Ten-EightyNEWS

Informing

in East AngliaDistrict Governor: David Simpson(Woodbridge Deben Rotary)

Editor: Rodney Howell(Diss Waveney Rotary)

Volume 8 Issue 12June 2019

Getting our ducks in a row

Gt Yarmouth Haven Duck Race

RIBI Annual Business Meeting

Page 2Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

Disclaimer: Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Editor or RIBI. Every effort is made to ensure that the magazine’s contents are accurate. Information is published in good faith but no liability can be accepted for inconvenience arising from error or omission. The Editor reserves the right to edit for clarity or length.Contributors must ensure that all material submitted is not in breach of copyright or other laws.The magazine welcomes all contributions from individual members and clubs covering events and activities throughout the year. Wherever possible, please supply copy in an editable format by email and include any images as attachments in as high a resolution as possible.

COPY DATEAll material for inclusion must be submitted by the 24th of any month via the following email address:

rod@g-howell.keme.co.uk

District Officers 2018-19District GovernorDavid Simpson ---------------------Imm.Past DGRobert Lovick -----------------------DG ElectJonathan King ----------------------DG NomineeIn abeyance -------------------------District SecretarySteven Seager ----------------------Assistant District SecretarySteve Munns ------------------------District TreasurerPhilip Peters -------------------------Assistant GovernorsNE1 DavidJefferies-----------S1 Peter Summers ----------------------SW JeffHide-------------------E1 Nigel Wordingham -----------------NE2 Ian Elliott ------------------W Sarah Lindsell ------------------------SE1 Janet Turner --------------SE2 Lindsay Pearson ---------------------E2 Steven Seager ------------NW1 PeterHarris(Acting)----------------Comm/VocNick Corke ----------------------------------InternationalRobert Lovick ------------------------------Youth ServicesBill Redmayne -----------------------------Public ImageIan Elliott ------------------------------------Rotary FoundationDerek Rothwell ----------------------------MembershipRay Burman --------------------------------Leadership & TrainingJohn Samuel -------------------------------WebmasterMartin Brocklebank ----------------------EnvironmentKeith Tovey ---------------------------------RYLARobin Wraight -----------------------------Conference DirectorDeirdreGriffin-----------------------------Peace OfficerPat Webb ------------------------------------

8

9

16

Contactless payment and how Rotary clubs can take advantage of the technology

Mr RYLA is getting nervous - complete those reservations now!

Plastic ducks have the run of Venetian Waterways

Page 3Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

SimplySimpsonby

The monthly report fromDG David

The last few metres lie ahead as I prepare to head for Hamburgand the 2019 RI Convention. This

willbea‘first’experienceforSueandIand one to which we are really looking forward.Averybig‘thankyou’ toall theclubswho have welcomed me so generously over the past year. On those visits, I have seen Rotary Service achieved in many differing and effective ways- Whilst the objective is always very similar, the means of achievement havebeenwidelydifferent.Thanksalsoto the many who have engaged with the Membership Team and worked to develop a fresher face to Rotary. Satellite Groups and altered formats for meetings are already showing dividends in gaining new members. It is disappointing to see some Rotary Clubs closing at the end of June. A core of these Rotarians will, I hope, be retained within our movement but these closures will leave significantvoids in various geographic areas which I am sure you will work with the 2019-2020 Team to encourage new style groups to work with these communities and re-engage them with Rotary and its valued service.The last month has seen engagement with Japan and its Rotarian commitment in two ways. Firstly, the visit of the District Governor and Foundation Team from District 2500 to Norwich as they met up with their

supported Global Scholar. Secondly, in joining Peace Fellow Kiyomi Miyagoe at the Kings Lynn Priory Rotary Club during her short visit to our District. Our opportunity to meet such inspiring people is largely due to the efforts ofourPeaceOfficer,PatWebb,whowokstirelesslytoensurethatwebenefitfromour option to distance-host a Peace Scholar studying at Bradford. The Homeless Football Tournament(now in its tenth year),mastermindedby Cambridge South Rotarian Mike Smith supported by willing volunteers, showed how the support for local organizations in this critical sector is valued by those who have benefited.More can be learned about this within this edition.I was pleased to meet with several Rotarians from this district at the Rotary Showcase event in Nottingham. Whilst not as well attended as had beenhoped, itwasbothdifferentandencompassedsignificantelementsthatmay be regarded as traditional. It was, as had been requested, Rotary-focused and covered engagement with partner agencies as well as having significantsections on modern-day slavery in our communities and the real long-term benefits of Polio eradication. It wasall brought to a close with the now traditional Young Citizen Awards, which were prefaced by the Youth Speaks final.One of my last tasks was to be the proposer of one of the resolutions to our first fully on-line Annual Business

