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News Briefing |
17 March 2008 Monday evening's meeting was chaired as usual by President David Robertson. The speaker was John Aitken who described the background behind the Linlithgow.com web site and demonstrated some of its features. The website was established further to the VisitScotland 'Pride & Passion' initiative and it provides a portal to established local websites as well as giving information on local attractions, forthcoming events, leisure activities, getting around, B&B, local businesses, etc. Following a question and answer session, Rotarian Bill Duncan proposed the vote of thanks for John's very interesting demonstration. 10 March 2008 Business at Monday evening's meeting was conducted by President David Robertson . Speaker for the evening was Harry Knox who gave an interesting account of his career of almost 50 years working on railways. Harry started work at Shotts station in 1956, moving a year later to Haymarket as a fireman. With the demise of steam following the introduction of diesel locomotives, he moved into an office job and served in various posts including Station Master, Divisional Freight Inspector, Area Manager at Bathgate, and Operations Signalling and Safety Manager. Following rail privatisation in 1994, Harry retired from British Rail and started consultancy work which took him to Australia , New Zealand , Hong Kong , Malaya , Vietnam and Ireland before he finally retired. Harry described many amusing incidents from his career, and also spoke about some of the challenges it had brought. He summed it up by affirming that, for him, working on the railway had not been a job, but a way of life. The vote of thanks was proposed by Jim Chapman. 3 March 2008 Business at Monday evening's meeting was conducted by President-Elect Ken MacKenzie, standing in for President David Robertson who was attending a simultaneous Rotary Partners' Evening. Members were entertained by a guitar recital by Andrew Blundell, a sixth-year pupil of Linlithgow Academy. Andy had ably represented the Club at the Zone final of Rotary's Young Musician Competition and he performed two pieces, 'Day in November' by Leo Brouwer and 'Legend' or 'Asturias' by Isaac Albeniz. Rotarian Rory Cameron gave the vote of thanks for an excellent performance, after which President-Elect Ken presented Andy with the Club's own 'Young Musician of the Year' trophy. 25 February 2008 Monday evening's meeting, chaired as usual by President David Robertson, covered a wide range of Club business. Rotarian Rory Cameron reported on the extremely successful social weekend at Perth which had been attended by 14 couples. It was reported that the Rotary movement had raised £1 million for Mercy Ships. Suitable local candidates were being sought for the Club's 2008 Sports Bursary, and a letter of thanks had been received from last year's winner. With valued assistance from Linlithgow Bridge and Low Port Primary Schools and from Rotary matching grants, it was hoped to provide four Play Pumps for water provision in Kenya. Also destined for Kenya were reconditioned computers and books. It was confirmed that the Club's Coffee Morning was scheduled for 17 May, and both a Fiddlers' Rally and a Musical Evening (in association with Linlithgow Academy) are planned for June. 18 February 2008 Reports at Monday evening's meeting, chaired as usual by President David Robertson, included an account by Rotarian Douglas Robertson of his visit to the somewhat unconventional San Francisco Rotary Club. The evening's speaker was Bob Henderson whose subject was the award-winning Linlithgow Film Society with which he has been intimately involved since its foundation 36 years ago. He gave a humorous account of the various mishaps which have befallen film showings, and outlined programme selection, controversies about film content, and the visits made to community organisations in West Lothian. After a fair number of questions and answers, Rotarian David Timperley gave the vote of thanks for Bob's well-delivered talk. 11 February 2008 President David Robertson chaired Monday evening's meeting. Following club business, the evening's speaker was Rotarian Tom Chadwick who described his involvement as a part-time lecturer with the Dubai (Middle East) Campus of Heriot-Watt University. He explained that courses, examinations and marking at this campus are identical to those in Edinburgh, and portrayed the diverse character of Dubai itself, covering skyscrapers and dhows, artificial islands and traditional markets. Following a question and answer session, Rotarian Norman Middleton gave the vote of thanks for Tom's very interesting presentation. 4 February 2008 Monday evening's meeting was chaired as usual by President David Robertson. The evening's speaker was Jon Blundell of RGM Solicitors and his subject was Wills and Powers of Attorney. He emphasised the fact that up-to-date wills are extremely beneficial - mainly to avoid unnecessary complications after bereavements, to ensure that property is apportioned according to a person's wishes, and to avoid too much property value being lost to long-term care costs. Everyone over 50 is advised to have a Power of Attorney registered with the Office of the Public Guardian in Falkirk. After questions and answers, Rotarian Rory Cameron gave the vote of thanks for Jon's most interesting talk. 28 January 2008 Business meeting - no report 21 January 2008 Burns Supper held at Beecraigs Resaturant - Partners evening.
