Spinoff for March 15 as edited by Don Butler

At President Linda‘s nod your editor, doing double duty, recognized the guests:   Serge Paquette, visiting Rotarian Erik Spicer and his wife Helen, and Alf Banji. Three partners of members were also present: Mary Wattie, Diane Maxwell and Joyce Fraser.

Bob Harrison started the announcements reminding us of the need to help New Zealand and Japan recently hit by major disasters. He read us parts of the message from RI Director for our Zone advising of the special arrangements being made by The Rotary Foundation to handle contributions for disaster recover in Japan, New Zealand and other Pacific island nations. He invited us to put contributions for this purpose in the brown envelopes placed on each table.

Jack Sawyer urged us to submit our nominations for the three club awards (The Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) Award, The Lloyd Loynes Award for Volunteer Service and The Ruth Martin Award for Community Service) by the March 31 deadline.  He then reviewed the evaluation criteria for the Paul Harris Fellow Award starting with a reminder that it is separate from the RI Paul Harris Fellow Recognition and can be given to both Rotarians and non-Rotarians.

Doug Rowlands inducted Tom Belton as a Paul Harris Fellow reviewing his contributions, which had earned the distinction.

President Linda gave a Rose to Joe Parkinson in recognition of his management of the weekly cash calendar draws and the mailing of the cheques to the winners.

Clive Talbot told us that some 16 members had drawn over 100 Music for Humanity tickets to sell but that there remained about 200 tickets, which needed to be taken and sold.

Tom Belton told us of some young Bhutanese refugees who are members of his church. All are adapting well to Canada but 3 of them have the added challenge of being deaf. They are all taking American Sign Language and English and one has managed to get a job at Winners. Tom asked us to consider if we knew of possible suitable jobs for the older of the other two (later he circulated to all of us details on the family and a CV of the girl looking for a job)

President Linda reminded us it was both Literacy and Fraud Prevention month. She drew attention to the Rotary Dinner folder circulating noting that today was the last day to indicate interest. She asked us to give Fred Christie the names of Rotary Exchange students we knew to be in Japan and told us that Bud Keenan and Ted Ferrier would appreciate calls or visits.   Some of the more immediate items listed as Presidents announcements included:

RCWO Dates

•          March 24^th, next RCWO Board meeting

•          April 2, Music for Humanity

•          April 14^th, A Night at the Races (sign-up sheet to go around next week)

•          May 14, Presidents’ Walk (Foundation walk)

Presidents’ Council

-          Ottawa – monthly pub night for new members

-           Ottawa South – Roses Day, May 6^th, $35/doz; new Rotaract Club induction ceremony March 23; New idea – Women in Rotary Breakfast will be held three times a year, first in April.

-          Hull – Rotary Community Corps Aylmer has 14 members; April 2^nd, Beer and Cheese Event; Nepean-Kanata

1.        March 24^th dinner/silent auction fundraiser -Nepean Sailing Club, SOLD OUT

2.      Youth Exchange host families needed – see Nigel Lever he has information

-          Carleton Place & Miss. Mills – will hold 50:50 draw at Almonte’s Puppet Festival; new playground initiative

-          Bytown –  Dictionary project in Dunlop area

-          Perth – changed to a breakfast meeting; fundraisers: web auction, bicycle draw;

-          Smith Falls – changed to breakfast meeting

-          South Nepean – Taste of Barrhaven, May 30^th, $45 pp, 20 restaurants hosting; $1K for Afghan school rec’d

-          Stittsville

1.       committed $4,500 to Dave Smith Youth treatment Centre with a special media event with A Channel for cheque presentation

2.      polio fundraiser, April 15-17^th with Iron lung display at Goulbourn Recreation facility

-          Ottawa – Adventures in Citizenship

District Level

•          A new Assistant Governor added to Ottawa area – Alan Cayer will look after Nepean Kanata; South Nepean; Kanata Sunrise; South Ottawa); Drew Antrobus will continue with Orleans, Hull, West Ottawa and Ottawa; David Batchelor with Carleton Place, Perth, Stittsville, Kemptville, Brockville.

•          District Membership seminar, March 19

•          District WCS committee seminar, March 19

•          PETS, NAV Canada Centre Cornwall – April 9 -10, 2011.

•          District Assembly NAV Canada Centre – May 7, 2010

•          Presidents’ Walk, May 14^{th  -} Joint Venture Council

•           RI Convention, May 21-25, New Orleans

Peter Gilman running the Past President’s draw for a large and a small container of maple syrup, one of which was won by Mary Wattie.

With Happy $ we heard Gaye Moffett on passing her business to her son Gavin, Andrew Young on his cruise; Joe Parkinson on his trip and the President’s Rose, Steve Blondeau on his hockey medal, Ed Balys on our get-well card, Nigel Lever on the comparison of the weather with 1966, Bea Osome at providing water to the school in Kenya; and Fred Christie was happy too.

Jim Maxwell provided the introduction of Keith Fraser, our speaker, as he had shared some Keith’s experiences in the North. Keith told us of working as a summer student on surveying in Northern Canada in 1948 showing us some pictures of scenes then and scenes now. Aerial mapping had just begun then and while he got the occasional lift by plane Keith had done much of his traveling on the lakes and rivers and on the ground. One of Keith’s memories was of how much of his time he had spent waiting for transportation and to meet contacts. To get to Spence Bay lack of space had made him sleep under the chartroom table of the boat carrying building supplies for the construction of the last Hudson Bay Company post. He had been disillusioned to see the Indian with whom he shared a canoe, paddle on alternate sides rather than use the L stroke he had been taught. He had stayed with RCAF units and RCMP detachments and visited places explored by Roald Amundsen and Henry Larsen.   Keith was eloquently thanked by Bud McGinnis.

President Linda gave us another Steven Wright Smiley quote provided by John Kersley: “Borrow money from pessimists – they don’t expect it back.” She then closed the meeting.

Here are the winners of the Cash Calendar draws for the week, March 8 – 14, 2011

3735    $200    Carole Sewards, Kanata                 

4458    $25      Eastern Ontario Pallets, Metcalfe            

4656     $20      Nicole Lalonde, Orleans                  

2201     $50      Tom Wallace, Cornwall         

1103     $50      David Beking, Oxford Station                  

2645    $25      Del Holmes, Ottawa             

1831     $100    Anthony Scarabelli, Ottawa           

 Picture taken at just the right angle………