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This month’s issue contains news of the 25th Anniversary Dinner; the Blood Pressure evet in Perth at the beginning of the month, and the work of the committees and our newest Paul Harris fellow.

Editorial

Last month, I highlighted the fellowship within the

Club and this month that sentiment was reinforced during the 25th Anniversary Dinner held at the

Royal George on the 25th April.

It was made clear that fellowship has been part of the Club’s ethos since the foundation and, as

highlighted by Douglas Sinclair, part of the three

F’s of Rotary; or is it now 4? For the life of me, I cannot remember the fourth one that he

introduced during the dinner

But what became even clearer was the extent of

fellowship within Perth, thanks to our guest speaker, David Lindsay, President-elect of the

Rotary Club of Perth, who mentioned the extent of co-operation between the three Perth Rotary

Clubs. Both mock interviews and RYLA selection

are now co-operative ventures

Nike Hine, who recently visited St Lucia; Iain Brown who brought back a banner from Perth,

WA, and Fellowship Convenor, Frank Muirden, also exemplify those Rotarians who continue to

experience, and report on, the fellowship in other

parts of the world.

Know Your Blood Pressure

Know Your Blood Pressure campaign helps people to understand the link between high blood pressure and stroke,

other risk factors and what they can do to reduce their risk of

having a stroke.

Our Know Your Blood Pressure event took place on Saturday 1st April at the Salvation Army Hall in South Street from 10 am

until 2 pm. 13 Rotarians volunteered and covered the Farmers

Market, the High Street and South Street. Two of the volunteers positioned themselves at the entrance to the hall

and “accosted” passers-by to significant effect!

A grand total of 113 people had their blood pressure checked during the period which is a testament to the

challenging work of the volunteers who cheerfully handed out fliers and lots of encouragement. After completing their blood tests many stopped for a chat and a cup of tea or coffee.

Mention must also be made of the volunteers performing the blood pressure tests who worked practically non-

stop throughout the four hours.

George Cameron, Community Service convenor, said “It has been the best ever KYBP event. I believe at our

best previous event 62 persons had their pressure taken; we had 113. The turnout may have been helped by good weather and the Farmers Market but, mostly I believe, the performance of our volunteers in handing out

fliers and encouraging passers-by to drop in.”

Tayside Challenge 6th May 2017

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Tayside Challenge 6th May 2017

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In line with the priority given to education in developing countries, Perth Kinnoull Rotary Club supports Mary’s

Meals, a Scottish-based charity, formerly known as Scottish International Relief, which has a simple goal – that

every child receives a nutritious daily meal in a place of education. The contributions made by our Rotary Club have benefitted from the UK Government’s UK Aid Match scheme which is focused on poverty reduction in

developing countries. By using the UK Aid Match scheme our contributions have been effectively doubled.

The school feeding programmes are owned and run by community volunteers in the countries where we provide

food. For example, there are over 65,000 volunteers in Malawi who take turns to prepare, cook and serve the daily meal in each school. These life-changing meals attract hungry children into the classroom. Just £13.90 feeds a child for a whole school year.

Staffs from Mary’s Meal regularly visit schools to ensure the precious ingredients provided are cooked and served correctly, and to offer training and encouragement to the community volunteers. Wherever possible, locally-

produced food is served. This supports the local community and its farmers as well as the wider economy.

Research has proven that school feeding has a range of positive impacts since children who are not suffering

from hunger are able to make the most of their education. Mary’s Meals is currently conducting five-year quasi-experimental impact assessment research projects in Malawi, Zambia and Liberia to examine and evidence the

impact that Mary’s Meals’ school feeding programme is having on the lives of vulnerable children and their

communities.

Calendar News

Our £1000 winner from last month, Derek Walker, has kindly made a donation to the

Club; we thank him very much for his generosity. This month’s winning numbers are shown right.

Rotarian Eddie Anderson receiving his Paul Harris Fellowship award from President Steve Blackett

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Speakers

4th Apr Nigel Ewan - Acoustic Music Workshop 11th Apr Lord Kinnoull - EU Select Committee "Brexit"

Nigel Ewan - Acoustic Music Workshop

Nigel is part-owner of the Acoustic Music Workshop which was established in 2014 and is currently located at Friarton House in

Friarton Road, Perth. With his partners Edis Bowden and Susan

Bowden, Nigel offers tuition on learning to play a wide variety of acoustic instruments including ukulele, guitar, mandolin, violin,

viola and piano. Nigel Ewan (centre) with Rotarians Bob Riddell and George Delgaty

Frank Muirden, during a family visit to

Perth, WA, observed Rotary in action

and as such took some pictures.

The Rotary Club of Hilary's Community Fundraising Dolphins are a great hit with

the local people as well as visitors to this

fabulous location.

For 2 Australian Dollars, the Dolphins rotate and provide a marvellous

spectacle - the kids love it!

