trophy for the year was Lindsay Fletcher.

The Rotary Club will hold a lunchtime Barbecue on Sunday, 29th July, at the Aberystwyth Rugby Club, jointly with Aberystwyth Inner Wheel; proceeds towards an international charity.

Julian Pratt 13 June 2018: ‘Ready, Steady, Read’

At this week’s meeting, a new member Julian Pratt, recently transferred from Crediton Rotary Club, gave a talk entitled ‘ Ready Steady Read with Rotary ‘.

The most basic skills that an adult needs to function independently in a modern society are the ability to read and write effectively. We all need to be functionally literate. Without doubt the majority of us are. Over 80% of the adult population have well developed literacy skills. However, turn that figure on its head. The exact percentage can be debated but it is generally agreed that between 20 and 25% of young people leave school at sixteen in the UK functionally illiterate. Put another way; one in five of our young people is not adequately equipped to face the modern world and therefore is seriously hindered from being successful in it. The majority of pupils who leave school functionally illiterate at sixteen were also far behind the majority of their peers at the ages of seven and eleven The Ready Steady Read with Rotary (RSRR) Literacy Programme was original devised when two friends Stephen Kings from the Rotary Club of Paignton and a retired primary school teacher were discussing the problem of functional illiteracy in the current education system. In a short time, they had both agreed a way forward that involved developing a process to help very young children learn to read with an intensive one to one system utilising experienced consultants. The Rotary Club of Paignton supported the creation and the development of the RSRR programme over the following year and in 2012 the programme started at one primary school in Paignton. It was an immediate success and soon after identical programmes was started in other schools. All of these programmes were supported by Rotary Clubs and are a perfect example of how Rotary can help a local community. Since then the programme has been extensively modified as times have changed and will continue to be updated as necessary. Over 200 children have now had a life changing experience that will not only help them read, but will boost their own self confidence and self-esteem. Ready Steady Read with Rotary is committed to helping Rotary Clubs across the UK to at least consider supporting this venture in their local schools.

Hefin Wyn:  ‘Niclas y Glais’ : 1 May 2018

This week’s speaker was Hefin Wyn, previously of Y Cymro and the BBC but currently working as a freelance journalist. His topic was the life and works of TE Nicholas (Niclas y Glais), a committed Christian, socialist, pacifist, writer and poet, who was well known in Aberystwyth right up to his death in 1971, not only for his outspoken views but also as a ‘dentist’ operating from his home in Elm Tree Avenue.

Niclas y Glais was a native of Pembrokeshire who left school at the age of 13. and aged 18 left his local area somewhat under a cloud because of his scurrilous verses lampooning a local minister. He sought work in the Rhondda before eventually studying for the ministry in Ammanford. In 1903 he was briefly a minister in Wisconsin, USA, before returning to Wales to take charge of a chapel in Glais in the Swansea Valley. His religious convictions focused on the radical message of the Bible and he became heavily involved in socialism, supporting Keir Hardie in his fight to represent Merthyr Tydfil in Parliament as a Labour MP and even standing as a Parliamentary candidate himself. Throughout all this he was a prolific Welsh language writer and poet, and ardent supporter of workers’ rights.

When war broke out in 1914 he remained true to his pacifist roots and his vociferous anti-war campaigning brought the attention of the authorities to him. He helped found a trade union for farm workers in Ceredigion and set up the Labour Party in the county in in 1918. Moving to Aberystwyth after the War to set up his dental practice, he joined the Communist Party in 1920 and continued his work as a committed preacher, writer and activist.

At the start of World War 2, he was imprisoned on trumped up charges of supporting fascism and while there his wrote his renowned two books of sonnets, published in 1940 and 1942 to much critical acclaim.

Until his death, he was well known in Aberystwyth and throughout Wales as a champion of the common man, remaining true to his radical non-conformist roots. An internationalist, he loved the Welsh language and culture and developed a wide circle of friends amongst the radical intellectuals of Wales.

Past President Hywel Jones thanked Hefin warmly for his entertaining and illuminating talk and mentioned that as a distant relation he remembers visiting Niclas at his home in Aberystwyth where he retained a keen interest in current affairs and predicted the rise of China as a major trading power within a few decades.

