Roding Rotary Club

On 1st July at our regular breakfast meeting President Amal Chaudhuri handed over the chain of office to our new president Bob Bishop. In the tradition of our small club this was a fairly low-key affair but there was definitely a feeling that the club was moving into uncharted territory. Bob has decided to adopt the new Club Leadership Plan as its suggested structure for small clubs seems to fit our club so well. This means that the Club Council now has a maximum of eight members including two new positions of Club Service Chair and Club Administration Chair. Angela Jestico and Christine Johnson have agreed to take on these two roles. Gill Mann and Joe Hill remain in their respective offices of Club Secretary and Treasurer. Thea Ingham takes over as President Elect and has promised to shadow Bob very closely. After thanking the outgoing officers for their sterling service and investing the new officers Bob concluded his introductory address as follows:

'So what HAVE you done electing a dour, rather unsociable Yorkshireman as your president? Will the club ever be the same again? Will there be a club after my year or will I have so upset you that you all creep off quietly and don't return? I sincerely hope not. We are a service organisation and I will try to keep in the forefront of my mind that I am here to serve you and not to stand here being pompous. I want our club to flourish. I want to do what I can to further the cause of Rotary in our area. I want to help raise lots of money to help the tiniest members of our local and world community. But above all I want you to enjoy being Rotarians.

One of my heroes is Alfred Wainwright - the famous creator of the Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. He is a bit of an odd role model since he was a miserable old so-and-so and preferred animals to people. But he was a great lover of the hills. I was brought up among the hills and dales of North Yorkshire and its scenery is imprinted on my soul. Wainwright wrote some very wise words and his words may help you to understand me a bit better. At the end of the last guide he wrote this: 'The fleeting hour of life of those who love the hills is quickly spent, but the hills are eternal. Always there will be the lonely ridge, the dancing beck, the silent forest; always there will be the exhilaration of the summits. These are for the seeking, and those who seek and find while there is yet time will be blessed in mind and body.' Not a bad metaphor for life. I wish you all a happy, busy and successful year in Rotary. Good luck!'

Read Bob's speech to Club Assembly