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Club History |
In this section are held items that appeared on the News page of the web site, largely relating to club events and activities.
This section was started in early 2006, and contains news items from June 2004 onwards. The intention is to transfer items from the news pages once the projects or events are no longer active. They are in (approximate) date order, with the index in alphabetical order.
Index:
Health, Education, and Livelihood
The Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray began working with Rotary Clubs in the central Philippines in June 2004, supporting education, health, and the livelihoods of Filipinos in the region. Sponsorship from our Rotary Club has been matched by grants from the Rotary Foundation and from Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland.
The children we aim to help:
The projects originate through the contacts and friendship with the people of the Philippines of our club's past president, John Dehnel. These dates back to the time in the 1980's when John worked with companies in the Philippines, importing foodstuffs to the UK.
Rotary Club of Tagbilaran, Bohol
Our projects in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Tagbilaran on Bohol started in June 2004, supported by a matching grant from Rotary District 1070 and from Rotary Foundation.
This grant covered a menu of activities:
School Books:
The books at Corella school were in a shocking state - termites had attacked most of the stocks of books, and they were unusable. Through the charity Brothers' Brother and via the Rotary Club of Makati, Manila we were able to source new educational books at 10 US cents each. As as result the Tagbilaran club was able to distribute 5,000 books, to Corella school and to over 100 other school libraries across Bohol island.
From
this:
To this:
Prescription Medicines
The availability of the simplest of prescription drugs is very poor particularly in the rural areas. Many of the village health centres cannot get the most basic antibiotics and analgesics. We provided a fund to the Corella village health centre, so that villagers can now be provided with the needed medicines. We discussed with the staff there what drugs are in most demand, so as to ensure the funds are spent on the most critically needed drugs. There is also some money available to help where villagers are too poor to be able to afford the medicines themselves, particularly for their children.
Livelihood:
Under the heading of livelihood, part of our project has been designed to help establish some self-sustaining local industry. The first of these is to help establish, with local women's cooperatives, a small clothing manufacturing facility. 20 treadle sewing machines have been handed over to two groups of women's cooperatives, together with training and starter kits of materials.
The men in the rural areas are often subsistence fishermen, spending days at sea in small dugout boats catching a few fish with primitive lines. With the aim of helping them to develop a more sustainable farming activity, we have handed over to men (selected by their local communities) a batch of Nubian goats. These goats are much larger than the local scrawny beasts, and produce more kids, milk, and eventually meat. The plan is that from each litter the first and third kids are returned to the project for further distribution, enabling a self-sustaining growth in the population.
Both these projects have been set up with formal memoranda of agreement with the local communities, and started with ceremonial hand-over parties, all to involve the communities in the projects, hoping they will feel more ownership of the activities. This hope does seem to be being realised.
Toilet Blocks:
Excellently designed toilet blocks have been constructed and handed over to two schools in Bohol, one each in Corella and Doljo villages.
Each comprises four stalls,
two for
boys (with blue/grey tiles):
and two
for girls (with pink tiles): 
The design is a "dry-composting" toilet, with liquid waste separated early to land drainage and solid waste collected in such a way that it composts rapidly and hygienically (and is later used as compost for agriculture). The design uses natural ventilation, aided by the up-draught caused by the black chimneys, to ensure a smell-free environment. They do not use one drop of precious fresh water, and does not pollute the aquifer.. Bonus: this first-class design is only $2,000.00 for a four stall toilet block. After several months use the toilets are still in excellent condition, being well looked after by the children and kept spotlessly clean.
The communities have been involved in the construction of the toilet blocks, with the children at the schools painting the buildings. No doubt this has contributed to the good state in which they are being kept.
Rotary Club of Cebu Capitol North - IT Project
A matching grant for a project in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Cebu Capitol North was approved in early June 2004. The project is to help provide school office equipment and internet access to schools and Community Information Centers throughout Cebu Island, Philippines.
Equipment is being provided for a Curriculum Development Center for K.I.T.E.S.( Knowledge of information Technology for Elementary Schools) being piloted in 4 public schools in Metropolitan Cebu and 8 Community Information Centers in the rural areas throughout the island of Cebu. This is designed to upgrade the quality of education of teachers and pupils in the public school system who are disadvantaged by the lack of classrooms, qualified teachers, lack of textbooks. Materials are being supplied by the partnering private schools that will be participating in the program as their social outreach program via the internet - some schools in the U.S. have even indicated their willingness to help.
Our work with the Bohol club featured in the following article in the July 2004 edition of ROTARY WORLD , the news journal circulated monthly by RI Evanston to all Rotary Presidents world wide.
| Matching Grant project reaps range of benefits in Philippine community |
|
A multifaceted Rotary Foundation Matching Grant project is strengthening children's education and providing sustainable employment opportunities for women in Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines. The project, undertaken by the Rotary clubs of Tagbilaran and Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England, provided 20 sewing machines to a sewing cooperative in order to train 160 women in dressmaking. The women are from families that exist on subsistence farming. "The ability to manufacture clothes enables [the women] to contribute to the welfare of their families," says David Collins, 2004-05 president of the Tagbilaran club. "By forming a cooperative, the women become a manufacturing center for school uniforms in the community. This keeps the money circulating locally and increases the wealth of their township." The effort also provided 2,500 new textbooks to two schools and made possible the installation of a four-stall block of composting toilets at a high school, with plans to establish a second unit. "The design [of the blocks] accomplishes two critically important objectives," says Collins. "It is environmentally friendly and does not pollute the aquifer. It does not use one drop of precious fresh water." Tagbilaran Rotarians helped assess Bohol's needs in planning the project. They also worked with the local parent-teacher association, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts to help carry out various phases of the effort. Melton Mowbray Rotarians have visited the project to oversee its progress and are exploring ways of expanding vocational training in the community. "Officials, members of the cooperative, teachers, and parents went out of their way to express their gratitude [for the project]," says Collins. "Joy and hope finally reached this very poor town of our island." |
A small group from the club flew to Bournemouth in early September 2004, to visit the Rotary Club of Ferndown, on the outskirts of Bournemouth. Our excuse was that a previous member of the Melton Mowbray club, John Bartholomew, had moved down to the New Forest a few years ago, and is now a very active member of the Ferndown club - indeed he is now the secretary, bulletin editor, and incoming Junior Vice President!
The real excuse, however, was that our member John Dehnel fancied an interesting private aircraft flight - John has been flying for 5 years - and knowing that there were at least three private pilots in the Ferndown club.... The rest is history.
Our President, Tony Rifugiato, and 3 members of the club (Marshall Pobjoy, David Ward, and John) duly drove up to RAF Cranwell, where John's flying club is based. We had tried to do this trip in mid-August, but the summer thunderstorms on the day planned had made it not advisable. This time though, the weather was perfect - blue skies with an occasional fluffy cloud to enliven the scene. At Cranwell we prepared the club's Grumman AA5 plane: although a 4-seater, its weight restrictions meant we had to travel with an absolute minimum of luggage - one toothbrush shared between all four.
We flew initially to Turweston, a small airfield near Brackley
- about 3/4 of an hour. On the way, and just south of Leicester, we
overflew the maize maze at Wistow - well spotted by eagle-eyed David. 
Lunch was in the lovely market town of Buckingham, then taxi back to the airfield for a second 45-minute flight down to to Bournemouth International airport (aka Hurn airport). John was relieved to find a rather larger runway than at Turweston - I like a challenge, but life is much easier landing on nearly 1 1/2 miles of tarmac than the apparently tiny runway available for the first landing!
We were greeted at the airport by John Bartholomew, his wife
Linda, and one of the flying members of the Ferndown Rotary Club, Bill
Field. 
Then Linda and John began their hospitality, taking us back home for a very welcome tea before setting off for the Rotary Club's evening meeting.
This evening was the District Governor's A visit to Ferndown club, so we had the chance to hear the aims and aspirations of district 1110. Ferndown is clearly a thriving and lively club, and we all had a good time meeting so many of the members before and over dinner.
