President Brett Mauthe chaired the meeting with Maureen Bakken taking her first turn as Sarge.

 

 

Ross Fletcher was selected as the oldest Rotarian in attendance so had the task of leading the singing of our national anthem. (But was he really the oldest???)

 

Brett thanked the many who helped to organize the multitude of activities that the club has been involved in the last few weeks:

Gerry Winia: Casino

Annette Eby: Community Picnic after the parade

Aliesha Shuparsky: Parade float

Jim McPherson: Driving and supplying the convertible for President Brett to ride in during the parade

 

We had a great turnout of volunteers for all the activities.  Well done!

 

50/50: Orlyn Kostenuk won the draw but did not select the lucky card to take home the money

 

Ian McDougall: guest of Darcy Mykytyshyn

Charlotte, Noel, Jennifer Skogen: returning outward bound Rotary Exchange student and her parents

Christian Comete: guest of Adele Poratto

Maureen Bakken: Enjoyed having family together for the 1st time in 14 years. Members came from as far as China. 

Harold Barnes: Overjoyed that his niece in Switzerland will have a child in December- the family is growing! Parade Day was a bit exciting as the wheelchair battery quit enroute. Thanks to the kind parade goers who helped him and kept him company during the route. Special thanks to Mike who assisted him in getting the battery recharged so he could continue to explore.

Aliesha Shuparsky: Thanks to all who volunteered for the parade.  Riding in the parade in convertible with Brett was great.Looking for someone to help get the float back to Calgary this week (Thanks to Eric Madsen for volunteering on the spot to do this)

Jerry Pasman: Lived to tell the tales of his recent 3000 km over 4 days mystery car adventure.

Darcy Mykytyshyn: Son Sam has a new job as a host at Boston Pizza South- stop by to say hi!. The boat saga continues as Darcy and his family enjoy Pine Lake and learn about shallow channels and cost of boat repairs.

Adele Poratto: 3 trishaws were in the parade for Cycling Without Age. They have already provided 200 rides at 9 facilities. She reports that Zainab experienced a concussion from an errant concession ball while volunteering at the Westerner but will be back to her usual self before the Afro Caribbean Festival in August. 

Robert Lampard: Gave a sigh of relief when he was not identified as the oldest Rotarian in the room so escaped having to lead the singing of our national anthem.  

 

Jim McPherson was highlighted today.  A long time resident of Red Deer, he spent a few months of his early years living above the bank as his father was the first CIBC bank manager in Red Deer.  They moved to the family home on 56th street where his brother now resides. Jim is a proud graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas School (when it was a high school) and then Lindsay Thurbur  to get his matriculation.  He enjoyed the additional year to play football, his coach being Bob Mills. 1969 sees Jim heading to NAIT and then become the youngest member of the Million Dollar Club selling life insurance.  Politics beckoned and he secured the Conservative nomination defeating John Oldring. The results of the 1982 election saw Jim become an MLA, narrowly defeating Social Credit candidate Bob Mills.  Jim remarked that his political challengers were very  qualified and worthy opponents. While in government, he is proud of his key roles in securing funding for the Centrium project and the major continuous corridor initiative. 

Jim became a Rotarian in 1986, serving as President for the 1993-94 year.  While he was  President, the club welcomed their first female members- Edna Alwright, Gloria Beck, and Gail Surkan.  The Black Tie Bingo was proposed by Ray McBeth as a fundraiser with class. 50/50 sales at the Westerner for hockey games began as the club took over from the Red Deer Sharks Hockey Team. The results of these fundraisers has benefited so many over the years. Jim encouraged all to take an active role in Rotary, regardless of their years as a Rotarian.  Everyone has their role to play and much to offer.  

We thank Jim for his counsel and wisdom over the years.