Meeting(IwasatAlcesterfortheday).I can sympathise with the frustration felt by those who attempted to join onSunday5thofMay.Theerror (fullyaccepted)byoursupplierofserviceandthe lack of appropriate support from their out-of-hours service team led to a subsequent Special General Meeting and thus another visit to Alcester for me. I thank all of you who attended for asecondtime.However,despitehaving576 registrants, only 404 actually logged on. This was not enough to be quorate and has led to the implementation of remote voting. We cannot know if the original meeting would have been quoratebutIfinditdisappointingthat,despite clubs voting in 2017 for an on-line ABM nationally, club’s nominateddelegatesdonotcommittoexercisingtheir role to represent their members. Decision-makingcanonlybeeffectivethose delegates fully play their part.I have thoroughly enjoyed my year as your District Governor and I hope I have served you as you would have wished. I have done my best to promote a positive view of Rotary in East Anglia to those with whom I have made contact at RIBI.I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible joining Sue and myself at the District Handover on Friday28th June (fulldetails are tobe foundon the following page). It will be myopportunity to welcome Jonathan King and the team that will serve you in 2019-20 as well as to pass on my sincere best wishes to you all.

The Finish Line looms ahead

Page 4Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

Park Hotel29 Denmark Street, Diss IP22 4LE

18.30 for 19.00.

District 1080 Handover Evening28th June 2019

All Rotarians, partners and friends are invited to join the incom-ingDistrictOfficersandtheLeadershipTeamfordinner,fellow-shipand,especially,togivetheDistrict’sappreciationfortheworkofthedeparting2018/2019officersand,inparticular,ourDistrict Governor, David Simpson.

TheeventisbeingheldattheParkHotel,29DenmarkStreet,Diss, Norfolk IP22 4LE at 18.30 for 19.00. The meal is a two-course Carvery for £18.00. Wine is available from £15.99.

The following presentations will take place on the evening:• Club Publicity Cup• Community Champion Award• Handover Jewels and Ribbons to District Officers• Handover of the Home Club Banner to Wroxham Bure Valley

There will also be a programme of light entertainment.

A personal invitation to each D1080 Rotarian will be e-mailed out and this will include a booking link to place a reservation.

Felixstowe Rotary’s sixth annualboxingtournamentraised£11,000for local causes when a team from

Teesside foughta‘SuffolkSelect’ teamalong with two international challenge matches. There were four Rotary Club of Felixstowechallengebeltstobefoughtfor in an evening of 14 bouts of the highest quality.“The evening was a great success as we continuetosupportamateurboxinginSuffolk.Whilst raisingmoney for localgood causes we also encourage young people in the sport to improve their life chances by the discipline and purpose boxing brings”, said Richard Bugg onbehalf of the club.

Five-figure sum from Felixstowe fisticuffs

Who would think that Easter Eggs could be so profitable?For a number of years, the

Rotary Club of Diss & District have run araffleforEasterEggsintheDissarea.A number of very large Easter Eggs are speciallymadefortheClubbySuffolk-basedchocolatiers,HadleighMaidandthen located in pubs, shops and other suitable venues for people to buy one of the 100 squares available with each Easter Egg.As a result of the generosity of local people, the Club will be able to send £1,000 to both the East Anglian Children’s Hospice and to the EastAnglian Air Ambulance.The picture above shows customer Sue Welsh with the Easter Egg won at Albright Crafts in Diss.

Chocolate Eggs proved to be golden in Diss

To reserve your place, click anywhere on this frame

The date of the October District Council Meeting has now been rescheduled from Wednesday 2nd to Wednesday 16th October 2019.

Change of October date for DCM

Page 5Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

From theEditor’s Desk

To contact the Editor, click here

There’s good news and again there’s bad newsOn-line Annual Business Meeting was a mixed bag

Twice during May I have sat in front of my computer eager to participate in the governance

of our association and twice I have come away feeling somewhat less than satisfied.On the first occasion, I set aside mySunday afternoon and I duly logged in justbefore2pm.Isay“loggedin”but, in reality, what happened was that I spent the next 30minutes trying to access the event but was continuously told that too many people were attending. As I assumed that the ABM had assumed a popularity far beyond all expectations, I continued totry to access it at intervals over thenexthourbeforeIgaveupfeeling aggrieved that my club had been disenfranchised.A few hours later I learned that there had been a cock-up by the contractors and the attendance limit had been set at 100 not 1000 and the meeting had been abandoned.Never one to hold a grudge and again keentoplaymypartasoneofmyclub’stwo voting delegates, I sat down again atsixintheeveningonthere-arrangeddate of Wednesday 22nd May and this time I was successful and the screen told me that things would be starting

shortly and there were the sounds of what I took to be people taking their places.Then things went live and I saw the reassuring smile of General Secretary Amanda Watkin within the backdrop of the Council Chamber at Alcester. She introduced Past RIBI President

Nan McCreadie who was to chair the meeting and we then spent quite a long while waiting for delegate numbers to rise and have the the voting process explained and a dummy resolutionvoted on.After about 20 minutes, it was announced that only 404 delegates had logged in out of a total of 576

registrations whereas 431 were needed to become quorate. As a result, the meeting would proceed with questions taken but no voting would take place! Votes would have to be cast by clubs later.It was announced that Resolution 4 would be taken first and who shouldpopuptomoveitbutthefamiliarfigureof our DG David Simpson complete with the familiar red trousers (seephoto). During this process it becameevident that a tiny number of people were in the room - I counted 8 or 10 at most. Questions were taken on-line, a process that proved that iPad users were wasting their time as the system seemed not to work for them. We learned that the head honcho of RIBI will now be the RI Director and that the Chair of the Board will be selected from Past District Governors using the much loved Selection Advisory Committee process. We also learned that the new electronic system does not allow you to insert an amendment.Things ambled on in a somewhat desultory manner during which we were told that the recent Rotary Showcase event had an attendance of less than 800 registrations and wouldbe“financially challenging”, ourmembership is down again and that

