Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting 17 May 2016 - George Jay Ukulele concert and Tom Lidkea's tour of Bali and Cambodia

Reporter after the fact: Janette Nation

Photo: Jack Petrie

We commenced our lunch earlier today, because we had some very special guests: a talented group of young musicians from the George Jay elementary school, who delighted us with a repertoire of songs, to show their appreciation. Dr. Perry Bamji has provided  the following description:

Gift of Music commemorates Ted Harrison’s bequest to Rotary

When painter, author, teacher, philanthropist and Rotarian Ted Harrison died in January 2015, he left in his estate, a bequest of $10,000 to the Rotary Club of Oak Bay where he was a member for several years. 

Consistent with Ted's love of music and fine arts in general, the Board and members of Oak Bay Rotary Club decided to donate $5,000 from the bequest to the music program at George Jay Elementary School.  Earlier this year this money was put to use when the school purchased ukuleles and xylophones.  Six school children led by music teacher Annie Shum gave a short “thank-you” concert at the Rotary Club’s luncheon meeting on Tuesday May 17 at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel.

Also present were retired Principal Leslie Lee, and current Principal Terri Smith. At this meeting, Club President Heather Aked presented a cheque for $5,000 to Principal Smith. Leslie Lee then thanked the club for their incessant support to the school and commended the relationship that started over six years ago, when the club first donated dictionaries and subsequently, over the years, smart boards and data projectors for regular use in the classrooms. The club’s financial support for the school’s academic and music programs has made a positive and significant difference to the students, said Ms. Lee.

Guests:

Steve Harris, guest of Pete Lawrie, Rick Smith, guest and father of Ann McIntyre, Dale Aubuchon guest of Bob Schelle, and our guests from George Jay School:  Lesley Lee, Terri Smith, Annie Shumm, Ashley Giles, Ena Gabun, Haley Prescott, Melissa Liao, Shelby Boado, and Tianna Fullerton.

50/50:

Ron Cooley extracted a number of $s from our pockets. 

There were a number of happy dollars but as the scheduled reporter was absent, I do not recall details of all of these. Sabrina had a happy $ because she celebrated her marriage recently! Congratulations Sabrina. Another memorable happy $ was from Dallas because she drove two mercedes around a racing track. First, a specifically souped up model and then, her own. She announced she was a little less aggressive in her own, as she didn't want to wear out the brakes!  An impressive achievement, Dallas. (Are you practising for an appearance on Top Gear?). Will C was happy because he had retired. 

Peter Lawrie had the winning ticket but did not draw the black marble for the jackpot.

Announcements:

The announcement of note was from Joan Peggs who advised there were already over 300 flag orders this year. Helpers would be appreciated to assist Neil Rawnsley assemble and place them. An annual subscription for 3 flag placements is $50, 2 flags is $35 and one flag is $20.

(Please advise of other announcements I do not recall).

Guest Speaker: Tom Lidkea

Our guest speaker today, introduced by Sabrina, was our resident pianist, Tom Lidkea. Tom is an engineer, having done his degree at UBC. He explained he did not wish to do a vocational presentation of  his professional life as he has been retired for over 11 years. Instead, he entertained us with a photo journal and narrative of his recent trip to Singapore, Borneo and Bali, with his wife, and two daughters who joined them for part of the tour. It soon became very clear that Tom is not fond of  monkeys because they tend to pilfer food and cell phones. Tom was most indignant that a female orangutan had formed an attachment to him and he only managed to fob her off after explaining he was happily married. It also became clear that Tom likes luxury travel. He was not particularly delighted that his wife had booked 3 nights of "eco" accommodation at a monkey sanctuary, in a basic open air hut with outdoor bathroom facilities and odd coloured water in a bucket, for a shower.  Further, he preferred to watch his wife and daughters have an elephant ride, rather than sit aloft, due to the elephants' habit of spraying their passengers with water from the river, which contained some dubious contents. Tom enjoyed the meals, most of which were delicious (at least, I presume, those from the better hotels). There were quite a few pics of Tom appearing very happy indeed with a tropical drink in his hand and a backdrop of beautiful blue water. Snorkelling was a hilight of the trip for him and his wife, while his daughters scuba dived. Thank you Tom for sharing your wonderful photos, and your dry wit enhanced the presentation.