After a good night's sleep by all (oh, I forget to mention the nightcap first) Linda treated us all to a splendid cooked breakfast. John was a little concerned about the extra weight in the plane, but this proved unfounded.
We took off from Bournemouth about 11:30, for a 90 minute flight back to Cranwell; quite uneventful with excellent views of central southern England all the way back.
So what will be the next trip? Certainly the Melton Club would be very pleased if some of the Ferndown flyers and friends could fly up to the Midlands some day for our club meeting - the invitation is open. And for our club - the sky's the limit.
Five members of The Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray, including President Tony Rifugiato and President-Elect David Morris, visited Warsaw in November 2004 to take the first step in entering into a twinning relationship with the Warszawa-Wilanow Rotary Club.
There are eight Rotary Clubs in Warsaw, which all form part of Rotary District 2230. Earlier this year President-Elect David and Rotarian Ben Abbott made contact and visited five of these clubs. The Wilanow club was recommended by them because it was similar in size to the Melton club and, because many of their members were ex-patriots from a number of other countries, it conducted all of its meetings in English - a language common to them all. Also the Wilanow club were actively seeking a European club to twin with after several years of trying to form a link with an Asian club. The current President of Poland is an honorary member of the Warszawa-Wilanow Rotary Club.
It was proposed that the two Rotary Clubs should enter into a joint Declaration of Friendship for one year. Subject to this working out satisfactorily, the two clubs would then formally agree to a Twinning Charter. The Wilanow club had agreed to the Declaration of Friendship before meeting the representatives from the Melton club; this was signed by President Alojzy at the meeting. President Tony initialled the document pending obtaining the Melton club's full agreement and commitment on his return.
It is anticipated that, during the first year of the relationship between the two clubs, members of each club will attend the other club's Charter Night. Eight members of the Polish club agreed spontaneously to visit Melton for their Charter Night on 17th March; President Alojzy thought that this number would almost certainly double. The Warsaw Wilanow Club will be ten years old in April 2005; they have never held a Charter Night before and plan to hold the tenth anniversary of their Club Charter on the 9th April. Many members of the Melton club plan to attend. Also District 1070 Governor Andrew Cowling has agreed to be present.
During their recent visit to Warsaw the members of the Melton club also met Assistant District 2230 Governor Wojciech Brochwicz-Lewinski. He and three members of the district team are promoting a major fund-raising initiative to help the victims of the recent Beslan tragedy, when around 300 children were massacred. This is a three year project and proposes to provide computers, text books and practical help in teaching English to the young people in this small Christian country. Amongst other things, every member of District 2230 has agreed to pay a levy on their annual subscriptions to raise funds. The members of the Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray agreed to present to their club plans to assist with the fund raising efforts.
Pictures from the visit to Warsaw in November 2004:
77 years in Melton Mowbray
| If you have other reflections on the club's history you would like included here, please let the club web-master know: |
The following is a summary of some of the presentations made by various members to the club on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Rotary International, at the club meeting in February 2005.
The Rotary movement was born on 23 February 1905 in Chicago, with a meeting of four men who wished to develop friendship and fellowship among professionals and business leaders while supporting their community. They were: Paul Harris (a lawyer from Vermont), Hiram Shorey (a merchant tailor), Silvester Schiele (a coal dealer) and Gustavus (Gus) Loehr (a mining engineer).
The Rotary movement, to be renamed Rotary International in 1924, quickly spread overseas, and in 1929 reached Melton Mowbray.
On 23rd February 2005 Rotary Clubs across the globe celebrated the 100 years of Rotary. The Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray incorporated a review of the club's history in its meeting, given by those who remember it all personally (or at least, with regard to the earlier years, knew and know of those involved). What follows is a summary of the presentations made, covering the 1940s to the 60s, then from 1985 to the present day. Also included is a reflection on Women in Rotary, following the induction of a significant number of lady members to club from 2000 onwards.
We hope to add text concerning the missing years shortly.
Bob McCord's history of the Club from the Second World War up to the late 60's.
One of the first things I found was a poem describing a MELTON ROTARIAN of 1939 which I think is as true today as it was then . It goes something like this:
| Oh, I'm a Rotarian gallant and bold, |
| My heart is as pure as the purest gold. |
| But on Monday at home the mutton is cold |
| So I always dine out on a MONDAY |
| I've the Objects and Aims of the movement by heart, |
| Any good work I will help from the start. |
|
May my Club and my Council be ne'er in the cart, |
| While I keep dining out on a Monday |
|
At Councils and Conferences I'm quite a lad, |
| Dining out I enjoy, e'en though speeches be bad, |
| And the ladies, you bet, get the eye that is glad |
|
From the lad who dines out on a Monday. |
| We're all getting older, for time slips away |
| The call soon will come that all must obey. |
| But I hope that Saint Peter will finally say, |
| "Yes Lad" you shall dine out on Monday. |
| For the Saint has a heart that is broad and is kind, |
| And at one o'clock weekly, |
| I'm sure he won't mind, |
| If we slip back to Melton on Monday. |
That was written by Frank Warner who was President of the Club 1939/40
During the War years there was very little Rotary activity, no Conferences or Inter Club visits; everyone was fully stretched carrying on their vocation by day and A.R.P or Home Guard Duties at night and weekends. However, Melton Rotarians soon provided a get you home service at the expense of their precious petrol ration, this for Forces Personnel who found themselves stranded in Melton and unable to get transport to outlying villages. This was a much needed and appreciated voluntary scheme. Immediately after the War, the Rotarians used their driving skills in a different way. The single ambulance in Melton was only manned 8 hours a day, and was operated by a member of the hospital staff. Outside these hours no ambulance was available even for emergencies until Rotarians undertook to provide drivers for urgent cases at any time during the night There was no Maternity Hospital in Melton at that time, so Emergency drives to Leicester Royal Infirmary were by no means infrequent. This very necessary and valuable service was maintained for many years, in fact until the NHS appointed full time employees.
In 1947 the Club entered a most unusual competition, the R. C. of Hobart, Tasmania set a challenge to the Rotary Clubs of GB, to submit an account of their town and the conditions under which they were living immediately after the war. The people of Australasia had for so long been starved of uncensored news coming out of the UK . As an incentive to reply, the four winning letters would be broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Network, and the Clubs chosen would receive a special food hamper. Imagine the surprise, when some months later one of the members received a letter from his sister saying how thrilled she was to hear the Broadcast about her native Melton Mowbray. The Special Food Hamper duly arrived and was enjoyed by all.
In 1950 the only County without a Rotary Club was Rutland, so the Melton Club set the procedure in motion to form the R.C. Oakham later to change its name to the R.C. of Rutland.
In the Presidential year of 1949/50, Ladies in Rotary was formed to give Rotarians' wives the opportunity to meet socially, and of course assist in Club Fund Raising which it does to this day. Charity Funds have benefited immensely from their activities and on several occasions in the past they actually raised more money than the men. It is interesting to note that at this time, they were involved in providing Ever Green Teas. They are still involved and surely must hold the record for this commitment.
Sporting Challenges started in the 50s. There were Cricket, Bowls, Golf and Skittles matches against the Grantham Club. The Oakham Club was challenged to a Shooting Competition for the much-treasured Dick Turpin Trophy. The trophy itself has had a chequered history, it has been mislaid and threatened with being sold, but it has survived and is at present held by the Melton Club.
Polio Plus is a relatively recent Rotary campaign, but you may have seen from the extract of Andrew Aikman's diary, he attended the first R.I. Conference after the war. He heard a presentation given to the Medics by a Dr. Salk on his attempts to immunise against POLIOMYELITIS. Andrew was somewhat skeptical at that time, but as we now know Rotary with other organisations is hoping this year to rid the world of Polio. It might also interest you to know that this conference was held in Paris and Ken & Florence Westmoreland were amongst the delegates who travelled all the way by Barton's Bus. I don't know if it was a single decker or a double decker bus, but I'm sure it must have been an adventure.