“bigchanges”are indiscussionfor the magazine. Questions were few and mostly came from one person.The problem is “Where does this leave democracy in RIBI?”If not enough people can be bothered to make an ABM quorate then we are left with, essentially, decision by referendum without discussion, input or amendment and the whole show can fall into the hands of an extremely smallnumber of people. Did people only attend the old-style ABM because of the opportunity to

defray the cost of a weekend by the sea with the allowed expenses? Doesit hasten the day when RIBI crumbles apart and Districts revert to the standardRImodel?Personally, I am uncomfortable with a position where, this year, 30% of those voting will do so without any knowledge of the arguments for or against.

Page 6Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

Our Scholars tell all

This district hosts some special people every year and the Foundation team held the second

‘MeettheScholars’eventinWaterbeachon 9th May. Philip Laver was there with his camera and we’ve printed aselection of the shots he took.Five scholars gave some incredibly interesting talks about themselves and their studies. Each has a specialism - we heardaboutmen’sviolencepreventioneducation, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and the delivery of aid to underdeveloped countries.We chose a new venue at the Innovation Park,whichwasexcellentforafewtensof people and the food was great too!Don’t forget to put next October’sScholars Welcome Evening for the 2019-20 intake in your diaries when details are announced.

Derek RothwellD1080 Foundation Chair

Page 7Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

Two van-loads of unwanted tools were handed over recently to the Rotary ClubofSaffronWalden’s latestproject forToolswithaMission.CollectionbinswereprovidedatRidgeonsandHomebaseforaweekandtheRotary

Club’svanwasparkedintheTescocarpark,theLordButlerLeisureCentreandinthe Uttlesford District Council Car Park for two-hour slots on Saturday, May 4.TheRotaryClub’sprojectorganiser,DavidTelfordsaid“Onceagaintheresidentsof SaffronWalden have supported one of our projects in their usual generousmannerandweareverygratefulfortheirhelp”.HeaddedhisthankstoRidgeons,Homebase,Tesco,theLordButlerLeisureCentreand Uttlesford District Council for providing collection points.In addition to gardening, garage and building tools, several sewing machines, including some much-sought-after industrial machines were donated to the project. After collection, the Club transported the tools to the Tools with a Mission’swarehouse in Ipswich where they will be refurbished and sorted into trade kits before being shipped to developing countries.The picture shows one of the two van loads of equipment collected by the Rotary Club,beingunloadedatToolswithaMission’swarehouseinIpswich.

MissionAccomplished

The Rotary Club of Ely was 80 years old on 27th April and the occasion was celebrated in style with a gala

dinner at the Ely Golf Club with almost 80 people attending. These included guests from many other Rotary clubs including President John Mott from their‘mother’club,Cambridge.It was in 1938 that seven members of Ely’s business community first met toexplorethepossibilityofbeingpartofthis world-wide organisation that has helped so many over the years and the Ely Rotary Club was chartered in 1939 with the support of the Cambridge Club. Over the past 80 years the Rotary Club of Ely have raised many thousands of pounds for both local and international charities and entertained the local people with the well-loved Christmas Collection and Aquafest amongst many other ventures.In the true tradition of Rotary, a cheque for £1,231 was presented by President Richard Tyler to Linda Neat who represented the Possability charity. During the evening, the Rev. Dr. The Lord Leslie Griffiths entertained everyonewith a humorous and interesting talk.

The years roll by for Ely Rotary

Rev. Dr, The Lord Leslie Griffiths with Rotarian Bernard Arnold

Page 8Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

it’s time to gocontactless

There’s a whole new alternativeto cash out there

Over recent years it has become much more common to hear theremark“I’dlovetoputsome

money in your tin but I don’t carrychange any more”. It’s not just cashcollections that are a problem because many members of our society have given up cheque books as well. Rotary clubs must adapt and move with the times if we are not to lose our share of the public’s pound. It’s time to go“Contactless”.What is it? Contactless is an easywayto pay using a credit card, commonly for purchases costing £30 and under. This type of payment is becoming increasingly popular especially for items that would have involved a small cash spend.The underlying technology across different devices is the same and itworks when the the active section of the card is touched against a contactless terminal to securely transmit the purchase information.Whyshouldwebeusingit?Principallybecause it is fast, easy and secure. Although it is possible to pay more than £30 in this way via the use of a passcodeorfingerprint, this isnot themarket that typically interests Rotary

clubswheretheaimistoextractasmallsum from a large number of people.Jenny Muir, President of St Albans Priory Rotary, spotted a contactless system being used at a Rotary charity cycle ride in May 2018. The team were usinga‘Sum-Up’machinefordonationsand expressed the simplicity of thesystem to her – no counting coins and notes, no paying cash and cheques into the bank.

