Bulletin for December 17, 2013 - Seasons Greetings

Reporter: Don O'Coffey; photos via Joan Peggs' cell phone.

President Peter  opened the meeting by showing a video three times ... and I still did not get it. It was good to have Tom Lidkea back at the piano again to help us with singing the national anthem. Peter Sou said grace. President Peter's opening remarks mentioned that the December theme is FAMILY,   and, by extension, FRIENDS. He thanked those who came to join us. The format was changed - there was no celebration mistress. We missed you Dallas. In place of the fines, Rod had a Salvation Army Kettle circulating the room to accept loose change and folding cash to support families in our community. The S.A. has sent out 1,000 food hampers and there is a need for another ,1000 still on the waiting list.

It seemed to be a smaller group today as many people are with family for the season or south for the warmth. There may also have been those who feared public singing, although the club went to great expense to assemble a secret choir and orchestra to lead us. They were Dallas, Jill Croft, Jessica, Lynne, John Edgell, Tom Croft, Neil Rawnsley, and the orchestra was ... Tom Lidkea. 

Thank you all for a great job.

Visitors introduced by Perry Bamji:

Leslie Ockermueller                      Guest of Peter Lawrie

Debbie Sou                                   Guest of Peter Sou

Joanne Plewes                              Guest of Lynne Murray

Linda Edgell                                 Guest of John Edgell

Jill Croft                                        Guest of Tom Croft

Tara Hearn                                    Guest of Lori Mcleod

Dianne MacPherson                     Guest of Tav MacPherson

Donna Blackstock                        Guest of Joan Peggs

The Guest's were given the traditional Oak Bay Rotary Welcome.

Mary Canty  on Health of the club:  Mary and Eugen visited Ted Harrison and said that he enjoyed the visit, but he is not getting many visitors and would appreciate more. David Philip has been advised  by his doctor to lay low for a while. It might be nice to give him a call if you have time.

Announcements 

Perry:  There are six nominations for the Paul Harris Fellowship award dinner; he is expecting more before closing at the end of today.

Leslie: Update on Merrython  It looks like the Merrython raised $4,600 this year. A great job and thanks to all involved.

Rod Sim (left) is still trying to fill the last few vacancies for the Salvation Army kettles. If you have some time to  spare give him a call and see if he has filled the roster. Rod received a 10-year award pin for organizing the kettles. You always get the job done Rod. Thanks.

Peter Lawrie. This is the last meeting of 2013; January 7th  is our next meeting and will include the AGM for our club and our Foundation.  I would like to include the closing piece verbatim because it was so well done. "Christmas is a time of both sadness and joy as we remember dear ones we have lost; we look forward to building on their impact on life. We are so happy Leslie is joining, us as we all miss Hans. We also empathize and sympathize with Lynne, Jill and Tom's loss  of Donna yesterday morning. Thank you for coming out  today and for sharing in the carol singing. Our hearts go out to you. 

I met Lynne and Peter Sou on the avenue while doing Christmas Kettles. Peter was charming a 3-year-old to ring the bells while his magic musical hat was twitching. Lynne said: "That's why I love this club! It caused me to think, "Why do I love this club?" When you are a part of a club like this, it is hard not to be proud!! People step up in all sorts of ways. Some work under the radar and some give service in high-profile ways. In the last 60 days we have had over 200 examples of Service above Self and probably 500 hours within the club. Pretty well everyone in our club, new or seasoned, have been involved in one way or other. For the visitors, we are committed to service and I love how people of this club step forward. There are board members who give so unselfishly. I am humbled by your efforts! In addition to this amazing time commitment, you have generously contributed ~$20,000 to the Rotary Foundation and PolioPlus. Thank you. Time, Talent, Treasure - We all generously contribute our best."   (Delivered with wet eyes and emotion.)      Below, some of our enthusiastic carol singers.

  

Bulletin for December 10, 2013 - What is a Passive House?

Bulletin for December 10, 2013, reported by Vicky Pitt.

Brian opened the meeting in the absence of President Peter, who was away.

