Rotary Club of the Island and Royal Manor of Portland - March 2021 Events and Updates

PORTHOLE #504 The Rotary Club of the Island and Royal Manor of Portland {Register Charity Number: 1032098} February 2021 CLUB DIARY for MARCH President: Elizabeth Hardy Secretary: Peter Burrows Editor: Ian McPheat 2 March 2021 Committee meetings to be arranged by Chairman at any time during the week. Council Meeting beginning at 7.15 pm No weekly Club meeting 9 March 2021 13 March 2021 Speaker Dr Keith Barnard-Jones Polio Update District Forum 10 am Zoom 16 March 2021 Business meeting 23 March 2021 Speaker Lewis Hibell Portland Rocklings 27 March 2021 District Conference 2020/21 30 March 2021 Guest Evening EDITOR S NOTE I could be doing with some more bits and bobs to put into Porthole. Just send them to me at macmolly10@gmail.com. Pictures need to be in jpg format if possible. TITTER YE NOT!!... We had a bit of a giggle last month with Rotarian Mike Storr reciting some monologues from Old Time Music Hall actors, for a donation going to Asthma UK

SHIRLEY BEGGS Some of you will have read the obituary in the Echo of Shirley Beggs, and while some of you may have known her, many will not. Terry, a painter and decorator who, incidentally, built our kitchen/bedroom extension on Old Hill House many, many moons ago, was a Founder member of our club in 1976. In those days we had formal black tie Ladies' Nights and the ladies all wore long dresses - how times have changed - and so we got to know Terry and Shirley very well indeed. This was probably helped by the fact that their daughters were more or less the same age as our children. Terry was a Committee Chair and then President of the club, and with him and Shirley in charge we had a great year. However because of business pressures Terry decided to resign from the club in 1989 which was a great loss to the club. I still used to see them both around Portland and members may well remember seeing them at Table Top Sales as well. Sadly Shirley became ill and died last month - her funeral was yesterday, and I had the funeral of one of my District Governor's wives today as well. A sad month for me. Keith Helping out in Kenya Last year I asked if members has any spare towels, sheets etc that they no longer needed. These would be needed for a project in Kenya where these sheets etc. were turned into sanitary towels by a group of Dorchester ladies under the auspices of the Casterbridge club. The sheets were cut up and sewn together into the appropriate shape and transported to Africa where they could be washed and re-used. I will refrain from going into detail, but the sanitary towels now bring back dignity and comfort to a lot of ladies in Kenya for whom such an item is unavailable in the shops. One of the wives of a Dorchester Rotarian, having visited Kenya, realised the need and thanks to the bags and bags of goods provided by our club members among others, we now have a lot of very grateful ladies in Africa who think we are wonderful. Sewing machines have now been provided and the local Kenyan ladies are being taught how to cut the sheets to size and then stitch them so they can make the sanitary towels themselves. It is called helping others to help themselves - and is a great example of Rotary in action - seeing a need, finding a simple problem, and then teaching the people how to fend for themselves. May thanks to all those who helped. Keith helpers are covered by Rotary insurance which take away a lot of the worry. Until the current epidemic we met weekly so we could sit down, have a meal, and have time to chat. At the moment we are meeting each other every week via the internet. Thus we are able to sit comfortably in our own homes and discuss what we can do now and where we are going in the future. If we do not wish to join in one week that is absolutely fine. The beauty of internet meetings is that anyone can join in and we are now finding that, instead of a meeting just of Portland Rotarians, other Rotarians from other areas or countries are able to join in as well from their homes, wherever they may be. For example I joined a meeting in London last week with Rotarians from The Midlands, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Wales and Nigeria. All from the comfort of my house. Perhaps this is the Rotary of the future. The members will decide. If anyone is interested in learning more, please contact me on kbeejay@btconnect.com, or 01305 821030. We are not a secret society at all, and you would be very welcome to learn more about what we are doing. Conversely we always need new ideas and suggestions, otherwise we simply carry on doing the same old thing over and over again. A transfusion of new Rotary blood has to be good for our members so if you are interested in Service Above Self , our motto, please do not hesitate to contact me. Why not find out more without committing yourself? Keith Elizabeth giving the good news after the Treasure Hunt

