A message from our President, Colin Nicholls.
Nine months into my Presidency – not done yet, but I’ve kind of settled into the job! I was assured I would enjoy it, sales talk I thought, but yes, they were quite right.
It’s a bit premature to do a review of my year, but so far I can recall only two significant disappointments.
The first was, of course, the departure of An Coppens. We never like to lose any member, but An was very special. She did a huge amount for Rotary, at District as well as club level, worked enthusiastically on Youth Projects, and was such a dynamic person in our club. On top of that she was our only lady member – welcome Celine to address this particular issue – we really must continue to work on our gender balance! Lastly, but for me, not least, she was my Vice President. Thanks to Harry for accepting that position, and we look forward to next year under his direction.
The second disappointment for me was the fundraising performance by my choral society of Handel’s Messiah. In my 26 years as conductor, the annual performance has never failed to make a profit of several thousand euros for charity. This year had to be the exception with iced-up roads and slippery pavements keeping the audience at home. The club, and Aodh Burke, in particular, put their backs into advertising, all to little avail as it turned out. Rotary did get some useful publicity out of it, so I suppose all was not lost.
On a more positive note, our other club ventures have gone ahead as successfully as ever, for example the Remembrance Tree, Pantomime, Friendship Night, Presidents Night with the 85th Anniversary Book and Youth Leadership. These have been led by individuals in the club, but supported by the membership as a whole. I could mention a list of names to thank, but what is so encouraging and such a healthy sign, is the way in which all our members are so prepared to help, whenever or in whatever way they can.
There is no harm in taking pride in the work we do, but this is not to suggest we can be complacent or self-congratulatory. We all believe in the value of Rotary’s work locally and internationally. The economic climate makes our work even more necessary, yet more difficult to achieve, as we ourselves face the challenges of recession in our lives and our businesses. We seem to have manageable and ongoing projects that are effective, but this is not to say we should not consider additional ventures. The Just One Life (Road Safety) is one such project, and well done to Chris and Damien for instigating the debut of this.
The word ‘Club’ in our title has been criticised. It’s a term that perhaps has assumed different connotations in recent years – suggesting an inward looking, insular, exclusive and self-
interested kind of group. If that is the perception
outsiders have of us, it is clearly a misconception that we need to dispel. We
are a ‘club’ in the sense of enjoying each other’s company fellowship, but
always open and welcoming. Indeed several new members have joined us after getting
to know us as guests at our meetings, or through becoming involved in our
community projects.
Which brings me to my final point. We all know that we could do even greater work and more easily with a larger membership. Do invite friends and colleagues to our meetings- perhaps when we have a speaker that would particularly interest them, or just to a regular meeting – either way they will get the ‘vibes’ of who we are and what we are at. And don’t forget the ladies!
Thank you all for your enormous support for myself and the club. It is much appreciated.
Colin
2011 Rotary Conference District 1160 - Limerick
District Governor Elect's Message
The District Conference is a key event in Rotary District 1160's annual
calendar and the 2011 conference team in Limerick are developing a programme
that will provide a meaningful and memorable experience for all Rotarians and
visitors and that will provide great value for money. The conference is being
hosted by Limerick Thomond and Limerick Shannon Rotary clubs and we are
honoured to be able to host you in the historic, diverse and creative City of
Limerick.
As we will be celebrating the centenary of Rotary in Ireland from February 2011, we have chosen Rotary, The Next 100 Years - A Life in the Service of Others as a working conference theme. This theme is inspired by the statement attributed to Albert Einstein that "only a life lived for others is worth living." The conference will showcase the work done at home and abroad by Rotary clubs in our District and we will also celebrate the centenary of the Rotary Clubs of Dublin and Belfast. High profile speakers will also be present to celebrate and put in context the work that we do as Rotarians.
