This Week: Project Meeting

 At the moment we are not sure which projects will be discussed but presumably the discussion will include the new children's schooling project that Andy Connold and Cheryl Jennings are involved with as well as Emmanuel Shoroma's proposed orphanage project as well as updates on existing ones.

One Life is a film on circuit at the moment about Sir Nicholas Winton who managed to rescue mainly Jewish children from German occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939 and place them with foster parents in England. The picture above is Nicholas Winton himself and on the left is Anthony Hopkins who plays him in the film.  It's well worth seeing and quite emotional.

The reason that I mention it here is because Sir Nicholas Winton was a Past President of the Rotary Club of Maidenhead and a member for more than 50 years.  He was the first person to have a plaque unveiled in his honour in the Rotary Peace Hall of Fame at the Illinois Holocaust Museum in the United States.

Last Week

Gordon Froud's talk on Alice in Wonderland was really enjoyed as well as the pictures of many of the bizarre "Alice objects" that he has collected.  We will be organising a Saturday morning visit to hi Alice Museum as well as his Art Gallery towards the end of February or early March. 

Saturday 27th....Burns Night

Congratulations.  All the tables have been sold and it looks as if we might make our target.

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish

poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots Language although much of his writing is in a "light Scots Dialect" of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.

He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic Movement and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish diaspora around the world.

Next Week

It's a Social Evening Meeting.  The venue to be announced later.

International: Australia

The Rotary Club of Beecroft enlisted a contract distiller and concocted a signature gin steeped with botanicals reflecting the flora around its north suburban Sydney base. In November more than 150 Rotarians, business leaders, and other residents met for a Beecroft Spirit Gin launch party to select the flavorings “that represent the area of Beecroft,” says Daniel Dummer, a club member and project leader. Working with Craft Foundry, the club produced 260 bottles of gin infused with the essences of strawberry gum, lemon myrtle, and rosella. By Christmas, the lot had sold out, with nearly $1,800 in proceeds directed toward the renovation of an electrical substation in Beecroft as well as international projects, says Dummer. “Beecroft has a strong sense of community, and gin is a fast-growing spirit in Australia right now. Our goal was to bring the community together around a delicious and memorable local project while raising funds for projects here and abroad.”