Thedevices(suchasthatshownabove),which are completely portable, cost an average of about £30 and a small percentage of each donation is taken bythecardreadercompany(averagingabout1.65%).Within our district, Diss Waveney Rotary are in the process of buying one at a

specialofferpriceof£19withtheaimofhaving it up and running ready for use at summer fundraisers.For further information, click on each of the three logos below to access three card reader companies recommended by RIBI.

If any club has already had experience of using one of these devices, please let us know of that experience in order to aid a future article

Page 9Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

Following our annual review with both this year and next year’sDistrict Governors - David and

Jonathan - I’m pleased to report thatboth are enthusiastically on board for 2019 and the future.Bookings for 2019 are similar to previous years with oodles of promises and deposits slowly arriving - please remember that it is ‘first come, firstserved’ numbers are restricted to amaximum of 50. Please get thosebookings in as soon as possible.We welcome 18- to 26-year-olds, male or female. They can be at college or university, a family member, employed, underemployed or unemployed; in short, from any background or circumstance. The course runs from 31st August to 7th September at Grafham Water Centre, which is owned and run by Cambridgeshire County Council and it is fully residential and it is all for £660.Please check that your club is included in the list of those currently registered.

All of you will be aware that building partnerships is a crucial part of RYLA and Rotary, so I’m pleased to informyou that this year, in addition to our multitude of existing partnerships,the Soroptomists will be joining the RYLAexperienceandthattheyhave15interested applicants. The opportunity exists for clubs to take the financingof one of these young people - we currentlyhavefinancingforfour.

• Do you have the finance but arestrugglingtofindacandidate?

• Do you have a candidate but are strugglingwiththefinance?

• Do you need help, support or literature?

The answer in all cases is to contact me ortovisittheRYLAwebsite(www.ryla.co.uk).Robin Wraight01473 730316Email: info@ryla.co.uk

• Bury St Edmunds,• Bury St Edmunds Abbey,• Cambridge,• Ely,Ely Hereward,• Fakenham, • Felixstowe, • Gt Yarmouth Haven, • Gt Yarmouth and Gorleston, • Harleston, • Ipswich Wolsey, • Kings Lynn Priory and Trinity,• Littleport, • Lowestoft South and East Point,• Norwich Blackfriars and St Edmund,• Saffron Walden,• Woodbridge and Woodbridge Deben.

Current Registrations

SUGGESTION:What an incredible birthday present!

Page 10Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

The Rotary Club of Stowmarket Gipping Valley raised nearly

£2000 for local and international causes with two recent events. The first was their annualCharity Quiz Night, which was held at the Cedars HotelinStowmarket.Eightteams took part and the three top teams were given cash amounts to be used for charities of their choice - £25toAlzheimer’sSociety,£37.50 to Shelterbox and£62.50 to Marie Curie Support. In total, £852 was raised and the £514 profitwasdonatedtoShelterBox.The second event was also a regular annual fund raiser whereby giant Easter eggs are distributed to various local businesses (mostlypubs)fortheircustomerstohave a chance in winning the egg during a draw held just before Easter. The photo at the top of the page shows Rotary members Arnie Bennett(onleft)andJeffSternatAlderCarr Farm. One of the eggs was also

donatedtotheUvedaleNursingHomewhere it was received by a member of thestaff(seepictureabove).

Easter eggs in the Valley

Rotary District 1080 Individual Golf Day for The District Golf Trophy

Thetford Golf Club Wednesday September 11th 2019

Stableford Format

£45.00 per person: incl a round of golf, two course meal and prizes, nearest the pin etc. Guests welcome.

First tee off 11.00am

Entries close Sunday 11th August 2019

Contact and Entry Forms, John Barton: e-mail jhn.barton@icloud.com

Guide to satellite clubs available

AreyouinaRotaryclubthat isn’tmeetingyourorothermembers’expectations? If so, starting a

satellite club might help. Download thenew‘GuidetoSatelliteClubs’(clickon the button below) to learn moreabout these clubs, how they work, the benefitsof startingone,andwhat theprocess involves.

Page 11Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

Huw Edwards, Broadcaster and Lead Presenter for BBC News, was guest speaker at Sudbury Rotary

Club’sannualCharterNightdinnerheldat The Secret Garden Restaurant in Sudbury on 26th April. Huw (photographed above withSudbury President, Tony Platt - photo: by Lynda Sebbage) recounted manyamusing stories of his life in the media, confirming that it was very unlikelyhe would take part in Strictly Come Dancing because of the time pressures ofhisexistingwork.HespokeabouttheroleheplayedintheBondfilm‘Skyfall’–for a total of 43 seconds and as a news presenter! He had come to Sudburyfollowing a three-hour rehearsal in preparation for the local elections, where he will be on duty from 11 p.m. for seven hours, have a short break and then be back on screen by lunchtime for anothersixhours.Agruellingschedule!Hethenturnedtomoreseriousmattersand was candid about the current parlous state of politics in the UK and the serious divisions among people becauseofBrexitissues.Healsospoke