I am indebted to our joint conference chairmen Pat Kearney of the Rotary club of Limerick Thomond and Thomas Hardy of the Rotary club of Limerick Shannon and our committee for their work and commitment to produce a memorable conference. I wish you all safe travels on route to District Conference 2011 and I look forward to greeting you in Limerick September 2011.
P.
G. Callaghan (Barney)
District Governor Elect
District 1160 (Ireland)
Japanese authorities request ShelterBoxes for the north
Local government authorities
in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture have requested 500 ShelterBoxes to provide
emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families who lost their homes in
last week’s tsunami.
The request came via the local Rotary district and is initially for 100 ShelterBoxes for each of the following five cities: Miyako, Yamadamachi, Kamaishi, Rikuzentakata and Ofunato.
The ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) operating in the country are working in cooperation with the British Embassy, British military personnel and the US military to overcome the logistical challenges they are facing.
It is a seven-hour journey by road from Tokyo to the Iwate Prefecture and with fuel shortages, heavy snow, freezing temperatures and the ongoing nuclear situation there are a range of obstacles to overcome in order to ensure aid reaches the families who need it most.
‘Every disaster is different but this one is certainly posing a unique set of circumstances for us to deal with,’ said SRT member and ShelterBox International Director Lasse Petersen who has been in Japan since last Saturday. ‘We mobilised on day one because we knew there would be a need for the provision of emergency shelter. The specific needs request means we can now begin our distribution and we continue to be ready to respond in whatever capacity is required from us.’
The latest reports from Japan say the official death toll is now 6,405 with thousands more missing. More than 400,000 people are in temporary shelters including community centres and schools. Many of these have already become overcrowded and are not the long term solution to Japan’s emergency shelter needs
‘In the Iwate Prefecture alone close to 50,000 people are in temporary shelter, more the 10,000 are isolated and 4,000 are missing,’ added ShelterBox Head of Operations John Leach.
‘We have close to 1,000 ShelterBoxes either in Japan or on their way and another 5,000 ready to move. The Japanese government is now focusing on getting assistance to the people sheltering in evacuation centres. The freezing temperatures, damaged infrastructure and severe lack of fuel are all concerns but we are confident of overcoming these barriers and getting aid to people who are in desperate need.’
The earthquake which struck Japan last week and triggered the subsequent tsunami was initially recorded as 8.9 in magnitude but was later upgraded to 9.0. An earthquake of this magnitude is, globally, a one in twenty year event. It caused a sudden vertical motion of the seafloor, displacing a huge mass of seawater which caused the tsunami to form. When the tsunami reached Japan’s coast, the waves were 10 to 15m high and travelling at speeds of around 500 km per hour.
Experts ShelterBox has spoken to say that, while it is impossible to predict earthquakes, they cannot rule out the possibility of another earthquake above 8.0 in magnitude striking off Japan’s east coast in the near future.
A New Members thoughts on joining Rotary
Rotary is a world waiting to embrace you into its warm humanity. In today's busy world where the need to be in touch with our greatest gift - the willingness to help others - may be wearing a little thin, Rotary is waiting to help. Here within its warm confines, a sense of fellowship is nurtured so the troops are ever ready to be of service to those in need and like any good army policy, are well fed and watered into the bargain.
Just a few short months ago, I received a kindly worded invitation from Tom Woodward's company to a Rotary evening of meet, greet and eat. Out of curiosity and a wish to meet and eat, I went along to the Metropole hotel in Cork.. Standing inside the door I
felt a little daunted but someone immediately put
me at ease and invited me to meet some members and grab some food. It wasn't
long before I caught the flavour (pardon the pun) of the group -
friendly and genuine. ( Training as a counsellor and mediator has taught me
to size up a group pretty quickly or so I like to think!)
What struck me the most, was the preparation that had gone into the evening
- the video playing on a wide screen soon showed me the kind of projects
locally and worldwide that Rotary engages with. I was duly impressed and
felt an instant urge to want to join in.