The Swinging 60s - President John Roper introduced the idea of one main charity per year instead of small donations to numerous projects. His objective was to start a Chiropody Clinic for the elderly at Gloucester House. The Club provided the equipment for a qualified chiropodist at a cost of more than £300 (which at the time was a considerable sum of money) The Clinic continued way into the 70s. In 1962 a Charter cum Ladies Night took place instead of the previously poorly attended charter nights, Maybe the cost of 17/6 per head or 87 1/2 pence in new money had something to do with more than 200 people attending. District involvement was noticeable too, with 3 members of the club taking District Office - Frank Skinner Vice Chairman, Frank Parker District Extension Officer and our own Ken Westmoreland Conference Secretary.
1968 being the 40th anniversary of the Club, 3 of the founder members presented the Club with a Silver Cigarette Box, in appreciation of their 40 years of fellowship I think at that time most of the members were smokers; Today it is totally the opposite.
Another significant event during this era was the enrolment of 4 new members under the age of 45, which dare I say it, probably brought the average age of the club below 70.
NOTES ABOUT THE ROTARY CLUB OF MELTON MOWBRAY 1985 - 2000 (Michael Osborne)
How have we fulfilled these aims and objectives of Rotary?
Maintenance of High Ethical Standards
Service to Others, by personal service
Service to Others, using monies from fund raising
We set up a separate Charitable Trust. Much good can be achieved through projects which require finance. We have organised many events to raise funds including -
Support for Community Projects and Grants for individuals
International Understanding
THE LATER YEARS, 2000-2005 (John Dehnel)
2000-2001, President Bob McCord
2001-2002, President Charles Jenkin
2002-03, President Richard Haines
2003-04, President John Dehnel
The club continues with
Pam Wiggins presented her thoughts on "WOMEN IN ROTARY"
Women have been associated with Rotary for over 95 years - unfortunately the first 75 of these were spent trying to join it.
So today, as we celebrate 100 years of Rotary, it is perhaps important to remember that women were only allowed to become members less than 18 years ago.
The first Rotary Convention was held in 1910, which is the same year that our founder member, Paul Harris, married Jean Thompson. It is perhaps ironic that Paul welcomed Jean into his life in the same year that women were refused entry into Rotary for the first time.
They say that behind every successful man there is a woman, perhaps that is also true of the Rotary movement. The contribution of women to the success of Rotary has always been in a supporting role until, as members, we can now actively participate on an equal basis.
The addition of women to the Rotary family represents the single greatest force for growth in Rotary International. In this centenary year there are now approximately 140 thousand female Rotarians throughout the world. 2,350 of them are Club Presidents and over 50 are District Governors. Perhaps within the next few years one of them may become a member of the Board of Directors and eventually the Rotary International President.
It was in the year 2000 that Melton Mowbray welcomed its first female members and we now have a total of 6 women in our club.
I was approached a couple of years ago to consider becoming the first Lady member of the Grantham Kesteven Rotary Club. My husband was also going to join this club and I thought that it might not be such a good idea. It's a bit like husbands teaching their wives to drive. It seems like a good idea at the time, but in practice it creates more problems than it solves.
My involvement with Rotary started by supporting my husband's Club on their Annual Golf day 2 years ago. The event organiser did a fabulous job with lots of money raised for a local charity. Experiencing the terrific atmosphere of the day and being a small part of the success gave me a real buzz. It made me want to help out again the following year.
It brought back memories of the first big fund raising event that I organised for the Grantham Junior Chamber many years ago. Upon reflection I realised that, through Rotary, I could help others whilst building new friendships. This is what first attracted me to Rotary and I was delighted to become a Rotarian in my own right 12 months ago.
Having spent the last 5 years working in Melton, joining Rotary gives me the opportunity to put something back into the town. It means that I am part of a professional organisation that addresses the needs of the wider community. I can interact with other like-minded people and establish contacts with Rotarians both locally and around the world.
In 2004 my husband and I met with a group of Rotarians as we sailed from Japan to Thailand. This was a completely new experience for me and it was great to find out a little bit more about Rotary Clubs in Australia and America. It was here that I discovered how easy it is to make friends through Rotary.
In addition, the real bonus is the fellowship that we all enjoy through those activities that are organised for our family and friends.
I am sure that you would all would agree with me that in the 20th Century women had a tough time getting recognition both in business and in Rotary. However, as we move into the 21st century this is all changing. Perhaps today, as Rotarians, we have more to celebrate than anyone else. I therefore wholeheartedly recommend the Rotary Movement and Women in Rotary.
If you have other reflections on the club's history you would like included here, please let the club web-master know:
A team of five from District 1070 visited Australia - District 9670, New South Wales - in March and April 2005 for a Group Study Exchange. The Melton club supported both the team leader and one of the team members for this Rotary Foundation exchange visit.
Group Study Exchange is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 in the initial years of their professional life, The programme provides travel grants for teams of young participants to exchange visits between paired areas in different countries. For four to six weeks, team members study the host country's institutions and ways of life, observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.
Rotarian John Dehnel from the Melton Mowbray Rotary Club was selected by the District as leader of the team, to ensure the visit ran smoothly, and that an interesting and challenging vocational visit was available to the four young professionals who made up the team.
The team members, shown from left to right below, are:
District 9670 forms part of New South Wales, from the coast around Newcastle (north of Sydney), out west to Bourke about 400 miles west across the Great Dividing Range. District 9670 is approx. 420 x 160 miles (almost exactly the same size as the whole of England). We travelled close on 800 miles visiting 9 Rotary Clubs across the District.
There are 23 districts in Australia (cf. 29 in UK), and 52 clubs in District 9670 (89 in 1070) .
Our itinerary across District 9670 :
We were able to study the industry, commerce, culture, and social life of a wide variety of types of Australian towns. We were hosted by Rotarian families in all the towns we visited, and were privileged to be part of their lives for a short while. So we saw Australia in a way not achievable by other means.
Each of the team members spent much time visiting their vocational counterparts. Lisa was able to visit, for example, community health centres and hospitals. Melanie went to schools and to several art centres and exhibitions. Nicola spent her vocational visits in supermarkets and wineries(!). Tracey saw hospices and hospitals, and participated in home visits with the local nursing staff. There is no doubt that all the team developed personally, helping their careers and their understanding of other cultures.
Other visits we all made were to:
We found the GSE visit a fascinating experience. We had the fortune to be a team of great individuals, all very different, but coming together as a good team; we each gained enormously from the exchange. We met many, many kind, thoughtful Rotarians and their families, and many others in Australia only too pleased to help make our trip a success. It was a delight to meet them all.
The support we got from District 9670 and all the clubs was superb, with a well planned programme vocationally, culturally, and socially.
Thank you to DG Michael McNamara, his team, and especially GSE chair Alan Moir for their hard work and support. Thank you to Rotary Foundation for making this exchange possible.
The Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray took 177 children, helpers and Rotarians for a day of fun and excitement to Wicksteed Park at Kettering on Wednesday 8 June. Our 115 children from Birch Wood Special School and the Grove School were part of the 2060 children from all parts of our Rotary District who enjoyed a great day with excellent weather.
We took three coaches and two minibuses, and provided everyone with a Kids Out tee shirt and packed lunches. We are grateful for a donation from Masterfoods towards the costs.
Many letters of appreciation were received from the children who participated.