about the problems of social media reporting of news in that it did not necessarily demonstrate both sides of any debate. Fifty guests were present at the birthday dinner – celebrating 69 years of Rotary in Sudbury. They were fascinated to know how the Club had managedtobookHuwEdwardstobetheirguest speaker.Heexplained thathe had known the Club President, Tony Platt through their joint interest and involvement in the Welsh Chapels in London and that Tony had been very persuasive. Huw surprised the guestsbyaddressingusas“FellowRotarians”-Not only is he a Rotarian but he has also beenawardedaPaulHarrisFellowship.Tony said, “Huw ensured that theCharter Night was a very enjoyable and successful evening and one which will be talked about and remembered for a long time. We were incredibly grateful toHuw forgenerouslygivingup timein a very busy schedule of work to visit us in Sudbury and we will welcome him backatanytime.”

Huw Edwards was guest speaker at Sudbury’s Charter

Rotary District 1080 Individual Golf Day for The District Golf Trophy

Thetford Golf Club Wednesday September 11th 2019

Stableford Format

£45.00 per person: incl a round of golf, two course meal and prizes, nearest the pin etc. Guests welcome.

First tee off 11.00am

Entries close Sunday 11th August 2019

Contact and Entry Forms, John Barton: e-mail jhn.barton@icloud.com

Copy Date is 24th of any month

Page 12Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

Rememberthatletter?Theonesentto all clubs about Rotary being able to collect at the Circus.

The letter was from Paul Archer, Secretary of the Association of Circus Proprietors of Great Britain and it gave Rotary Clubs the opportunity to organise bucket collections at the end of every single performance on tour. This offer was made as a gesture togive something back to the many local communities that member circuses visit in each calendar year.So,when Russell’s International CircuscametoHunstantonovertheMayBankHoliday,HunstantonandDistrictRotarygot busy and organised so that one

or two Rotarians would be ready with their buckets outside the circus tent as each performance ended.The Club contacted Rusty Russell, the Ringmaster, as soon as posters appeared in the town and confirmedarrangements. Rusty and his team wereextremelyhelpfuland,duringtheshow, he announced that Rotary would be there and mentioned the good work that Rotary does in the community.Rotarians even got chance to see some of the show as Rusty invited them into the Big Top as soon as they arrived.

Some of the Rotarians are picture above with Rusty and a passing clown.

The roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd

Hunstanton Rotary comes calling when the circus comes to town

Read how an impromptu meeting on a crowded train led to a tour ofoneoftheworld’slargestslums

and is leading to a better life for tens of thousands of children in India and around the world.The inspiring book. “Toilet Warrior”by Australian Rotarian Mark Balla has just been released. You can purchase a copy via the button below. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Rotary Foundation for water and sanitation projects.

Book sales will boost Water and Sanitation projects

Page 13Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

The Rotary Club of Diss Waveney is fortunate enough to be hosting a best-selling author who will be the

keynote speaker at the club’s CharterDinner on Friday September 27th when shewill tell the story of how she firststruggled with, and then against, the ideological machine of Red China. It is a story of pain and horror, turmoil and tragedy but most of all it is the story of a woman who found courage, hope and humour and who, against unbelievable odds, survived.Anhua Gao is a Chinese-British author of‘ToThe Edge of the Sky’, anautobiographical account of her and her family’s life in Maoist China from1926 until her escape to the West in 1994, which was published in 2000. Anhua Gao was born in Nanjing and her parents were both veteran Communists andPeople’sLiberationArmy(PLA)highofficials. Both parents died when shewas a small child from a combination oftheeffectsofmalnutritionandverypoor medical care. After their deaths, they were hailed as revolutionary martyrs by the Maoist government, a title which protected Gao and her siblingsfromtheworstexcessesoftheCultural Revolution but did not spare herextremehardship,persecutionandeven torture. As a child, Gao was a diligent student, andherparents’influenceaswellasherhard study helped her become a Young Pioneer and a Red Guard. As a teenager during the Cultural Revolution, Gao joined the PLA to avoid being sent to the countryside for reform through

hard labour, the fate of millions of other young Chinese men and women. Sheexcelledinthearmyuntilshewasdenounced by her sister as a “bourgeois decadent”anddismissed.Gaowassentto work in an electronics factory, where she contracted Ménière’s disease. Shewas the victim of domestic abuse from her husband and then imprisoned and persecuted at the hands of the Chinese security police. In 1994, Gao moved to England to be with her British husband, whom she met via a written correspondence. In 2000, as a British citizen, Gao published her memoir of her life’sexperiences under Mao’s regime,stating that she “wanted the world to knowthetruthaboutChina”.Any interested Rotarian is invited to attend - tickets are £24 and further details can be obtained via the button below.

