Presentation of proceeds of President's Garden Party to Sue Morgan OBE at St. James Hospital teenage cancer unit supported by the Get A Life charity.
Italian Evening in March in aid of WaterAid
Guest Michael Crossley pleased to part with his money to WaterAid
RECENT EVENTS
Leeds 3rd Annual Technology
Tournament
Our local Rotary clubs have responded once again to the Government's wake-up
call!
The Clubs organised and ran our third Schools Technology Tournament. The
tournament was held at the magnificent John Charles Centre for Sport in
south Leeds on !0th March.
The Tasks required designing, making a launcher, complete with trigger
mechanism to fire remotely after a 10 second countdown so that a space
capsule, containing weather instruments, reached over 3m and landed close
to the launch site as possible. In the Intermediate Task the capsule was
required to land softly and with the Advanced Task, the capsule was in
a carrier vehicle that had to separate at over 3m and land softly.
The winning teams were
Basic : Garforth Intermediate : West Leeds Advanced : Guiseley
We also provided an "Innovation Trophy" for any team that comes up with the most creative, innovative idea. Farnley Park Intermediate team were the proud winners.
The winning teams in each
of the three age categories were awarded a framed certificate, and permanent
trophy and all students receive a personalised certificate.
For more details
follow this link.
Stroke Awareness Day
On Saturday 18th April the Club once again participated
in Stoke Awareness Day. Superdrug kindly made space available in their
Headingley store and members of the public were invited to have their
blood pressure checked.
Many thanks to those members of the club and the non Rotarians who turned
on the charm or occasionally assertiveness, either inside or outside the
shop.
President's BBQ
This year our Annual Garden was once again held at David Ashelford's home for which many thanks. Unfortunately we were not as lucky with the weather as we have been in the past.
This year we had a change from our usual barbecue
in that we were able to buy cooked meat at retail price through a contact
of the President. Regardless of the change of caterers, there was no change
in one major respect; we still had more than enough superb food and we
were even able to sell what was left to our members and their friends
in aid of the charities.
The other innovation this year, introduced by our President, was live
entertainment in the form of a Ceilidh Band, but it was quite late in
the afternoon before anyone ventured from under the gazebos to dance.
HEADINGLEY EXPERIENCE
On the morning of August 25th about 40 members and friends gathered at "The Headingley Experience".
We first visited the Indoor nets area which doubles as a giant dining room for Test matches and then round to the Cricket Ground. Our Guide told us about the New Pavilion being built on the other side, due to be ready March 2010, and the Scoreboard which is said to be the largest in the world (20 sq ms). We were introduced to the present facilities shared by both cricket and rugby players and the changing rooms for home teams and visitors were pretty basic and cramped. We looked at the Rugby side also being redeveloped and then on to The Taverners' Bar with its luxurious seats, magnificent views of the playing areas and some seats having access to the Bar through their computers.
We returned to the original Dining suite where we had a tasteful lunch
followed by a most illuminating and forthright talk on his experiences
during his Rugby League career by Barrie McDermott, our Speaker for the
day. Our Grandson. Tim had enjoyed sitting next to him at lunch so I asked
him to sum up his visit: "A great day out enjoyed by ALL".
Colin Robertson
THE DEEP
On Tuesday the eighth of September
Whilst debarred from Devonshire Hall
We wanted a trip to remember
And for culture Hull has it all.
First to The Deep went Rotary’s elite
To see all the corals and fishes
Then after lunch and a rest for our feet
We were free to follow our wishes.
So for the gems we started to comb;
There were museums and churches a plenty
But soon our thoughts were turning to home
And I was last through the door at six twenty.
Peter Handley. 21.09.
Charter Dinner
Our annual charter dinner was held this year at Sandmoor on 23rd October. President Ernest Kirkby welcomed our guests David Hastings, Assistant District Governor Elect standing in for Anita Rayner the ADG , and his wife Lesley, President of the Leeds Club; together with Gwyneth Christie their Vice President. Other welcome guests from neighboring Rotary clubs included Andrew Wilson and Bill Hudson from Aireborough and David Asquith from Heckmondwike. He then welcomed his personal guests David Oliver a colleague and fellow musician and former student who would be speaking later; together with Beverley Kenny and Hilary Thompson of Leeds University both of whom have looked after our club's inner needs for many years.
The main speaker was David Oliver, a long-standing friend, academic colleague and fellow musician of President Ernest. He expounded on the benefits and importance of music and dance in the education of children. His inspiring speech was enriched by piano accordion illustrations and as he and Ernest were "old groupies" together, the latter's fingers were twitching as he longed to join in.
David was particularly enthusiastic about northern community music of which a great deal is to be found in Northumberland Durham and Cumbria. He suggested that the use of these working songs in the context of lessons excites levels of concentration difficult to attain in other ways. As a finale, his lullaby drew a surprisingly lyrical chorus from suitably lubricated and enthusiastic diners which in itself was a convincing demonstration of his contention.
Michael Coles' vote of thanks was backed by a warmly appreciative audience of happy Rotarians and friends.
