Club News 2014

Llandeilo Rotary Club entered a team to compete in the District Quiz on Wednesday, 4th March when they met teams from Carmarthen Tywi and Carmarthen at the Holly Brook Inn, Bronwydd near Carmarthen. The evening commenced with a meal followed by the Quiz that attracted some 30 people including the three teams and their supporters.The Quizmaster was Martin Dean and there were a total of 50 questions divided into various sections including General Knowledge, History, Geography, Famous People, Wales etc; Each team could apply a "Joker" to the section of their choice and each correct question in that sector would give the team a bonus point. As the quiz ended it was a close contest with Carmarthen the
winners with 70 points, Llandeilo with 63 points and Carmarthen Tywi with 53 points. The victors Carmarthen will travel to Bridgend to compete in the Regional Quiz later in the year.

                   Richard Hughes, JohnHasting and David Owen.

Llandeilo Rotary Club celebrated St: David's day early on Friday, 27th February and to mark the occasion their guest speaker was from the Royal Mint at Llantrisant. Chris Barker the Curator of the Royal Mint's Museum was the speaker and delivered an illustrated and fascinating talk on the 1,100 years of the history of the coin going back to 886 AD to the present day. Chris explained to his audience that the first coins were a symbol of power and status and in the British Isles coins were struck on the continent of Europe and brought in to circulate amongst those of wealth and power. It wasn't until the late 9th Century that coins can be traced to those of today. Larger coins were cut up to make lesser coins and an example of this was illustrated in the farthing which received its name as being the "fourth thing" from a larger coin. Chris went on to say that for many centuries the production of coins went on in a part of the Tower of London when the production was akin to a series of Blacksmith shops.Horses were used in the production and with as many as 60 horses on site  the
audience was given an account of the noise, smell and general pollution that was present in this confined area! Many unusual and beautiful coins were made during this era. Edward 3rd for instance was depicted in a suit of armour with sword on a boat. On one quarter of Edward's shield was the Fleur de Lys illustrating the king's claim to the French throne. Other king were also depicted including the
Tudor dynasty of both Henrys 7th and 8th. Chris's talk then moved to the 17th Century when with advancing technology the realm was making much thicker and more clearly defined coins. The first guinea was produced and this took its name from Guinea in west Africa. A famous name came to prominence when Sir Isaac Newton became the Master of the Royal Mint in 1699 to 1727. Prior to this isaac Newton was Warden when his job was to track down counter fitters. During 1810production of coins moved from the Tower of London to Tower Hill. Coins continued to be produced at Tower Hill until 1975 when the Mint moved to its present home in Llantrisant. Chris illustrated the surge in demand in that Tower Hill was on a site of 4 acres whereas Llantrisant occupies an area of 34 acres. Production is significantly higher with the striking of 900 coins per minute as opposed to 30 coins per minute in the Tower of London. Today Llantrisant is divided into several areas of production including plating, smelting and a section for special coins and medals with a Visitor Centre expected to open in
Easter 2016. Chris's talk could have gone on a lot longer and judging by the number of questions that followed was absorbing to his audience. The vote of thanks was delivered by President Mike Taylor. 

Later in the evening Immediate Past President Kevin Sivyer introduced three members of Llandeilo Rotary Club who were presented with Paul Harris Fellowship awards in recognition to their contribution to Rotary. All were Past Presidents of the club and were Richard Hughes, Ken Griffith and David Owen.

 Immediate Past President Kevin Sivyer, Past Presidents Ken Griffiths, Richard Hughes, David Owen & President Mike Taylor.

On Thursday, 15th January the Rotary Club of Llandeilo were delighted to welcome Medi Stone as their guest speaker. Medi, a pupil of Ysgol Bro Dinefwr, attended the United Space School in Houston, Texas last summer following part sponsorship from the Rotary Club and was subsequently invited to talk to Rotarians following her visit. Medi was one of a fortunate few to be chosen to attend the course that comprises 50 students from different nations every year. The course lasts two weeks and is centered around planning an expedition to Mars.The students are divided into five teams each team has to design their own mission to Mars and given a specific project such as funding, landing, getting there and keeping everyone alive etc: Medi was part of the "Green Team" and went on to inform her audience of what the course entailed including talks by Astronauts, a tour of the space station, attending an American Football game plus a game of football between staff and students. Staying with her host family ensured that local attractions were well covered. At the end of the course every student
had to make a presentation and this included a traditional dish. Medi and her colleague chose Welsh cakes and were also asked to explain how Wales inherited the emblems of the daffodil, leek and Three
Feathers.Prior to departure all the students enjoyed a Pool Party and designed a shield incorporating all their national flags.
Medi's talk prompted a number of questions and the vote of thanks was delivered by Past President David Owen.

 Senior Vice President John Hastings and speaker Medi Stone.
 

