The Fortarian. Rotary Club of Thunder Bay, (Fort William)

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1 January 6th, 2016 The Fortarian Rotary Club of Thunder Bay, (Fort William) 2015/2016 Board of Directors Website President: Bev Knutson Directors: Bruce Nugent Treasurer: Boris Cham Robert Moore Secretary: Joan Krisko Sant Sottile President Elect: Bob Hookham Stephen Margarit Past President: Jodi Phillips Ben Hettrick Meets: 3rd Tuesday of each month, Fhara Pottinger WSP Inc, 1269 Premier Way, 6.30pm. Allocations Committee Committee Chair: Peter Stetsko Meets: 2nd Tuesday of each month, Weiler Maloney Nelson Board Room 12 noon. Rotary House Lottery Committee Chair: Bob Hookham Meets: 1st Tuesday of each month, Weiler Maloney Nelson, 12 noon. Weekly Dinner Meetings Mailing Address Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Thunder Bay, ON Airlane Hotel and Conference Centre P.O. Box W. Arthur St. Thunder Bay, ON Canada P7B 6T6 Newsletter Editors Erle Wheatley & Brian Phillips Meeting of January 6th Special Guests in attendance included: Erin Osesky, Ted Osesky s daughter who is an honourary Rotarian. Sargent at Arms - Boris President Bev called the meeting to order. 1 Page

2 Toast to Canada The Toast to Canada was given by Sharon Badanai Guest Speaker President Bev introduced our guest speaker for our meeting, Donald Wilson, Cruise and Vacation Consultant with Expedia Cruiseshipcentres, Thunder Bay. Donald Wilson has been in the travel business for 18 months and has achieved over $145,000 in sales during that time. He is a retired mining professional with over 40 years of experience in both Canada and Kazakhstan. Donald s experience in working in various locations stoked his love for travel to destinations rich in history and culture. Donald applies that passion along with his experiences in project planning and management to help him plan once in a lifetime vacations for clients. While perusing the Globe and Mail in 2014, Donald spotted an ad by the Vimy Foundation and the Canadian Government who were inviting all Canadians to visit Vimy Ridge to commemorate the 100 th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, An idea for a tour was planted and this is the subject of Donald s presentation to the Fort William Rotary on Wednesday, January 6. The Vimy Ridge Centennial Tour will be taking place on April 2 to and will include tours of key WW 1 and WW 2 battlefields. 2 Page

3 Day 1 Paris - The Tour begins on April 3 in Paris. The first day provides an opportunity to meet fellow travellers and the tour guide at a welcome dinner. Day 2 Paris the second day features sightseeing of the major attractions in Paris including the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Day 3. The tour departs the bustle of Paris to head northwest to the coast. Along the way tour members will see the stunning gardens at Giverny, the Memorial for Peace, Chateaux de Caen and the town of Bayeux, the first town liberated following the allied landings on D-Day. Day 4 Attractions along the way include the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, the Juno Beach Memorial Centre and the Ardenne Abby where 20 Canadian soldiers were executed by members of the SS. Day 5. A trip to the village of Beuvron-en-Auge will provide the participants with the opportunity to see what is considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in France. A taste of Normand Calvados, an apple brandy, is included in a visit to a local distiller. Other sights include the strategic Pegasus Bridge, the location where Champlain left France for Quebec and Dieppe where the tour will include the beach and the Canadian cemetery. Day 6 The tour continues to Amiens to see the Jubilee Centre, the Medieval Amiens Cathedral and the Memorial to Allied Forces. This part of the tour also includes a visit to Beaumont-Hamel, dedicated to the Dominion of Newfoundland whose members were killed in WW 1. 3 Page

4 Day 7 Vimy Ridge and the 100 th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge is the focus for this day. Opportunities will be available to attend the ceremonies and tour the memorial and interpretive centre. Day 8 The tour heads to Belgium on Day 8 with a visit to Ypres. Important stops on this day include the Cloth Hall in Flanders Field Museum, the Essex Farm Cemetery, Passchendaele, the Canadian Memorial and the daily evening ceremony at the Menin Gate. Day 9 Back to Paris for a chance to visit the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles or a Moulin Rouge dinner. Day 10. This day sees the tour boarding a high speed Eurostar Train for a first class trip to London, England. Day 11. Sightseeing in London includes the House of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul s Cathedral and Churchill War Rooms. Day 12. A day trip to Portsmouth and to Orpington will allow the participants to learn about the Ontario Hospital built during the First World 1. A local connection at the Canadian Corner will also be highlighted. 4 Page

5 Day 13. Participants will be invited to explore London at their own leisure. Day 14 The tour ends. President Bev thanked Donald for an extremely interesting presentation. Paul Harris Presentations Stephen Margarit was presented with his First Paul Harris Pin. He thanked Joan Krisko for her assistance in obtaining the pin. Arun Dighe was presented with a Paul Harris Page

6 Fines Bob Hookham was the new Sherriff in town and was in good spirits as he kicked in 5 happy dollars to mark a great Christmas and for missing the New Years Gala. Gordie, Stephen and Dave also threw in happy dollars. KS was fined for his numerous suspect appearances with a certain member of the newly elected federal government. Fines by Sherriff Bob were issued for not attending or participating at the New Year s Event, Children s Xmas party or the Carol Sing. Correspondence Christmas greetings were received from the Discovery Resort and St. John s Ambulance. A thank you was also received from the organizers of the Christmas Cheer Stuff A Bus initiative for the $5,000 donation made by our club. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine also sent a letter of thanks and to commemorate 10 years in operation. Rotary Anniversary Dinner Joan provided an update for the Anniversary Dinner. The annual Rotary Dinner will be held on Friday, February 26 at the Italian Hall. Symposium is at 6 p.m. and dinner is at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person. Debit and credit will be accepted at the Hall. All proceeds will go to Polio Plus. Three to 5 gift baskets are needed. There will be Chinese auctions, 50/50 and Fellowship Fines by club. A number of tasks were assigned to members. Shelter House Update Solade provided an update on Shelter House Dinners. Thanks and kudos went out to Andy Morrow and the numerous volunteers who helped serve the Christmas Dinner to 125 people at Shelter House on Monday, December 21. In 2015, Fort William Rotarians and members of the Satellite Club served 1,700 dinners between January and December! Talk about Service Above Self! House Lottery Update A meeting was to occur following the Club meeting. 6 Page

7 Construction on the house is on schedule. Waiting for the license for the ticket sales. President Thanks President Bev thanked the members for their hard work over the past two months. Upcoming Survey President Bev informed the Club that a Survey Monkey Survey will be sent to members in the coming months to get feedback on Club issues like the Sing Song and the Toast. Lighter Side Solade shared a bible related story..the rest of us looked to the heavens for lightning bolts. 50/50 Sante was the lucky winner of the 50/50 draw, however his luck did not extend to the search for the elusive Queen of Hearts. The pot stands at $176. President Bev then concluded the meeting. Selfies at the New Year s Gala 7 Page

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9 Editor Brian Phillips Scribe Bruce Nugent Photos Irene and Sante Sottile 9 Page

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