Our President for 2004-05, Tony Rifugiato has strong links with Sicily; his father was born there. So, continuing a tradition of club visits to various countries, Tony and Kay organised a visit in June 2005 to Sicily for members and friends of the club. We flew to Palermo, and travelled around the island visiting many of the varied and magnificent historical and cultural sites. Below are some pictures from the visit.
| Cefalu: |  |
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| Taormina Greek-Roman amphitheatre: |  |
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| Piazza Armerina, Roman villa mosaics: |  |
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| Agrigento Temple of Concordia: |  |
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| Mothia: |  |
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| Marsala winery, meeting with Sicilian Rotarian: |  |
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| Palermo mosaics |  |
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| Palermo cathedral, and lunch! |  |
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| Monreale cathedral: |  |
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| Castellammare: |  |
Eight
village IT centres are now in full operation, with four more in various
stages of being set up. The one in Sogod visited during our club visit
at Easter 2004 is pictured above. John Dehnel visited a second project
in Sudlon, high in the mountains of central Cebu, in May 2005, and
together with Bernie and Acs handed over a batch of educational
software. We also visited the training centre in Cebu where the young
adults (approximately aged 18-25) who will run the centres about to be
opened are taught not only computer skills but a wide range of general
business skills, so that they can run the computer centres as
financially self-supporting activities.
On 24th September 2005 David Shepherd, the world-famous wildlife conservationist and artist, spoke about his life and experiences with large jungle animals, the RAF and the Royal Navy, and how it all came together in his current passion, the David Shepherd Wildlife Trust. The Trust raised over £5,500 from the sale of pictures, prints, memberships and other memorabilia, which together with the few hundred pounds raised from tickets and the raffle will all go to support endangered species worldwide.
.
The Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray is pleased to have been able to support such a worthwhile cause. We thank the Loughborough Grammar School for supporting us in hosting this event.
The two Rotary Clubs of Melton Mowbray held their first
contest in Melton on 29th September 2005. Modelled on the TV programme the X-factor, young pop singers from the area were invited to test their skills in front of a panel of Melton's pop music judges and an audience of 75 in the Sarson School.
What a great afternoon of pop music we had. 18 contestants entered, all hoping for the chance to make a professional recording of their music at Melton's Roar Recording Studios. The owner, Joe de Bie, had donated this as a first prize, to give the winner of Pop Potential their first step on the ladder to stardom. Joe was one of the three judges. Tony Rifugiato, the owner of Melton's music centre MelTone, and Lornette Ford, the vocal coach and professional singer joined Joe on the adjudication panel.
The 18 contestants each sang a song they had chosen, then "faced the music" as the three judges made comments about their performance. Without exception the judges were impressed with the abilities and with the courage of all 18 to put themselves forward for such an event. After much hard discussion 6 contestants were chosen for the final - it was to have been only five, but the choice was that hard.
All 6 then performed again, with much interest in the audience as to how much the contestants would have learned from the judges' comments after their first performances. The standard was again superb, and yet again the judges had a real problem to decide on a winner. After much debate, they chose the winner of Pop Potential - Melton Mowbray 2005 to be
Zoe Kirk
We look forward to this becoming an annual event - bring your friends next year!
Members of the club with their partners attended the District 1070 conference in Torquay over the weekend of the 30th September to 2nd October 2005. There were many excellent presentations illustrating projects that Rotary is running and supporting:
The Melton club also ran a display over the weekend of our work in the Philippines, showing some of the health, education, and livelihood problems we are trying to help overcome, with some of the success stories alongside.
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Editor's note: if anyone has any interesting, informative, or just plain embarrassing photos of the conference I'd be happy to add them to this story. John.
Next year's conference is in Eastbourne, from the 29 Sept to 1 Oct 2006. If any club members and partners wish to attend this conference please let Ben Abbott know as soon as possible.
Progress in setting
up a pilot Seaweed Project Discussions about the
potential seaweed project have begun in November 2005. David Collins
attended the latest
"seaweed congress" in the north of Bohol recently. The Rotary Club of
Tagbilaran will host the next one, in Tagbilaran. The major
practitioners of the seaweed industry in the Philippines have agreed to
work with RC Tagbilaran supporting the pilot project we propose to fund
there. David's report: "Baby and I went to the first
ever Seaweed congress held up on the north end of the island. We made
many good connections. We met Oscar A. Monzales , the Secretary General
of the Seaweed Industry, of the Philippines. We are arranging for a
first ever Rotary Sponsored Seaweed growing seminar to be held in
Panglao . I will let you know how it goes. Oscar said that the area
which I was hoping to use is ideal for seaweed growing and offered to
help us with the setting up of the cooperative for that purpose. As we
indicated before, it is not expensive to set up.Under $500.00 USD will
get us off the ground. There are other depressed
fishing villages on Panglao, and Bohol which could also benefit from
seaweed farming. We will try Doljo first then evaluate the results.
There are several other potential fishing villages along the coast to
be considered. According to Oscar, the seaweed industry is well
established on the north end of the island near Taliban, with good
potential near Ubay.. This is good news, because we now have a club up
there. RC Ubay was established during my term as President. We have a
good team on the ground up there and they want to get going with a
project. I think that seaweed seminar
and seedling materials would be a good project for the Ubay Club (down
the road of course). As usual , I want to try one first, to find out
the pluses and the pitfalls before spending more time and money." The
Bohol seaweed congress, November 2005
On 9th January 2006 the club heard a moving talk from Mike Bowden about organ donation. Mike urged all members to sign up to the NHS organ donor register, and to spread the message wherever possible.
Mike and his wife Veronica lost a son a few year ago whose life would have been prolonged, if not saved all together, had organs been available. This prompted them to do all they can to publicise and promote organ donation.
Should you wish to find out more or to sign up click on this link to see the NHS Organ Donor web site (in a new browser window).
The Melton Rotary Club's meeting on the 30th January 2006 was spellbound by the speaker for the evening, Nigel Macknight, who spoke about his ambition to recover the world water speed record for the UK. We heard of his childhood dreams, and how his focus and drive have led to a boat now being constructed at East Midlands Airport, with hopes to attempt the record in early 2007.
More information is available on the web site for the team: http://www.quicksilver-wsr.com/
The Melton Rotary Club's meeting on the 30th January 2006 also had the pleasure of the company of Anna Wieczorek, the incoming president of one of the Warsaw clubs, and her partner and child. She spoke about her club, the many projects they are involved in, and her hope to involve the Melton club in some of these, particularly in children's education in the poorer parts of Poland and the Ukraine.
A potential project between our two clubs was proposed early in the 2005-06 Rotary year, to assist in the redevelopment of Beslan. The status of this possibility is outlined in the attached Word document (use the usual club password to open it).
Anna's personal web site, with further information about her book publishing work is at: http://www.annawieczorek.pl/
The Rotary Club of Warsaw Sobieski was chartered on 4th February 2006. The President of the Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray, accompanied by Rotarian Geoff Theobald and their wives, attended on behalf of the Melton Rotary Club, as part of the support from the Melton club for the founding of the Sobieski club.
The programme of the event was as follows:
Some photos from the evening are below:
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At our club meeting on the 6th February 2006 we had a presentation from District International chairman, Chris Chew, on Hope and Homes for Children.
This is a charity which works with AIDS orphans in southern Africa, provides them with family homes, and works with children orphaned or abandoned by war. For more information please click here to see the Hope and Homes web site.
The Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray was pleased to present Chris with a cheque for £1,000 to support the appeal for funds which Rotary in Britain and Ireland will pass on to this worthwhile cause.
Appeal from District 3860 - January 2006
Leyte is an island about 250km x 50km, to the east of Cebu and Bohol. Guinsaugon, the devastated village, is on the south eastern corner of the island. Some of the rescue efforts are being directed from Cebu, the city we know so well, as the logistics are relatively easier from there and it is the major city in the region
It looks like about 1000 people will have perished, and innumerable other familes in the area will be missing husbands, wives, children and other loved ones.
22nd March 2006
Jun has e-mailed again to update us on the current situation in Leyte - which is not improving fast!
Dear John,
Despite all the publicity of donations pouring in, sadly they have not filtered down to the 3,000 evacuees in St. Bernard. It's now more than a month since the mudslide tragedy.
