Opening President Elect Cathy Skene read our land acknowledgment and we sang O'Canada.

Chair Announcements

Last weekend we celebrated Victoria Day. The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Victoria's natural birthday, May 24. Today in the States is Memorial day. Iain was curious as to the history of Memorial Day. It was originally known as Decoration Day, is a federal holiday in the United States for honouring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. From 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30. Since 1971, it has been observed on the last Monday of May. Official recognition as a holiday spread among the states, beginning with New York in 1873. By 1890, every Union state had adopted it. The world wars turned it into a day of remembrance for all members of the U.S. military who fought and died in service. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day to honour and mourn those who died while serving in the U.S. military. Many volunteers place American flags on the graves of military personnel in national cemeteries. Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial beginning of summer.

Sarge Jack Wilson introduced guests Olga and Bernard.

Lobsterfest - We are 18 days away from Lobsterfest. Iain suggested we give companies a copy of a poster to hang on their notice board to market this event. He is sure local companies in Charleswood would be happy to do so.

Clean up at the forest - Huge thanks to LeeAnn Mitz helping keep the forest pristine with the help of the Shaftesbury High School students.

Pride Walk on Sunday June 2nd - Peter Tonge and Nancy Cosway extend an open invitation to join them on the Rotary float. Thanks to the hard work of the Winnipeg Downtown Rotary Club, we will once again have a Rotary float in the Winnipeg Pride Parade. Please join us!. The details of the parade are: Sunday June 2, 2024. Assembly on Memorial Blvd. Our entry will be in Aisle D; Entry number in windscreen of the pick up truck is #17; Vehicle will be there by 9:15 a.m. Please meet at the truck. All walkers to be at the assembly point by 10 a.m. While this may be a new experience for many, this event is not to be missed. This is an amazing opportunity for fellowship and to expand our reach into a more diverse community, providing much needed support.

2025 International Conference in Calgary - Thanks to David Soper for being the first to register from our club for the International Rotary Conference. For those who are interested, there is a special rate until the 29th of May after which it will become a little more expensive.

Cathy attended the Council of Women event last week.

Drew Kessler and his family were on that fateful flight to Singapore. As of Last Tuesday His boys are fine, however his wife sustained a broken back and Drew a broken neck. They both feel lucky as it could have been worse. They were on the way to a RI conference and are now in a hospital in Bangkok.

Before we go to dinner… "Years ago when dating I was asked “what's your idea of a perfect date” I thought about it long and hard…You know, day, month, year. I find other formats a bit confusing".

This evening we are going to watch an interesting video of one of Canada’s top paralympic athletes, Lisa Franks. who is a Canadian paralympic athlete who has set world records in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, and marathon events. Moose Jaw is extremely proud of her and I think you will see why. Without further ado, please enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75A0os2MMUo

Happy Bucks

• Jack W. was happy that Mur is doing fine with her health challenges.
• Nancy was happy that, for only the second time since living in Charleswood, she saw a fox.
• Mandy opened her cottage. While they knew that the pipes had already frozen in the fall, the damage was not too bad. And Artim caught a beautiful pickerel.
• Jim got his trailer set up last weekend. He was concerned because the power would not work, until he realized that he'd connected it to the trailer but not to the post.
• Sharon was happy that her moving dates have now aligned, and she will not have to move twice.
• Ed Toews was very happy that all his 'classics' are running smoothly.
• Cathy was happy that her move has taken place.

Alan Roberts held the lucky 50/50 ticket and pulled the blue marble. Congrats!

Next week we are delighted to have District Governor Elect and a member of our club, Peter Tonge as a guest speaker. Peter will speak about his upcoming year ahead and his role.

Now just before we go... A man and a giraffe walk into a bar. After a few drinks, the giraffe falls over and dies. The man begins to walk out when the bartender stops him.“Hey, you can’t leave that lyin’ there!” The bartender yells out. The man turns around: “It’s not a lion. It’s a giraffe.”