March Chatters February Annual Charity Dinner. Editorial

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1 This month s issue contains news of the Club at the start of The second draw was made for the Charity Calendar while presentations and celebrations have been held amongst the sports events and a full month of speakers. Editorial The Club s paramount business this month has been preparation for the President s Dinner at the end of next month. I must say this process has appeared smooth and efficient this year; less demanding than I remember in the past. I hope all the effort pays off as we are all looking forward to the event. So on with the show.. Annual Charity Dinner nd 22 March 2013 Bobby Sommerville gives an impromptu entertainment to our Club Members during one of his Club s scatter nights All the Past Presidents celebrated in style at the North Port on 7th February The Club has rushed forward through February with a lot going on at home and abroad. George has returned from Canada while we see Bob off to Africa. President Helen received news from the Jo Homan Charity about the children we sponsor; information on this can be found through the link of the front page of the website. Good news also that Ian is on the mend and will return soon.

2 President Helen makes the presentation to Sheila Ramsay of Starter Packs, Perth Starter Packs is an organisation based in a unit off the Shore Road in Perth, staffed entirely by volunteers, which aims to help the homeless and people in need in the Perth & Kinross area. Supported by local Churches, Starter Packs works with various organisations such as Perth Action of Churches Together and Churches Action for The Homeless (CATH). They help individuals and families on low incomes who have been given the tenancy of a house or flat but who don t have access to basic household goods. Volunteers will collate the Starter Pack from the stock of donated items based on the information provided, everything that contributes to a comfortable home from crockery and bed linen to cleaning materials and toiletries. Requests for Starter Packs need to come through agencies and all referrals are handled by CATH. They are open on a Friday from 10am to 12pm to make up starter packs and receive any donations.

3 Speakers 5 th Feb Louise Nowell "A novice's experience in motorsport" 19 th Feb Douglas Baillie "Aircraft Investigations" 26 th Feb John Cormack "Sir Ernest Shackleton" Douglas Baillie was able to provide the Club Members with a view of aircraft management usually reserved for experts behind closed doors. The idea of a small human error being a contributing factor to an air disaster has led him to investigate methods and procedures for minimizing such errors. Of course, this may seem a serious subject but Douglas managed to take a sideways look at events which provided for a very enjoyable and humorous talk, Louise Nowell took an interesting line for her job talk and opened another side to her life motor racing. Clearly a passion, her interest began many years ago and led her to appreciate the skills required to master the speed and agility of a fast sports car. I understand that technicalities prevented Bob Abernethy from making Louise s entry more spectacular but the end effect was much appreciated by all the Club members John Cormack gave the Club an appreciation of Sir Ernest Shackleton whom he introduced as a major influence on his own life. Shackleton s first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Scott's Discovery Expedition in 1901 from which he was sent home early on health grounds. It was Shackleton s later expeditions with Nimrod and Endurance that made his work a byword for leadership, and the adventures of the James Caird on Elephant Island for bravery.

4 George Delgaty on the successful Strathcona Cup Tour to Canada with teammates, left to right, Wilson Heatlie, Robert Miller and Skip - Harry Dodds. The Strathcona Cup curling competition between the 2 Nations has been going for 110 years although the Cup is only 104 years old having been donated by Sir Donald Smith on Canada s first visit to Scotland. George played 30 games in 24 days and initially was playing 3rd stones and for the first 15 games our Rink s record was won 6 lost 9 overall shots down 30. For the second half of the Tour he ended up playing last stones and our Record then was won 7 lost 8 overall shots up +8. The Cup was won by Scotland who had 60 guys playing over 3 Tours. 20 were in the East playing in the Maritimes and Quebec, 20 in the Central, part of Quebec and part of Ontario. We in the West started in Vancouver, British Columbia then on to Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The Tour Party had a non-playing Captain, Perth Rotarian Bill Duncan, who had played in the Cup in 2003 along with our own Colin Moreland. Briefly the West Tour went as follows :- Vancouver area, then by 2 ferries to Powell River, over on another Ferry on to Vancouver Island to Qualicum, Esquilmalt, & Victoria all British Columbia when we then Flew to Calgary in the next province of Alberta. We then were on the Bus to Edmonton, then on to Lloydminster in Saskatchewan followed by Saskatoon, Regina, Weyburn then still on by Bus to Brandon in Manitoba and then Winnipeg. We flew from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay which is on Lake Superior, Ontario then a Flight from there to Toronto to join up with the rest of the Tour Parties for the Final 3 nights before flying home on 1st February. George had a great time over the 24 days away. The guys on the West Tour were good company despite having by far the toughest part of the Tour as a lot of the wheat farmers do nothing else but go curling in the winter time. He ended up singing in a few venues with Doon in the wee Room being a favourite of the West Tour Team and also a couple of times a rendition of the Bothy Ballad The Barnyards of Delgaty ; this was usually after getting some Dutch Courage to do so.

5 Sheila Ramsay makes the February Calendar Draw while Secretary Janet identifies the winners February Calendar Draw First prize of Ticket No ; Two 50 prizes - Ticket Nos and BOUND FOR THE DARK CONTINENT Bob Thomson has now completed eight different series of inoculations and regimes before setting off for Nairobi on 22 February. Bob said, I feel as if I have missed my true vocation as a test pilot for a pin cushion company! So, why is Bob heading out to the slums of Nairobi? No pandemic in history has struck the world in such a frightening way as HIV/AIDS and Sub- Saharan Africa is one of the hardest hit areas. In Kenya each and every day between 300 and 400 children die of this terrible disease. 94% of infected persons live in developing nations where drug therapies are largely unaffordable. Over 13 million African children have been orphaned already That secret event a committee in action through AIDS and this number is predicted to increase as high as 40 million by 2020.