Photographer: Dianne
John continued the saga of his Dad’s wartime experiences. As a prisoner of war, he was taken by the Italians to a palace in the heart of Rome. From there the Nazis took him to a POW camp in the west of Poland where he remained for 2 ½ years. To put in the time, the prisoners produced a year book. At the end of the war he returned home, thin and bearded, and moved his family into an apartment. Still not having got his army pay, when the Korean War came along he was called up again. Stay tuned for the next installment.
With no singers present, the club could not rise to “O Canada,” but did manage to sing “Happy Birthday” to Gayle.
50-50 Draw: Dale’s number was drawn but he failed to pick the 5 of Spades, so the pot of $35 carries forward to next week.
Happy Dollars: Susan F was happy with the snow and all set to go skiing. Dale has a new grandson Patricio; all are doing well. Josh was glad that the bridge at Johnson’s Mills, out since last October, is now in use again. He made it to Rotary by following the snow plough. Louise was glad that things were back to normal, following a long week at the hospital in Saint John after her mother had a heart attack. Mariah got a birthday cake, though it turns out that icing a cake is not one of her father’s special abilities. Dianne had a great trip to Toronto (despite two cancelled flights); the family celebrated Frank’s 60th birthday. Gayle was glad to be back at Rotary; despite the good care she got in Amherst, she hopes not to see the inside of a hospital again for a long time. She thanked everyone for the card.
Next Week: 25 January 2018: Chair – Mary [?]; Greeter: Dianne; Introducer: Susan F; Thanker: Dale; Speaker: Peter Hardie, “ What's with the Bees.”
Rotaract: Susan F thanked everyone who volunteered to help with the Maritime Rotaract Forum on Saturday. Rotarians will serve lunch at 12 noon in the Manning Room (University Chapel).
News from South Africa: Gayle read an email from former member Patricia who is in South Africa working at a couple of orphanages. She is loving it, and still has a month to go. Sounds like a good candidate for speaker, when she gets back.
News from Portugal: Pam claims to have climbed a 300 feet cliff to get a shot of this view, a feat she celebrated with a bottle of red wine. The beaches are beautiful, the ocean is so blue, and life is good in Portugal!
Club Assembly: President John gave a half-way-through-the-Rotary-year state-of-the-union address.
We have gained a few new members, but also lost some. With at least 10% of the membership part of the winter migration, we could do with some more members. The Gold Mine draw continues to bring in money, though participation has levelled off. According to the treasurer, the club is on an even keel financially. Food card sales are down: get yours from Marita. This is a painless way to raise money. The club gets 5% - but only if you pay by cash or cheque, not VISA, otherwise only 2.5%.
Issues for the future: We still need a Secretary for next year (otherwise the Past-President will have to step in). And we need a chair of the Fund-Raising Committee as Jamie is stepping down. There will be no spring breakfast this year: it involves a lot of work, though it is a good way of being involved with the community.
Discussions continue with the Sackville Commons which we might make more use of, e.g. as a location for fund-raising breakfasts, or even for our regular weekly meetings. Other ideas are welcome. An alternative format for our meetings is under consideration.
In discussion, it was suggested that we need to encourage greater participation in the Gold Mine draw - by publicity in the local press, or by holding information sessions at the various locations.
The meeting concluded with the Four-Way Test.