REMINDER: Pablo's concert - Another wonderful concert in Pablo's Die Mahle series, will take place, this Saturday, 21 May, at 2.30 pm in St. Mary's Church on Elgin Road, Oak Bay. Tickets are $25 at the door and students can pay by donation. Pablo generously donates part of the proceeds to our club. 

Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting of 10 May 2016 - Threshold Housing Society

Reporter: Tom Croft

President Heather opened the meeting at 12:15!.  She welcomed us to our meeting at the Oak Bay Rec. Centre and advised us that our Club is thinking about the people of Fort McMurray.  A reminder that this is Youth Services month and our speaker will speak about the challenges and opportunities of working with homeless youth.

O’ Canada was led by Jack Petrie and Tom Croft which was sung with gusto reflecting the mood of the Club.

John Jordan provided grace and was thankful and respectful for the work that Rotary does in the world.

Visitors: Joanne Roberts and Mark Muldoon, the Guest Speakers.

Announcements:

•  Health of the Club: keep sending your thoughts and emails to Brian L.
• Tom Croft spoke on the Syrian Refugee House at 1531 Hampshire Road; a non-profit sponsor is needed to partner with the District of Oak Bay and Friends of Hampshire House.  He also welcomed everyone to the Oaks for a fundraiser led by CAOB for the Syrian House on May 14^th.
• Rod Sim: 260 Flags sold and ready to be installed for the May 24^th weekend.  Keys to our Success, Concert Piano fund raiser for Dave Dunnet Community Theatre Saturday May 14^th, 2016; 1-3.
• John Jordan still missing some flags from inventory, please look for flags and get them to him.  
• John Jordan announced an evening of African music and cuisine in support of his Rwanda Rising, at St. Mathias on May 21^st at 6 pm, tickets $25.

50/50:

Celebrations Master: Peter Lawrie, issued general fines for the following: sitting at the same table; leaving early; Peter, Jack and Lorna, didn’t perform an act of kindness in the last week; members who have not promoted Rotary in last month; and those who have not invited someone to the Club in last 60 days were fined. 

Birthdays: Neil Rawnsley and Bob Schell, Eugen Bannerman

Anniversaries: Jack Petrie, Vicky Pitt

Happy Sad Dollars: Neil Rawnsley gave a cheque for $100 trepresenting his age plus his years in Rotary; George Jay students coming next week; Tom Lidkea; Heather; Perry, Steve, Jack a joke, Vicky anniversary: Tom, Canada signing the UN Charter on the Rights of Indigenous People.

 Lorna Won the draw, and did not pull the right marble about $100 there now.

Guest Speakers:

Tom Lidkea introduced our speakers Mark Muldoon executive director of Threshold Housing Society and Joanne Roberts.

Threshold Housing Society is committed to creating a safe and stable home environment for our community’s vulnerable youth by offering acceptance, transitional housing, life skills, and opportunities to realize their potential and ultimately, hope for the future.

The organization that provides housing for young people, signed a five-year lease to use the church-owned building adjacent to the Oak Bay United Church last week, after meetings with the congregation and neighbourhood.

This project would fill an immediate need and prevents vulnerable youth from ending up on the street, said Mark Muldoon, the executive director of Threshold Housing, which receives more than 100 referrals a year and is able to provide 30 beds.

“Each youth comes with their own story as unique as a fingerprint,” Muldoon said.

The recent release of the Final Report: Child and Youth Mental Health in British Columbia — Concrete Actions for Systemic Change by the province’s Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth is a welcome sign of hope to youth in the Province.

Finding immediate, competent help for a youth with a mental-health crisis is not only frustrating but dangerous because such a crisis does not simply go away like the common cold. Mental-health issues can follow a youth through the difficult period of adolescence and sometimes set them on a course that leads to marginalization through unemployment, homelessness and anti-social behaviors.

Almost every youth at risk of becoming homeless who comes to the Threshold Housing Society for help arrives with un-diagnosed mental-health issues that run the gamut on the diagnostic charts. Depression and anxiety are almost endemic, followed by differing levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, addiction issues, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

As the committee’s mental-health report implies, the Province has not kept pace with the complex needs of youth, especially at-risk youth.

The presentation was a very sobering reflection on one of the most at risk populations in our community.  One out of every four impoverished community member in Victoria and Saanich are between the ages of 15-24.

For more information go to www.thresholdhousing.ca.

Joanne and Mark were appropriately thanked and given a Rotary mug with the 4 Way Test to share.