John Williams
The moon had just appeared over sycamore trees when the first arrived. It was a dark German car that swept into the lamplight by the clubhouse door. Out stepped an elderly man dressed in a smart cashmere coat, collar turned up as much to hide his face as shield the cold wind. The air of confidence said he was probably a banker or an accountant, and that life had been pretty good.
On the other side a high-heeled shoe reached gingerly for the ground. It came under a fur hat and a grey suit and it looked good. Two hours with the hairdresser and a large gin and tonic had lifted the spirits just enough to go along with this venture. The things we women do for Rotary, you men have no idea!
Others arrived in quick succession. Rovers and Fiestas that had lasted surprisingly well. Grey men with old glasses whose years in education had left their mark. Anoraks over tweed jackets no longer seen in the shops.
Then came the medicine-men in comfortable old cars, happy to be retired at last. That was when we were 'family' doctors who were not afraid of working week-ends, and for half the salary they get nowadays!
Inside the hall it was quite different. Bright lights, smiling faces and a glass of punch disguised as weak orange juice. Friends from the ABC had arrived in numbers. Our welcome guests, not quite sure what it was all about but keen to get involved, as always.
Behind the door stood Prince Monolulu, a tall imposing figure. "you wanna buy a horse?" he muttered, with a tinge of conviction. How times have changed. Once a highly respected practitioner, he helped to raise thousands of pounds for his church, and ran a clinic for drug addicts.
Now our Rescue -club man was reduced to selling horses in a gambling house. But, the Prince was doing well. Only one horse left from the first four races. I was convinced that 'Aching Bones' (by Arthur Rites) would have been vetted by the Doc. Anyway, we certainly had something in common. The fact is, far from winning the race, I never heard nor saw a sign of that horse again, apart from a strange sense of dej-vous later with the soup.
Next to the Prince sat the two bookies, all smiles and welcoming (which was not surprising seeing the cash on the table). Eddy the Odds had done a lot in education and was a real asset to the firm. The Preacher started his collecting for the church roof when he was on holiday. Then, after a stretch in Wakefield he earned a lot of respect and support when he took the lead at Bramhope. Many claimed to have seen him at the last supper (club).
Clerk of the Course had good pedigree and he works well with money. A
man with ideas, clearly destined for success and high office.
Throughout the evening, eight races were shown on a large screen. Each
had been chosen for their unpredictable finish. Seated in front of the
screen a rare assortment of around 50 punters had gathered.
Right at the back M Portance, previously not associated with the gambling
fraternity, guarded the syndicate's betting pot. So far he'd had a great
season. Having trained in Devon he had memorable successes at Durham and
Whitby and with his prodigy at Sandmoor. In spite of the soft going he
and a few of his table mates put up a spirited performance in the BBQ
stakes.
To the left of the room a potent mix of wit and wisdom strolled through
the race card. Monty Casino had seen many campaigns and with Doc Martin
threatened to turn the evening into a real charitable disaster. Bob had
done well over the year. From his days in car-washing and in spite of
a record for breaking and entering, his stables at Highfield still bears
a plaque in tribute to his work and reputation in the community.
The Irish stand were not the only winners. Geoff the Journeyman was a
meticulous planner. Having silenced the Adel bells and with no visible
witnesses, he and Mrs. Bracket had been practicing for months on the turf
in the church yard. Their recent trips to Austria and Germany had produced
wins with "Shot grass" and "Channel Crossing" for
their jockeys Launa Mower and C. Ferry.
Though not the punters' preferred strategy, Tobias Woods had backed No.
1 in every race. Alas, no joy there. Although he had been known to put
people's lights out if there was a problem, he took it well. Maybe the
training had been wrong. Should he be practicing on the flat in winter
and on the slopes only in summer?
By this time Profixer also had worked out his own strategy A betting slip
ending in O meant that nobody else had a bet on the same horse. Hence
no-one to share with, if it won. That proved to be a very big "if".
Fortunately the Hanger had accumulated so many winnings on the golf course
over the years that one let-down was no great problem.
During all of this, two notable punters were quietly gathering in their
gains. Soloman G, although 'tied up' for part of the evening, always had
an advantage. From his work on the stables in France and years of inspecting
on the farms, he had learned how to predict the outcome of a race merely
by examining what had been dropped in the paddock.
Dots and Dashes had been walking the course at Headingley for years. He'd
visited the traps and knew the best line to take. From early studies of
anatomy he could spot the strength of a horse from a long way off. Dash
was flushed with success.
With the evening near to an end it was double stakes for the last race.
A level start, no fallers, and three in a line at the half way. The punters
were excited. At the final fence the noise had reached a crescendo. The
accountant's wife was on her feet. "Come on number 8," she cried.
Then, in the sudden hush that followed, and in the voice of Eliza Doolittle
she added "--move your bloody arse".
The boys did well that night - Barney and the Prince, Eddy the Odds, the
Preacher and Profixer. They made £300 for Disaster boxes and M.
Portance, being Ernest, was well-pleased.
Peter Morris.