Faringdon Rotarian June 2019

June 2019

Faringdon Rotarian The newsletter of Faringdon & District Rotary Club

www.faringdonrotaryclub.org @RotaryFaringdon

faringdon.rotary

‘The Rotary Club of Faringdon & District Trust Fund’ is a registered charity No: 1023771

Producer & Editor: Michael Bell

40 YEARS AGO The seeds were sown to form a Rotary Club in Faringdon at a lunch meeting of Jack Whittaker Vicar of Faringdon, Malcolm Hutson and John Greatrex in the summer of 1977.

At the next meeting held at the vicarage, Jack and his colleagues were joined by four or five more and the process was repeated over many weeks until thirty-two prospective members were able to form an interim club.

The Revd Jack Whittaker was elected as Founder President and The Faringdon & District Rotary Club was born. President Jack Whittaker was presented with the Club charter by the Rotary District Governor Eric Reynolds on 19th July 1978 in the presence of the President of Rotary International for Britain & Ireland, two other District Governors and two hundred Rotarians from every Club in the District and around the UK. We are indeed privileged and delighted that much respected Founder Member John Greatrex PHF remains active in the Club to this day.

Senior Citizens’ Party Club’s Community Committee, once again under the direction of WOI SgtMaj Glyn of the Welsh Guards, put on another superb afternoon tea for our senior citizens on 6th April. Many of our guests commented how they enjoyed the afternoon.

This year saw over ninety seated for the occasion, made possible by a team of twenty-three including partners and friends of Rotary who undertook setting up before the event, provided chauffeur service for those without transport, served and cleared at tables; whilst behind the scenes a kitchen operated like clockwork plating cakes and sandwiches, maintaining supplies of tea and coffee and attending to the inevitable washing up and clearing away.

This annual event is another of the activities we undertake which gives pleasure to others and the immediate satisfaction it provides in being a part of it. Service above Self in our local community. How rewarding to see an audience enjoying themselves with several up dancing to our entertainers Jukebox Legends who had our guests singing familiar songs, smiling, laughing and chatting as the afternoon progressed.

Mike Bell

LOCKINGE 2019 This year’s venture to the Lockinge slopes was not true to type. Normal preparation for the day concentrates on: wearing waterproofs, top and lower down; pulling on the leak-proof wellies; finding gloves; forgetting the flask of hot soup; one anorak or two a further decision to make; woolly hat not moth-eaten? Then be ready in time for Ray, who has kindly offered a lift. You remember Ray – he of Buscot parking fame last year? (Newsletter of September 2018).

But climate change, maybe, or sheer chance, requires adaptability in 2019. Forget the clobber of para one. No anorak, but one sweater, or two, or maybe none? Dust off the sturdy shoes. Give the sun cream a good shake. Clean off the dark glasses. Fill a plastic bottle with water – multi-use, of course, the bottle that is – to counter likely dehydration.

Select jaunty hat-wear to keep the sun off tender scalp.

We arrive at the hill top in very good time, far too good really. However, to amazement, we have been beaten there by the President and his Lady, a victory that he followed up with another one very shortly afterwards – disappearance. The secret at Lockinge for the amateur parking assistant is to remain as near the top of the hill as possible, throughout, thus saving oneself from odd-leg syndrome – one longer than the other at the end of the day after much shuttling to and fro up, down, and across the slopes. I am sent half-way down the hill, by professionals who have done parking at Lockinge for many more years than I have.

Follows about an hour’s lack of involvement, early arrivals being directed from on high as far away from me as possible, over to the other side, and further down. So, time for contemplation, and to wonder why the usually very green meadow round which the race course runs seems brown in colour, the course itself rather less brown thanks to a water truck being towed between fences, vertical take-off not being within its scope.

Come 11.00am, the rush begins, with most of the drivers amenable to suggestion, but the usual crop of ‘the world is made for me, I do it my way’ non-co-operatives in amongst.

‘No, I can’t go over there, I need to go straight down, I’ve got a sprained wrist.’

‘Well, madam, there is a special area reserved for disabled parking, which is...’ ‘No, no, it is not that sprained’ On a more cheerful note, the interface with the driver and passengers who deign to stop beside me, without my having to dodge to one side for safety. ‘Where do we go from you?’ Looking in to the distance across the expanse, I am almost lost for the words, but then I notice a diminutive figure afar off: ‘Head for the next gilet-jaune over there’ I cry, a suggestion greeted with knowledgeable mirth by the crowd in the car.

In the two hours after 11.00am a remarkable number of vehicles have been parked in such a way as they do not inconvenience other punters, they can all get out again when they want to. Hundreds of dogs are given exercise: what they give might help the grass-greening process, possibly. A junior rider has been dispossessed of its horse on the way to the start.

Lavish picnics are spread all over – more fun for the dogs. Regrettably my friend of the annual glass of wine on duty has gone to live on the Isle of Wight.