14 January 2008 At Monday evening's meeting, visits to other clubs were described and President David Robertson reported on his recent visit to Low Port Primary School where, during morning assembly, he received a cheque for £268.60, raised by pupils and teachers for the Play Pumps charity. He had warmly thanked school for its support. Rotarian Kate Keter was congratulated on her success in becoming one of the Assistant Governors in the Rotary District. The evening's speaker was Rotarian Tom Brown whose subject was his current job as consultant liaison psychiatrist in the Western Infirmary and Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow. The post deals with the 'interface' between psychiatric and physical medicine, covering matters such as self-harm, in-hospital psychiatric emergencies and mental adjustment to illness or injury. Other duties include running courses for university students and GPs. After numerous questions and answers, Rotarian Ken MacKenzie gave the vote of thanks for Tom's fascinating job overview.
7 January 2008 At Monday evening's meeting, visits to other clubs were described and President David Robertson reported on his recent visit to Low Port Primary School where, during morning assembly, he received a cheque for £268.60, raised by pupils and teachers for the Play Pumps charity. He had warmly thanked school for its support. Rotarian Kate Keter was congratulated on her success in becoming one of the Assistant Governors in the Rotary District. The evening's speaker was Rotarian Tom Brown whose subject was his current job as consultant liaison psychiatrist in the Western Infirmary and Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow. The post deals with the 'interface' between psychiatric and physical medicine, covering matters such as self-harm, in-hospital psychiatric emergencies and mental adjustment to illness or injury. Other duties include running courses for university students and GPs. After numerous questions and answers, Rotarian Ken MacKenzie gave the vote of thanks for Tom's fascinating job overview. 17 December 2007 Christmas Meal - Social with partners held at Beecraigs Restaurant. 10 December 2007 President David Robertson chaired Monday evening's meeting which took the form of a short Business meeting followed by the annual Special General Meeting. It was reported that the total raised from the recent Rotary Scotch Hop event was £1486, which will be part of the Club’s contribution to the Playpumps charity. The SGM elected the following Club officers : President-Elect (2009/10) Jim Rae, Vice President (2008/09) Jim Gillespie, Secretary Eddie Crawley and Treasurer Roy Redwood. Club Accounts for the year ending 30 June, 2007 were presented and approved. 3 December 2007 President David Robertson chaired Monday evening's meeting. This week's speaker was David Wilson, Scottish manager of Care for the Family, a charitable organisation based in Linlithgow. David explained the charity's aims to anticipate and assist with family difficulties through publications, DVDs, telephone helplines and seminars. Topics covered included work/life balance, sorting out teenage problems, supporting newly-weds, better parenting (including awareness about drugs), dealing with debt, holiday breaks for single parents and helping bereaved parents. In his vote of thanks, Rotarian Jack Archibald commended David for his presentation and for his organisation's valuable work. 26 November 2007 This week's meeting, chaired by President David Robertson, was a business meeting at which the usual wide range of club activities was discussed. Programmes for events over the coming months were outlined, and the following donations to local organisations were agreed - £100 to the St Michael's Day Care Centre, £100 to each of Linlithgow's Bield sheltered housing complexes, £100 to Abbeyfield, £100 to the Southern Cross nursing home, £200 to Linlithgow Link and £500 to the Linlithgow Young Peoples Project (LYPP). Club nominations for official positions in the South-East Scotland Rotary District were noted as follows - Kate Keter (Assistant Governor) and Eddie Crawley (Auditor) . 19 November 2007 A welcome event at Monday evening's meeting was the induction of Douglas McEwan as a new member of the Club - he was introduced by Rotarian Jim Chapman and officially welcomed to membership by President David Robertson. Mention was made of Douglas's past roles as chairman of both the Linlithgow Round Table and the 41 Club, as well as being immediate past captain of Linlithgow Golf Club. Treasurer Alex Robertson reported that the recent 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh had raised around £1,300 for the 'Play Pumps' charity. The evening's speaker was Rotarian Derek Henderson who gave an illustrated talk on his walk along the Inca Trail over the Andes to the once-lost city of Machu Picchu, describing spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, the attentiveness of the porters and the effects of the high altitude. The trip had been organised by the Alzheimer Society for which Derek had personally raised over £5,100 through sponsorship. Following a question and answer session, Rotarian Rory Cameron gave the vote of thanks for a remarkable achievement and fascinating talk. 12 November 2007 5 November 2007 Monday evening's club meeting was a varied event, chaired as usual by President David Robertson. Included in the guest list was John