Tom Lidkea and the piano were displaced! The national anthem was sung to a video.

Mary Canty said Grace and gave thanks for both Nelson Mandela, his truth, compassion and peace as well as Alice Monroe,  a Canadian author who has put Canada on the map for great literature with her award of a Nobel Prize.

Will Carter introduced visiting Rotarians and guests:

Jarrod Clayton from Edmonton Strathcona [past Pres.]

Catherine Woodward from Albuquerque New Mexico [retired]

Lance Shaver – Rotaract

Joyanne Plewes – guest of Lynne Murray

Marli Sanchez (Himulco Shoes) – guest of Jessica

Dimiter Bainov – guest of John Jordan

Lauren Clavora - guest of Sabrina

Brian noted that Jared has been our “Flag Program” mentor.

Health of the Club:

Mary reported there was no one ill that she knew of but that she and Eugen were going to visit Ted Harrison later today and take him a card from the club, and a poinsettia.

Lynne Murray reported that David Phillips fell yesterday, has a number of bruises, and spent the night in hospital. Also, John Edgell is out with the flu today. We hope they both will be feeling better soon.

Announcements:

Perry announced that the Nomination and Membership Committees, together with the Hotel, have set a  Paul Harris Fellow Dinner for Thursday, March 6 in the evening. Nominations will close next Tuesday,  so if you know someone who you believe is appropriate to receive the award of a Paul Harris Fellowship,  please let Perry know.

Joan Firkins thanked the 9 people who took her up on her the Foundation offer for recognition points and reminded everyone the offer is still open until next Tuesday. Please see Joan if you are interested.

Pablo’s Christmas Pops Concert is December 14 at 2:30 PM at St. Mary’s on Elgin Street - $25 per person. Pablo will donate half of the admission cost of any Rotarian attending to the club.

Leslie thanked all the team and volunteers who took part in the Merrython and noted that the support is what makes a successful event.

Brian announced that the AGM will not take place next week due to an issue with the legal requirement of 14 days notice which we did not meet.  As a result,  it will be held on Tuesday, January 7 instead.  Watch for the notice!

Dallas was our Sgt. for the day with Tav and Tom Croft ably assisting to gather in the dollars. Fines were levied for:

• ·       being one of the last 3 guests to arrive [on the honor system]
•     having no guest at your table
• ·       Lori, Eugen and Michelle for going to the buffet before the guests [was this the quality control?]
• ·       Michelle for no name tag
• ·       Lori for being in the paper (regarding Eldercare)
• ·       anyone who has not been ensuring that their hummingbird feeders are kept thawed so that the hummingbirds' little beaks are not tapping at ice
• ·       everyone who is not a father (equal opportunity since last week was for everyone not a mother]
• ·       anyone who has not yet done Rod’s bidding and volunteered for the Christmas kettle
• ·       Joan for walking her dogs before the meeting
• ·       anyone who has not bought a stove to support John Jordan in Rwanda
• ·       Ron Cooley for his festive Christmas tie

       Happy and Sad Dollars

·      Jack was sad because he’s addicted to Breaking Bad but happy someone was present from Albuquerque where the show takes place.

·       Ron was happy because he has an unusual Rotary pin as a result of  his wife using it is a prybar to switch off the flashing light at the Merrython.

·       Tom Lidkea was bragging that Margaret can still fit into the earring she wore in high school

·       Jessica was happy because Marli, whose store, Himulco Shoes, has been a great support for the Merrython was at out meeting, as well as for working with Leslie and Heather, and for her new dog Lily

·       Mary is happy because Rowan (the assistance dog who visited us a while ago) is visiting her daughter Deidre regularly, and it is helping, and also because she has her ticket for Guatemala and even her health insurance!

·       Heather, who did not have hummingbirds, but had chickens who were very happy when she came to help them because they had frozen water.

Birthdays:  Claire on December 10, Michelle on December 11,  Rod on December 16

Anniversaries: Jim Force,  Peter Lawrie, and Bob Schell

Marli won the draw and donated the money back to the Merrython. Unfortunately she pulled the black marble so it was only the week’s winnings.