Heather closed the meeting with a song called Alberta Bound (Click to view)

Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting of 3 May, 2016 - Club Committee Reports

Scribe: Joan Firkins

Note from Scribe: For whatever reason, it was difficult to hear at the meeting today so some reporting may be slightly missing something or is just plain inaccurate! Apologies in advance.

President Heather opened the meeting at the Oak Bay Rec Centre at 12:15 pm and reminded us about the excellent article in the Rotarian magazine this month regarding Millennials.  After the singing of O Canada, Ryan Gisler and Garon asked us to pause to reflect on what we can do to make a difference in our communities this week.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests introduced by Lynne Murray.

No Guests today but both Marisa Herron and Alyson Stuart from the Rotary Club of Downtown Victoria joined us.

Health of the Club:

Lorna Curtis gave us an update on her coffee date with Brian L. Brian has gained some weight and continues his recovery and treatment. Sandy Currie apparently fainted on Saturday because he tied his tie too tightly but he was alive and well at our meeting today.

Announcements:

• Bill Burns thanked those members who contributed to the Work for Food project re the APU Malawi famine - $34,000 has been raised vs a goal of $32,000.
• President Heather read a note of appreciation from Councillor Hazel Braithwaite re the Paul Harris Awards recognition and evening.
• Marisa and Alyson were promoting the Swingin’ for Literacy night on Saturday May 14^th 7-11 pm at Dance Victoria, 2750 Quadra Street. All proceeds raised will go towards the 1000x5 child book recycling project.

Celebrations Master:

Pete Lawrie extracted a number of fines from the group after he himself getting far too carried away with a diatribe about millennials and work ethic.

Club Anniversaries: Joan F. 24 yrs.; Neil R. 28 yrs.; Neil M. 20 yrs.; Wynn T. 27 yrs.; Giles B. 11 yrs.

Happy Dollars: John Jordan reported revenue of $4000 from the sale of 450 plants this past weekend – many thanks to those who purchased and to John and Toni for their tireless efforts in fundraising for those in need in Rwanda.

Bob Schelle had the lucky ticket but alas…………..no black marble for the pot!

Club Day Reports:

International Service – Chair Pete Lawrie; Co-Chair Mandy Pui

Pete advised there are currently 18 people on this committee and more are always welcome. The committee has recently been prioritizing projects that include Compostable toilets in Rwanda ($3,500 club money), the APU Malawi Girls School ($2000 club money), the East Timor Medical Project ($3,300 club money) and a Rwandan Youth Entrepreneurship/Health multiplier program ($3,500 club money)  including other projects not mentioned here, the committee is looking for $15,000 in spendable funds for next year.

Fundraising support comes in the form of our Flag program and others to be determined.

Youth Services – reported by President Heather on behalf of PP Jim Force

Jim provided a comprehensive report, and reported on the recent RYLA trip that he, Ryan and Janna undertook taking students to Tacoma and back. He also advised that Nikki Frazer from OBH will be attending Adventures in Citizenship this month. There has been a $25,000 grant received for expanding the Memory Café and Lori M. is working on developing and planning the program for the fall. We have donated $150 to the Oak Bay Municipality Young Exceptional Star awards and Nicole Quast will be receiving the award. Lorna C. has presented the idea of a student-of-the-month award and this will be pursued. There will likely be a Christmas Market again this year at Monterey Centre and potential date is November 19^th.  To date our club has provided 47 lunches to Interact or Rotaract students from the contributions of club members and the club budget.

Club Administration – Chair Bob Schelle

The club is looking for a place to have lunch on June 4^th.

The Rotary Foundation – Chair Neil Rawnsley

Nothing to report.

Community Service – Chair Sandy Currie

Sandy commented that his committee consists of he and Brian Lamb (as mentor) and he would greatly appreciate some additional members coming forward to join the committee. He spoke of a project at Cattle Point i.e. 1^st Nations theme info poster which explains the complex ecology of the sea. This will continue to be used by school groups and is also available to the public as information. He also commented on a bike racks project however I was unable to hear the details.

       

President Heather advised the club it’s time to come up with ideas for a ‘Smile’ card funds project – if anyone has any ideas please see Sandy Currie. Examples could be funding school computers, books or whatever.

Membership Report – Chair Bill Burns

Bill thanked Steve Sharlow for filling in for him while he has been MIA. He also advised he is working on a Conflict of Interest policy for the club members.