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS ZOOM During the Covid epidemic, as you know, many clubs have continued to meet using Zoom. During my weeks of imprisonment I have joined club meetings in Brit Valley, Casterbridge, Redbridge in London, an international meeting on polio, and several District 1200 Foundation Team meetings. Plus meetings with the Durnovaria Band Trust and with friends. All while sitting in my chair at home. It has been an eye-opener. I know I have had reservation on Rotary E-Clubs because the members, usually, do not meet, other than via e-mail. The result of all these Zoom meetings has been incredible - the Rotary work has been done, we have been able to see each other as we chat, and all this from the comfort of our own homes. I have heard a lot of comments about this being the Rotary of the future - it saves time on travelling, puts less pollution into the atmosphere, saves money on food costs, and allows us to meet while sitting comfortably, perhaps having a glass of orange juice. I have changed my views - we now have a medium for communication if our venue is unavailable or, perhaps, even if it is. Certainly Committee meetings could be carried out using Zoom and that could be on any day of the week to suit the committee members. I believe that Zoom has opened up marvellous new opportunities for us - for example we could even have the President of Rotary International to talk at our club meeting (if that is what you want!!!). He, or she, would not have to travel from wherever at enormous cost in time and money. There is, of course, the effect that this might have on our venues if clubs that previously met at a convenient hostelry every week decided to opt out completely. There is also the question as to whether we would be welcome if we only went to a meeting once a month for example. All this is for the future of course, and for club members to decide, but it was Paul Harris who said, many, many years ago -"This is a changing world and Rotary must be prepared to change with it. The story of Rotary will be written over and over again" We changed when ladies joined us - a great improvement, The Foundation changed Increasingly over a number of years I have been told by so-called experts that the days of volunteering are long gone and that all voluntary organisations are in terminal decline. However, the response of the new generation of volunteers to the viral crisis over the last few months has been nothing short of phenomenal, gives the lie to the above statement, and convinces me that the idea of helping others is certainly not dead. So I am writing to see if those public-minded individuals, currently involved in helping others, might want to help many more people in a wider sphere, once the current crisis is past. There are people in need of our help in every community throughout the world. Portland Rotarians are always on the lookout for workers willing to help those in need and this message is to suggest that you might like to learn more about what we do. By joining Rotary you would become, not just a part of the Portland Club, but also part of a world-wide organisation of over one and a quarter million people many of whom we know well - of all races and creeds, in almost every country in the world. Most of our work is done on the Island the organisations on Portland, the museum, Community 2000, Life Education, the elderly, the schools, the young etc., etc.- but, as part of a global set-up some of our work is overseas e.g. providing clean water to villages in Nepal, as many FPN readers will already be aware. There are literally millions and millions out there in the wide world who could do with that help. The more workers we have, the more people we can help. It is as simple as that and, while we cannot help everyone, even small achievements give a lot of satisfaction. As an organisation we are non-sectarian and non-political, though individuals can hold whatever personal views they wish. But perhaps the best thing, apart from helping those in need, is the number of friends we have made and the fun we have working together. All our helpers are covered by Rotary insurance which take away a lot of the worry. Elizabeth giving the good news after the Treasure Hunt

New President, New Theme WE NEED A PRESIDENT FOR 2022-2023 The hoary old chestnut raises its ugly head again, and we are getting closer to having to find a new President for the Club to follow Celia. For the first time ever the training programme for the in-coming District Governors has been on-line - visual, and it has saved the in-coming Governors from having to travel all the way to the USA to be trained for a very busy week. It has also saved Rotary a lot of money!! The new President, who will come into office on 1st. July is an Indian - Shekhar Mehta, It has been said that we do not need a President, just someone to chair the meetings and Council, but there is a lot more to it than that as the President is the figurehead - the person who is recognised as being the leader of the club for that year. He or she is also the point of contact for other Rotary clubs, District, RIBI and the Portland Community. It may surprise you all to know that I have no idea who he is and have never met him officially. Maybe I am just getting old - after all, I was on the Board 20 years ago. The new theme, which does not really affect us but is very important to many clubs is "Serve to change lives". Simple and to the point as it tells people exactly what we do.. Sadly, with the Covid situation, my guess is that it will be many months before anyone in the UK sees him over here, but you can always look up his speech on line if you are interested. For that matter, I don't think that the current President, Holger Knaack, has visited our shores either. Our new District Governor, who will also start on the 1st. July is very well known to us - Michael Fernando from Yeovil. Hopefully we will be able to get a party of us up for his Conference. From 1st. July we will no longer have a President of RIBI, which I personally regret very much but, once again, I may be out of touch. There is a certain pride in having "My Year" rather than having it shared by two, three, or even four Presidents, but, of course, the President is simply the leader of a team and it is that team - the Chairs, the Rotarians etc. who do most of the work. What does the President do? That is up to the President, and depends on how much of the work is delegated to others. Taking the weekly meeting is simply a matter of sitting in the hot seat - we are there anyway. I have heard it said that the year is too expensive - well there is an Presidential allowance which is designed just for just this reason and our generous Treasurer is very happy to dole it out as and when needed. It is nice to have a different approach each year as a President has a chance to stamp his or her mark on the club for 12 months. So, do we have any volunteers? It's a great job and will be a wonderful year for you, whoever you may be. We will have a Chair of the Governing Body (which, to me, is not the same thing). It will be interesting to see how it all works out. Keith

