Seagate Rotary 2003

President

Hugh Hutchison

New member Derek Murdoch joined in August this year.

Andy Lynn was recognised as a Paul Harris Fellow in June 2004.

Also . . .

The club enjoyed a weekend away in Newcastle, with an optional extra to local remains of Hadrian's Wall incl. the Temple of Antenociticus, in March 2004. A number "spent the Saturday in a pub, being despressed by the Rugby and causing confusion to the Geordies when they cheered up after the Irish match".

The Nov. 2003 Sportsmen's Dinner (the 10th in the series) in the Redburn Hotel was chaired by President Hugh. The three speakers were Brian McGinley, former top FIFA referee, Les Peters, media relations manager (and a neighbour in Fife of former Seagate member Walter Lyall), and Chick Young, TV football correspondent. This Dinner was the 10th - over the years it had established itself as one of the regular main charity fund-raisers for the Club.
Pres Hugh, with Hon Member Bill Lymburn and Rtn Sandy at the Dinner

The autumn saw two members buying everyone a drink to celebrate recent grandparent status - Hugh Barr of the Mearns and Adam the Ayrshire blinds man. It was: "a sure indication of the maturing membership which has seen the quiet abandonment of the former disparaging references to the longer established Club in the town. Tempus fugit indeed."

On October 6th, teacher Bernadette McFadden gave the club a no-notes, no-Powerpoint, from-the-heart, 15-minute account of her year in Malawi. Her account, of "warm friendship fromm people struggling to do their best in circumstances where very small levels of investment could make a massive difference to so many lives", sparked a determination to help. She had worked in St Peter's Secondary, Mzuzu, becoming involved in many aspects of local community life. In November, the club invited a second speaker - Malawian priest Fr Nazarius Mgungwe, then working in Scotland (missionary work?). Rtn Pat McGlynn suggested a ZipSlide - in June 2004 it proved the biggest single fund-raising event in the club's first 21 years - more details further down this page. Later pages tell of President Bobby visiting the assisted projects (2004-05), the Malawian Head Teacher and colleague and pupils visiting the club (2005-06) and President Ian opening the science labs (2007-08).

Charity fund-raising totalled almost £10K, of which £3K was raised by the Sportsmen's Dinner and £2.6K by initial receipts from the ZipSlide. The main beneficiary was CHAS - funds for this were greatly boosted, by £1,500, courtesy of Rtn Wilson Smith's idea of a CHAS lunch at the Golf Hotel supported by his suppliers. Over 400 hot dogs were sold at the Marymass stall, which, with the bottle stall, raised over £950.

Seagate hosted the GSE team from North Virginia in September for four nights, the hosts being two RC Irvine members, Iain Shaw and Alec Lumsden, and two RC Seagate members, Geraldine O'Donnell and Ian Dickson (hosting two). One highlight was the soirée at Rtn Franco's Redburn Hotel - an "intimate Italian style buffet for reflection and to meet the various hosts". Another was the Sunday mix of church service, taken by Rtn Rev Robert Travers, followed by a visit to Culzean. Seagate Rtn Geraldine was D1230 GSE team leader for the return visit to North Virginia in April.

The Rotary Club of Trosa proposed we consider twinning. Though unlikely, as the Orléans link was going well, President Hugh and Maureen, and ready-to-travel-anywhere Rtn Ian and Louise, went off for a long weekend in Sweden. Hospitality was excellent, our hosts in Trosa made us welcome both in their homes and at their Rotary meeting, and our four representatives then spent a day in Stockholm before returning.

The first photo shows our four travellers at a dinner date in a Punch House. The second shows the two Presidents at the Rotary meeting. On the left is the canal at Trosa. Trosa is fairly small, but very attractive and prosperous. The Trosa Rotarians were hoping to link with a club near Prestwick, tempted by Ryanair flights and Ayrshire golf courses. They could not understand that President Hugh neither played golf nor enjoyed whisky.

The 2004 YouthSpeaks competition this year was won by Kilwinning Academy, speaking on the topic of 'Love', the three young people being a team of chairperson, speaker and proposer of a vote of Thanks. Three other teams took part, from Greenwood Academy, St Michael's Academy and Marr College. The photo shows President Hugh with Jenna Monteith, Laura Wild, Stephanie Kerr and their teacher Carolyn Allison.

The ZipSlide event took participants flying over the river, from the crane you see on the bank near the Burns statue to the pitches at Irvine sports club - the Zipline itself is just visible, and the person who has just left the safety of the crane platform shows as a blob as they start their speedy descent. All this daredevil behaviour caught the public imagination, and XXX people collected sponsors to raise cash for the Seagate Malawi project - a double 'bill' of boreholes for the village of Galamala west of Mzimba, and science labs for St Peter's Secondary in Mzuzu. Pictured below are Pres. Hugh with Kilwinning Rotary members, the Rev Neil Urquhart in African colours, Rtn Ian in mid-air, and Fr Nazarius with the one who prompted the fund-raiser Miss Bernadette McFadden.

The 2004 Burns Supper featured Drew Cochrane, second from left in the photo, proposing The Immortal Memory. Willie Carson proposed the Toast to the Lassies, answered by a Reply from Eleanor Freckleton. Gemma Flannigan gave a recitation and Jim Anderson a song.