John Harries: Reflections on Sri Lanka : 17 April 2018

Past President John Harries was the speaker at this week’s meeting. His illustrated talk was ‘ Reflections on Sri Lanka’ where he had visited recently

Situated north of the equator and south of India in the Indian Ocean it is smaller than Ireland but with a population of 22 million. Landscapes range from rainforests and plains to highlands and sandy beaches.The country, then known as Ceylon gained independence from Britain in 1948 and became Sri Lanka in 1972.On Boxing Day 2004 the island was hit by a tsunami leaving 40,000 dead.

The years from 1983 to 2009 mark the civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers who sought to create an independent state in the north- east of the country. An unrelated conflict is currently taking place further south near Kandy. It involves the Buddist Sinhalese majority and the Islamic minority.

For such a small country, Sri Lanka is blessed with 8 Unesco World Heritage Sites, many of them ancient Buddhist ruins. The speaker, in his tour had visited some of these, taken excellent photographs which added to the interest,

Sigiriya Rock Fortress is probably Sri Lanka’s most dramatic sight. The 660 foot high black volcanic rock once carried a palace built AD 477-495. Its remains can be viewed after a climb up 2,500 steps.

Dambulla is a rock cave temple which is filled with magnificent carved images of Buddha

Abhayagiri Monastery a Buddhist temple built 4^th century BC is situated in the ancient capital Anuradhapura. Its architecture is incredible, 70 metres high, it used 90 million bricks in its construction.

The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy (itself a world heritage site) was a most sacred place claimed to be a place where one of Buddha’s teeth was housed ‘he who holds the Buddha’s tooth holds the governance of the country’.

Other facets of the country which impressed John was the incredible friendliness of the people, always smiling despite it being a relatively poor country. Compared with parts of India, it was a very clean country with roads continually being swept. All school children wore a white uniform provided free by the government – education was very important which showed in the country’s 92% literacy

Tea was an important export- the tea pickers were always women. The industry was started by a Scotsman James Taylor (1835-1892) aided by a Mr Lipton.

Volley ball is the national sport though cricket is the most popular with pitches in the most unlikely places as well as well-appointed Test grounds.

Club President Martin Davies warmly thanked John for his excellent presentation of what is a fascinating country.

John Watkin Some Memories of TV Production : 27 March 2018

Members gave a warm welcome this week to John Watkin who shared some of his memories of working in the world of TV production.

Born in Llanrhystud, he attended Ardwyn Grammar School and Trinity College, Carmarthen, before taking up his first TV post working on ‘Blue Peter’. There he persuaded John Noakes to be filmed on a parachute jump. He particularly enjoyed working with John who proved himself the equal of any task, however dangerous., many of which were reshown following his sad death last year.

He then secured a post to develop tv in Brunei, whose ruler was then the richest person in the world. This gave rise to particular problems for John, given the need to broadcast in Malay and to remain constantly aware of Islamic sensitivities. A version of ‘Mr and Mrs’ was adapted to local needs, especially so as most husbands had more than one wife in that society, and proved especially popular, as did men’s tennis from overseas. Women’s tennis however was frowned upon as their playing kit was deemed too revealing.

Having returned to the UK he became involved in a series of programmes on Women in High Places. He remains very proud of his profile of Indira Gandhi, despite the practical difficulties in securing time from her busy schedule. He found her very charming and solicitous of the TV crew’s comfort. She was focused on the needs of her people, 70% of whom lived in the countryside. Dunlop tyres for every trailer and an electric pump for water in every village seemed very simple to us in the west but would make a huge difference to the quality of life for hundreds of million. John was especially affected when, having just finished the final production of the programme, news came through of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by one of her Sikh bodyguards.

True to the old showbiz adage, John left his audience eager for more, keeping his three year stint in China and other TV experiences for another day.

President Martin thanked John warmly for his engaging talk and looked forward to inviting him back on another occasion for Part 2.