Lafferty, Rotary District Governor for the South-East of Scotland, who gave a rousing speech outlining the benefits to be enjoyed from Rotary - not just the fellowship and friendship but the contribution that can be made to its many charitable and good works throughout the world. Particular mention was made of Rotary's direct involvement in the formulation of the charter of the United Nations, and of the Polio Plus campaign whereby Rotary has raised and donated a quarter of a billion pounds leading to the vaccination of around two billion people against polio. For further information, reference to the Rotary International website was recommended. After the District Governor's speech, Rotarian Gordon Young showed a dynamic and entertaining compilation of photographs taken at the recent District Conference at Carlisle - and a copy of the disc was presented to John as a memento. Other business included reports about a recent Zone meeting, a leadership seminar, the previous Tuesday's successful vocational visit to Donaldson's School in Edinburgh and a Scots night for visiting 'Ambassadorial Scholars'. After the meeting proper was a quiz between Linlithgow Grange and its 'mother club', Linlithgow and Bo'ness. After an enjoyable and close-fought contest, Linlithgow Grange won through to the next round of the Rotary District tournament. T ickets (priced £7) are still available for the Club's charitable 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh, tomorrow (Saturday) evening at Linlithgow Academy - from Club members, Stewart's Electrical, Blast-Off Books or the Linlithgow Bookshop. 28 October 2007 President David Robertson chaired Monday evening's Business Meeting of the club at which the usual wide range of matters was discussed. Rotarian Gordon Young enthusiastically described his impressions of the recent Rotary District conference at Carlisle, attended by 13 club members and their partners. There was welcome news of a likely new member, and Rotarian Kate Keter updated those present on the forthcoming shipment of computers and books to Kenya. It was revealed that the coming year's youth activities would include a new photography competition. On the following (Tuesday) evening, 17 members made a 'vocational' visit to Donaldson's School at its current site at West Coates, Edinburgh - this was particularly interesting in view of the school's planned move to its new Linlithgow campus in January 2008. Finally, t ickets (priced £7) are still available for the Club's charitable 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh on 10 November at Linlithgow Academy - from Club members, Stewart's Electrical, Blast-Off Books or the Linlithgow Bookshop. 21 October 2007 President David Robertson welcomed four guests plus a good turnout of Rotarians to Monday evening's meeting. One of the guests was the evening's speaker - Amanda Noble - who, with the aid of numerous 'Powerpoint' slides, described a Group Study Exchange visit to Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Selkirk. As well as providing opportunities to view relevant professional practice in these countries, the visit had allowed first hand experience of Rotary funded projects including the supply of clean water in Malawi, provision of furniture (and even housing for flood victims) in Mozambique, and the installation of a generator for a school for deaf children in Zimbabwe (the latter required to combat frequent failures in the public electricity supply). Following a large number of questions and answers, Rotarian Kate Keter gave the vote of thanks for Amanda's very interesting account of her experiences. Tickets (priced £7) are still available for the Club's charitable 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh on 10 November at Linlithgow Academy - from Club members, Stewart's Electrical, Blast-Off Books or the Linlithgow Bookshop. 14 October 2007 This week's regular meeting of the Club on Monday was chaired by President David Robertson. The evening's speaker was Rotarian Ron Smith whose subject was his part-time employment as the Project Manager for a community renewal scheme in Glasgow (the Regeneration of Oatlands). With the aid of a 'Powerpoint' slide presentation, he described the origins and self-financing nature of the project, outlined the approach to design and community involvement, explained the problems encountered, and showed pictures of construction progress to date. After questions and answers, Rotarian Gordon Young proposed the vote of thanks. All interested are reminded of the Club's forthcoming charitable 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh on 10 November at Linlithgow Academy - tickets (priced £7) are available from Club members, Stewart's Electrical, Blast-Off Books and the Linlithgow Bookshop. 7 October 2007 This week's meeting of the Club was a social evening, chaired by President David Robertson and attended by Rotarians, partners and other guests. The emphasis was on fellowship and good conversation, and the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all. All interested are reminded of the Club's forthcoming charitable 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh on 10 November at Linlithgow Academy - tickets (priced £7) are available from Club members, Stewart's Electrical, Blast-Off Books and the Linlithgow Bookshop. 