Gov Len is down in Southern Leyte with Rico right now to give money to the evacuees so they can have something to make up for their lost livelihood. Just talked to Gov Len a while ago and she says the 3,000 evacuees need cash for their food and daily needs. The government has done virtually nothing for them.
PE Rico Rentuza my club's incoming president who hails from the place is heading a medical mission to St. Bernard in Southern Leyte to attend to the health needs of the survivors.
An NGO called Project Athena named after the heroic municipal nurse who was doing her duty at the schoolhouse when the mountain collapsed on them, are looking after their daily needs, and they are short of cash.. The NGO is made up of professionals from St. Bernard working in Cebu with relatives in St. Bernard.
Gov Len is one heck of a Rotary governor. She drove her car all the way from Davao ( that's the southernmost point of Mindanao) with loads of goodies solicited from friends through the mountains and valleys of Central Mindanao, crossing the straights in Surigao by ferry to the southern tip of Leyte. Not only did she brave obstacles posed by nature- going through the Philippine version of Marlboro Country but she also went into no-mans land inhabited by Communist rebels, Muslim rebels and all sorts of bandits. For a lady, she's got more guts than most men. I hope Rico brought his videocam with him because that would be a great news item on local TV.
Thanks and regards JUN
22nd February 2006
A further e-mail from Jun, confirming the plans they have for helping to reconstruct the lives and livelihoods of those who have lost so many of their families:
Dear John,
11 villages have to be relocated. We are signing a letter of commitment with a housing NGO. They will take care of the shelter needs. We will focus on getting them started on farming and other livelihood so they can sustain themselves.
A schoolhouse and a hospital will have to be built.
My incoming president's aunt was an awardee of the outstanding Rural Nurse in the Region. A hero, she was leading the celebrations of Women's Month in the school house which had a day care center. She was doing a seminar for mothers on early child nutrition when the mountain fell on top of them. Her husband is a nuerosurgeon working in the Cebu City hospitals. We plan to have the hospital built in her memory and run by an NGO composed of doctors and medical professionals from Southern Leyte working in Cebu City.
Buried school was home to math wizards
First posted 02:09am (Mla time) Feb 20, 2006, by Volt Contreras, Inquirer
ST. BERNARD, Southern Leyte -- It was one of the town's best performing public schools, its pupils especially excelling in math competitions and academic exams. That was Guinsaugon Elementary School before it became a virtual tomb last Friday.
Three days after a massive landslide, the fate of pupils full of promise despite their poverty, and of teachers dedicated to their calling despite their meager pay, remained uncertain.
Earlier, rescuers retrieved the remains of Gloria Navos, the teacher-coach of the Grade III pupils that emerged as champions in last year's Math Challenge. She also mentored this year's team that won 3rd place in the same competition.
Team of wizards
Along with more than 50 bodies taken to a barangay hall now serving as a makeshift morgue, Navos was positively identified through her wedding ring, District Superintendent Erlinda Diaz said in an interview yesterday.
Presumed trapped in one of the four GES school buildings are Navos' 2006 team of Grade I math wizards, Aira Mae Solis, Jeffrey Coquilla and Marvin Berdon, according to Diaz, citing records of the annual contest among the 27 public elementary schools in St. Bernard. The Grade I pupils' victory was no fluke: Also this year, the GES teams from Grades II, III and V all placed 2nd in their respective categories, Diaz noted. The school has long built a sterling reputation with its classroom aces. Diaz said it ranked No. 2 in terms of the average scores posted by its pupils across all levels during the District Achievement Test last school year. If other major indicators are considered, like the Division and National tests, GES was ranked 3.5 overall that same year, she said. "It's never far behind when it comes to academics and teachers' performance," she said, noting that while Barangay Guinsaugon may be relatively poor compared to urban villages, she doesn't recall it having alarming cases of malnutrition or dropouts among its pupils.
'Idyllic spot'
The school official said GES pupils must have been "reviewing" for this year's division test scheduled on Feb. 24 covering the key subjects English, math, science and Makabayan when disaster struck. She believed the majority of the pupils finished with their morning recess and were inside their classrooms when portions of nearby Mt. Kan-Abag came tumbling down on the village at around 10:30 a.m. that fateful day. Official figures placed the number of GES students at 246. Diaz said the campus was already there, occupying its otherwise idyllic spot by a lush mountain, the day she first moved to St. Bernard in 1968. This means the villagers had never considered the school -- or their homes -- to be in a dangerous location, she noted. That was until Mt. Kan-Abag moved and bitterly snapped the winning streak of the school's fledgling math Olympians and budding topnotchers.
... and a second email, received from Jun Ferreros on 20th Feb:
Some geologists have also been warning the people in Southern Leyte about the fault lines in the area, particularly the people living in the town of St. Bernard. where the soil was said to be very rich, being of volcanic origin. There was a mild 2.0 earthquake preceding the slide.
Tonight hopes went very high when the radio reported that the Americans and the Taiwan rescue teams detected noises with their sophisticated sound devices where the school was buried. Unconfirmed reports say that there were 50 people that were alive underneath the 30 meters deep mud. The rescue is now focused on the school house. We are praying for some miracles. What they are recovering now are body parts.
The rains have not stopped. There is again a low pressure area that has been spotted in the vicinity of Leyte. Casualties included one British national who married a Filipina from Leyte and retired in St. Bernard. Cebu has a big migrant population of people from Southern Leyte . It is a major center for relief operations because the disaster area is closer to Cebu and more accessible by sea than Ormoc, its capital.
We are thankful for the help that the International community, particularly the US and Japan have been pouring in.
20th February 2006:
Following is a copy of an e-mail received from the District 3860 International / Foundation chairman, Jun Ferreros. District 3860 is the one which covers Cebu and Bohol. The District also covers the island of Leyte (to the north east of Cebu), where there are 5 Rotary Clubs.
Dear ......
My club's president elect, Rico Rentuza is from that town. His aunt is one of the teachers in the elementary school that was covered by the mountain and could not be found. He is in Leyte right now to do an assessment. He says that they have enough of the food, medicines, clothing, etc. and that it is the distribution system that is chaotic. What he would like us to do is to raise funds to focus on reconstruction and recovery for the surviviors and the evacuees from the 11 barangays in the future, particularly helping them get started with their livelihoods. That's also when media coverage and funds trickle to a halt as a result.
JUN
The following story is copied from Associated Press and the Yahoo web-site http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060219/ap_on_re_as/philippines_landslide_73
Philippine Rescue Teams Find More Bodies
GUINSAUGON, Philippines - Weary rescue teams recovered only bodies Sunday at a Philippine village engulfed by a landslide, fearful of sinking beneath the unstable mud and losing hope in the search for survivors.
No one has been found alive since Friday, when a mountain slope collapsed on the farming village of Guinsaugon. Nearly its entire population — 1,857 — was feared dead. Officials had said 57 survivors were pulled from the mud Friday, but on Sunday lowered the number to 20, without immediately providing an explanation. At least 72 bodies have been recovered — including 14 on Sunday.
Volunteers with two sniffer dogs digging around an entombed elementary school found no signs that any of the 250-300 children and teachers inside were alive. The hunt for survivors focused on the school because of unconfirmed reports some inside had sent text messages to loved ones. Teams were also digging around the site of the village hall, where about 300 people had been attending a women's conference. "The dogs smelled something. We started to dig, but there was nothing," said Ian Degamo, a rescuer digging with another 14 volunteers and the two dogs from the Red Cross.
About 32 U.S. Marines in combat pants and shirts helped with the digging. They were from U.S. military ships carrying 1,000 Marines who arrived at Leyte island in eastern Philippines, diverted from planned joint exercises to help with recovery efforts. Another 30 Marines, based in Okinawa, Japan, were at the site to assess relief needs.
Communist rebels who are active on Leyte warned U.S. troops not to stray into insurgent zones, but assured they would not attack unless provoked. The New People's Army rebels have been waging a Marxist rebellion since the late 1960s. "The NPAs, if they would not be provoked, would not take steps against them, especially in this time of calamity," said rebel spokesman Gregorio Rosal.
