Christmas Luncheon at the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel

Sounds like a good time was had by all, judging by John Edgell's photos. You can view them here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/103332526951451444133/albums/5824098668139083025
Here are a couple to start you off:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting of December 11, 2012

Reported by Wynn Taylor

President Joan reminded us that this is Family month and that Rotary is a family over a million strong. After the singing of O Canada, Anne Sims said Grace.

David Westler introduced our one guest, our Guest Speaker, who is also a Rotarian: Rosalind Scott

Mary Canty reported on the Health of the Club: Cards were circulated for Doug McDougall, a former member, who passed away recently, and whose Service is at the Cadboro Bay United Church, Saturday the 15th at 1:00 p.m.; Hans Ockermueller has not been feeling well, and is having blood tests. Myrna Wright, a good friend of Rotary, had an unfortunately bad fall and is in an induced coma in hospital. Please keep this vibrant woman in your thoughts and prayers.

Announcements:

Heather Aked reminded us of our Christmas Luncheon next Tuesday at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in the David Foster Auditorium. Cost is $20 and guests are most welcome. Please contact Heather to sign in if you have not already done so. The Luncheon will be preceded by a brief Annual General Meeting. There will be no meetings Christmas Day or New Years Day... the next regular meeting will be January 8, 2013. Parking is available in the underground parking lot at the hotel.

President Joan reported that we had sold 282 poinsettias for a profit of $1,370.08.

John Jordan announced an opportunity to give a gift to the widows and orphans in Rwanda on behalf of a family member or friend. Some suggested donations would be a goat or a Rwandan Hot-Point Stove at $20. John will provide cards informing recipients of your gift in their name.

Rod Sim said that there has been a good response to the Salvation Army Kettle program and that there are a few holes for this Friday and Saturday. Check your email from Rod and contact him if you can fill a hole.

Sergeant-at-Arms Will Carter, being a history buff, challenged us with a 'this week in history' quiz. In this week in history Edward the What abdicated from the British Throne. The members had to put up the number of fingers indicating which Edward he was. All those not displaying 8 fingers were fined. In a similar vein: how many times did the Wright Brothers’ Kitty Hawk fly on her maiden day of flight? The correct answer was 4. As sweaters are not normal apparel for Victoria, those wearing sweaters had to pay for their sartorial choice. Be warned that next week's theme will be red and green. Tom Croft was fined for having his green map of Oak Bay in the local paper. Rod and Brenda Sim are celebrating their 13th Anniversary.

Happy and Sad Dollars:

Joan Firkins made a mistake in the Duty Roster and needs greeters but she also received a cheque for $150 from a member of her Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club towards the purchase of a Rotary Smart Board. Tav McPherson is going on a three month search for dry golf courses in New Zealand. Heather Aked shared Alexander's amusing wish-list letter to Santa. John Edgell is returning to Mexico for three months in January.

Peter Sou won the draw, but drew a black marble.

September Smith introduced our Guest Speaker, Rosalind Scott, the Executive Director of the Vancouver Island Chapter of the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Rosalind's Topic was The Top Ten Scams of 2012.

That old French adage that the more things change the more they stay the same seems to hold true for the world of scamming. A hundred years ago the number one scam was door-to-door magazine salesmen; in 2012 the number one scam remains the door-to-door salesperson who has widened their offering of wares.

To deal with this individual we should first of all not let them in our house and then not make any decision to purchase on the spot. Take their proposal and say you will get back to them.

The second most common scam relies upon the new technology of the Internet.

If you receive an email from your bank saying that they are in need of information from you, this a sure sign that it is NOT your bank. People pretend to be someone you trust, even the BBB, in order to get information useful for Identity Theft. This is the Trojan Horse scam. You should have malware on your computer to screen most of these scams out and if you receive any suspicious e-mails, you should read them carefully. Scams will often make detectable mistakes. Regrettably there is no legislation currently on the books in Canada to protect us from these forms of phishing, so we should be alert.

Gold-buying scams entice us to sell our jewellery for their gold content. Unfortunately, as pure gold is a soft metal and jewellery gold is a mixture, there is not as much gold in jewellery as we may think and the scammers are often after the precious gems set into the jewellery.  If you are in doubt about the reliability of a purchaser, call the BBB.

In the Microsoft Scam someone pretending to be from Microsoft says that something is wrong with your computer and that they need some information to fix the problem. If this request is unsolicited it is usually a red flag and someone is seeking personal information on your computer.

Charities can be scams; often the percentage of donations, which goes to administration, is very high - the actual money going to the designated charities is very low. The BBB has a list of reliable and unreliable charities.

Financial Elder Abuse is very common here on Vancouver Island. This is where a caregiver or family member takes advantage of a senior. Look for unpaid bills and missing things - were they broken or taken? The BBB has a TV program, Scam Watch, which highlights this problem.

Group Coupon Buying can be a scam if you don't know what coupon you are buying. Read the fine print regards expiry date and other restrictive conditions or you may find that “great deal” forever elusive. It is amazing how many people sign contracts without reading them.

