Linlithgow Grange Rotary Club - Meeting Reports
The Linlithgow Grange rotary Club meets on Mondays at 6:45 for 7:00pm at:
The Palace Suite, West Port Hotel
18-20 High Street, Linlithgow
Tel: (01506) 847456
Plant Theft
Newly-planted conifers in the Rotary bed along the Blackness Road, were stolen last week only hours after being planted. This is the second theft of plants within Linlithgow in the last four weeks. Phill Ratcliffe of the Grange Rotary said: “The display is a remodelling of the bed previously established by Grange Rotary a few years ago. The cost of the plants was met from hard-won funds.” Rotarian Chris Long and Secretary of Burgh Beautiful said: “Readers may have noticed club members busy re-planting the Rotary bed over the past couple of weeks with judging by Beautiful Scotland due to take place on Monday 9th August. The Club is dismayed about the theft and trusts that townspeople will keep a look out for any suspicious activity.”
19 July
President Jim Gillespie welcomed club members and reiterated that the battle for polio eradication had still not been won. Peter Russell welcomed his wife as Monday’s speaker. Patricia Russell had been seconded to the Aberlour Child Care Trust and spoke with authority to the Club about ‘a matter of substance – alcohol or drugs’. Patricia reviewed the characteristics of parental substance misuse, covering a range of resulting issues. She highlighted cultural differences which perceived as drugs ‘bad’ and alcohol acceptable or ‘good’. Key messages were the problematical use of alcohol and drugs and the differences in our attitudes towards both which could make a considerable difference to children. The talk was enthusiastically received.
12 July
Monday’s meeting saw the induction of Gail Boardman, proprietor of the Line Gallery in Linlithgow High Street. Gordon Young proposed Gail and told club members how she had witnessed at first hand the Rotary programme of polio immunisation in India. President Jim Gillespie reminded members that the Rotary aim of polio eradication had not yet been achieved. Jim reported continuing incidents of polio in Nigeria and Afghanistan, as well as in India. David Timperley welcomed Bob Ross as Monday’s speaker. Bob was warmly received and spoke eloquently about his forty five years in the newspaper industry. Bob recalled, with many illustrations, the fun of working his way up from ‘branch assistant’ – a glorified van driver to the senior posts of agricultural editor as well as obituary editor with the Herald newspaper. Members received the talk enthusiastically.
5 July
President Jim Gillespie presided over a well-attended meeting on Monday, his inaugural as president. The speaker for the evening was Rotarian Chris Long who joined the club in recent months and, as was the custom for the first talk, described his job. Although heavily involved with the Civic Trust and Burgh Beautiful, Chris concentrated on his profession as an architect working in the public sector. Trained in Canterbury in 1984, he has designed public buildings ever since. In his time, he has designed many things ranging from mortuaries to council offices, libraries to police stations. Eventually working for Strathclyde Region, he finally moved to the Scottish Prison Service and, since the office was based in Edinburgh, moved to Linlithgow from Ayrshire in 1994. He has seen large changes evolving in his profession such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) and, more recently, the concept of Design and Build was introduced. His function now is to act as the "intelligent client" setting out in great detail the specification that private architects and builders are required to tender and work to. Currently heavily involved in the new Low Moss Prison in Bishopbriggs which will be completed in 2011, he hopes the next project will be Peterhead. After his fascinating talk and a lively questions and answers session, the vote of thanks for his well-received presentation was given by Rotarian John Lawson.
28 June
President Jim Rae handed over to President-elect Jim Gillespie at a well attended meeting of Rotarians and partners. Jim Rae thanked the Club Council profusely for their assistance over the last year. He was pleased that the Club had raised over £9,500 towards polio eradication. Jim Rae paid thanks to the convenors as well as all members of the Club for their unstinting support. President Jim Gillespie said he was pleased to award Jim Rae a citation for the 2009/10 year. He went on to outline ambitious plans for the future year consolidating on the achievements of the past year.
Earlier Meeting Reports
For reports on earlier meetings, the programme of events and more details please refer to the Linlithgow Grange Rotary Club Website.