Reporter: Joan Peggs
Photos: Joan Peggs
Past President Heathe Aked, covering for
President Lori McLeod (basking in the warmth of Mexico) opened the meeting at
12:15pm.
She gave a short description of Christmas
disease
O Canada was sung a capella
Tom Lidkea gave the blessing - in Latin so it was understood by few
The many visiting Rotarians and guests
followed by the 'rank and file; headed to the buffet table:
for a tasty coleslaw; excellent garlic bread; two varieties of pasta (Spaghetti Bolognese
and Macaroni Broccolini with Shrimp); grated parmesan cheese to top them – both very tasty but for those of us at the end of the line there was little shrimp and no
bolognese! Tomato and Feta Cheese Soup; delicious mouthful sized seasonal desserts. A good lunch was had by all!
Business section of the meeting began at
12:35 pm
Tav introduced the visitors
Visiting Rotarians:
Ann Moskow – Rotary Club of Victoria,
Habourside
Kris Znudzinski – Rotary Club of Prince
George Downtown (rumour has it that Kris will be joining our club)
Visitors:
Lauren Grimm, Mother of Ryan Gisler –
Ryan's guest; Frank Helina, partner of Lauren – Ryan's
guest; Barry Mutter – welcome back to Victoria, Barry – Sabrina's guest; Sean Donnelly – soon to no longer be a
guest – Lynne's guest; Jason Ko – Ron's guest
Speaker
R2MS Ron Weeks and Mary Jane Tiller –
guests of the club.
Announcements:
Mandy – Backpacks – remember to bring items
next week
- Joan P – thanked the members who delivered
poinsettias (Tom and Tom, Peter and Mandy, Don, Jim and Gaille - Lorna's friend; Bob and Lorna; Brian - a special delivery; Janette and her son). Thanked the members who purchased poinsettias and asked
their office, friends and relatives to purchase poinsettias.
- Joan F. made an announcement re the
Christmas Party – Tuesday December 20th. Remember to wear your tacky
outfit
- Ann Moskow made an announcement re the
Christmas cakes and Christmas truffles made by Harbourside. There are some for
sale. Come to the car after the meeting
Celebrations Master Jack Petrie extracted
money from our pockets/wallets. He had many Christmas themed sayings that
no one was able to guess
Many happy $'s. Cannot remember any sad
$'s
Peter had the winning ticket but drew a
white marble. The pot grows larger
Joan Firkins, Past District Govenor inducted
Sean Donnelly. into membership of the club:
"Sean, it is my pleasure, on behalf of President Lori and the
Board, to formally welcome you to our club, not as a visitor but as a new
member.
A little bit about Sean…………….
Sean grew up in Cork, Ireland. Attended an all-Irish speaking
secondary boarding school before heading to the University of Limerick. He has
a BA in Business, majoring in Economics and Finance.
Sean graduated in 2008 and began working in the
telecommunications sector, starting with Door to Door before moving into
Business sales.
He moved to Vancouver 2010 and worked with Rogers for 5.5 years
before moving to Victoria this year to work for the TELUS Fibre Optic Team
where he is the Senior Regional Marketing Manager.
His favorite job in his youth was driving big machinery. He is a
farmer at heart and was raised on a Dairy, Beef and thoroughbred Horse Racing
operation.
Sean loves sports of all kinds - Liverpool FC, NFL, horse racing, golf, outdoors, hiking, biking. Ran his first full marathon this
year. He also loves water especially the ocean. He likes to socialize, travel,
good food, red wine and mulled wine this time of year. Oh and he is a big fan
of documentaries and good books.
(A slight change to the formal induction
– very pertinent and well said)
Sean,
There are many variations of induction ceremonies for a new
Rotarian but I’m going to dispense with formality to some degree and just talk
about things I believe you can do to enhance the value of your membership.
1. Being
a Rotarian is not just showing up for lunch on Tuesdays – being a Rotarian is
being engaged in the club, both in the community and globally, and cultivating
friendships with your fellow members.
2. Sit at
a different table each week and get to know the people in our club – believe me
they’re not as scary as they look.
3. Learn
more about Rotary – rotary.org is a great place to start. Ask questions of your
fellow members. If there’s an area of Rotary you’re particularly interested in,
find the person in our club who is also interested and can answer questions.
4. Don’t
be afraid to express your opinion – we need new and fresh ideas to keep the
club vibrant.
5. And
lastly, expect a lot of the club leadership and hold them to the highest
standards.
It goes
without saying that the more you’re involved in the club the more you’ll feel a
part of the club. Making Rotary a priority in your life is a good thing,
especially in the sense of having a whole new family of friends.
There’s a
lot to learn about Rotary – it’s not just another club; it’s a way of life and
you’ve already shown us that you’ll fit nicely into our club. And don’t
hesitate to introduce your girlfriend Natasha to the club also – we really are
a big family!
Here’s
your membership kit and I have 3 additional items for you
– a copy of The Rotarian magazine which you will start receiving, a laminated
card outlining the Object of Rotary, our ethical Four Way Test and the Rotarian
Code of Conduct; plus we have a $10 bill for you representing your first
contribution to the Rotary Foundation – and I’ll be happy to talk to you
anytime about our Foundation.
Lynne –
as Sean’s sponsor, can I ask you to pin him with his new Rotary pin?
Fellow
Rotarians – would you all please come up and offer Sean the hand of Rotary
fellowship and welcome him as our newest member!"
Guest Speaker:
Perry had a very short introduction for the
speaker
Regimental quartermaster sergeant Ron Weeks
Ron joined the military in 1970 as an
infantryman. He ended his career in the service battalion (many tasks were required such laundry
service, food service, postal service to name a few)
His family has a 7 generation history of
military involvement
He made a brief mention of the Memory Project
Few Canadians know the history of Canada or
the history of the military.
Ron ended with three thoughts regarding the
veteran:
- consider the physical and mental injury of
the veteran
- recognise the fallen
- what can you do to honour the veteran?
Cory thanked Ron for the presentation. Ron
was given the 'coveted' Rotary mug
The meeting
closed with seasonal music