Reverse Mortgages usually target seniors. The TV ads promoting them usually come from the USA, which has a different banking system than ours. If you own your home, a line of credit is better than a reverse mortgage. They say: If the bank won't give you credit, we will; but you will have to pay dearly for it.

Phone fraud often targets business with multiple lines. If you have phones accessible to many individuals you should consider protecting them with passwords.

Credit and debit card frauds often try to take small monthly amounts from your account, hoping that the small amount will be below the radar and that you won't notice.  Read your monthly statements, and if there is something you don't understand...ask!

More information on scams is available at vi.bbb.org.

After an animated question period, Wendy Townsend thanked Rosalind. Our meeting ended with the singing of God Save the Queen.

Meeting of December 4

Monthly Theme: Family. To view the photos of our recent Oak Bay Rotary Family event, go to The Rotary Club of Oak Bay Facebook Event page.

Bulletin Reporter: Rod Sim

Greeters on duty: Don O’Coffey and Jessica Van der Veen

Grace: Jessica Van der Veen 

Guests and Visiting Rotarians were introduced by Leslie Rogers-Warnock:
1. Jeff Dallin (Inovative Fitness; Oak Bay Merrython Admirer and donor); guest of the Club

2. Dave Henry (Merrython participant)

3. Dave Cowan (General Manager, Butchart Gardens and the Guest Speaker)

Health of the Club: Mary Canty says everyone is just fine!

Announcements

 

Poinsettias  

Special thanks to Don O’Coffey and others who helped deliver, and to all who purchased the lovely poinsettias.

More than 200 plants were sold.

Oak Bay Merrython: Thanks to the committee who all helped on the day: Rotarians on the committee were: Organizers Heather Aked and Leslie Rogers-Warnock (receiving a special thank-you from President Joan at right), as well as Jim Force, Ron Cooley, Tricia Timmermans, Jessica Van der Veen, and Lynne Murray. Thanks also to Peter Johannecht, Brian Lamb, Tom Croft, Claire Helm, and Mary Canty who helped out in various ways, and to those who walked or ran (Anne Sims and Joan Peggs - and her doggies).  John Jordan and David Westler helped in the International Committee display area - they also talked to people at the Community Service display area. Special thanks to all, who, along with staff at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre, put Oak Bay Rotary on the map in the Community last Sunday. The adult winner was “Oliver”, a Scandinavian student currently billeted with Leslie. And the Kids Race winner was Heather's son, Alexander, and that's him below being greeted by Sparky, as he hits the finish line. 

Socks for Our Place

Apparently Oak Bay coughed up more than 250 pairs (but no hairballs). This rates as a stellar performance; thanks to all.

Christmas Lunch at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in the David Foster Foundation Theatre is on Tuesday December 18. Tickets are $20; guests are welcome. Heather has a sign-up sheet. 

Tuscan Dinner

Message from Joan Firkins: Don’t forget to buy that bottle of Italian wine during your Christmas shopping. Avoid the unpleasant rush of buying and donating at the end. It is scheduled for April 27, 2013. The Fundraising goal is $25,000. Last year’s achievement was over $20,000. This is another of those MJH events; please don’t miss it.

Pennies from Heaven

Message from Perry Bamji:

Pretty high finances for such a lowly denomination. Imagine if we had done “C-notes”? Time to close the campaign. Matching dollars from CIDA and The Gates Foundation. Well done and thanks to all.

Rotary Christmas Kettles

Message from Rod Sim: Bell ringers needed for Dec 7-8; Dec 14-15; Dec 18-22; and Dec 24.

Mostly 1-5 PM in front of Oak Bay Pharmasave. We raised $3,000+ last year while having fun.

Foundation Auction ReCap

Message from Tom Croft: Thanks to all who participated. There is still a chance to donate.

Contact Tom C or Neil R for more information.

Tricia Timmermans introduced the Guest Speaker, Dave Cowan (right), General Manager of The Butchart Gardens. This 100+ year-old business just keeps becoming more famous. Dave explained through a PowerPoint presentation, along with some beautiful floral images, how Jenny Butchart's vision and legacy is being upheld. The site was a quarry for three years before its beautiful transformation. Not only is it a garden, it offers a one hundred year old tradition of hospitality, where a strong work ethic is maintained. Customers are attracted the old fashioned way: through good service and word-of-mouth. It's not just a garden, it's an experience, where 600+ staff, including many with world-class horticultural expertise, keep TBG faithful to its historical vision. John Edgell thanked the Speaker on behalf of the Club.

Fines Master (Better Late Than Never) Will Carter was assisted by a pair of John’s (E & J).

This day in History included the 1891 start of the Montreal YMCA, which, according to Will, bears no relation to the Village People. 

Happy/Sad Dollars: Lorna C was happy to be back, and had a story about “Cayoo” (sp?) and her granddaughter (that’s hard to believe). Tricia T said “bye-bye”; she is leaving for parts warmer and populated with family. Guest Jeff Dallin won the “Draw” but because of a black marble not the big pot. Very well-behaved guest donated winnings back to Club with “Thanks”. Will says only 4 more black marbles to go!

God Save the Queen (sung with gusto) and that was a WRAP.

See you all next Tuesday.

Reported by Rod Sim (all errors and omissions are mine).