Sergeant Bill opened the meeting and invited President Les to the rostrum.
Alex Jorden proposed a toast to all Police officers,
David O’Dwyer introduced our two members who were born in 1940 – Russ on 30th March in Hilston and Uwe on 24th September in Hamburg. He waxed lyrical about these very long standing and valuable members.
Graham Sivyer updated us about the Pentacost project and asked if anyone had storage for 25 hospital beds which will be sent to Pentacost.
Sgt Bill entertained the members and guests with some non PC fines and utilised Fay Atkinson and Helen Busch as bunyips.
The raffle was won by Luella Smith and the heads and tails by Noel Phingstorne.
The silver circle was won by Martin Ingram
Chairman Harold introduced Brian Pearson as the Rotarian behind the badge.
Brian was born in Grimsby (UK) in late 1942 during WWII with his father in India until he was three years old. He went to Grammar School and volunteered that he was not a wonderful student.
He left school at 15 and went to work as a laboratory assistant on a very large company producing acrylic fibre. He eventually became a trained colourist responsible for the correct dye colouration in a continuous dyeing process.
He left the company to follow an opportunity to set up a retail high street shop selling books, stationery, records etc which failed. Then started a mobile fresh fish retail business but was bored with it.
He then returned to the Acrylic fibre company. A new factory was being built in a depressed previous mining community in Northern England and became dyehouse shift manager.
Went to night school and achieved a diploma in Industrial Management. Then left that company and moved to Melbourne to open a subsidiary office. Started visits to Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines but returned to the UK after two years and concentrated on France, Belgium, Holland and Morrocco.
Around 1980 he focussed on northern Asia and in 1987 moved to Hong Kong to live and work.
Whist there he opened branch offices in Beijing and Shanghai and in 1997 attended the handover of Hong Kong. After that company was taken over his responsibilities reduced. At the same time he was building a home in Clear Island waters and moved to the GC whilst working remotely for the same company.
He then returned to Hong Kong to work for a dot com company which lasted about 18 months.
He joined BBRC around 2007 and has been Foundation Direct, Secretary and President. At District he served as Ënd Polio Campaign Chair and District Secretary. And ROMAC chair.