Diss Waveney announce author as speaker at Charter Dinner

Crucial Crew is a joint event organised annually as a partnershipbetweenfiveRotary

Clubs (three from King’s Lynn plusHunstanton and Downham Market),the Norfolk County Council and the Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service.Aimed at 10 to 11-year-old children, Crucial Crew is a multi-agency safety education event. This involves the staging of theatrical safety sets for students to learn about safety by experiencing risk in a safe controlledenvironment by trained professionals, covering emergency services including, Fire, Coastguard, Police, plus electrical and gas safety in the home and on the internet.Set in King’s Lynn Fire Station, it is aone-week-long event to which schools from the local area are invited to bring their children for a half-day visit.Events like this have been operated since 2005 and are attended by up to 1000 children per week with over 70,000 young people having been able to take advantage of the programme since its inception.During this week, hundreds of Norfolk school children have been learning vital safety skills thanks to the Crucial Crew Project.

The photograph above was taken at King’s Lynn Fire Station on the fourth day of the Crucial Crew programme where young pupils were shown how resuscitation is carried out by compression of the chest and by defibrillation as part of project covering all-areas safety.

Event teaches children crucial safety skills

The 20th May saw the launch of the ‘ThanksBigTed’website,aninitiativetoraisefunds for the End Polio Now campaign

through telling the adventures of a group of friends based at the Rotary Support Centre in Alcester.Taketimetohavea lookat thesite (justclickonTed’sphoto).

Big Ted gets his own website

Page 14Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

Cambridge south on target again

When you are down and out, it ishardtofindanythinggoodto look forward to and the

unfortunate and sad circumstances of the homeless are regularly in the news. So it was that the 70 players from homeless organisations local to Cambridge, along with their supporters, had been looking forward to the 10th Annual Football Tournament Day on 19thMaywhentheAbbeyPool’sAstroTurf Pitches (kindlymade availablebythe Cambridge City Council) playedhosttotheTommyMcLaffertyCup.Ninemixedfive-a-sideteamstookpart.The weather was kind – a lovely dry day. A pre-tournament sandwich lunch was followedbythefirstgamesthatkickedoffat1.00pm.Each team played four very competitive gamesand‘Jimmy’s’werethewinners.The winners of the individual cups were chosen by a committee and the Player of the Tournament was Sean Griffin,playing for Emmaus. David Simpson, our District Governor, helped with the presentation.

The afternoon concluded with an excellent outdoor meal for all andplayers and spectators alike said that they had had an inspiring and fun day. Joint organisers were the Rotary Club of Cambridge South, Cambridge Link-Up and Wintercomfort for the Homeless. “Every year, everyoneinvolved leaves this event with a huge smile on their face and a massive sense ofachievement”,saidEmmaHyde,chairof Link-Up.

Norwich St Edmund Rotarian, Mark Little has been the Chair of the Rotary Action Group Against

Slavery (RAGAS) ever since it wasofficially started at the RI Conventionheld in Birmingham exactly 10 yearsago and the driving force behind it prior to that point. Mark has announced that he is to stand down at the end of this Rotary year from that role. His successor will be chosen in duecourse by the Executive members ofthe RAGAS Board and, as soon as he or she is announced, you will read of the appointment in the next issue of theRAGAS Newsletter which may or may not be the last issue, depending on how the new Chair will wish to operate. Please note that, as usual, RAGAS will haveaboothintheHouseofFriendshipat the upcoming RI Convention in Hamburganditisnumber4241.“Ilookforward to catching up with some of you, so please do drop by and say hello andperhapstakeastintatthebooth”,says Mark.

Mark Little to stand down as Anti-Slavery Chair

Page 15Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

On Friday 3rd May, the Rotary Club of Aylsham, together with the Cawston Band, held

a concert at the Jubilee Family Centre in Aylsham.The first part was amoretraditional brass band programme of music. However, for the second partthe Band gave their tribute to the rock band, Queen.This was the first time the CawstonBand had played this tribute and a full house sang along, waved their arms and clapped enthusiastically to an original interpretationofQueen’sfavouritesongs.Performances included band-members Tom Ellis and Philip Green dressing up as Freddie Mercury and the Spanish Soprano Montserrat Caballé for an interpretation of their hit ‘Barcelona’ – but this timewith a baritone horn and cornet. This was followed by a solo routine imitating FreddieMercury thatdefiesdescription!The evening would have finished withthe unforgettable ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’had not the audience demanded an

encore after this.The event was sponsored by a number of local businesses and raised over £2,000. This will be split equally between Rotary in Aylsham for the local, national and international charities it supports and the Cawston Band to fund their activities. Rotary and the Cawston Band can clearly claim “We arethechampions”!

Queen for a day

Following a candlelight vigil on the 10thMay, the RIBI Conference set aside half a day at the Rotary

Showcase in Nottingham to shine a light on slavery with the considerable helpof theUniversityofNottingham’s‘RightsLab’-theworld’sfirstlargescaleresearch platform for ending slavery. The theme of the symposium, which was chaired by Caroline Evans from the Rotary Club of Norwich St Edmund, was “Ending Slavery in Our Communities”.After an introduction by RIBI President Debbie Hodge, the keynote addresswas delivered by Shaun Sawyer, the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall, who is the UK National Lead for Modern SlaveryandHumanTrafficking.The Symposium was then addressed by RI President Barry Rassin, followed by eminent speakers from the Rights Lab,HopeforJustice,theGangmasters& Labour Abuse Authority, Freedom United and RAGAS.

