Club News

A return visit of Mr Derek George after about 7 years was the guest speaker. His talk was a fascinating history of shipping in the Yarmouth area of 2 centuries ago and the effect this had on the formation of a Caister Lifeboat service.

Around 1807 about 3000 ships and boats would pass by Great Yarmouth in either direction. The main involvement of these boats would have been the transport of coal from the North down to London. The loading would have taken about 3 weeks and it would have been a 2 to 3 month round trip. Naturally with so many vessels in the area there were many collisions and the loss of life was horrendous. This led to the formation of Beach Companies along the coast line and hence the attention of forming rescue services. In the Lowestoft area Mr Robert Sparrow of the sparrows Nest who was a wealthy man launched an appeal for funds for a lifeboat. Horatio Nelson was one of the first to contribute with 5 guineas... within in one year enough cash was raised and a lifeboat was delivered. To encourage the launches Mr Sparrow offered the crew or Company, 1 guinea per person during the day and 1 and half guineas for night time.It soon became clear to all the villages along the coast to have their own lifeboat...Sheringham, Cromer and about £150 needed to be raised. This was an enormous achievement in those days to have funded a lifeboat. In 1810 saw the launch of the Norfolk Preservation of Lives and it was in 1845 that Caister Beach Company was put under pressure to become part of that organisation. The RNLI had already been formed and in 1857 and 1858 the RNLI took over the running of the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts.

Mr George completed his most interesting and fascinating talk by bringing the Club up to date on the present Caister life boats. The present Caister Life boat , the latest one made in Holland

is the most technical and fastest boat in Great Britain with a range of 100 nautical miles. It is launched about 16 times a year and costs about £150000 per year to operate. It remains the only independant rescue lifeboat in Great Britain. Michael Woods thanked Derek for his most interesting talk.

Rotarian Graham Plant introduced this week’s speaker Tim Howard. Tim is a local government employee and his presentation centred on his time in Greece several years ago when he was a Hotel proprietor on the island of Spetses . There were several humorous stories including his attempts to try and engage local workman on alterations to the hotel. However due to the time scale to complete the project Tim decided to return to England and employ UK tradesmen to carry out all the alterations to the building. It soon became apparent to Tim that the tax system and the pricing of goods were very different to those back home and after some minor hiccups he soon familiarised himself with all the rules and business practices. The collection of materials for his building project was at times difficult and he relayed the story of a moped rider with long metal construction rods strapped to the side of the machine with other road users trying to negotiate around them. There was one occasion when he noticed a fridge being transported on a motor cycle and wondered what else they could possibly try to move on such a small motor cycle. He also remarked that due to the location of the International Airport travellers have no option other than to negotiate busy routes through Athens , which causes many problems for the visitors who plan their arrival time according to the level of possible congestion. . I am sure that Tim could have continued his talk for much longer but sadly time was not on his side and we never had the chance to discover why he returned the UK . Peter Howkins thanked Tim for a most informative and lively presentation. The speaker for next week’s meeting will be arranged by Richard Delf.

Bill Cooke and Alan Spinks represented the club in the RIBI National Golf Tournament run each year by the Sutton in Ashfield Rotary Club.

We were drawn away against Cambridge Rutherford Rotary Club. The match was played at Gog Magog Golf Club. After a tight finish we finally lost 2&1. However we had a great meal and evening with our opponents after the 19th hole !

Today no guest speaker but there was an induction by President Ian of 3 new members into our Rotary Club.

Each new member had a few words of how they would enjoy the fellowship and Rotary activities of our Club.

The 3 new members listening intently. Richard Fiddy receives his welcome from Ian.

On Thursday 19^th June a total of 20 Rotarians and friends attended Potters Leisure Resort at Hopton for a fun packed evening including Clay Pigeon Shooting, Target Shooting and Archery. Brain Potter and all his staff and helpers made this a very enjoyable evening raising funds for the Foundation Committee. Rotarian Alan Spinks achieved most points overall and other participants were awarded prizes for their winning scores.