An invitation to return the following Monday was given by the President and I duly turned up to another free meal. (My pleas to pay were turned down -belated thanks). I had some pretty interesting conversations at the 'top' table, though at this point I can't really remember what we talked about.
The prospect of becoming the only female member was a little daunting, though I tried not to show it. The prospect of joining was put to me again and I duly turned up for the next several Mondays at 6pm. After several more meals and many interesting conversations and exchanges later and a few minerals at the club's appointed after-refreshments-sojourn, the evening came when I was accepted. It was an honour to be inducted into such a well run behind-the scenes organisation of humanity's needs.
Some insight into the work of Rotary was brought home by the number of speakers who have presented their work in the hope of Rotary support.
Since Christmas I've had the opportunity to see another aspect of Rotary's work up close -helping out with the fundraising Tree of Remembrance, the Friendship night at the City Hall for Cork's Senior Citizens, more meals and conversations at the President's Ball, the Glanmire's President's Ball and a lunch with the Glanmire club for Pat Cox. A few weeks from now I will travel to Dublin for the Rotary international of Great Britain and Ireland convention, where I hope to learn a little more about the workings of Rotary in the UK and beyond.
As a result of the recent disaster in Japan, the international tone of Rotary is emphasised with the immediate and well organised 'ShelterBox' intervention.
The road of human need is well travelled to Rotary's door, which is always open and those within gladly give of their time and effort. It's my honour to serve from within that door.
ShelterBox aid en-route to New Zealand
On 22 February a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch causing significant loss of life, casualties and damage to infrastructure.
Police search for survivors in the CTV building on Madras
Street, Christchurch.
A ShelterBox Response Team was soon at the scene and has been
working with local authorities today to assess the need for emergency shelter
and equipment.
ShelterBox New Zealand Director, Lindsay Thorburn, was having
lunch on the outskirts of Christchurch when the earthquake struck. He says he
was ‘lucky’ to be out of the city centre. ‘I was in the café about 2kms out of
the town centre when the quake hit. It was horrific, plates of food cups of
coffee smashing and flying all around me. People cut and bleeding everywhere,
luckily I was not one of them. For the next 5 hours I helped those who were in
most need.
‘After the quake I stayed with a friend in Christchurch. His house was one of
the lucky ones to survive the tremors but the inside has been trashed. I found
him and his family just sitting amongst their broken furniture, glasses, TV's,
computers and other house hold items too dazed to know where to start or what
to do first. People are just in absolute shock.
‘All day I’ve seen people crying outside their homes too frightened to re-enter
with a look of devastation on their faces. The roads were in gridlock and no
public transport was operating so people were walking home dazed and confused.
‘The aftershocks are still coming thick and fast and I really feel for all
those still caught up in the rubble without water or power. I feel fortunate to
be unscathed and to have been able to make it out of Christchurch alive.’
ShelterBox responds - 120 ShelterBoxes from Australia have arrive in New Zealand and a further 200 tents are being air-freighted from the UK.
John leach, Head of Operations at ShelterBox, said: ‘It’s difficult during the early stages of a disaster such as an earthquake to fully assess the need for our aid. The Christchurch quake has caused extensive damage to the area’s buildings and infrastructure so we are preparing to respond with whatever the authorities require.