Anti-Slavery Debate at Nottingham Showcase

At Lowestoft Rotary Club’sPresident’s Evening at thebeginning of May, the Presidents

of local clubs attended and are pictured on the right - Presidents Paul Randle of Beccles, Brian Hunter (thehost President), District GovernorDavid Simpson, Lowestoft East Point President Martin Lot and Lowestoft SouthClub’sMichaelCole.Thisreflectsthe increased working cooperation of the local clubs in the interest of greater impact in the community.

Take That make one final appearance

A new piece of fundraising equipment has beenmade and donated by Ipswich Rotarian Bernard Hindes for the Rotakids clubs at Halifax and Hillside Primary Schools. It’s a challenging piece of equipment and the

schools are looking forward to using it in a live situation. Big thank you to Bernard for his ongoing work to support youth initiatives.Bernard is his club’s main supporter for Rotakids and supplied the “buzzer” as part of his encouraging and enabling the clubs in their fund-raising. As the two schools are less than a mile apart, their sharing of this also encourages co-operation between the clubs and reinforces the concept of working together for the benefit of others. The kit will be used at school events such as summer fetes with potential for challenges between pupils and their peers and also pupils and their parents.

Page 16Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

On a glorious Easter Sunday, the Venetian Waterways on North Drive, Great Yarmouth were

opened to the public despite a project to rejuvenate the historic area having not been entirely completed.ThisallowedtheGreatYarmouthHavenRotary Club to hold their Annual Duck Races in conjunction with the Great Yarmouth Borough Council, who held an Easter Treasure Hunt through theWaterways.This was the 20th running of the HavenRotaryDuckRacesand,withtheweather being kind and record crowds turning out, it was a truly successful day.

The Mayor, Councillor Mary Coleman wasinvitedtostartthefirstofthefiveraces at 2.00pm. A great attraction was the display and racing of 140 giant decorated ducks sponsored by local companies and individuals. The Mayor was asked to pick out the best decorated duck from the many fabulous and imaginative entries and the winner wastheentryfromTheBeachHutandTearoom Café.Over £17,000 was raised and all proceeds will be used to support local organisations and those individuals who are most vulnerable and in need of support at this time. Alan Spinks, Chairman of the Organising Committee said, “This was our most successful day yet and it is hoped the event will be on SpringBankHolidaySundaynextyear”.

Ducks rule the Waterways

Below: Mayor Cllr. Mary Coleman , husband Barry and President Keith Futter, Haven Rotary Club get it all underway

Right: The best decorated duck chosen by the Mayor from 140 sponsored giant ducks (see above)

Left: The sponsored ducks parade for the benefit of the crowd

Below: The field of racing ducks await the Mayor’s signal

Page 17Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

ROTARY CLUB OF NORWICH

CHARITY GOLF DAY The Rotary Club of Norwich will be working in conjunction with Thrive to deliver a programme called the Thrive Approach to a variety of primary schools in and around Norwich. The Thrive Approach draws on insights from neuroscience to provide a powerful way of working with children and young people that supports optimal social and emotional development.

FRIDAY 20th September 2019

EATON GOLF CLUB, NORWICH Registration from 11.00am - Shotgun start at 1.00pm. Teams of four are invited – Stableford – full handicap – 2 scores to count.

Cost is £45 per head, includes coffee & bacon roll on arrival & evening meal.

Win prizes for a hole in one, plus golfing prizes for nearest the pin. Individuals and team prizes + excellent raffle prizes.

Join us at the premier golf club in Norwich to raise funds in support of THRIVE

To obtain an entry form, please contact:

info@rotaryclubnorwich.co.uk

The river and ships always have beenthelifebloodofKing’sLynnand, in the 13th century, the town

was one of England’smost importantports, attracting traders from the HanseaticLeaguewithwhichthetownstill holds a close association.The infrastructure of the port developed in the 19th century by the formation of the Docks and Railway Company, which sawthebuildingoftheAlexandraDockin 1869, followed by the larger Bentinck Dock in 1883. In earlier times, the port relied on the trading of salt, wool and cloth, whereas today agricultural produce, fertilisers, aggregates, timber and steel dominate.The Port of King’s Lynn is operatedby Associated British Ports and their manager, Ms Kim Kennedy spoke to King’s Lynn Rotary on 20thMay, explaining the background,development and plans for the Port’sfuture. Today, the port operates as a highlyefficientunit,withmuchof thetown’s population virtually unawareof thehugetonnagesbeingexported,imported and stored on the site.There seems little doubt that The Port ofKing’sLynn,underABPmanagement,will develop, grow and continue to be asignificantfeaturefortheTown’sandEastAnglia’sprosperity.

Above - Pip Rippengill, Club President (left) and Kim Kennedy, Manager of Associated British Ports, King’s Lynn.

Lynn Port still growing, Rotary told in talk

Finally, Hamburg is happening! Some 25,000 Rotarians will be there from all over the

world but, if you’re not there, the good news is that you can still follow the presentations from the comfort of your own home via ‘Rotary Live Connect’.Rotary International will live-

stream inspiring general sessions and key breakout sessions from the event. You can watch them live or on demand for up to three months after the convention. The full programme of available sessions and the registration process can be accessed by clicking on the banner below.