On Monday the club’s guest speaker was Roger Larwood who was introduced by Alan Carman. Roger presentation was about the history of the Woodfordes Brewery. Ray Ashworth worked in banking way back in the 1980’s and due to his passion for good tasting beers he was involved in assessing beers throughout the local area.. Whilst conducting these assessments a colleague who was also involved in this process tasted one of Ray’s home brewed beers and he was so impressed that he persuaded Ray to consider starting his own business. At first he was reluctant to take this change of career but later decided to take up the challenge and moved into an industrial unit in Drayton near Norwich to begin brewing his first beer. Over a period of time he moved into several premises one of which was the subject of an electrical fire losing all his equipment, which meant that he had to move into temporary accommodation. Ray was always looking for better facilities and finally he discovered premises at Woodbastwick where they are currently producing local beers. This was a perfect location as the local water was ideal for the brewing process which has resulted in numerous supreme championship awards producing over 16.000 barrels each year. The founder of the company Ray Ashworth no longer owns the brewery and it is now managed by a consortium of share holders. This was a very interesting presentation and it is always delightful when an individual’s passion causes them to make major changes in their lives resulting in a successful business career. Rotarian Peter Bondi thanked Roger Larwood for addressing the members.

At this years annual Club Assembly ’chaired by Vice President elect Mike Erskine who welcomed special guest Assistant District Governor Brian Hunter a member of the Lowestoft Rotary Club. Brian was given the opportunity to hear the Chairman’s reports from the various committees. Mike Self will be heading the Vocational Committee having taken over from Des Sadler. This meeting gave each of the committees the opportunity to inform the members about their aims and objectives together with details of fund raising events for the next 12 months. The very popular Duck Race will once again take place on Sunday 21st September. Brian Hunter then addressed the members complementing them on the increase in membership within the last 12 months and all their hard work in raising funds for good causes. Brian then gave an overview of his vision for the Rotary year ahead and the importance of working with unity throughout the district and nationally. President elect Robert Parker thanked Brian for attending the lunch and expressed his determination to continue strengthening the club with service and fellowship at the forefront of his presidency.

Rotarian Richard Delf is organising a day at Newmarket Races and all members are reminded that those wishing to attend should place their names on the list as soon as possible.

The guest speaker at next Monday’s luncheon will be Roger Larwood from Woodfordes Brewery.

Several weeks ago members of the Rotary Group Study Exchange came to the club to talk about their selection process and expectations for their trip to Australia . At Monday’s meeting the Group Leader Rotarian Mike Butcher together with team members Sarah-Jane Lumley, Clare Boddy and Howard Olby addressed the members. They each gave an overview of the visit setting out the highlights and special moments during their stay allowing them to study other methodologies that would hopefully prepare them to address community needs within their chosen careers. They arrived in Sidney and had time to see the sights especially the stunning harbour the opera house and various land marks that certainly lived up to their expectations. They then moved on to Orange a provincial city 160 mile west of Sidney . Here they met their host families and soon adjusted to the friendly and sociable lifestyle that is part of the Australian culture. This was a once-in-a lifetime experience for all of the team which gave them the opportunity to understand the structure and methods used by the respective agencies that were relative to their own profession. They each had time out to view the stunning scenery and the wildlife which at times would appear without warning. All the team had forged close links with Rotary members that they had stayed with or had met on this trip, many of which had now become close friends. At the end of the talk the group ran a slide presentation which depicted some of the special moments of their visit. Rotarian Jack Thorpe gave the votes of thanks. Members are reminded of the clay pigeon shoot which will take place on the evening of Thursday 19^th June and is being organised by Mike Butcher. There will be a club assembly at next Monday’s meeting.

On Sunday 1st June Club members, family and friends enjoyed a fund raising boat trip aboard the ‘Southern Comfort’ at Horning in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. The outing was in memory of Rotarian Geoff Denton who will always be remembered with much affection. This event was once again well supported by the members and the total amount raised on the day was over £1000.

At Monday’s meeting Rotarian John Tomalin introduced John Parker who is the Regional Fundraising Manager for the Charity ‘DebRA’. This organisation supports individuals and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa which is a rare genetic condition which causes the skin to blister and shear at the slightest friction or even spontaneously. There is at least 5000 people living with this devastating condition within the UK and much of the work of the charity is to provide nurses and recourses to individuals and to raise funds for ongoing research to try a find an effective treatments and eventually a cure. Mr Parker was very confident that an effective treatment would be found but could not predict a time for this break through.