31 September 2007 Monday evening's meeting, chaired by President David Robertson, was attended by numerous guests, mainly from Grangemouth Rotary Club on a quiz visit. Visits to other clubs, including two in Wales, three in Germany and one as far away as Falkirk, were recounted. The evening's speaker was Angus Maciver from the Forth Valley Group of Advanced Motorists who described the work of IAM (the Institute of Advanced Motorists). With 113,000 members and over 200 voluntary groups in the UK, the IAM promotes road safety and lobbies the Government on motoring issues. After a lively question and answer session, Rotarian Roy Snedden gave the vote of thanks for Angus's very interesting and thought-provoking presentation. Immediately after the meeting proper was held a quiz between Linlithgow Grange and Grangemouth Rotary Clubs, part of the South-East Scotland District Rotary knock-out tournament. The event was narrowly won by Linlithgow Grange which proceeds to the next round. All interested are reminded of the availability of tickets (priced £7) for the Club's charitable 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh on 10 November at Linlithgow Academy - sources are Club members, Stewart's Electrical, Blast-Off Books and the Linlithgow Bookshop. 31 September 2007 Monday evening's meeting, chaired by President David Robertson, was attended by numerous guests, mainly from Grangemouth Rotary Club on a quiz visit. Visits to other clubs, including two in Wales, three in Germany and one as far away as Falkirk, were recounted. The evening's speaker was Angus Maciver from the Forth Valley Group of Advanced Motorists who described the work of IAM (the Institute of Advanced Motorists). With 113,000 members and over 200 voluntary groups in the UK, the IAM promotes road safety and lobbies the Government on motoring issues. After a lively question and answer session, Rotarian Roy Snedden gave the vote of thanks for Angus's very interesting and thought-provoking presentation. Immediately after the meeting proper was held a quiz between Linlithgow Grange and Grangemouth Rotary Clubs, part of the South-East Scotland District Rotary knock-out tournament. The event was narrowly won by Linlithgow Grange which proceeds to the next round. All interested are reminded of the availability of tickets (priced £7) for the Club's charitable 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh on 10 November at Linlithgow Academy - sources are Club members, Stewart's Electrical, Blast-Off Books and the Linlithgow Bookshop. 24 September 2007 President David Robertson chaired Monday evening's Business Meeting at which the usual wide range of club activities and events was discussed. A letter of thanks had been received from Alzheimer Scotland, in response to the presentation the previous week of a cheque for the sum of £4,500, raised by the Club at this summer's Am-Am Golf Tournament. Further to the Club's successful efforts in raising considerable funds for Play Pumps International (a charity aimed at the provision of clean drinking water for African communities), it was reported that a Kenyan Rotary Club was willing to partner Linlithgow Grange in a bid for a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation. All interested are reminded of the availability of tickets (priced £7) for the Club's charitable 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh on 10 November at Linlithgow Academy - sources are Club members, Stewart's Electrical, Blast-Off Books and the Linlithgow Bookshop. 17 September 2007 President David Robertson was delighted to present a cheque to Alzheimer Scotland for £4500 which had been raised at the recently held Charity Golf Tournament organised by the club. The sum was received on behalf of Alzheimer Scotland by Moira Lawrance, Fundraising Manager who congratulated the club on providing this huge donation. She assured members that it would be spent locally, contributing to the funding of their help lines and website as well as give support for carers and sufferers. She explained that Alzheimer Disease is Scotland's fourth biggest killer after cancer, heart attack and stroke and provided the listeners with a thought-provoking presentation. 10 September 2007 At the weekly meeting of Linlithgow Grange Rotary Club president elect Ken MacKenzie welcomed all present especially guests of club members. Reports were received from two members who had attended other club meetings or Rotary fellowships and greetings and fellowship were both received and given. Members were reminded of the charter dinner on Saturday in the Dalyell Suite in the County Buildings. The main quest of honour is the District Governor, John Lafferty. The speaker for the evening was Rotarian Archie Rose who followed up his speech of two years ago on the Scottish Enlightment with one on the impact of industrialisation on the history of Scotland. In what was a very entertaining. informative and occasionally controversial and humorous speech Archie covered a huge amount of material up to the start of the Second World War. Particulary interesting were his personal insights to some of the events as his family were heavily involved in indusrry, ship building, on the Clyde. His talk was well received by the club as was shown by the quality of questions afterwards. Rotarian Alex Linkston gave the vote of thanks. Members were also reminded of the Scotch Hop to be held on Saturday 10th November in the Academy and that tickets will be on sale next week from members of the club or from Stewarts Electrical.