The meeting ended at the allotted time with, for reasons unknown to your scribe, the playing of the national anthem of Japan.

Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting 26 April 2016 - Eileen L. on Post Polio Syndrome

Scribe:   Joan Firkins
Photos: Steve Sharlow

President Heather opened the meeting promptly at 12:15 pm with a glowing report on the Paul Harris Awards night and special thanks to Perry Bamji for his organization of the event, along with all others who assisted. 

PP Joan Peggs gave the invocation, after a robust singing of O Canada.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests introduced by Sandy Currie.

Visiting Rotarians: Kris Zmudzinski from Prince George and Tom Kofin from Edmonton South.

Guests:  Dr. Bruce Wright, guest of Steve Sharlow; Eileen Eby, guest of PP Jim Force; Debbie Hartz, guest of the club.

Mary Canty reported on the Health of the Club. Brian L sent a nice note thanking the club for members' good wishes as he battles his illness.

One new member induction took place today – Alyx Valdal, sponsored by Janna Gisler. President Heather presided, Lynne Murray and Janna Gisler assisted and Alyx received a standing welcome to our club and to Rotary! All members are asked to make themselves known to Alyx as she joins our Rotary family.

Announcements:

• PP Jim Force introduced Eileen Eby and presented her with 75 children’s books as a result of our literacy 1000x5 drive plus a cheque for $650 plus a $42 credit from Russell Books! Eileen thanked the club and especially Jim as he has worked tirelessly for this cause and was instrumental in the partnership with the other 11 clubs in Victoria.
  
• Jim also mentioned to the club that the goal for 2016-17 is to obtain a corporate sponsor for $5000 (over a 2 or 3 yr. period) so if anyone has any contacts, please pass them on to Jim.
• PP Joan Peggs indicated we are still looking for new flag subscribers for the May 23^rd kick off. All club members hopefully have subscribed to a flag, if it is possible for them to fly a flag at their home or place of business. A reminder flags can also be given as a gift! PP Jim Force asked for route captain volunteers to take over 2 routes – PP Tom C volunteered to do both – thanks Tom for stepping up to the plate!

More reminders:

• Club in a Pub on the last Thursday of the month at the Penny Farthing, on Oak Bay Avenue.
• May 3^rd and May 10^th meetings at the Oak Bay Rec. Centre
• Sign up for District Conference in Olympia WA June24-26^th
• Dues for 2016-17 are to be paid by July 1^st and you can give the treasurer a post-dated cheque

Rotarian of the Month

President Heather presented Perry Bamji with the pin for Rotarian of the Month for his excellent work in organizing the Paul Harris Awards night. Congratulations Perry.

Recipients of the Paul Harris awards in 2016 - Tania Miller, Bob McDonald and Hazel Braithwaite 

50/50:

Celebrations Master Ron Cooley did a masterful job of procuring fines from almost everyone in the room; Happy and Sad dollars added to the pot; guest Eileen Eby had the lucky ticket number but sadly she did not draw the black marble.

Guest Speaker:

Our guest speaker, our own Eileen L. was ably introduced by Nadia Hyde.

Eileen L with President Heather

Eileen is a polio survivor suffering from post-polio syndrome. She gave a very heartwarming and informative talk about her life after contracting the polio virus in August of 1952. Because of the polio virus, she suffered through many childhood illnesses, full blown polio, 2 miscarriages, 4 children who had numerous health challenges, and many symptoms of post-polio syndrome which she exhibits today.

Eileen is a shining example of someone who has overcome adversity to make a full life for herself, despite health limitations, and she is proud to be associated with Rotary whose number one goal is the eradication of polio. Eileen reminded us we are This Close and she looks forward to the day when polio will be eradicated. In her words, “We have all heard the statement “we are this close” – I do hope that polio is ended in the very near future. My life from the very beginning has been a challenge but in between the challenges there have been some times when wonderful memories have been created; I am very thankful for them.”

(Note from Scribe: If you were absent from the meeting on Tuesday, I’m sure Eileen would be happy to share some of her story with you so don’t hesitate to approach her at one of our meetings.)

Eileen was thanked by Janna Gisler and presented with the coveted Rotary mug!

The meeting closed with the playing of the national anthem of  Ecuador, in remembrance of their massive earthquake on April 16^th.