Today’s meeting got off to a bad start with another drubbing of the singing of O Canada, but fortunately, it went uphill from that point.

 

Steve Soepboer –guest of Johanna Haan;  Wicktor – our Polish exchange student; Eric Bily our outbound student; Kimberley Bily, mother of Eric.

 

Lakeside’s web site is up and running.  More sponsors are needed – give leads to Rod Collard if you prefer to not make requests yourself.

 

Golf Tournament could also use sponsors .  Please help out here.

 

Rotary Leadership Institute training is May 13^th.  Fees will be paid by the club for new members who have less than 2 year’s service. To be held at Holiday Inn – Cambridge. You can register on the District Website.

 

Mike Molloy indicated that a meeting was held with the Hospital Board and agreed on signage to promote Rotary’s contribution. The hospital is also going to have a garden where Rotary will be featured.

Presidential Induction will be on June 22^nd - more information to come.

 

Rod publicly thanked Armin Ghazi for helping to get Lakeside’s Web site working.

Rod had a rant about Trump’s attitude towards the handicapped reporter.

Deanne Mayal also had a rant about Trump and his bad case of syphilitic dementia.

 

Wicktor reported that he went to Mississauga and met up with another Polish exchange student; went to several dinners and has moved to Gerry Willard’s home which is closer to school.

 

Introduction by Doug Brown.  Johanna responded to Peter Thoem’s plea for a speaker today to speak about something she was working on when his email came in. This was the upcoming Royal visit to Burlington on May 13-16^th by Princess  Margriet  and her husband Pieter van Vollenhoven from the Netherlands. I will give you the Coles Notes version but have a copy of Johanna’s notes at the bottom of this report which gives an excellent and interesting account of Princess Margriet’s connection to Canada.

 

The Princess was scheduled to visit McMaster University on May 15^th and the visit was extended to visit Burlington because of the twin Cities of Burlington and Apeldoorn, Holland which happens to be where the Royal Palace is located. During the visit, she will be visiting Apeldoorn Park in Burlington, a small park located near St. Luke’s Church just west of the downtown. The Brant Street pier will also be lit up in orange at night during her visit in recognition of the deep relationship between these two cities and the Princess’s visit.

 

Johanna went into the history of how Princess Margriet was born in Canada during WW II and received schooling in Canada until the end of the war along with her sisters. Johanna ,who was born in Apeldoorn also recounted the experiences of living in the City where the Royals lived.

 

Johanna also told about the gift made by The Netherlands to Canada at the end of the war by donating 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada for sheltering the Royals during the war.  They also donate, along with the Tulip Growers 20,000 tulip bulbs annually to Canada.

 

Johanna reported on her work with the Mundialization Committee of the City of Burlington. As this was a new word to many, Johanna explained that it is the act of a city or local authority declaring itself a "world citizen" and being aware of global issues with a sense of shared rights and responsibility. It is a form of connecting a City with the world.  Burlington has two twin Cities – Apeldoorn and Itabashi, Japan. The United Nations is the third component of this initiative. Student and Citizen exchanges result along with correspondence between the three partners.  Johanna mentioned that hosts may be needed when the next exchanges take place.

 

 

 

Janet Canovan thanked Johanna for her presentation.