Rotary Club of Perth - Valedictory 2007
President Bill Miller - VALEDICTORY ADDRESS: 28th June 2007
Where do I begin?
Well first of all I can confirm that unlike Tony Blair, I haven’t received a better offer, therefore, I will be returning to the back benches after today. I can also say with all honesty that I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being President of the Rotary Club of Perth over the past year. It has been an honour and a privilege to represent the Club at functions, events and believe it or not, even at Zone Meetings. Thanks very much for giving me the opportunity to serve in that capacity.
I would also like to thank the members of Council who have provided me with support and guidance during the year and in particular SVP David Anderson for his support, advice and his quiet but effective way of carrying out his duties and of course Secretary Robbie who deals with the week to week nuts and bolts of the Perth Rotary Club with effortless efficiency. He is the man who really makes it all tick. Without Robbie’s weekly schedules, timely issue of minutes and general prompting, my year would have disintegrated. He really is a Presidents dream Secretary. Thanks to David, Robbie and Council.
However Council is only part of the equation. As always, it has been a team effort this year, to which every one of you has made a valuable contribution and I thank you for your efforts. We have built on the hard work of past President Harry and his predecessors and I believe the Club is healthy and strong to face the challenges of the new year, due to our endeavours.
Increasing the Club membership has been a slow burning process but the seeds that Andy Ritchie and his Committee have sown this year have started to bear fruit, as seen today with the induction of Sandy Pearson, following the earlier inductions of Alan Calderwood and David Lindsay. And the prospects for the coming year are even more promising with new members in the pipeline? Hopefully we will be able to attract some more lady members.
Also, the Club’s line of succession is secure with Bill Montgomery and Bill Duncan as senior and junior vice presidents respectively. It’s been a good long time since we had all three presidential roles filled at the beginning of the new year.
And then there is our leap into the 21st century by the creation of our Club Website www.perthrotary.net. Jimmy Robertson’s enterprise has produced a website second to none, which provides us with a vehicle not only to communicate with Club Members but with friends of Rotary and the world at large. Already, as David Anderson said at the Club Assembly, we are looking to use the site as a powerful fundraising tool when the Silent Auction initiative is launched later in the year. I can only see the facility becoming more powerful and useful in the future.
I mentioned the new year. I suppose as far as the Rotary year is concerned, today is the equivalent of Hogmanay. A time to reflect on the year past and eagerly anticipate the year ahead. It was like that at the Kinnoull Club the other night when they had the Valedictory and the Club Assembly at the same meeting. We have already looked forward to the year ahead at our Club Assembly, so please indulge me for a minute or two while I reflect on my memories of the year past.
I recall vividly my first meeting in the chair was at the Walled Garden on a glorious July day. Not the easiest of venues for an initiation but it kicked off the year on an upbeat note. That was quickly followed by our impressive winning of the Presidents Putter at the Wee Course, Blairgowrie, and the year flowed on from there. Looking back, it amazes me how we manage to pack so much in, year-on-year.
I have made a few headings for reference:
Fund Raising
This is one of the main cornerstones of club activity. Without it we would be a members-only social Club. With it we are a power for good and once again this year we have raised several thousand pounds, mainly by virtue of the Fayre and our Golf Day. All the money will go to good causes and I’m particularly satisfied that we have made a substantial contribution of £3000 to Rotary Foundation, 'our own charity'.
The bonus is that our Fund Raising activities also help foster Fellowship, another cornerstone of the Club. And that’s a win win situation.
With the Fayre format changing, with the Silent Auction as a separate event and with the Golf Day being in the 150th anniversary year of the King James VI Golf Club, I think 2007-2008 will be a bumper fundraising year.
Speakers
I have been very impressed by the quality of the speakers at our lunch-time meetings. Subjects ranging from the Scottish Enlightenment at the start of the year to the Zulu Wars at the end have been covered. Eco-Minimalism, Philately, Eagles on Skye and many more fascinating subjects in between have been expounded by enthusiastic and informative speakers and who could forget the daring escapades of Earnest Shackleton, as related by David Robb and the equally entertaining and daring adventures of Willie Coupar in the South Atlantic during the Falklands Conflict.
Entertainment
I recall the year started with a visit to the Secret Bunker and how could I forget the Barber Shop Quartet at Christmas and my pivotal role in their performance. Ding-a-ling! Christmas Golf, a Perth Ghost Walk and a visit to the Concert Hall for the Merry Widow have been topped off by this week’s Treasure Hunt. But the one event organised by the Entertainment Committee that stands out for me was our own Club Dinner at Murrayshall Hotel. Being uncomfortable as a public speaker, that was the event I anticipated with the greatest trepidation, yet it ended up as the most memorable experience. You may recall that our speaker Pete Wishart MP called off a few days before the dinner causing a ripple of panic, but Rev Jim Simpson came off the subs bench and regaled us with gentle humour and amusing anecdotes, which were enjoyed by the whole company. That was a special evening for me.
Youth Services
I had the pleasure of giving out prizes at the Junior Bowlers Competition at the Dewar’s Centre, the Young Chefs Competition at Perth College and the Essay Competition in the Club. It’s fantastic to witness the skills, talents and enthusiasm of these young people and I strongly believe that we should strive to continue to strengthen our hard won associations with the local schools by our involvement with these Competitions and Camp RYLA. Hopefully I can be of some help this year by being on the Committee.
I could go on listing all the Committees and their successes and maybe I should - Sport, Bulletin, Community Service, International Service and Foundation and of course John Davidson with his Attendance statistics are all equally worthy of mention today. However, I could be here all day and there is other business to attend to. So in conclusion, may I once again express my heartfelt thanks for all your support over the past year and to quote Tony in the House yesterday ‘that is that, the end’.
I will now hand over the Chain of Office to the new President of the Rotary Club of Perth for 2007-2008: David Anderson.