John Bradshaw Travels in East Africa,  – 20 March 2018

This week’s speaker was Rtn John Bradshaw, who bravely stepped in at the last moment following the illness of the scheduled speaker.

John’s talk focused on his trip to Ethiopia in 1998 which he arranged following the cancellation of a job there on account of the war being waged at that time between Ethiopia and Eritrea impacting on the area he was due to work in. Bravely, he decided to carry on while avoiding the area disputed by the two countries.

An unexpected consequence of his visit was a two day stopover in Sanaa, capital of Yemen, courtesy of Yemeni Air. Sanaa at that time was a vibrant city, with lively markets, distinctive buildings and vibrant colours everywhere, apart from the omnipresent black burkas worn by all women. It was a poor country then, made even poorer by the current civil war.

A rickety plane ride took him to Addis Ababa, the bustling capital of Ethiopia. John found the city was ill prepared to receive tourists and he survived two attempts of robbery in his short stay there. His visit to the local Rotary Club was singularly unwelcoming. Having been strongly advised to avoid bus travel, John took an internal flight to the area around Lake Tana near the source of the Blue Nile. There he explored, in the company of a local guide, Bahir Dar, Gonder, Lelibela and enjoyed the wonderful rock-hewn churches of the region, some of which dated back to the 12^th century. On Sundays, the churches were surrounded by people unable to enter because they were judged unclean by the exacting standards of the Ethiopian Church. The Blue Nile Falls were a particularly memorable sight downstream from Lake Tana, as was the narrow gorge the river had gouged out before it continued on its way to Sudan and Egypt.. He mentioned the current Ethiopian plans to dam the Blue Nile before it reached Sudan, which could threaten supplies of water downstream and greatly increase tension in the region.

He met few other tourists on his travels and had to be careful of his choice of hotels- some of those advertised were little more than shacks in very distressed areas. Notwithstanding the two attempted robberies(!), his overwhelming memory of the trip was the friendliness of the people, despite their great poverty and difficult circumstances.

President Martin thanked John for stepping in at the last minute and telling members of yet another of his adventures in the far-flung corners of the world.

Howard Jones: Swedish Vietnamese Joint Health Project 13 March 2018

This week’s speaker was Rotarian Howard Jones, recently returned from a visit to a hospital in Vietnam whose creation he had been involved in from 1984 to 1986 as part of a major Swedish aid project.

At that time, Vietnam was one of the poorest countries in the world and was only slowly recovering from the US Vietnam War which itself was the culmination of conflict stretching back to 1945. The hospital was in Uong Bi, then a small town to the east of Hanoi but remote from it because a very poor transport infrastructure. The town has since grown into a major provincial city, with a population approaching 200,000. The hospital itself has become a regional health facility with over 1100 beds serving some 11 million people.

Howard was struck by the major differences in Vietnam since the mid 1980s. Population has grown to 90 million people with 50% under the age of 25. The carefully controlled military state of that time has been replaced by a vibrant open society with capitalism flooding into what is is still nominally a communist country and small local enterprises being set up at every opportunity. Industrialisation has proceeded at great pace with Vietnamese goods exported world wide, tourism has developed enormously and, on the roads, the ubiquitous bicycle of the mid 1980s has been replaced by roaring mopeds and scooters. Most visible of all, however, is the profusion of colour on the streets as people have shed the monotonous clothes he saw on his first visit.

The links between Sweden and Vietnam have remained strong over the past 30 years with continuing Swedish support for medical staff, many of whom take advantage of those links to study at Swedish universities.

The latest visit was part of those continuing links as Howard joined a Swedish team seeking to identify current hospital needs and providing on-site training and staff development in key areas. The team was very impressed by the dedication and skills of local medical staff who were nevertheless held back by a lack of access to up to date equipment. Howard himself was involved in offering courses on technical English to help staff keep updated on latest medical research, normally published in English.

Treatment in the hospital is free to all but patients have to pay for their own medicines and remained reliant on their family and friends for food while in hospital. This creates particular problems as many patients do not keep up their their medicines at home and continue to suffer complications.