Hamburg Convention will be streamed over Internet

Page 18Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019

You may have noticed that the polio statistics in Pakistan are not going down so, this month, we

will focus on why the incidence of the wild Polio virus has increased a little in Pakistan and what is being done to reverse the trend.Firstly,thefigures,asofMay14th,2019show a total of 15 cases of paralysis caused by the wild polio virus in Pakistan year to date with seven in Afghanistan. AfghanistanandPakistan’seradicationefforts are interlinked as there is virusspread through population movement across the border. Indeed, Afghanistan has recently introduced a policy of compulsory immunisation for children underfivecrossingintotheircountry.The two factors of false social media reporting and intimidation through violence have to be addressed urgently bythecounty’sgovernment.

Social Media

Pakistan has experienced a largenumber of social media posts spreading misinformation about polio suggesting the vaccine can cause illness in the childrenreceivingit. (Somesimilarities

herewithmeaslesintheWest).Someofthe people responsible for these reports have been arrested and an agreement has been signed with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to block such reports. However,thedamagehasbeendone.

Intimidation and Violence

There has been resistance to the immunisation efforts in areas ofPakistan. Police protecting polio workers and female polio workers have been shot by gunmen. The fundamentalist view continuing to suggest that the campaign is a Western efforttosterilizeMuslimshasgeneratedmassive paranoia in some areas. Other social media reports suggested the vaccinesusedwereexpired.Followingthis, an angry mob attacked a government health facility in Peshawar earlier this year. Militants are believed to be targeting health workers to strike fear into them and coerce them to stop their participation.

Challenge and Response

These brutal attacks, coupled with the

anti-vaccination propaganda, pose a dangerous challenge for Pakistan since the virus seems to be spreading across major cities. Some resistance was expected but it was not realised thatpeople would panic. The Government has been running an aggressive perception management campaign to combat misinformation.Security for polio workers is to be increased significantly and a counterinformation movement continued to combat the misinformation campaign bythefundamentalists.Hopefullythiswill negate the relevance of the “fake news”surroundingvaccines.

And Afghanistan?

There are more systemic problems in Afghanistan associated with the state of the Health System, access to it bywomen, funding for health and funding forhealthworkers.We’llcomebacktothis in a future edition.

David PrichardD1080 End Polio Now Coordinatordavid.prichard3@btinternet.com

Immunizationin a war zone

Page 19Volume 8 Issue 12 June 1st 2019

How many travellers went through HeathrowAirport last year?Thiswas the tie-break question in the

RotaryClubofDiss&District’s annualBusiness Quiz held on 17th May at the ParkHotelinDiss.Thirteen teams from the Diss area had entered the competition including three previous winners - Frontier Agriculture, MHA Larking Gowen andHartismereSchool.Afteranextremelytight-run thing, the team from MHALarking Gowen came through on countback. Questions set by the Quiz Master, Godfrey Musgrave-Brown varied from the colour of croquet balls to the winner of the most Oscars and finished withpictures of parts of well-known logos.Oh, and the answer to the quiz question is 80,102,017.

Business Quiz was close-run contest

Spot the District Governor ElectPictured on the right are the members of next year’s RIBI Governing Council as they gathered at the RI Assembly in San Diego earlier this year.Can you spot our very own Jonathan King?Hint - he is not the one with the comedy moustache.

Environmental issues are once again receiving a great deal of public attention. The recent and

continuing demonstrations by school children and the mass rallies in London highlight the anxiety felt regardingthe future of our planet and what will happen if something is not done to address the problem of mankind’scarbon emissions.The emphasis has been on the lack of action by Government, not only in the UK but throughout the world, and the need for effective but achievabletargets in order to achieve a Zero Carbon state.But while there are the larger issues, such as what is the best way to provide energy, there is also a responsibility on all of us, including those demonstrating for action to be taken, to try to become carbon neutral.There are many ways in which an individual can reduce his/her own carbon emissions – choice of transport, home insulation and so on, however, it is virtually impossible for us to live a life which is completely carbon neutral.Each person is normally responsible for the equivalent of about 12 to 14 tonnes carbon a year, and with careful planning and changes in lifestyle, this can be reduced to about 8 tonnes.

One way to become carbon neutral is to plant trees. Depending on their variety it requires between 5 and 12 trees to offset one tonne of carbondioxide,and it isestimatedthatabout10 British Native Hardwood trees willoffset1tonne.A scheme being run by HarrogateRotary enables trees to be planted on farmers’ land at a cost of just £2 eachwith Gift Aid providing an additional

50p to that sum.The trees are planted by volunteers, usually in March, in the Nidderdale Area ofOutstandingNaturalBeauty(AONB).Some years ago, they set a target of 25,000 trees and now, with 1000 trees planted this March, 18,700 are now in place. Other tree planting schemes are of course available, or your club may wish to develop its own scheme.

Plant trees to offset your personal carbon emissions

Page 20Volume 8 Issue 12 June1st 2019