Cory introduced the speaker,  our own Peter J,  who is one of the principals at Cascadia Architects.

Peter's subject: What is a Passive House, was  a very entertaining and informative presentation which included a 90 second video which you can find on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CasrjYhZB1M

The concept for a passive house was established in the 90s by Dr. Feist ( a German), who focused on building science and the principles of physics, rather than on standard house construction. As a very simple example,  compare a standard coffee maker with a heating pad to coffee kept in a thermos and you will get the idea.  Both keep the coffee hot, but one requires the input of energy and the other does not.

The design of the passive house reduces energy consumption well below the current norms for construction.

The basic rules are:

-        Shape

-        Orientation (to take advantage of the sunshine)

-        Super insulation

-        No thermal bridges (i.e. places where heat easily escapes)

-        Airtight

-        High performance windows (triple glazed)

-        High performance heat recovery ventilation

The passive house uses solar gain and heat from bodies, (human or pet) and equipment, together with continuous insulation, and air barriers to warm the house. The walls are beefier, that is to say they are more heavily insulated. The air-tightness necessary requires that everything be taped so there are no holes. Most importantly, there must be a heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system. The system is essential because it allows for a proper flow of fresh air in and out without the loss of any heat, through use of a heat exchanger. The cost of construction is slightly more than standard construction but there is a savings in both equipment for the house and in the energy the house requires.

Peter showed some pictures of a passive house which has been constructed at 1535 Oak Crest Dr. Although it is a 3,600 ft.² house with lots of trees, (so not an ideal site for this type of house), it has been oriented properly to prevent overheating in summer, with large windows on the south and few windows on the north. It has created a great deal of good discussion with the various regulating authorities. He noted only the HRV unit (which fits in a small closet) was imported; all other materials for the house are Canadian/North American.

Peter finished by noting that one of our most urgent tasks in today’s world is to come up with ways in which humans can flourish, by making things work with the finite resources available.

In answer to various questions, Peter noted that HRV units do have a “party mode” for crowds. There is not an issue with a passive building becoming a “sick building”. The HRVs have carbon dioxide sensors. With CO2 content being controlled, the air is much healthier. There is also no problem with mould because there are no cold surfaces that allow for condensation so mould does not grow. Also, the air going through the HRV, in or out, is filtered, so it is better for people with allergies. Because there are no cold surfaces, there are no drafts and the movement of the air flow is not noticeable.

Jessica thanked Peter for the information,  commented that we had learned so much, and noted that the house that Peter has been involved in constructing on Oak Crest, is not only efficient but also beautiful.

Brian then made a final announcement that the Community Services meeting has been postponed.

Lance told us that Rotary is in second place in the 10 million Mile Giveaway and encouraged everyone to vote. (You can vote once a day on each electronic platform you have: smart phone, tablet, computer, etc.) Vote on every platform everyday everyone!

The meeting ended with the traditional God Save the Queen.        

Merrython - December 1, 2013

Another Successful Merrython was held last Sunday, December 1. Thanks to Leslie and the team for all the hard work. Lance Shaver (Rotaract) provided the photo below - a true testament to the family-centred nature of the event. 

Leo Cade Carr - 10.5 months old, Isabel Cade Carr  - 3 yrs old, mother – Catherine Cade, and Granddad/Papa – Larry Cade. This is Catherine's third Merrython. Isabel loved seeing Santa and Mr Carrot.

David Westler has provided this link to his Merrython photos.

Neil Rawnsley provided these photos of Merrython volunteers:

And in case you missed it, here's the report (thanks to Perry) leading up to the Merrython in the Victoria News: 

I will upload last Tuesday's (December 3) meeting bulletin when I receive it. Giles has had to leave town for a memorial service, and will get it to me ASAP. Hope you're all warm enough - my Wx App tells me it's 1 in lovely downtown Oak Bay! It's wonderful here (25 degrees C) in Forresters Beach, NSW, where the surf's up! I'm hereby sending you some gloriously warm, beachy sunshine (and pics, if you click the Forries Beach link). And Cheers! Tricia.