Given the lapse of time, all the doctors Howard worked with on his first first visit have by now retired but he was still able to meet up and enjoy the company of many old friends, He noted one long lasting legacy of the Vietnam War: the effects of Agent Orange, extensively used in US bombing in the late 1960s, continue to impact on the local population, creating medical and mental health problems into the fourth generation since the end of the War.

Dafydd Evans New Member’s Job Talk – 27 February 2018

This week’s speaker was Dafydd Evans, who, as a recently joined member, gave his Job Talk by way of introduction to the Club.

Born, brought up and now living in Penllwyn, Capel Bangor, Dafydd is a true local and counts himself fortunate to have been able to spend his working life in the area, something denied to so many young people. After gaining his City and Guilds qualification in Cardiff, he took up his first post as a radio and TV technician in Walker’s in Aberystwyth. This was an age where it was normal to repair electronic equipment rather than bin it and buy new. He remembers very well the video format war between VHS and Betamax and the cost of early VHS machines, £3000 in today’s terms. Excellent quality service was essential in those days to ensuring customer loyalty.

He moved from Walker’s to work as a laboratory technician in the Physics Department at the University in Aberystwyth and from there to the Audio Visual Unit where he worked with Past President Mike Price providing AV teaching support and producing recruitment videos for the University. In the early 1990s he was also involved in the establishment of the University of Wales Video Conferencing system, linking HE institutions across Wales, a significant innovation at the time.

From there he moved to the National Library to work on the creation of the Wales National Screen and Sound Archive as a means of increasing public awareness of and access to NLW’s extensive resources in film and tv. A particular challenge has been the need to migrate material between different formats to maintain its continued accessibility in modern electronic formats as systems become obsolete within comparatively short periods.. At the same time, original film and tv material is safely and securely stored in an NLW vault. In this context he has contributed much to the creation of the Wales Video Gallery and the ITV Wales Collection, the latter dating back to the 1960s, where the deterioration of video tapes has required a major conservation effort.

President Martin thanked Dafydd for his interesting talk, delivered with much warmth and sincerity, and mentinoed a number of specific projects where Dafydd’s skills and contacts have already proved very helpful in promoting awareness of the activities of Rotary.

Sue Balsom High Sheriff of Dyfed, 20 February 2018

The speaker at Tuesday’s meeting was the High Sheriff of Dyfed,Ms Sue Balsom,who was dressed in the finery of the office, in a style dating back to the 17th century.She was inducted into the office at a ceremony held in Cardigan Castle in April last year.

She proceeded to give a comprehensive and fascinating insight into the origins and the numerous and varied functions of the office dating back to its birth in the 10th century, under the rule of the Saxons.It is the oldest secular office in the country with the High Sheriff being regarded as the monarch’s judicial representative in the county. The collection of taxes was another of its important powers.

Locally, up until 1974, the counties of Cardigan, Carmarthen and Pembroke each had a High Sheriff but after local government reorganisation and the amalgamation of these to form Dyfed,there is now only one to represent the three former counties.The office, which is unpaid and strictly non-political, is rotated annually with nominees being put forward from each of the modern counties in succession.In practice, three eligible persons are nominated by High Court Judges and members of the Privy Council,with the Monarch signifying her assent to the appointment of the chosen nominee by pricking with a bodkin, next to the name, a vellum parchment which contains the names of all the counties and their nominees.

Traditionally,the High Sheriff was responsible for the maintenance of law and order in the county and up until the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, was required to attend every lawful execution in the county.The major powers of the office have since been delegated to various other institutions and organisations and the role is now largely ceremonial.

Before the advent of modern communication systems the role included the announcement of the death of the reigning monarch and the accession to the throne of the new sovereign.Modern duties include acting as the returning officer for parliamentary elections in county constituencies and attendance at Royal visits to the county. When High Court Judges visit the county, the High Sheriff is expected to ensure their comfort and safety.