The Club meets at the nearby marina –

Frank has yet to pay a visit despite being armed with one of our banners!

Go4Gold event at Bell's Sports Centre on Tuesday 13th June

Lord Charles Kinnoull is a crossbench member of the House Of Lords and serves on the Select Committee on

the European Union and its Justice Sub Committee.

He talked to us about his involvement in "Brexit" and the role he plays as a member of the Select Committee in

scrutinising the government's progress towards leaving the European Union.

Lord Kinnoull is also chairman of Culture, Perth & Kinross, President of the Royal

Caledonian Charities Trust and serves on

the board of Horsecross Arts.

He has his own organic farming interests in Perthshire, is a member of the Royal

Company of Archers and is a Major in the Atholl Highlanders. Ask a busy person!

He is pictured (centre) with President Steve Blackett and his host for the

evening John Steven.

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RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award)

The Three Rotary Clubs of Perth worked together to advertise

the Rotary Youth Leadership Award sponsorship opportunities

being offered to 5 local 16 – 18 year old youngsters. The week long residential leadership training courses take place at

Nethy Bridge in July.

News from the Youth Committee

Local champion swimmer Scott McLay is

pictured here with President Steve and Youth Convenor Chris Kirk. At the end of

March, Scott McLay set a new youth meet record in the Men's 100M Free with a time

of 50.26 seconds.

The Youth Committee has been working

closely with Perth’s other 2 Rotary Clubs to support local Youth.

Mock work interviews have been offered to local secondary schools and the take-up has

been excellent with the High School, Academy, Grammar School and North Inch

Campus all requesting support.

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A panel of interviewers has been put together from the 3 Clubs and in recent weeks “mocks“ have been

completed in the High and Grammar schools with around 30 youngsters being interviewed. Dates have been set for the other school locations. T

The Rotary interviewers have enjoyed working with the youngsters involved, experiencing a wide range of

capability and interview skills. It is sad that some of the youngsters closing in on school leaving really struggle with face to face contact of this nature and the value of interview practice is so important to them.

Feedback from both schools has been excellent with guidance teachers telling us that the pupils really appreciate the opportunity of the interviews.

16 Candidates were interview before deciding on the lucky girls and boys being supported.

The quality of the applicants was truly exceptional, making it difficult for the panel to

reach their decisions. The successful

applicants demonstrated a commitment to their communities, a real spirit for self-

development and improvement having the raw ingredients and great attitude to learn and

develop from the RYLA experience on offer.

Our 2 supported candidates, Katie Egglestone and Jacob Millard, are both 17 year old pupils of Perth High School

and will benefit hugely from our sponsorship. Members can

look forward to meeting them and hearing their RYLA experiences later in the year.

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Gavel Final - Thursday 11th May, Stonehaven

25th Anniversary Dinner

It was a great idea to provide such an evening at our usual meeting time, for which we have to thank the

organisation of Ian Stevenson and Eddie Anderson and the presentation of President Steve Blackett. It cannot have been easy to keep the atmosphere casual at an official event but President Steve guided us through the

evening with a deft touch.

Our guests for the evening, David Lindsay, President-elect of the Rotary Club of Perth; Gail MacKay, President of

the Rotary Club of Perth St Johns and our Honorary Member, Donald McDonald, and his wife, Eva sat down to a very enjoyable three course meal specially prepared by the Royal George Hotel with 50 members and their

guests.

David Lindsay explained that he had prepared himself in some haste due to the illness of President Bill Duncan,

but managed to give the Members a strong pat on the back for all the work that is being done. Our fund-raising was to be commended and the strong links between our Clubs was good for the future.

Donald McDonald gave us a rare insight into the origins of the Club; something he was well positioned to do

being the then District Governor whose idea it was to create an evening club.

Ian Stevenson kicked off the reminiscences with his memories of the Club bothy nights of long ago. His

enjoyment was clear to see but a possible resurrection received little support. However, the fun element was certainly there at the time and a little in retrospect.

Douglas Sinclair explained the fun, fund-raising and fellowship of the club with some dexterity, to be followed by

Iain Brown, who evoked the spirit of Beatrix Potter with his cotton tale.

All in all, an excellent evening of fellowship.

Rotarian Eddie Anderson, our newest Paul Harris fellow, accompanied by fellow Rotarians and Paul Harris fellows, (from Left) Douglas Sinclair, Bob Thomson, Janet Simpson and Bob Reid.

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Above; Founder members of the club are pictured on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its formation.

(Left to right) Douglas Sinclair, Ian Stevenson, Eddie Anderson, Bob Reid, Iain Brown and Brian Raine. Michael Thomson, another co-founder, was unable to attend this evening

Below: Founder member Brian Raine cutting the anniversary cake accompanied by President Steve

Blackett.

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