In Guinsaugon, police dogs arrived in the sunshine Sunday after days of constant rain that raised fears of more landslides and hampered efforts to rescue any survivors. Still, low clouds and thin mist suggested that rain could return. Rescue workers had been warned to tread carefully or risk becoming casualties themselves as the uneasy mud settled, 30 feet deep in some areas. With entire families wiped out, officials were talking about a mass burial for unclaimed bodies. The situation was so delicate that a no-fly zone was established over the area out of concern that blasts of air from the helicopters' rotors could send the mud oozing again in Guinsaugon, about 400 miles southeast of the capital, Manila.
Philippine Lt. Col. Raul Farnacio said searchers were focusing on the elementary school, where 240 to 300 students and at least six teachers were caught in the avalanche of mud. Rescue workers shouted and banged on boulders with stones in hopes that survivors would hear. There was only silence.
"All the efforts of our government continue and will not stop while there is hope to find survivors," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said. "The nation is grateful for the continued prayers and concern, help from our world allies. "Addressing residents' claims that illegal logging contributed to the tragedy, Arroyo said: "Let us link arms to preserve our environment and protect what remains of it for our next generation."
Survivors had trouble figuring out where houses once stood in the 100-acre stretch of mud. The area has been drenched by 27 inches of rain over the last two weeks.
A Taiwanese team of 32 rescue workers with heat-sensing equipment arrived to help, while in Geneva, the International Red Cross appealed for $1.5 million to buy temporary shelter materials and other emergency health and cooking items.
Many residents of the landslide area were evacuated last week because of the threat of landslides or flooding following heavy rains, but had started returning home when the days turned sunny.
In November 1991, about 6,000 people were killed on Leyte in floods and landslides triggered by a tropical storm. Another 133 people died in floods and mudslides there in December 2003.
The Melton Rotary Clubs' Young Musician of the Year Festival took place on the 4th February at the Melton Mowbray Baptist Church, Leicester Road. The audience was treated to a feast of good music across the age ranges, with all performers doing well.
Entrants each played two pieces of varied style, and of a length depending on their age group (Junior 4 minutes, Intermediate 6 minutes, and Senior 8 minutes). They were judged by expert adjudicator Aljich Jialich. The event finished with the announcement of the winners of the various sections, and the announcement that
Jessica Ibbotson is
Young Musician of the Year, Melton Mowbray, 2006
Winners and runners up will all be invited to take part in the Rotary District 1070 Young Musician Festival, with the semi-finals taking place on the 4th March (again at the Melton Baptist Church) and the final on the 7th May in the Melton Theatre.
The winners of the various sections of the Festival on the 4th February were as follows:
JUNIOR SOLO VOCAL (ages 6 to 10)
- Rebekkah North
- Olivia Platts
JUNIOR SOLO INSTRUMENTAL (ages 6 to 10)
- Oliver Dalby, Clarinet
- Joseph Steele, Violin
INTERMEDIATE SOLO VOCAL (ages 11 to 13)
- Stefan Gackowski
- Victoria Keep
INTERMEDIATE SOLO INSTRUMENTAL (ages 11 to 13)
- Sara Hall, Clarinet
- Ellie Slorach, Piano
SENIOR SOLO VOCAL (ages 14 to 17)
- Jessica Ibbotson
- Ria Turner
SENIOR SOLO INSTRUMENTAL (ages 14 to 17)
- Paul Mountford, Piano
- Steven Tinsley, Flute
JUNIOR ENSEMBLE (ages 6 to 10)
- Gaddesby School Recorder Trio - Oliver Dalby, Charlotte Davies & Joseph Steele
INTERMEDIATE ENSEMBLE (ages 11 to 13)
- Danielle Grange & Emily Fionda, Clarinets
SENIOR ENSEMBLE (ages 14 to 17)
- Erika Palmer, Gina Roy & Sara Hall, Clarinets
JUNIOR GROUP (ages 6 to 10)
- Rearsby School Band
- Gaddesby School Recorder Group
On 23rd February 2006 we held the annual(-ish) small bore rifle shooting competition between the Rotary Clubs of Melton Mowbray and Rutland.
The Melton club narrowly (!) held onto the trophy. John Dehnel shot the highest score - but was closely contested by Phil Bendal, Joe Carrington, Jim Green, and Tony Lord with only 3 points separating these four. The detailed results are in the attached spreadsheet.
Many thanks to the Holwell Rifle Club for their excellent hospitality. Also to David Ward for his great organisation of the event.
E-mail from Dave
Collins on 20th April 06. See the e-mail from David Collins
below: Dear John, Good news We received a check for P845,600.00 on Friday April 7,2006,
which is approximately $16,500.00 USD. This check will be deposited in
the new account opened at Metrobank Centro Tagbilaran #123-3-12336103-3
As in the past MG, we will be sending frequent reports, along
with photos. We can send the reports to all participating clubs, if you
wish or you can forward them, if that is your preference. Just send the
e-mail addresses. Our goal has not changed. We will deliver the final report one
year from today, if not sooner. It is not too early to offer to travel
to England to present the final report to the participating clubs, and
hopefully have an opportunity to present at your District Conference in
2007 at the same time. Can you tell us your plan to visit Bohol? As you know, you and
your entourage are welcome to stay with us while you are here. We will be organizing the seaweed farming Co-operative. after
Easter We will be start immediately to implement portions of the
Matching Grant. We want to thank you, your club and the other clubs for having
faith in our ability to deliver the project on time, and on budget.. We will be tracking expenses on Quicken, backed up by
receipts. Progress reports as before, via e-mail. Regards, Dave and Baby
The following article (courtesy of Geoff Beardsley) appeared in the Daily Mail, on Tuesday, April 25, 2006:
Thirst for giving the world safe drinking water
A hill overlooking Cromford, the Derbyshire village where, 200 years ago, Sir Richard Arkwright harnessed the water power of the River Derwent to change the way in which the world spun wool and cotton. The warehouse on the hill's crest is the property of a wholesale fruit and vegetable merchant. But his boxes and crates occupy only half the building. The rest is rented by a company called Aquabox.
On every -weekend morning several men, of an obviously professional appearance, labour in the warehouse yard. None of them is in the first flush of youth. Last Saturday, all the men were members of the Wirksworth Rotary Club. The Aquabox project - wholly dependent on the effort and energy of volunteers - is, in the words of the Club's mission statement, designed 'to promote humanitarian aid and safe drinking water wherever it is needed in the world'.
That hope is made reality by a scheme which Gordon McGlone - the managing director of a biscuit-making company and 'honorary general manager' of Aquabox - describes as 'absolutely simple, like all the best ideas'.
Plastic boxes, about the size of a baby's bath, are sent to 'emergency areas'. Each one contains a filter and enough purification tablets to make 1,000 litres of polluted water safe for human consumption - enough to provide a family of four with decent drinking water for five months. But that is only part of the ingenious basis of the Aquabox scheme. By the time the equipment arrives at its desperate destination, the boxes are packed with the essential items of everyday living that most of us take for granted, but much of the world lacks. Each Aquabox is sponsored - £50, including transport from and to the Cromford site. Sponsors are asked to fill the spaces above and around the purification equipment with items from what the Wirksworth Rotarians call 'the recommended packing list'. It includes 'buckets - strong plastic, rubber or canvas, safety pins, scissors, safety matches, candles and clothes-lines'. The accompanying instructions are efficiently specific. 'All boxes should be carefully filled to the lid. Agencies have advised against substantial quantities of clothing. Please use all the space.' All the boxes are checked on their return to the depot.
