Program for January 24, 2012 – Reporter David Sills
President’s Corner 
President-elect Peter Laurie is on assignment in Vancouver. Past-president Vicki Pitt (right) ‘owned the podium’ for this meeting which proceeded calmly once she overcame the microphone squeal. Vicki introduced a radical inovation – a paper handout. A copy of The District 5020 Stocks Market Report for the month of January, 2012 was placed on each table.
The grace was provided by Neil Madsen.
Our visitors were introduced by Hans Ockermueller
– Rotarians Jane Curry (Nanaimo) and Walter Moore from near Sydney, Australia
– Guest Patrick Keller, a neighbor of Don O’Coffey
Why I Joined Rotary
Rotary Awareness Month was rounded out with comments from Don O’Coffey and Ted Chambers. For Don, Rotary represents a huge international club with unlimited resources to tackle the needs of the world while the local club can tend to the needs of the community. For Ted there is the personal satisfaction from the program to eradicate polio. As well, he allowed that the Oak Bay club is a wonderful group of people.
Health Of The Club
Welcome back David Philip. Your sartorial presence has been missed for the past few meetings. Mary Canty advised that John Snively has lost five pounds while practicing dentistry some fourteen hours a day in Guatemala. [Blogger's note: Then why have I put on five pounds?]
On With The Show
Another episode of the ever popular ‘What are these Rotarians Saying’ slide show was presented on the big screen. You had to be there to appreciate the droll wit emanating from Jack Petrie’s fertile imagination. Here are a few samples (1) Pablo – Music has words, (2) Heather – pay up big guy and (3) Jack – Molson eyes are shining. If you were not at the meeting you will have to imagine the content of the supporting pictures.
No Time For Sergeants
Fines' Master is probably the better title as Heather Aked went “at it” with a vengeance. To ensure everyone was fined she levied a one dollar Club assessment to commemorate Rotary Awareness Month. Jack Petrie contributed 100 pesos (that’s almost CDN $8.00) to acknowledge the good work by the Wexler team in tending to the club’s weekly photography needs. Rod Sim contributed ten dollars to tell us about a meeting he had with Bill Gates at a Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, Actually he was only standing next to Bill in the line for the buffet.
Announcements
The Oak Bay Bistro is the venue for our January 31 meeting; an opportunity to sample the menu at this new restaurant replacing the Blethering Place on Oak Bay Avenue. Heather Aked has the sign-up sheet.
A Foundation For The Future
Rod Trebek, or was it Alex Sim, introduced our speaker with an answer - what he and Perry have in common. The correct question – who were the presidents of the Oak Bay and Kingston Clubs in 2001 – 2002?
The most Rod would tell the audience is that Perry was born in Mumbai, India, many moons ago. I gleaned from his resume that he has a B.Sc. in Physics, an M.Sc. and a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering. He spent eleven years as a Professor and Director of the Small Business Consulting program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and twenty-eight years with Alcan International in England, Japan and Canada. He was very active in the Kingston Rotary Club, was awarded the Four Avenues of Service Award in 2005 and was Rotarian of the year for that club in 2006. He is presently an active member of the Oak Bay Club and Director of all things International.
His topic is a Foundation For The Future (The Rotary Foundation’s Future Vision Plan)
This reporter suggests that the title should be “RI Grants - What A Deal”. To explain, I will start at the end of his presentation. Perry reported that the Oak Bay Rotary Club contributed $25,325 over the past few years for international projects. Through RI matching grants and funds from other contributors a total of $50,150 was utilized for the following good works:
Now that’s what I call a good deal.
RI has introduced the Future Vision Plan to simplify and focus existing programs, to balance our efforts on global and local programs and to focus on significant and sustainable programs. The plan also aims to give local clubs an increased sense of ownership, that is, to shift decision making to the local level. Another purpose is to be recognized as first choice partners for global projects. The significant bequests from the Gates Foundation is an obvious example of the latter.
Perry went on to explain the RI Share Program. Under this program, annual Club contributions to RI are held and invested for three years then distributed, 50% to the Districts for matching grant purposes and 50% to The World Fund. Interest earned during the three year period pays for all of the administrative costs. For example, in 2008-2009 District 5020 had contributed $717,602 to the Rotary Foundation. Four years later. in this Rotary year 2011-2012, $358,801 came back to our District to be divided equally between District Matching Grants and Global Grants. Perry ended his talk by listing several key lessons he learnt when conducting matching grant projects.
Wynn Taylor thanked Perry for his presentation.
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