This was an illness very close to John Tomalin's heart as one of his relatives Daisy May aged 3 suffers from EB and therefore has first hand experience of this condition. John Parker then ran a short video showing several young children with the condition and for those members who had little or no knowledge of the illness they were left in no doubt the pain and continued suffering that the worst cases have to endure. At this point the club members reflected on the presentation and with a very sombre atmosphere Monty Spandler gave the votes of thanks.

There will be a presentation next Monday by some of the GSE team who visited Australia earlier this year.

Brian Pottter addressed the members and commented on a recent meeting with the Dean of Norwich and mentioned to him that he knew Canon Michael Woods. The Dean explained that when Michael completed an application form he was required to attach a photograph that should have been a true likeness of him, but as humour is part of Michael’s personality he attached a photograph of an animal. Despite this Michael was still appointed and to this day one is not quite sure which picture remains on file.

It is always a delight when one of the member’s talks about their personal interests and it was Rotarian John Westgate whose presentation gave the members a glimpse of .his passion for stamps. John has been involved in this hobby for several years and was one of those collectors who took an in-depth interest in ‘Smiler’ Stamps which were introduced by the Post Office way back in 1989. They were classified as greeting stamps and soon became popular amongst collectors who saw an opportunity to obtain what would be a limited addition. John has already spoken to the members about his hobby but this time dedicated his time to this part of his collection and this gave the members a much better understanding of this particular issue. Since the first introduction of the stamps there have been numerous sheets launched by the Post Office including the ‘Generic’, ‘Personalized,’ Themed and Business Customised stamps which gave individual companies a chance to display their company logo. John then handed copies of these sheets so the members could examine the makeup and layout of the stamps especially those bearing the pictures of the past players from the Norwich City Football Club. This was an interesting presentation from a member who clearly revels in the hunt for stamps to add to his collection and has no doubt given him many hours of satisfaction. Junior Vice President Michael Erskine thanked John for sharing his interest with members.

The Car Rally takes place on Thursday 5^th June and organiser Wally Ladmore requests that any members who have not yet signed up to this fund raising evening should do so by contacting him as soon as possible.

On Tuesday 6^th May four club members attended a dinner at the Maids Head Hotel Norwich to meet 5 team members of the Group Study Exchange from Australia . Their lively and informative presentation gave the delegates an insight into their backgrounds and their gratitude for being given the opportunity to absorb the experiences in front of them.

After the Bank Holiday recess the club was once again in full swing with the Mayor Paul Garrod accompanied by his wife Lisa addressing the club members. This was a special occasion as Paul was now at the end of his year in office but would be undertaking duties as the Deputy Mayor. Paul spoke about his sadness with regards to the death of the former Mayor Sue Robinson and his civic pride in accepting this position. He highlighted some of visits he had made during his year in office totalling well over 400 to local clubs organisations and various groups, all providing important services throughout the borough. Paul certainly had a very busy schedule and was proud to represent this town which is very dear to his heart. He is an hotelier and has strong links with the Caister Lifeboat, and is certainly well known within the town. He talked about the Maritime Festival, the Out Harbour Project and his involvement with the visit to Great Yarmouth by the Royal Anglian Regiment which will have lasting memories for him and his wife. During Paul’s year his objective was to raise money for local causes and his initial target was well exceeded by the generosity of the local community. Club President Ian Thomson presented Paul with a donation of £500 for one of his chosen charities and thanked him for addressing the members. Rotarian John Westgate will be arranging a speaker for next Monday’s meeting.

