Pippa and Roger Thornton completed their Coast to Coast [England] walk last Thursday. 

 

"The walk started on the west coast at St Bees in the northern Lake District in foul weather – torrential rain and tumultuous winds.  As we walked, first through the Lake District then the Yorkshire Dales and finally the north Yorkshire moors, the weather progressively improved, so we finished at Robin Hood’s Bay in lovely weather.

 

In accordance with tradition, we each collected a pebble from the shore at St Bees, carried it across the country and then threw it into the North Sea at Robin Hood’s Bay.  We walked for 17 days and had two rest days along the way.  In that time, we walked 315km across fabulous country varying from mountains in the Lake District to stone walled fields in the Yorkshire Dales and moorland purple with heather.  A great trip."

 

Team Leader Marjorie's presentation to the club last Tuesday.

 

"On 1st September 2016, our foundation, The Rotary Foundation scored a 100% rating by Charity Navigator for financial transparency and accountability, making it equal first in the rating of the “Best Charities Everyone’s Heard of”.

 

Charity Navigator said that charitable givers should feel confident that these national institutions put their donations to good use.  The organisation, Charity Navigator, is a US not-for-profit evaluator of charities based on criteria such as transparency, reporting, use of funds etc.

 

This is fantastic news in the 100^th year of The Rotary Foundation.

 

As it is the centennial year and The Foundation was started by a donation of US$26.50. RI President John Germ has encouraged each member of Rotary to donate an equivalent sum during this year.  If this happens it would raise an additional 30 million for the Foundation to do good in the world.

Our aim is for 100 per cent participation from club members and I will be sending out a “pretty please” email.

 

We will be supporting PolioPlus “Purple Pinkie Day” – more on that in October. We have some other aims however will hold those over for another day.

 

As a matter of interest over the last four years our club has benefited from The Foundation District Grants to the amount of $24,200 for both overseas and local projects. On the other side we have contributed $10,750 to the pot of money these grants came from.

 

To finish we have a video highlighting some of the work that The Foundation supports through the six areas of focus being –

I look forward to us supporting The Rotary Foundation “To do good in the world”.

 

Roy advises that Nonh and his father, Bounsey, have passports. This is great news as previously neither had as much as a birth certificate - and we now know how to spell Nonh's name!  Maybe they are experiencing at least some ‘butterflies’ of anticipation of flying not to mention the surgery.      

 

Next step is to secure the tentative arrangements for air travel and surgery in Phnom Penh, target is late November.   A translator has been found should Nonh and his Dad need to stay on in Phnom Penh after their chaperone has returned to Laos.

 

The RC of Phnom Penh has been very helpful and advise that a team of French surgeons will be visiting PP at the time planned for Nonh to have his op.

 

Members will recall the superb response at a club meeting a few weeks ago when over $4000 was pledged within a few minutes of hearing of Nonh's situation.

 

President Justine Murphy opened the meeting and handed to Chairman, Doug Robertson to propose a toast to Rotary International

 

Rebecca John, as a guest for the last time

Past President, George Mackey introduced his guest Theresa Robinson

District Governor, Neville John introduced his guest Sally Nicholes  

 

 

 

Prior to starting his presentation Justine handed Lex a cheque for over $400 being 50% of raffle proceeds from last years PHF breakfast.

 

Lex commenced by paying tribute to Rotary and the support the organisation had provided to a family friend’s daughter through the Bone Marrow Institute and the accommodation support that was provided to her and her family.

 

Lex provided a brief history of his 38 years of service with Emergency services and the highlighted that Policy Legacy was established in a small office in Spencer Street in February 1980. The organisation supports