By 1.30pm the stream has become a trickle, and dismissal becomes a welcome possibility – after three to four hours on one’s feet in mountain goat mode, arms waving at vehicle drivers, voice raised at the recalcitrant. No tractor assistance to prise one out of the mud on departure needed in 2019. Maybe there are pluses to climate warming – if that was the reason for the untypical 2019 – or maybe thanks are due to sheer chance and luck of the draw. 2020 will tell? Meanwhile, Vive les Gilets-Jaune du Club Rotary de Faringdon et Environs…

Douglas Dalrymple

THE WYE VALLEY ZAMBIA PROJECT NEW WINDOWS HAVE WEATHERPROOFED THE SCHOOL Last year when we visited Kabwata there were many broken windows which in themselves were dangerous, but also meant that when the weather was wet the children all had to huddle together in the middle of the classroom to keep dry. When it was windy the dust would blow through the damaged windows all over the children and their books.

That is no longer the case. Due to a great deal of hard work by Tim and Linda and the generosity of many of the Rotarians in the Oxfordshire area the funds have been raised and all the windows have now been replaced. The teachers and children are all very happy to be working in this much improved environment.

As you see from the picture Tim did his own inspection to make sure all was as it should be.

Thank you everyone for your support.

MEETING OUR YOUNG FRIENDS AT THE PRE-SCHOOL AGAIN It was lovely to go into the Daniel Kabwela Jnr Pre- School Room that we had opened this time last year and see the youngsters using the books, crayons, pencils and exercise books that our friends from Faringdon Rotary had sent over. We were pleased to see how well the tables fitted into the room and the atmosphere in the room was really buzzy and exciting.

Thank you to the teachers who are clearly making PreSchool fun for the little people and the schools in the Faringdon area who have donated the resources.

DUCK RACE Our weekends at Waitrose, Lockinge and Millets encouraged lots of duck sponsors ready for the Race in support of our charities, Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Be Free Young Carers.

Race day, Sunday 28th April and the sun came out encouraging a good crowd to watch the race. Excited children, mums and dads trying to spot their numbers on the ducks.

RotaKids On Friday 8th March We had some really good teamwork going on making bee and butterfly friendly seed bombs.

The following week, David from Haine and Smith Opticians visited to talk about glasses and what they do! It was really interesting to learn about eyes and we got to touch contact lenses!

Friday 17th May we had a count up of the specs we are collecting for Africa and we are nearly up to 200.

We will carry on collecting old pairs of glasses until the autumn so let us have those old ones please.

To raise money for charity we have been selling Easter chicks filled with Cadbury’s creme eggs, just £1 and on 25th May we had a table top sale at the Baptist Church with lots of bargains.

DRAGONS’ DEN

Together with our satellite White Horse Rotary Group, we were delighted to have once again this year been able to support local groups who make a difference to people in our community in awarding over ÂŁ8,000 to applicants who presented at The Pump House Project on Thursday 23 May. As always, criteria for judging applications included: local need and support for the activity or facility, its long-term sustainable benefit, the benefit to local people and how many will benefit, helping socially excluded people to take part in community activities and value for money.

Successful applicants this year were: FAAAZE, Shrivenham Heritage Society, YoCO, The Place, Faringdon Cycle Group, The Crafty Crew, Longworth Pre School, Faringdon Infants School, Faringdon Junior School and Buscot Park Cricket Club. The generosity of those who support our various fund-raising activities throughout the year make this possible.

Mike Bell

A REPLY FROM THE INLAND REVENUE Dear Mr Addison, I am writing to you to express our thanks for your more than prompt reply to our latest communication, and also to answer some of the points you raise. I will address them, as ever, in order.

Firstly, I must take issue with your description of our last as a "begging letter". It might perhaps more properly be referred to as a "tax demand". This is how we at the Inland Revenue have always, for reasons of accuracy, traditionally referred to such documents.

Secondly, your frustration at our adding to the "endless stream of crapulent whining and panhandling vomited daily through the letterbox on to the doormat" has been noted.

However, whilst I have naturally not seen the other letters to which you refer, I would cautiously suggest that their being from "pauper councils, Lombardy pirate banking houses and pissant gas-mongerers" might indicate that your decision to "file them next to the toilet in case of emergencies" is at best a little ill-advised. In common with my own organisation, it is unlikely that the senders of these letters do see you as a "lackwit bumpkin" or, come to that, a "sodding charity". More likely they see you as a citizen of Great Britain, with a responsibility to contribute to the upkeep of the nation as a whole.

This brings me to my next point. Whilst there may be some spirit of truth in your assertion that the taxes you pay "go to shore up the canker-blighted, toppling folly that is the Public Services", a moment's rudimentary calculation ought to disabuse you of the notion that the government in any way expects you to "stump up for the whole damned party" yourself.