Last Saturday, one that was destined for Serbia lay open in the warehouse. It contained a dozen mugs, a baby's bottle and assorted knives and forks. On a nearby table, a cast-iron frying pan awaited transfer to another box. 'Too many of them,' said Gordon McGlone, 'and it becomes too heavy to carry.' Aquaboxes are loaded by hand. Pallets and fork-lift trucks could not fill every inch of space in the lorries. Down in the yard, they were being sealed ready for dispatch. Frank Lund (a retired chartered surveyor from Sheffield, who was the first 'general manager' of Aquabox) was pulling a trolley on which a dozen or so were loaded. Frank Lund is 87.
He attributes the success of Aquabox to the recruitment of volunteers who enjoy helping other people. It's that spirit that has enabled the organisers, during the 14 years of its existence, to send 65,000 Aquaboxes containing 65 Million litres of pure water and 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to emergencies all over the world.
The Wirksworth Rotarians talk of emergencies rather than disasters. Suffering goes on - day after day, year after year -throughout the world. But it does not always catch the headlines. Pure water is needed in places that are never mentioned on the front pages of newspapers in the developed world. Of course, the demand is greatest at times of crisis. Aquabox has a normal annual income of £350,000 to £400,000. In the year of the tsunami, the figure rocketed to more than £2.5 million.
Martin Beresford, a retired building services manager, was at the Aquabox warehouse every day during the weeks that followed the devastation. So was Martin Cruttenden, before his retirement a sales director of British Coal and then an industrial consultant. It is because of men like them that the project goes from strength to strength. It now ships out Aqua30, a combination of Aquaboxes which provides 30,000 litres of water to meet the needs of a whole drought-ravaged village.
But the most spectacular feature of the operation is the modesty of the volunteers whose labour makes it work. They are all desperately anxious to emphasise that Rotary Clubs from all over the region lend a hand from time to time, and that two Wirksworth churches have organised the packing of two million loose tablets into the water-purifying sachets.
There is a strong feeling at Aquabox that it is more blessed to give than to receive. In 1864, in a field about ten miles away from the hill above Cromford, John Hanning Speke - the explorer who identified the true Source of the Nile - died in a mysterious shooting accident. He was one of the men who opened up - Africa to English trade and English ideas. Aquabox is doing more than meeting a desperate need. For morning after morning, week after week, the volunteers from the Wirksworth Rotary Club demonstrate that Englishmen still believe they have an obligation to the countries which were once the Empire.
Four members of the Melton club visited Ferndown Rotary Club on the 3rd May 2006. Ferndown, just outside Bournemouth, is the club that John Bartholomew joined when he retired and left the Melton club. We had a fascinating speech from the firm that oversaw the redesign and rebuilding of Windsor Castle after the fire which devastated a large portion of the castle in 1992.
We took the opportunity to fly down to Bournemouth, helped by one of the Ferndown members Bill Field, who is a member of the Bournemouth Flying Club. He facilitated the reception at what is now a busy international airport. John Dehnel borrowed a plane from the Leicester Flying Club.
Together with Bob McCord, Marshall Pobjoy, and David Ward we flew initially to Oxford airport, where we stretched our legs with a leisurely walk along the nearby canal to a pleasant lunch outside a canal-side pub.
On the return flight we stopped at Wycombe Airpark, and joined 12 other members of our the club in a visit to see the HQ and work of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People- an RIBI charity for 2005-06. We arrived back at Leicester about 5pm - well in advance of those who'd had to drive up from High Wycombe!
On 5th June 2006, Assistant District Governor Chris Knight presented David Morris with a citation from the President of Rotary International, in recognition of the outstanding achievements of the club during David's year as President of the club
E-mail from Dave Collins on 6th June 06.
Dear John,
GOOD NEWS, The Dry toilet at Bantilino High School is nearing completion. We will be finishing this job shortly.. As soon as completed we will send more pictures.
Work on Windy Nook [one of the rural houses] is almost completed, but the owners have to do some finishing touches in order to call it a finished product.. They are however living in it.
We will be working on the kitchen in Doljo shortly.
Regards Dave and Baby
What follows is an email from David Collins, of the RC of Tagbilaran, on 12th June 2006:
Thanks to a Matching Grant from Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray of U.K. another environmentally friendly, odorless, composting dry toilet has been completed. This is the fourth dry toilet block to be completed at Bohol schools and replacing out-houses.
Batonilao High School, is located in the mountains northeast of Tagbilaran. With over 400 students sanitation, and lack of safe drinking water has been a continuing health concern of the Principal. Just in time for the start of the new school year, Senior Scouts from Bantilinao High made short work of painting the new facilities.
The original: 
Painting the new block: 
Finished: 
Inside: 
Construction has begun on a first of its kind, rain water collection and filtration system. This system is also being constructed for Bantilinao High School. With an annual rain fall of over 60 inches per year, there will be more then enough safe drinking water for all students for the entire school year, once the project is completed.
Regards, Dave Collins.
The
toilet block at
Batonilao school is now complete, and has been officially handed over
to the school on the 21st June 2006. Some pictures from the
hand-over: 
On 23rd June 2006 the club was delighted to present an evening of Olde Time Music Hall at the Melton Theatre. The star of the show was the superb entertainer Toni Stevens, who captivated our audience with a wonderful variety of songs and jokes.
Toni, a Rotarian (and currently President of her club, the Rotary Club of Morisset, New South Wales) was visiting the UK to see her family. She had emigrated to Australia 37 years ago and has become a highly successful star of stage and screen down under. She met one of our club members, John Dehnel, when he was visiting New South Wales a year or so ago, and this resulted in an invitation to Toni to assist in raising some funds for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.
John Hurton compered the evening, which opened with Rif's Jazz Band - Brian Humpherson on Piano, Dave Partridge on Bass, Don Blakeson on Trumpet, Tony Rifugiato on Drums, Judy Nichol on Tenor Sax, and Stuart Braithwaite on Trombone. The second half was started memorably by Kate Bale with "Songs From The Shows".
Well over £2,000 was presented to Marie Curie at the end of the evening, mainly money raised over the year by the Melton Mowbray Ladies in Rotary, but complemented by the several hundred pounds raised through ticket sales for the Music Hall, sales of CD's of Toni Steven's music, and generous donations by the audience as they left the theatre.
The Rotary Club and Marie Curie Cancer Care are very grateful to Toni for contributing her time to such an enjoyable evening's entertainment, which also will help to do so much good in the community.