3 September 2007 There was a good variety of business at Monday evening's meeting of the Linlithgow Grange Rotary Club, chaired as usual by President David Robertson. Rotarian Ken MacKenzie introduced Group Study Exchange candidate Sara Macaulay, a local child/family social worker who hopes to learn from practice in New Zealand. Visits to other clubs were described, destinations including the Braemar Gathering and the Seychelles! The President intimated that Alex Salmond, First Minister, had accepted an invitation for honorary membership of the Club and had expressed a willingness to speak at a future meeting. The evening's speaker was Rotarian Mike Smith who gave a very interesting and well-illustrated presentation on the history and features of the Union Canal, describing its origins, initial success, decline and revival. Particular reference was made to the admirable activities of the Linlithgow Union Canal Society (LUCS). Following questions and answers, Rotarian Roy Redwood gave the vote of thanks.
27 August 2007 President David Robertson chaired Monday evening's business meeting of the Linlithgow Grange Rotary Club - reports were received on a wide range of Club activities and events. It was confirmed that the previous week's Am-Am Golf Tournament at Linlithgow Golf Club had raised £4,000 for Alzheimer Scotland, and Rotarian Ian Adams was warmly thanked for his efficient organisation of the event. There was discussion about the 'Scotch Hop' being organised for 10 November and for which tickets will shortly be available, while Rotarian Kate Keter described her involvement on behalf of the club in 'IT Schools Africa' - an initiative involving the recycling and donation of surplus computers for use in African schools. Finally, arrangements were being made for the Club's Charter Dinner on 15 September.
27 July 2007 President David Robertson chaired Monday evening's business meeting of the Linlithgow Grange Rotary Club - reports were received on a wide range of Club activities and events. Special mention was made of the success of the team running on behalf of the Club in the Edinburgh marathon - £1,600 had been raised for the Play Pumps charity. The Club is holding an Am-Am Golf Tournament on 20 August to raise money for charity and there remain a number of opportunities for local people, businesses and organisations to 'sponsor' tees and greens - those interested should contact Rotarian Ian Adams on telephone number 670607. 25th June 2007 President Norman Middleton opened this evenings meeting by welcoming all members and Rotarian visitor, Alasdair |
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The club meeting on Monday evening was attended by numerous guests, including a most welcome contingent of 16 from the Rotary Club of Alloa. President David Robertson thanked Rotarian Jim Gillespie and many helpers (including John Carswell the compere) for organising and staging the extremely successful 'Scotch Hop' ceilidh last Saturday which raised a substantial sum for the 'Play Pumps' charity. Those attending the event included a wedding party (which donated the top tier of their wedding cake for the fund-raising raffle) as well as 13 Rotarians and partners from the Avalon Club in Somerset who were staying in Linlithgow for the weekend as the guests of Linlithgow Grange members. The evening's speakers were Magnus Judge, Logan Black and Andrew Silk who, with the aid of their own photographs, enthusiastically described their Club-sponsored Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) course at Ardeonaig, Perthshire in July. The importance of teamwork and good communication, plus 'personal growth' and the opportunity to make new friends, were lasting impressions. Rotarian Phil Ratcliffe gave the vote of thanks for their interesting and entertaining presentation.