The estimates you provide for the Chancellor's disbursement of the funds levied by taxation, whilst colourful, are, in fairness, a little off the mark. Less than you seem to imagine is spent on "junkets for bunterish lickspittles" and "dancing whores" whilst far more than you have accounted for is allocated to, for example, "that box-ticking facade of a university system."

A couple of technical points arising from direct queries: 1. The reason we don't simply write "Muggins" on the envelope has to do with the vagaries of the postal system; 2. You can rest assured that "sucking the very marrow of those with nothing else to give" has never been considered as a practice because even if the Personal Allowance didn't render it irrelevant, the sheer medical logistics involved would make it financially unviable.

I trust this has helped. In the meantime, whilst I would not in any way wish to influence your decision one way or the other, I ought to point out that even if you did choose to "give the whole foul jamboree up and go and live in India" you would still owe us the money.

Please send it to us by Friday.

Yours sincerely, H J Lee, Customer Relations Inland Revenue

40 YEARS ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

It was decided that we go out of Faringdon and District on Saturday 8th May for our 40th Anniversary Celebration and so fitting that we went in the direction of our Witney mother club. A marquee in beautiful country setting held much promise.

We were delighted to welcome District Governor Gillian Pearce, District Governor Elect Frank Quinn, over thirty Rotarians and partners from Witney and Eynsham and were so pleased that Christian Meyer and ten fellow Rotarians and partners from our twin club Sees-Gace had travelled from France to be with us for the occasion.

The highlight of the evening was Dean’s absolutely fabulous, well-thought-out and superbly edited film of founder member John Greatrex recounting memories from the previous 40 years of the club, interspersed with appropriate music, stills and picture collage. A moving and valued item to be treasured for the club archive. Further, our very own chocolatier Dean’s homemade chocolate truffles were a pure delight.

After eating, we were superbly entertained by fellow Rotarian John Dunsterville who, with his impressive guitar skills and good humour, took us on a journey of pop music genre from skiffle to rock-n-roll spanning the period since club charter.

Mike Bell

Sées-Gacé Rotary join us for our 40th Anniversary Celebrations

Eleven members and partners from our French twin club, the Rotary Club of Seés-Gacé travelled from Normandy on Friday 17th May to join us for our 40th Anniversary celebrations.

The group, travelling in 3 cars first went to Colin and Chris home in Shrivenham to rendezvous with their hosts.

Christian and Martine Meyer hosted by Ray and Gill Avenell Francois and Dominique Froget hosted by Robert and Janice Sharp Geoffrey and Elisabeth De La Ferte hosted by Bjorn Watson and Sue Drew Denis and Noili Morineau hosted by Colin and Chris Holman Bertrand Albertini hosted by Peter and Linda Walker Michel Kienz and Fabrice Egret hosted by Douglas and Patricia Dalrymple Later that evening our French friends, their hosts, President David, Sandra and other members of our Club met at the Old Stables in Shellingford for a Welcome Reception thanks to Robert and Janice Sharp who were helped in the preparing and cooking of food

by Gill Avenell, Chris Holman and Sue Watts.

On Saturday our French guests together with most of the hosts and a few of our club members including Tim and Linda Cowling, who provided French translation when required, left Shrivenham at 9.30am for a coach tour of the Cotswolds.

The first stop was Burford where John Simpson of Witney Rotary Club was waiting to act as guide for the day. After spending some time in Burford, having a guided tour of the Church and looking at the sights in the town, the coach went on to Bourton on the Water. The group then had an excellent Tapas lunch at the Chester House Hotel where another Witney Rotarian Andrew Woolf is the manager. After lunch the group had some time in the town and then headed to Stow on the Wold to hear from John Simpson about the long history of the town, one of the highest in the Cotswolds. The group headed back to Burford to say goodbye to their guide John Simpson and then on to Shrivenham.

At the 40th Anniversary Dinner at The Windmill, Asthall, Christian Meyer of Seés-Gacé Rotary presented Faringdon Club with a splendid commemorative plate to mark our 40th Anniversary.

On Sunday morning the group and hosts met at White Horse Hill where Nan Pratt from Shrivenham explained the history of the Uffington White Horse. Everyone then went to the Barrington Arms Hotel in Shrivenham for a traditional English Breakfast before our Seés-Gacé visitors said their goodbyes and headed back to France.

Colin Holman

From the archive 2002

Publication

The Faringdon Rotarian March 2019 The Faringdon Rotarian December 2018 The Faringdon Rotarian August 2018 The Faringdon Rotarian April/May 2018 The Faringdon Rotarian February 2018 The Faringdon Rotarian December 2017 The Faringdon Rotarian September 2017 The Faringdon Rotarian June 2017 The Faringdon Rotarian April 2017 The Faringdon Rotarian February 2017 The Faringdon Rotarian November 2016 The Faringdon Rotarian August 2016 The Faringdon Rotarian June 2016 The Faringdon Rotarian April 2016 The Faringdon Rotarian February 2016 The Faringdon Rotarian December 2015

Club Website Club Facebook

Digitalised