We had a short meeting and these will be short RoteNotes. A rather disappointing turn-out of members found only six of us gathering at Timms this week. Leon, Rudy, Wayne, Brendan, Merle and Stephen shared great fellowship, with almost a fireside meeting atmosphere, as we had no guest speaker and only ourselves to amuse ourselves. Some hot chocolate was liberated and shared, as well as tea and coffee. Regrets were received from John, Nora and Anthony. Sadly, no-one hooked up the computer so we did not offer zoom service (so no hybrid meeting). More regrets from Lana, who tried to tune in from her home.
O Canada was performed in an “excellent” fashion, called a “small but mighty rendition” by our president. Rudy updated us with information about the Kwantlen Music Festival and how our cheques might be presented. Stephen updated us on Township news, and we mourned the passing of former member Roy Brown. Wayne read the Foundation Moment.
Rotary Moment with Wayne
WHAT ARE THE ROTARY PEACE FELLOWSHIPS?
Each year, Rotary awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders to study at Rotary Peace Centers at universities around the world.
Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, these professionals develop their capacity to become effective catalysts for peace. Rotary Peace Fellows earn either master’s degrees or professional development certificates in subjects related to peace and development.
Since 2002, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 1,500 fellows who work in over 115 countries in education, in government roles, and at international organizations.
Rotary members like you can shape the next generation of peace leaders by identifying and interviewing potential candidates.
We discussed ideas for future guest speakers. Do you have any suggestions? Please forward them to Rudy for action.
Brendan told us about his ongoing adventures in Fort Smith, NWT, which he visits for 7-10 days each month. He says the people there are well looked after by the federal government and he has far less paperwork to do while assisting patients. Why must there be so much “red tape” in BC? Fort Smith has a population of 2500 and the North West Territories house 44 000, with half of them living in Yellowknife. Unfortunately, Fort Smith has no specialist doctors, so individuals needing those services must take a one hour flight to Yellowknife or a two hour flight to Edmonton to receive care.
Here are some interesting facts. Fort Smith has a cathedral, and a priest who came from Nigeria. Brendan says he loves the place, but laments that the real problem there is suicides. He reported that globally 23% of deaths are due to traffic accidents, 15% are due to suicide, and 3% are due to war (though Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has likely increased the last percentage).
Merle Boonij agreed to be our guest speaker next week, so come to the meeting at Timms to hear about our newest member. We moved on to happy and sad dollars with pledges for: the passing of Roy Brown; enjoying the company of the Ukrainian gentleman who had stayed at his house upon arriving in Canada; meeting with family members for a meal (daughter, granddaughters, brothers, sister, sister-in-law. aunt and uncle); friend retiring from the military who was first refused benefits but with the assistance of John Aldag is getting financial benefits for his deafness; daughter making herbal tea which grandson pulled over and spilled on himself, getting burned, but a paramedic assisted and the lad won’t have any scars from the accident; and a good news John Diefenbaker story.
We toasted Canada and left Timms earlier than usual. No photos were taken (sorry). Instead, attached are some old photos from Rotary meetings. Can you identify these people?
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