Rotarian George Ermini and his guest Kevin Whitbread addressed the members in relation to their participation in the Cannonball 8000 car rally which was first launched in 2003. This event took place over 4 days in September 2007 with 130 cars taking part together with 260 drivers, travelling through Belgium , France , Luxemburg , Austria , Switzerland , Czechoslovakia and Slovakia . George and Kevin raised over £1,500 for the Palliative Care East Appeal. Kevin Whitbread’s entry for the rally was his much treasured Maserati which was suitably covered in advertising material mainly depicting the sponsors who helped make this trip possible. This was not a race but merely a challenge to complete the course raising money for charity. They had some memorable occasions even before they left the UK with traffic congestion at the starting point in London and a lengthy document check at the French control point in Folkestone. Having entered Belgium the organisers informed the participants that they could not travel through Germany and if any of the entrants decided to risk entering the country they could have the vehicles impounded. . This power point presentation gave the members a flavour of what this challenge comprised of and the impressive array of vehicles taking part. Both participants said that it was a memorable experience travelling through some of the most picturesque parts of Europe . They are now looking forward to their next rally which is currently in the planning stages.

Members are reminded that the gourmet evening organised by Des Sadler will take place at the Ambitions Restaurant at the Great Yarmouth College on Wednesday 30^th April.

At next Monday’s meeting the club will be dealing with business matters.

Sculptress Julia Cake, famous world-wide for her stone and marble creations was guest speaker today.

Local sculptress Julia Cake working with diamond cutting tool on Italian marble. She spent her formative years in Monaco before completing her education in Florida. Her first piece was completed at the tender age of 16 and she acknowledged the support that she received at the beginning of her career. Members were given the opportunity to view some of her finished pieces alongside the tools that were used to make them and specimens of marble in their raw form. Describing some of the techniques employed in her work, she commented that her inspiration for a piece of work often came from examining the marble prior to working it and then enhancing the qualities found there. A short video of some finished pieces completed the talk.

On Tuesday 17 Club Members and several guests visited the Jaguar Car Plant at Castle Bromwich where the new Jaguar XF saloon is produced. This was a most interesting tour to a plant where many years ago it was built to manufacture the Submarine Spitfire for World War Two.

At a packed lunchtime meeting the club welcomed several visitors and guests and this week’s speaker was Jude Richardson a volunteer with the Samaritans. This organisation operates from their Yarmouth Offices in North Quay. There are about 40 volunteers offering a listening service which include landline, text and personal visits. Jude admitted that many people just need to talk about their problems in situations where the family unit may have broken down or they have personnel issues that may be affecting them mentally and emotionally. The Samaritans are a National organisation but each local branch must raise their own funds under individual Charity Status. Jude admitted that with the ever increasing use of the internet they were currently undertaken training to accommodate such technology within their means of response. It costs around £12.000 each year to operate this service and fund raising is a continuous process with no financial help from local and central government. President Ian Thomson thanked Jude for attending the meeting and acknowledged all the hard work undertaken by all the volunteers and wished them well with their current refurbishment programme.

Members are reminded that it is the President’s Ladies Night this coming Friday and it will be held at the Burlington Hotel 7pm for 7 30pm.

The members were entertained by a very interesting illustrated presentation by the local well-known artist and potter, Ernie Childs. He told of the beginnings of his enterprise to the present day. He has produced over 300 different design commerative mugs for various organisations and occasions, both in this country and abroad. The attention to detail that goes into the production of each design and the hours of work needed to achieve the finished product was most impressive. He also gave illustrations of his exceptional artistic talent both as a sculptor and and as a painter and went on to describe the variety of natural products he obtains to provide materials for his work.

The vote of thanks was given by John Wiseman. Next Mondays speaker will be a representative from The Samaritans.

A good number of members and friends will be travelling to Birmingham on Tuesday 8th April to visit the Jaguar Car Factory. Coach will leave The Burlington Hotel at 8.00am sharp.

President Ian and his wife Frances will host the Presidents Ladies Night Dinner and dance at the Burlington Hotel on the following Friday 11th April. 7.00 for 7.30 pm.

