Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting of December 9th, 2014 - Quirks and Quarks

Scribe:   Joan Firkins

In the absence of emcee Heather, the meeting began promptly at 12:15 pm, Brian Lamb welcomed an overflow crowd of members, Rotary friends and guests prior to the a cappella singing of O Canada, led by Tom Croft. Renate Gibbs gave thanks on behalf of all present.

Guests, Visitors ad New Members:

Visiting Rotarians: Terry Jones (Victoria club)

Visiting Rotaractors: Joey Vaesen

Guests: Mike Sharlow; Sandy Sharlow; Karen Sharlow; Lesley Ockermueller; Barb Currie; Barbara Shipley; Jillyn Shipley; Len Chapple; Dimiter Bainor; Helga Jacobson; Rita Estock; Flora King; Jill Croft; Ben Andersen.

(Apologies for any errors regarding names – printing of names would be a good thing!)

Nothing to report re Health of the Club. Nice to see David Philip at our meeting today!

Two new member inductions took place today – Anne McIntyre, sponsored by Neil Rawnsley,

and Nadia Hyde, sponsored by Mary Canty.

Membership Chair Barry Mutter and President Jim presided and both women received a standing welcome to our club and to Rotary! All members are asked to make themselves known to both Anne and Nadia as they join our Rotary family.

Announcements:

Joan Peggs: thanks to those who both helped with and purchased poinsettias for record sales of just over $2,000!

Peter Lawrie: Sorry Pete – didn’t get it! (It IS the truth!)

Brian Lamb: thanks to those who volunteered their time at the Merrython – Heather will undoubtedly have a report on her return.

Lorna Curtis: last chance to sign up for the Christmas party on Wednesday, December 17^th, 6 for 7 – payment at the door is no problem.

Speaker 1 - John Jordan - Rwanda project:

John Jordan was welcomed to the podium and gave us a snapshot of the most recent Rwanda project in which the purpose was to raise the housing level of subsistence for 24 Rwandan widows.

Their houses are in a state of disrepair, specifically the roofs as the rains tend to deteriorate them quickly. With funds contributed partially by a Matching Grant, the $7000 project not only attended to the roof situation but there was a side benefit of water collection from the rain run-off to a water tank. This will save considerable hard labour on the part of the widows. They now also have a fuel efficient stove, animals that can be sold at market, a garden from which to grow vegetables and also $20 for health care for 1 year. For more information on this project or if you would like to make a financial contribution, please talk to John and he will be happy to give you more information. Thanks for all you do John to enrich the lives of the Rwandan people.

Celebrations Master Peter Lawrie extracted a few dollars from everyone for various and sundry transgressions but today it was more about getting on with the show………………….

Guest Speaker: 

Our very special guest, Bob McDonald, host of the CBCs weekly science program, Quirks and Quarks, was introduced by Perry Bamji and turned out to be the second guest speaker after Perry read out a very lengthy bio of John....oops, Bob McDonald. It should be noted that the overflowing crowd at our meeting today was in honour of Mr. McDonald and everyone’s thirst for his knowledge of all things scientific!

Scribe note: if you think this was easy……..think again. I am unable to put this in the form of a story as it was told by the speaker so it will be in note form, to the best of my limited ability to retain what I heard and wrote!

-        Speaker has been living in Victoria for the past 3 ½ years and is able to produce his weekly program from the local CBC studio or the one in the Legislature. Is also enjoying the ability to take advantage of his love of sailing by cruising the local islands.

-        His newest book entitled Canadian Spacewalkers is about three Canadian spacewalkers (as opposed to astronauts), Chris Hadfield, Steve Maclean and Dave Williams

– excerpt from book:

-        There are astronauts, and there are spacewalkers. Astronauts leave earth’s atmosphere in a spaceship. Spacewalkers don pressure suits and step outside into the universe.

-        Spacewalking is a physically exhausting, mentally rigorous endeavor. It’s so difficult, only three Canadians have ever succeeded: Chris Hadfield, Steve MacLean and Dave Williams. Chris Hadfield and Dave Williams are record breakers; Hadfield completed the first Canadian spacewalk and installed the Canadarm 2 on the International Space Station, while Williams holds the record for the longest spacewalk by a Canadian. And Steve MacLean, Senior Research Affiliate at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and former head of the Canadian Space Agency, was one of Canada’s original six astronauts.

-        In rebuttal of those who think monies shouldn’t be spent on a space program when there are other pressing needs – Canada currently spends less than $10 per year per Canadian on its space program.

-        Speaker talked at length and with exuberance of his participation in experiencing what it’s like to be in space i.e. no gravity, increased gravity etc. – in other words, what it’s like to be Peter Pan!

-        Astronauts are literally on drugs – gravol, uppers, and antihistamines – all to help combat weightlessness.

-        Bob credits his mother with his thirst for all things space related, having given him the book Planets: a Golden Library of Knowledge. He is soon to write a kids book about the solar system as “you never know what might inspire a kid”.

-        It takes 90 minutes to go around the earth in the space station at 30,000 km per hour.

-        The speaker asked each of the three spacewalkers their thoughts as they opened the hatch to do their mission – they each replied “I don’t want to mess up”!

-        Bob spoke of the 3 men as remarkable Canadians and role models.

-        Their message to young people is “Face your dreams and never let them go – take every opportunity to get there.”

-        Bob’s message to overprotective parents is “take your kids devices and computers away from them and take them out into the great outdoors to experience nature and space at its finest”.

After a standing ovation, our speaker was thanked by Lori McLeod and he was presented with the coveted Oak Bay Rotary mug.

The meeting closed with the singing of God Save the Queen.

Scribe’s note:  a heartfelt round of thanks to the hotel staff for stepping up to the plate and quickly adding more tables and chairs to accommodate the crowd this week. Also on behalf of the club, all good wishes to Michelle LeSage and her team as they carry on holding down the fort while the hotel undergoes its challenges. We are behind you all!