Llandeilo Rotary Club ended 2014 on a high note when guest speaker Tony Walters of Burry Port entertained Rotary members and guests from Inner Wheel with his talk entitled "Titanic Ship of Dreams, The Welsh Link."Speaker Tony had devoted many years of his spare time in researching the Welsh passengers and crew who were present when the super liner RMS Titanic went down in the north Atlantic on 15th April 1912.Tony's talk was therefore giving this fascinating subject a local theme and he was originally inspired by the 1958 film about Titanic "A Night to Remember " starring Kenneth Moore.Tony gave his audience an insight into the string of events leading up to the launch of Titanic commencing in early April 1912 when delays were experienced including a rudder that was not big enough and the total of 16 lifeboats and 4 collapsables that were not sufficient for the number of passengers. The only lifeboat trial was carried out by a Welshman John Lowe 5th Officer, without the Captain being present.In spite of this the Board of Trade were satisfied and saw no need for concern as between 1902 and 1912 some 2 million passengers had crossed the Atlantic to America.The head of the Board of Trade at that time was one Winston Churchill.So on the 10th April, 1912 Titanic sailed with 2224 passengers on board and was due to arrive inNew York on 16th April.Tony then gave his audience an account of the Welsh passengers and crew who sailed that day and their backgrounds that he has researchedthoroughly.A total of 12 passengers and crew from Wales were recorded as being on board and almost all were in their 20s. These included one of the heroes of the disaster 5th Officer John Lowe. Tony recalled how the mayday signal was picked up by the vessel "Carpathian" that was 58 miles away and that 712 people were rescued by the ship.The distress signal was actually recorded by Welshman Arthur Moore an amateur radio enthusiast from Blackwood, Gwent but Arthur's account was at the time ridiculed by the authorities.Tony's talk then focused on Officer John Lowe whose courageous acts in ensuring only
women and children entered the lifeboats and then searching the area around the sinking vessel and picking up survivors saved many hundreds of lives. Today he is buried in north Wales at Llandrillo-yn-Rhos having died on 12th May,1944 but no mention of Titanic is inscribed on his memorial although a memorial in both Welsh and English is displayed in his home town of Barmouth. Following Tony's talk and numerous questions, Past President Rob Donaldson gave the vote of thanks and President Mike Taylor presented a cheque to Tony for his charities.The speaker brought with him a display of Titanic memorabilia including photos, timber from the wreck and Elkington silverware.

        Tony Walters and President Mike Taylor.

On Thursday,17th July Philip James of Cwmdu, Llandeilo was the guest speaker at Llandeilo Rotary Club. Philip spoke on the ongoing restoration plans at Penllergare Valley Woods on the northern fringe of Swansea. The project run by the Penllergare Trust was founded as an independent charity in 2000 & its objective was to restore the estate to its former glory & open it to the public. Philip who has been involved with the ongoing project for many years accompanied his talk with illustrations including a collection of lovely photographs taken when the estate was
in its heyday. The estate was created by John Dillwyn Llewelyn 1810-1882 who was a pioneer in science, nature, photography & astronomy in the 19th century.However between the wars it began to fall into disrepair & in the 1960's the mansion house was demolished on safety grounds. The estate was partly bisected by the M4 motorway & modern houses encroached on the grounds threatening it still further. When the trust became involved, Philip remarked that they were guided by the unique archive of John Dillwyn Llewelyns mid-nineteenth century photography & following this unique record the upper lake is being de-silted, and steps, terraces, waterfalls and cascades have been repaired and restored to reinstate the picturesque and romantic design.A total of 7 miles of walkways have been provided for visitors. The very beautiful stone arched Llewelyn Bridge was built in 2013 & is perhaps the only bridge of its type to be built in Britain in decades. The observatory has been leased from the Council, repaired and brought back into use and a hydro-electric generator has been installed alongside the upper waterfall to provide sustainable power for the estate. A walkway under the M4 will also link with the Forestry
Commission forest, more than doubling the size of Valley Woods, as well as providing a green route from the Gower to the Brecon Beacons. The construction of a small visitor kiosk and woodland car park was completed in 2013. This work is supported by a grant from the European
Regional Development Convergence Fund through Visit Wales and the Welsh Government as Valley Woods is part of the One Historic Garden Project linking heritage, gardens and opportunities across South Wales.Today the Trust has a lease assigned to them from April, 2012 to 2116 a total
of 104 years securing the estate for public benefit.Philip remarked that while most sites completely shut their doors while a restoration project is taking place, the Penllergare Trust wants everyone to share the experience and get involved in any way that they can. Local people and visitors alike are welcome to visit anytime,  volunteer, fundraise, become a Friend of Penllergare Valley Woods, or  join in on an event. It's a place for history, nature and
people.Philip's talk was followed by numerous questions & the vote of thanks was delivered by Past President Richard Hughes.

 Philip James, President Mike Taylor & Senior Vice President John Hastings.

A new venue was the scene of the Handover Dinner for Llandeilo Rotary Club who on Friday evening 27th June met at the Angel Inn, Salem when they elected a new President for 2014/15. Also new was that Llandeilo Ladies Inner Wheel elected their new President at the same time when President Gwenda handed over the Presidency to Janet Williams.
Rotary President Kevin Sivyer handed over his Presidency to Michael Taylor who for many years ran a Dentistry practice in Shrewsbury before returning to Wales a few years ago. Michael was a Rotarian in Shrewsbury, his wife Beryl is from the Llandeilo area & Michael is from the Swansea Valley. About  40 people attended the dinner, including Ladies of Inner Wheel, guests, Rotarians & their wives. President Kevin briefly outlined his most successful year during which some 6,500 was raised for local charities & this figure was increased to in excess of 12,000 with match funding from Rotary GB&I ( Rotary International Britain &
Ireland). The President's Chain was then handed to President elect Michael who congratulated Rotarians continuing in their posts & hoped the club would have a happy & fruitful year, full of fellowship & goodwill.

                Immediate Past President Kevin Sivyer & President Michael Taylor.