Rotary member Leslie Seabert addressed the club at its Monday lunchtime meeting and presented his cultural experience in relation to a recent visit to the Philippines with his wife Kristina, to attend a friends wedding. In total 29 friends and family travelled from the

to the resort. Leslie who is a very well known local architect soon became interested in the local buildings many of which were very basic and in very poor state of repair. Whilst there were some new homes being constructed they were mainly for foreign residents who were moving to the area. The club learned about the turbulent history of the islands having gained its independence in 1946. The wedding took place at the resort of Moalboal where the hotel accommodation could only be described as very unique but a short drive from the hotels would reveal the stark reality of how poor some of the local residents really are. A beautiful beach location with the bride and groom together with guests all in attendance there was a minor hiccup when the judge who was presiding over the marriage arrived several hours late which reflected the laid back attitude of the local people. Despite this setback everybody had a wonderful time with lasting memories. Leslie explained what facilities were available on the island including diving, beautiful beaches and other tourist attractions. Despite the cultural differences all the local people were very friendly and extremely hard working. Like many of the islands they depend solely on tourism to support the economy. With over 7,000 islands and a population of 70 million the need to sustain this tourist industry becomes very apparent. Lesley certainly enjoyed his stay in the Philippines and Rotarian Mike Self thanked him for sharing some of experiences with the members.

At next Monday’s meeting the club will be dealing with business matters.

Rotarian Norman Bailey introduced his speaker today. He was well known local Estate agent Charles Bycroft. Charles gave a very interesting and amusing account of his career in the business of selling houses and gave his interpretation of which way he thought the housing market would go in the near future. Rotarian TC Harry thanked Charles for his enlightening talk.

Rotarian Michael Mizen from the Thorpe St Andrew Rotary Club was this week’s speaker and his subject was the first day of the battle of the Somme . This very powerful presentation was a stark reminder of that day in July 1916 when 60.000 British troops lost their lives as they advanced on German lines. Two Generals namely Haig and Rawlinson had joint responsibility for the battle plan and drew up two different strategies that no doubt caused confusion and was deeply flawed. With the shelling of German lines prior to the battle it was apparent that the wire protecting the German trenches had not been destroyed and due to the depth of enemy trenches many German solders were unscathed. The French troops who agreed to support this deployment insisted that it took place at that date because of their own battle plans. The troops made the movement from the trenches at 07 30 hours and as they approached the heavy machine guns from enemy lines they had little or no chance of surviving, with 24.000 troop killed in the first hour. There were some successes namely an Irish Battalion who moved forward in darkness managing to hold their position, ready for a deployment when the conditions were right. . Due to their speed they breached the German lines but became isolated with no supporting troops to help them. There was total silence throughout this talk as many of the members came to terms with the reality of the battle and the blood bath that followed. Michael is one of the official guides that take schoolchildren and other groups to Belgium to see the battle areas and many return with lasting memories. John Burroughs thanked Michael for this moving story.

Today was a special Tri-Club meeting when members came from The Yarmouth RC and The Gorleston RC to join with The Haven members.

Our special guest was Sarah Jayne Lumley who is one of the 1080 GSE team to visit Australia next month. She and our own Team Leader PP. Mike Butcher gave a shortened presentation of their proposed talks and PowerPoint show, which they will present on their visit to South Australia.

Junior Vice President Mike Erskine welcomed new member Peter Howkins to the Club. Rotarian Terry Ashbourne (Secretary) introduced speaker Ian Semmons who is the Chairman of the Charity ‘Action on Pain’. Several years ago Ian intervened in a street robbery and ultimately paid the price which resulted in injuries that would see him in hospital for several weeks. During his long period of rehabilitation he would have to endure long sessions of physiotherapy that would help him to regain movement but he would have to live with the pain from his injuries. It was while he was on this journey that he realised that little or no advice or help to those suffering from chronic pain was available within the National Health Service and decided to form an organisation that would help sufferers and their families. In 1998 the group was formed from the family home and several years later they became a registered charity. With volunteers manning the helpline they provide support, advice and encouragement to those directly and indirectly affected by pain, self help groups and specially developed publications. They also wanted to raise the profile of pain with local, national and international governments and organisations, in order that everybody affected by pain gets early access to effective care and support wherever they live. As the group receive no state funding they rely on donations from a variety of sources and continue to lobby central government for financial help. Ian speaks at many conferences and sits on various specialist committees that allow him the opportunity to spread the word on this very important service. Rotarian Robert Lovick thanked Ian for addressing the members and commended him on his brave intervention that would sadly change his life for ever. He wished him well with the project.

Members are reminded that next week will be a lunchtime meeting with Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Rotary Clubs. Teams are still required for the Foundation Quiz Night on Thursday 28th March.