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A hectic week at the Rombo Project in Eastern Kenya on the Tanzania border This years Rotary Club of Belfast's International Chair Ken Morrison, as part of his research into projects, which the Belfast club had supported in the past contacted Rombo and started an investigation of how the Belfast Club could best help. During the discussions, it became apparent that as well as much need funds, practical help would be most welcome, especially as Gilly, Ken's wife was a senior nursing sister, and Ken was a consultant engineer. Helping others practically was something Ken and Gilly had always wanted to do; this combined with the ability to revisit Kenya, where the couple had holidayed when Ken was the senior engineer with British Oxygen in Nigeria, made even more appeal. President Brian Clements as part of his presidential donations, allocated £500 from the Belfast club funds to buy supplies for the Rombo project, and Ken and Gilly booked their trip of a lifetime. The £500 was spent buying much needed timber in Nairobi to complete some of the buildings in the village. Gilly had to repack their meagre luggage at the last minute, due to some much-needed medical supplies a donation from Rotarians in Limerick. This text message was received as the couple finished their hectic week at the Rombo Project in Eastern Kenya on the Tanzania border Finally arrived in Tanzania after a long and very exciting mini taxi and bus trip that started at 5am. Hotel is quaint African but appears a dream Hilton after the meagre accommodation we have had for last 2 weeks due to the Volunteers house not yet ready. We have had fascinating time learning about the Maasai people. We have visited clinics, a hospital, given talks at a number of schools, long trek in the bush to visit an indigenous Maasai village and worked at a number of projects (i.e. dug many wells!) Made some great friends amongst the people of Rombo and some good sessions in the Tsunami Pub - Which is very different from our local in Balloo. |
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Rotary Club celebrates a century of life in Dublin The book 'First in Service' by rotarian Tony Keegan is the tale of a city as seen through the eyes of its business people and traders. A tale of those who survived and even thrived through two world wars, an insurrection in their own city, a war of independence and a civil war. Dublin in the rare aul' times it may not have always been, but it was a city of interesting times as its business community worked and lived their way through a vastly changing political and economic landscape. It's a story that has now been told in a new book 'First in Service' to mark the centenary of Europe's first Rotary Club, which was founded in the capital in 1911. The Dublin club is part of a worldwide organisation formed in Chicago in 1905, in which businessmen and women raised funds to help communities at home and abroad. When the organising secretary of the Dublin club arrived in the capital in January 1911, he did so to a city of both crushing poverty and increasing middle-class wealth with thousands living in one room tenements. A lucky 3,000 of its citizens worked in the civil and public service while the vast majority remained unemployed, most of the country's 5,058 cars were garaged in the city while jaunting cars remained the prevalent form of transport until well after World War I. Rotary club member Alfred Fannin, the managing director of Fannin's Medical Supply company of Grafton Street, was playing golf in Greystones on that Easter Sunday morning. As he was taking lunch after playing nine holes, he learned Dublin had been cut off and that Sinn Fein was "causing some trouble in the city". "His attitude to this news can be gauged from the fact that he played another nine holes with his cousin Edwin Booth and his wife, Edith, before driving back safely to his home at 32 Herbert Park," the book recounts. In 1961 former Taoiseach Sean Lemass marked the club's golden jubilee by commenting that some of those present might be alive to celebrate Dublin Rotary's first centenary. Rotarian Alan King (79) from Rathgar proved Mr Lemass right as he joined other Rotarians yesterday to mark the book launch. "I remember being there at the golden jubilee
but I don't remember him (Mr Lemass) saying that," joked Mr King, who
joined the Dublin club in 1959.
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Youngest Member
Mr Joe Woodward & Miss Mary Halpin at the Cork Rotary Club annual dinner dance
Joe Woodward is a member of Rotary for 50 years and the club will mark the occasion later in the year
Rotary launches fund for long term
Japan rebuild
Rotary International has launched a fund which aims to help the long-term rebuilding needs of earthquake hit Japan. The Rotary Japan and Pacific Islands 2011 Disaster Recovery Fund will be used for sustainable projects such as schools and hospitals.
The tremor and following tsunami have taken hundreds of lives and crushed communities. Currently, Rotary emergency response projects, including ShelterBox and Water Survival Box, are on site to assess the damage and provide immediate support in the form of shelter and clean water to the survivors.
For the public
Donations are much appreciated by the public to the Rotary Japan and Pacific
Islands 2011 Disaster Recovery Fund. These can be made either by sending a
cheque and using this donation form or donating
online.