During the year of office, the High Sheriff has the opportunity to raise money for local charities. Ms Balsom has opted to support the NSPCC and Aberystwyth Sea Cadets.Gwyneth Davies, Volunteer Co-Ordinator, NLW  – 13 February 2018

Members gave a warm welcome to this week’s speaker, Gwyneth Davies, head of the volunteering scheme at the National Library since 2012. The scheme currently has 98 volunteers, drawn from a wide range of people from around the county, students, retired people and others wishing to acquire valuable skills to enhance their CVs. They freely give their time to assist on a range of projects within NLW, as well as providing a meet and greet service to newcomers to the Library.

The project as a whole has a number of partners in the health, education and local government sectors, giving volunteers the opportunity to gain an insight into different types of material. They can become involved in the electronic transcription of a number of collections currently in the Library with the aim of making them more easily accessible to a wider audience. Examples include the Guy Hughes Photographic Collection and Daybook, ITV Archives and the Geoff Charles Collection of Photographs, all of which contain film, photos and information relevant to both the local area and Wales more widely. Material from these archives are being made available in a variety of formats to assist in reminiscence therapy with organisations assisting with dementia and care of the elderly, for example Living Memory/Atgof Byw and Crossroads Ceredigion.

Gwyneth mentioned one project specifically in which her team is involved and to which she was keen to secure additional support: The Cardiganshire Great War Military Tribunals Record. These archives are unique within Wales as most county records of this nature were destroyed within a few years of the end of the Great War. In only three other counties in the UK are similar archives held.

The current project is intended to transcribe and make available online the 10,000 documents contained in the archive, dealing with appeals against conscription into the armed services after 1916. These were then considered by military tribunals at local, county and national levels. As such they contain a valuable source of material relevant to social historians and descendants of those involved.

Gwyneth strongly suspects that the archive survived through the efforts of individuals responsible for setting up what was known as the ‘Comforts Fund’. This sent supplies of clothing, food, tobacco otherwise unavailable and local news to soldiers from the Aberystwyth area serving in the Great War. 20 to 50 parcels were sent out each week in the latter years of the War and funds were so great that it was able to give support to local men on their return from fighting. The name of Sergeant Major Fear keeps cropping up as a major organiser of this fund and it seems likely that much credit for the survival of the archive is due to him.

President Martin thanked Gwyneth for her excellent presentation and wished her every success with current and future projects.

Rotarian John Owen, District Compliance and Safeguarding Officer 30 January 2018

A warm welcome was extended  to Rotarian John Owen and his wife, Pauline. John, who is currently President of the Cardiff Bay Rotary Club, had been invited in his capacity as District Compliance and Safeguarding Officer to talk to members about important issues within his sphere of responsibility.

In all its voluntary activities Rotary has a responsibility to safeguard both its members and the public in accordance with the law of the land. Insurance costs for Rotary GB&I are significant (£250,000 per year) and are met out of members’ contributions. It is essential to keep these costs at a minimum by a strategic and considered approach to all organised activities to minimise the danger of unplanned incidents. Health and Safety issues are paramount as things can go wrong despite the best intentions of all concerned.

Rotary’s Equality and Diversity policy encourages the widest possible membership, regardless of gender, sexuality, race or disability. The Data Protection Act requires all clubs to keep their personal data within strictly controlled limits.

Members of Rotary undertake many voluntary activities in support of children and vulnerable people. John explained the requirements of registering with DBS when members engage in contact on a regular basis on a regular, unsupervised basis. Although this is not normally a feature of Rotary activity, members may well find themselves being asked by local authorities and care providers to undergo DBS checks. Some members may encounter difficulties transferring DBS clearance between providers and making sure they are kept up to date but full advice is given on the Rotary website.

President Martin Davies thanked John for his lively presentation and on behalf of members asked that the Club’s greetings and best wishes be passed on John and Pauline’s respective clubs in Cardiff.

Clive Parker: Job Talk 16 January 2018

This week’s speaker was Clive Parker who, as a recent member of the Club, gave his job talk by way of introduction to fellow Rotarians.

A native of Hereford, Clive took up an apprenticeship with PO Telephones in 1969 and spent his first 10 years as a technician in Hereford, Shrewsbury and Telford, taking various City and Guilds

qualifications and first aid training courses on a day release basis. He transferred to Wales in 1979, first to Machynlleth and shortly after to Aberystwyth.