Rotarian George Ermini brought two guests to this week’s meeting namely Natalie Smith and his guest speaker Simon Lee. It soon became obvious that the members would not be disappointed with this witty and lively presentation. After a rebellious youth Simon joined the Army in 1991 and after a period of training he was deployed to Bosnia ,. He admitted that no training could equip you for real life situations in conflict zones. After a 7 month tour of duty he returned to the UK to take up a commission which saw him return to Bosnia, still remaining with the Worcester and Sherwood Forester Regiment. To remain with the regiment meant a great deal to him, as this was his fathers regiment. Now a commanding officer with the Warrior Infantry Fighting Unit he outlined some of the horrific situations that confronted him during the troubles. Many of the memories will remain with him for ever and this brought home to all the members just what kind of problems confronted the troops. Having returned to the UK, he undertakes specialist training and was appointed to Protection Duties which saw him working with John Major and members of the Royal Family. In 1998 he leaves the Army and continues personal protection work with many celebrities namely ‘Bono of the band ‘U2’ and ‘Sting’.

The Business meeting was very well attended. The committees , Secretary and Treasurer all gave their reports and updated the members on various topics.

It was agreed that we would support the Tri-Club and complete 15 Aqua boxes per Club, and that the boxes would be collected and returned free of charge by Simon Cooper of the Gorleston Club.

Club member Peter Bondi was this week’s speaker and he talked about the conception and development of Budget Hotels within the UK. At a packed meeting Peter embarked on a very humorous and interesting presentation impressively given without the aid of notes. His family managed the Star Hotel Great Yarmouth for many years and with his knowledge and experience of the business he was soon approached to manage his own hotel. A major challenge came in the mid 1970’s when he took on the management of a hotel in Gatwick, which was then operated by the Grand Metropolitan Group. After a period of time Peter managed to turn the hotel’s fortunes around and increased capacity at the hotel, and as a result of this success he went on to manage other hotels thereby increasing his personal portfolio. This journey took him to Liverpool in 1978 and then later back to London in 1982 where after two years he joined a French owned budget hotel company called Hotel Ibis as their UK Operations Director. The introduction of these European low budget hotels was a new concept in the UK and soon drew much interest from other competitors and this was the birth of the low budget accommodation that is widely available today. Peter talked about the requirement to improve his limited knowledge of French and how he was required to attend a two week intensive course in Paris that was undoubtedly a key element to this position. Peter’s use of the French language during his talk gave a distinctive European flavour and was well received by all the members. Once again further challenges confronted Peter and with all his knowledge and expertise he eventually built up his own successful business partnership that still keeps him busy on a daily basis. Rotarian Alan Spinks thanked Peter for a most uplifting and memorable talk.

On the evening of Monday 7^th Rotarian Mike Muskett organised a fund raising event at the Great Yarmouth Greyhound Stadium and with the raffle a grand total of £1654.00 was raised to help numerous good causes.

At this week’s meeting the club welcomed District Governor Duncan Howlett who covers 77 Rotary Clubs in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk parts of Cambridgeshire Essex and Hertfordshire. During the past year Rotary has raised many thousand of pounds for various projects including Barnardo’s and Wheelchairs (to the third world), in addition to supporting many other charities and organisations favoured by individual clubs. Duncan talked about his time as District Governor and the importance of keeping the membership vibrant whilst always encouraging new members to join and making sure that the clubs retain as many of its members as possible. He felt that it was necessary to encourage young people to join who would make sure that the clubs continued to thrive. With the number of members decreasing within Great Britain and Northern Ireland there could be a possibility that in the future we could be part of the European network and therefore lose our UK identity. Duncan also talked about the Rotary International initiatives including Water Projects, Literacy, Health and Education and the family of Rotary in general. He mentioned the importance of home grown initiatives including the support for Cancer Charities both local and nationwide. He covered the work of Foundation and the importance of encouraging clubs to join together to embark on larger projects which would make the workload easier. After some lively questions from the floor President Ian Thomson thanked the District Governor for speaking to the members.

Members are reminded of the forthcoming Club Quiz Night which will be held on the evening of Thursday 28^th February. Entry forms can be obtained from Leslie Seabert and Wally Ladmore