For Rotarians
The
Rotary Foundation Chairman, Carl Stenhammer, and the TRF
Trustees, have decided:
This fund will accept cash contributions, online donations and DDF donations.
There will not be Paul Harris Fellow recognition for donations to the fund.
Matching Grants and Global Grants related to disaster recovery in Japan and
other Pacific island nations must adhere to the policies and guidelines
stipulated in the TRF Code of Policies and grant terms and conditions; this
includes the restrictions on construction.
The TRF Trustees will waive the minimum percentage of funding requirement of
the international (overseas) sponsors for Matching Grants related to these
disaster recovery projects, thereby permitting districts in the affected areas
to contribute more than 50% of the total DDF and/or cash designated for the
grant project.
There will be a request made to the general secretary to provide a
recommendation for consideration at the April 2011 Trustees meeting with regard
to how the disaster recovery fund will be utilised among the affected
districts, eg even percentage split, weighted percentage split, first
come/first served, etc.
There will be an extension of the 2011/12 Matching Grants application deadline
to 30 April 2011 for grants related to these disaster recovery projects.
For more information regarding this fund, please contact Harvey Newcomb from The Rotary Foundation
Programme
Rotary Friendship Night 2011
Our Friendship
Evening was held on 8th February this year. If our
guests comments are anything to go by then it was a great success.
This year we increased our invites to 410 of which an estimated 350/360
attended. St Johns Ambulance was also there, just in case!!!Fortunately they
had an easy night of it and all our guests left in good shape. Maybe some of
them too good, but that's another story.
As usual the Army were very supportive. They really are the backbone of
the evening. They delivered and erected the tables so all that we had to
do was arrange them it some sort of order that we could agree on, easier said
than done of course.
The First Southern Command Band were great and kept us all entertained
for about 90 minutes or so while tea and sandwiches were served. This was
followed by more tea, followed by more tea, followed by more tea, followed
by cakes and yes, you guessed it, more tea.
Con Twomey on the keyboard and Gerry McGlaughlan as MC then kept the show
on the road for a while and somehow managed to distribute the spots in a not so
orderly fashion.
Beware, these people are focused. They really, really want their spots.
You have to be careful to remove your hand before they actually grab them
from you. Otherwise it would be next day, at least, before they find your hand
still attached to that hamper or box of chocolates or whatever they won. Do
that 7 or 8 times and you soon run out of hands.
One of my favourite parts of the evening is the ballroom dancing. Thanks
to Rhona Coulter of Veva Dance Studio for this. You can see they pulled out all
the stops. The ladies looked beautiful in their lovely gowns and they were
so graceful as they waltzed around the floor. Of course the men were good too
but for some reason its the ladies held my attention.
Did anyone notice the chatter around the hall while things were going on?
There was no respectful silence for the band, it was far more important to
renew old acquaintances, and rightly so, it is their night after all. Club
Presidents and even Lord Mayors, past and present, learned long ago that it was
a waste of time trying to say a few words. Who cares, our guests had more
important things on their minds. Even Bishops are relegated to second
place behind the friendly and excited chatter.
Things changed during the dancing though. Did anyone notice that? You
could hear a pin drop. Everyone was remembering their first dance, their first
ball, maybe even the first date with their spouse of 50 plus years. This was a
moment for friends past, memories of bygone days had the cobwebs brushed off
and dusted down, relived for those few moments. That was the magic of the
night for me. The look on their faces as they were young again.
That's the WOW factor, to be able to do that for someone.
Fun and games took over again with Rhona's version of line dancing. Our
guests put us to shame there, as usual, they were up and dancing
while us Rotarians looked on in awe. Fair dues to them. Probably a few sore
joints next morning but so what, life is for the living and tomorrow is another
day. Now is to be enjoyed.
And fun is what it was all about. Just look at our web page, a special thanks
to Brian Irwin, who enthusiastically interrupted his study for us, and took
some great photos. So many happy people and its all thanks to us. Well done
everybody.