With the support of the Melton, Rutland and Harborough PCT, a
container full of older hospital equipment surplus to needs following
the opening of the new Melton Mowbray Hospital left Melton Mowbray on
the 20th June, on route to the Philippines to re-equip a hospital
destroyed by the horrendous mud
slide in Leyte in February. This equipment sent includes: We also shipped 18 computers complete with screens, keyboards
and so on, courtesy of Stapleford Park hotel, and about 35 kg of
educational software, donated by club members, local businesses, and
the King Edward VII School. And to complete the load, we've sent 21 bicycles, for use by
the mothers group supporting the UK sisters program in the North
Reclamation Area. See Jun Ferreros' note below. Thanks to Sasha and Tony Lord of PP Removals for collecting
the equipment from the hospital, and for storing for it for several
weeks. Thanks also to the K-line shipping company which has given us a
substantial discount on the shipping; the Rotary club is paying the
approximately £900 balance. Some pictures of the loading:
Hi John, We intend to donate the hospital equipment to the rural health
unit of St. Bernard in Southern Leyte, where the landslide occurred and
where 3,000 evacuees are living under sub-human conditions. With your
equipment we will be able to put up field hospitals at the evacuation
centers. The rest will be going to the nearest hospital which is about
an hour's drive from St. Bernard. Its only 2 hours by fastcraft and
another 4 hours by land from Cebu. Of the 22 survivors who were pulled out of the mud, 3 have
already died for lack of proper medical attention. Small pox has broken
out in the camps. Despite all the publicity about millions of dollars worth of
aid received, the evacuees are all asking where the aid went to. So far
the local government has given out P 6 million worth of aid that went
into shelters, medicine and food for the survivors and the evacuees-
that's about P 22 (US$ 0.42) per capita per day since March 2006. Diet
is rice and canned goods and noodles. Rice is rationed out at 10 kilos
per family every 2 weeks. The [Rotary] district has been sending out medical missions
and humanitarian missions regularly. District Governor Len Magno was
among the first Rotarians to visit the area, driving all the way from
Davao. She's going there again this weekend. Attached are some pictures
of our club's recent mission last May 20-22. The bicycles will be very useful for the mothers group
supporting the UK sisters program in the North Reclamation Area. We are
conducting non-formal education and feeding programs to about 1,200
children in 10 locations throughout the Port Area and the slums in the
reclamation area. Some of the bikes will be converted into tricycles
for hauling people and goods in the area which are not part of the
regular jeepney routes. This will provide some livelihood for the
unemployed youth. The educational software we intend to share with Bernie [at
the Rotary Club of Cebu Capitol North] and the learning centers run by
the sisters where we have set up hole in the wall computer centers for
the out of school youth using the second hand computers we received
from Japan. Do you have some educational software for early childhood
education? [Yes we do - it's being sent]. Thanks and regards. JUN 
In partnership with the Melton Highways Development Forum (chairman Peter Roffey, pictured below in the second picture), we are proud to have helped with another step in the modernisation of the town centre. On 13th July 2006 the Rotary Club of Melton Mowbray presented two magnificent benches to the town, to complete the refurbishment of High Street. These are in commemoration of the centenary of Rotary Service above Self, and are the culmination of a project started by the then President of Melton Mowbray Rotary Club, Tony Rifugiato. Also sharing the bench in the last photo with Tony (at the right) are the current President Ben Abbott and immediate past President David Morris.
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The equipment we shipped to the Philippines has arrived and been distributed. The following e-mail from Jun Fererros, the Philippines District Foundation Chairman explains all:
The hospital equipment that Southern Leyte needed were shipped on August 14 on the boat bound for Bato, Southern Leyte. It was the last trip of Samar Star, the only shipping line that called on that port before the boat was drydocked.
The rest were distributed to Cordova, a 5th class municipality that didn't have a hospital at all. The town had a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, if not the highest among Metro Cebu towns for lack of properly equipped maternity clinics. With the equipment the town was able to upgrade its barangay health clinics and improve its capabilities for maternal and child health care.
We were also able to upgrade and expand the clinic for the elderly run by the nuns from UK with the rehab equipment that you shipped.
We are still completing the testing and repairs of the computers before we dispatch them, although 5 units have already been delivered to the Non Formal Learning Center run by the nuns in the Port Area where we have set up " Hole in the Wall" computer learning centers for the education of the street children. Many of these kids who are in their early teens have not had a chance to step into formal classrooms because of the lack of birth certificates, a basic requirement for enrollment in public schools.
Except for some minor problems, all of the equipment and goods received were in good order. I was present when the container was opened and unloaded at the warehouse. I brought the 3 boxes containing the software with me to personally check their contents at home that very day.
All in all the beneficiaries were all very happy to have received their goods and have asked me to thank you for it. Everybody went crazy over the bikes and I had to allocate them. Priority went to the mothers who were in charge of the feeding program so they could move around. They are feeding 1,300 kids daily in 10 locations in the Port Area.
Once again thank you for your help. JUN
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Please find below a letter of thanks and a report on current activities from Hope and Homes for Children. To remind you, we as a club donated £1000 to this charity last year.
Dear John, Below is a progress report on Matching Grant 58632: You will be surprised when you see what you guys have
accomplished, when you visit our little island on your planned visit
[in January 2007]. In conclusion, the two most time consuming and difficult
portions of your Matching grant have been completed, Composting CR and
Water collection system. You can expect the balance of the MG to be
completed on time and within budget. Regards, Dave and Baby.
We have received (3rd Sept 06) the following emails and
pictures from District 3860 in the Philippines, recording the arrival
and thanks for the hospital and computing equipment and the bikes
donated by our club: The annual Governor's Visit to RC Mandaue East last August 24,
2006 was unique. He held our club assembly at the project site in
Cordova Island where we had DG Fernando Almeda Jr. witness the signing
of the Deed of Donation. Pictures: 1:From left to right Cordova Mayor Arleigh Sitoy,
Club President Rico Rentuza, Dr. Cristopher Calimbas Cordova Health
Officer, DG Fernando Almeda Jr.. At the back are the members of the
club and the district officers accompanying the governor. Pictures 2
& 3 show the group inspecting the goods at the Municipal Health
Office. SSHJM or the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
are conducting community based Programs for the Poor Families in Cebu
City's depressed areas. The program consists of Non Formal Education
for street children and working children, Educational Assistance to
keep children in school - it takes only US$ 25 a year to keep a child
in a public school, livelihood training and assistance for families
with a family income of less than US$ 2 a day,Weekly medical clinics
for those who have no access to medical care, PT/OT for the elderly and
the diasbled. The biggest program is the daily feeding 1,300 of the
slum children, which is an incentive for them to attend classes. 95% of
the kids were found malnourished and underweight when the program
started, now the underweight rate hovers at around 35-40%. For every
child taken out of the program because of his attainment of the desired
weight levels, around 3 kids would take his or her place. Some computers were donated to expand the "Hole in The Wall
Computer Center set up for the non- formal learning of the street
children, the bikes went to the mothers preparing the food for the
feeding program so they could be mobile in serving the 10 sites where
the non formal learning and the feeding were being conducted, some beds
and the rehab equipment were also donated to them so they could expand
the PT/OTclinics servicing the elderly and the disabled. Pictures: 1 a- At the center beside President Rico is Sister
Maria Holly who is the coordinator of the Child Protection Program of
the Mission. She hails from London. Picture 1 b and 1 c show the
software being delivered. There are only 4 nuns from the UK working on
the program. Once again, please thank the members of RC Melton Mowbray for
their gifts which will go a long way in helping the kids and their
families survive the misery of poverty. The gifts have given them hope.
And to you John thank you for leading the way . JUN
We have received (12th September 2006) the following emails
and pictures from David Collins, reporting on the progress on spending
our matching grant providing education and livelihood support on Bohol. The new Kitchen for the rebuilt Doljo Elementary School, Home
Economics Building, is moving along nicely. Attached are some pictures
of the progress. New Stainless Steel top, glass backsplash, electric
ignition range , by Whirlpool. New very high efficiency Panasonic
Refrigerator. It has an EER 252. This is the highest energy efficiency
rating (EER) we have seen in the Philippines. Initial purchase of
kitchenware so that Mrs. Lepon can begin classes this week. Mrs. Lepon, is not only a great teacher, but she is an
excellent chef. She is so very thankful for the kitchen, and cannot
wait to start teaching the students the art of cooking. She has much to
share, in the line of cooking with the students. To my knowledge, this
is the only elementary school in the country with a fully equipped Home
Economic training center. The appliances are the latest design and were
just received by BQ last week. The kitchen will be completed shortly. We hope that you will happy with your investment, when you
arrive here in January We have already installed the solid steel doors
and window grates, to protect your investment. The Range exhaust hood
has also been installed, to remove heat and smoke during cooking. We
are currently installing electrical outlets in the kitchen. The Kitchen
will be utilized on the weekends to train disadvantaged women and out
of school youth, commercial cooking classes. Regards, Dave and Baby Collins RC Tagbilaran
We have received, September 2006, the following email
from Jun
Ferreros, Foundation grants chairman in District 3860, acknowledging
our donation of the hospital equipment from the War Memorial hospital
and with a little news about where it has gone. Hi John, Over the past 2 weeks we have been been honored by the victims
and evacuees affected by the landslide victims in Southern Leyte.
Rotary has been the top of mind recall among all organizations helping
the victims recover from the tragedy. Attached is a plaque we received on your behalf. With the
hospital equipment, we were able to establish the Barangay Clinics in 8
o