Despite its reputation as being behind the times, Aberystwyth at that time was in the forefront of telephone innovation and Clive soon became involved in early field trials of optical fibre and radio links between towns, villages and hamlets in Mid Wales. One of his early projects was developing remote patient telephone monitoring systems for the NHS.

Privatisation in 1984 led to the creation of BT and opened the way for more technological innovations while at the same time increasing the role of administrators and accountants. The spread of broadband, mobile phones, microwave transmitters and digital exchanges brought major changes to UK telecommunications generally, requiring frequent skills updates and the adoption of new working practices. At the same time Clive took the opportunity to become involved in specific projects (for example setting up more than 100 land lines and mobile communication systems for the 1992 Eisteddfod site in Aberystwyth) while continuing to develop his health and safety roles.

With the creation of Open Reach in 2005, Clive took on the role of Communications Design Engineer and became responsible for network integrity in West Wales.

Clive continued to study in his own time and gained a BA in Youth and Childhood Studies in 2013 before finally retiring from Open Reach in 2014. He still offers training courses in Coleg Ceredigion, where his contribution is widely appreciated.

Clive was warmly thanked for his presentation by Vice President Michael Deaville.

Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice Chancellor of Aberystwyth University 9 January 2018

At its first meeting of the New Year, the Club extended a warm welcome to Professor Elizabeth Treasure, who had been appointed Vice Chancellor of Aberystwyth University last April.

Professor Treasure shared with members and their guests her own background before moving on to talk about her new role at the University.

Born in Glasgow, she qualified with a BDS and PhD in Dentistry at Birmingham University before embarking on a career in dentistry and management. She took up a post at the University of Otago in New Zealand before returning to the UK in 1995 as Senior Lecturer and what was then the Welsh College of Medicine before its merger with Cardiff University. She undertook various academic roles there before being appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor. She is a keen skier, walker and cook and enjoys socialising with friends and family.

As to her role in Aberystwyth University, she focused on the challenges faced by the sector as a whole and those particular to here. The removal of the cap on student numbers in England has led to major expansion in some universities (20% in Cardiff, for example), which, coupled with the introduction of full cost fees of £9000, has caused significant problems for those which had failed to maintain their numbers. Aberystwyth was in this latter group as the undergraduate intake has fallen from a historic high in 2010 to around 2000 or so in recent years. This has resulted in a loss of more than £20 million fee income each year, necessitating a review of current staffing levels and activities.

There are opportunities for Aberystwyth in all this. Where numbers have increased there is evidence in some universities of a decline in standards, outcomes and the student experience. The University has engaged marketing experts to advise on how it can take advantage of these trends and reposition itself, building upon its improved league table ratings, bringing it back to its pre-2010 position, and its more recent award of Times University of the Year in Teaching Quality. This will focus on the unique features of the University, its surrounding environment and the high quality student support which has continued to improve, despite recent challenges. It will also work to achieve as major increase in overseas student numbers, where the University has been underperforming in recent years.

Professor Treasure was delighted to have won £5 million of Welsh Government funding towards the redevelopment of Pantycelyn, due to re-open in 2019, and is working with internal and external partners and UMCA, the Welsh Students’ Union, to ensure that we have a vibrant Welsh student community by reversing the decline in numbers from Wales by then.

Of the two other major projects in hand, Old College is due to revamped, with significant support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, bringing potential financial and cultural benefits for the town and University alike. She mentioned that the Gogerddan Campus redevelopment may be delayed slightly as costings are carefully reviewed.

Other issues she has been dealing with include the fall out of the Mauritius Campus enterprise, where further recruitment will be stopped. The University continues to focus on research opportunities across the University to maximise impact and funding wherever feasible.

Professor Treasure is looking forward to the 150^th anniversary of the University on 2022 and will work with staff, students and the community to ensure its continued success.

In response, Past President Dr John Harries, former Pro Vice Chancellor of the University, thanked Professor Treasure most warmly on behalf and members and their guests, for such a wide ranging and enjoyable presentation and wished her and the University every success, particularly given its importance to the town and the keen interest with which its future is followed by local people.