Thanks to all the Cork Rotary Clubs. I think this was the first year
all four of us were involved and that's probably why this was also the
best, so far anyway. Hopefully those that took part this year for the
first time will have caught the bug and are already looking forward to next
year.
Of course I must mention the regular helpers. You know who
I mean. Those who year after year pull the whole thing together. A special
thanks to you all. The hard work is greatly appreciated. You can see what I
mean.
The nice thing is that tickets are more and more in demand each year. The
strange thing is that as the evening gets bigger and more popular it also seems
to be getting easier to organise. No one needs to be asked twice anymore.
Everyone just knows what to do next. It's great.
Anyway to finish with a special thanks to one and all. We needed
everybody's input and we got it, again.
As always, the more I put in the more I got out of it.
Hopefully you felt the same and, like me, you are also looking forward to
next year.
See you in
February 2012.
Regards and thanks,
Harry.
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The Army Band |
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President Colin and guest |
Some of our guests |
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Friendship night 2011 |
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Ted & Ellie Murray, Maureen & Luke Philpott |
The dancers |
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Dossers !
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Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress with guests |
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The Helpers |
Job Done & still talking! |
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The tea boy ! |
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Remembrance Tree 2010 |
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The idea was born in early December 2003 and has gone from strength to strength. It offers people a very simple yet dignified and poignant way to remember their loved ones in the midst of the Christmas rush. The Rotary Tree of Remembrance is now an integral part of the Cork city Christmas streetscape.
We have raised over €175,000 so far for local charities including Cope Foundation, Marymount Hospice, Childrens Leukaemia Ward Mercy Hospital, ARC Cancer Support, Alzheimers Society Cork, Lavanagh Centre/Enable Ireland, and many more. The support for the Tree of Remembrance has grown substantially. It is very humbling to see so many people write messages to family and friends who are no longer with us or abroad.
Tom Woodward, the project founder and ceo said that ‘It is a wonderful sight to see: people of all ages and nationalities coming up to the tree, writing their messages and supporting worthy charities. Each ribbon on the tree has a sadness behind it and we have been privileged to hear some of the stories behind the messages. It makes you feel that you are making a difference”
The handover was originally to be in the new Marymount Hospice in Curraheen but as the handover is delayed we will now present cheques at one of our normal meetings. Tom Woodward & Ger Kilcommons of Bishopstown Rotary club were presented with a ‘Special Achievement’ award at the Shine Ball in recognition of the success of the project.
We had a lovely ceremony in St Peter & Pauls where the ribbons were laid along the altar steps and prayed over by Fr Pat McCarthy and our own Canon George Salter.
On a national scale, over one third of clubs in the district ran a Remembrance Tree in 2010 and over €1.3 million has been raised to date. A great start from humble beginnings. Well over half of the clubs in Ireland are planning to have a Remembrance Tree in 2011 and Tom has been appointed as national co-ordinator.
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Remembrance Tree 2010 |
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The official opening with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress |
Snow, snow and more snow ! |
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John Brown on stapling duty |
Busy Busy |
The pink ribbon appears |
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The early morning gang ! |
Filling up |
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Ribbons in St Peter & Pauls |
The launch with the charities |
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Presidents Ball 2011 |
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President Colin and Angela |
Presidential leadership ! |
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Amigos para seimpre |
Guest speaker Fergus Finlay |
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Dats magic boy ! |
All happy here |
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The Girls |
All smiles |
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Are You Free on 2nd April?
Could You Swim Just 20 Lengths...or Run 7km?
If so, you could join in the Source Health & Fitness Duathlon, Silversprings, Tivoli, Cork and raise funds for Enable Ireland Cork.
You don't need to be super fit - just willing to give it a try. The event is open to people of all fitness levels.
Register now by contacting Source Health & Fitness on (021) 45 05 128
Entry is €15 for just a swim, €20 for a swim and run and €40 to enter a team.