News from Portland Museum Rufus Castle gets Scanned and Marie Stopes 100 years on gets slated by the BBC Portland Museum has won another project grant and this time it's to build a virtual 3D model of Rufus Castle that people will be able to view on the Portland Museum website - how good is that?! CHANGE IN FUNDING Because Global Grants (the bigger ones) are becoming so popular, the demand has outstripped the income. The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation have transferred some monies to the Global Grant kitty from two sources of surplus, but there is still a shortfall. So, in their wisdom they have decided to cut back on funding for District Grants - 1.. District Designated Fund (DDF) contributions transferred to Polio Plus will be matched at 50%. (It was 100% before) 2. The World Fund match of DDF will be reduced from 100% to 80% when being used for global grants. (It was 100% before) 3. Five percent of the current year s Annual Fund- SHARE contributions will be taken equally from the World Fund and DDF to help fund operating expenses. (It was just from the World Fund) 4. The ability to roll over unused DDF will be limited to five years. (Currently a lot is being rolled over and not used. The Foundation wants to use this money as soon as possible) Do you remember the 'What Would You Like To See' series which the Museum ran on social media and the FPN last year? A few people emailed expressing their interest in Rufus Castle; an amazing site but difficult to access. So, we were offered the services of a Lidar scan from Guildhall Live (the people that will be producing the animation projection with sound onto Rufus castle for b-side festival which may run this year, in September 2021 after being cancelled in 2020). A Lidar scan fires light beams at surfaces and measures how long the beams take to return. It can then create a 3D map of the area that will result in the production of a high-quality image being made available for people to wander above and around at their leisure. The scan will be made available for free on the website but will be accompanied by a digital brochure that people can pay to download. The digital brochure/guide will show the image but also be accompanied by commentary from an archaeologist and there is a call out to any Rotarians/members of the public who have their own personal memories of the castle. Please contact me or Lucy if you can help. Frustratingly, we're not able to start on the project as quickly as we'd hoped because of the Covid restrictions that are in place at the moment. BBC TV South Today aired an interview on 2nd February with Portland Museum Manager Lucy Watkins focussing on the life and work of Marie Stopes, 100 years since the opening of her first Birth Control Clinics. Stopes had moved to Portland to escape the controversy in London her clinics had caused. Stopes was fascinated by Portland and founded Portland Museum in 1930 to document all aspects of Portland life and its history. However, Stopes was a hard-liner, pioneering eugenics and there is evidence she corresponded with Hitler in the 1930s. It is right to dwell on the negative aspects of Stopes life, but thanks to Stopes at least we have a place that celebrates the uniqueness of our island. Well done to Lucy for her impressive TV appearance! Elizabeth Trustee and Secretary to the Museum Board of Directors This means that the money available for smaller grants such as those for Nepal etc. will be less. Success breeds its own problems obviously Keith

The Drop-in has been funded by BBC Children in Need sponsorship over the last six years, but this funding is likely to end soon. More support is needed to continue their work, which during normal times, provides four evenings a week of structured, age- appropriate youth activities. In response, I am sure Club members and committees will be devising a strategy of support for this very worthwhile organisation in the coming weeks. Following a very entertaining talk by Yorkshire Rotarian Mike Storr, describing eminent Music Hall entertainers, a donation to Asthma UK was arranged. No further news from Nepal about the water projects or food situation has been received this month, although the International Committee s Market Place fund raiser is taking-off. Janet s brilliant expertise running the Club s Facebook has led to the selling of items on Facebook s Marketplace for Rotary good causes. The money raised has so far gone to Foundation. It also meant I got rid of my unwanted wheelbarrow and TV, and people were happy their money was going to Rotary. Finally, I should like to thank Mark for his excellent refinement of the Club s website. The time spent, energy and imagination to further our public image and connect members and keep them informed about all things Rotary, via the Club s website is truly wonderful. Do have a look at it, explore the links, go into the District and Rotary International sites, find the Rotary training that is available to members and what is happening around the Rotary world. But most of all the website reveals our Club s history and all the fun and good times we have had together over the years. It illustrates what Rotary is all about, and how we as Rotarians, gain so much when we go out and help others. PRESIDENT S DIARY February 2021 Sarah reminded us that February 23 is Rotary s 116th Birthday, and to celebrate this she set-up a Portland Rotary funded lightshow on Weymouth s Pavilion Theatre. In fact, the Rotary colours, yellow and blue stripes will up be lighting up the theatre all week. This day is also called Rotary World Understanding and Peace Day. On February 23, 1905, little did Paul Harris and his three friends realize what they were starting when they met in room 711 of the Unity Building in Chicago. We have come a long way since then, but we still have a long way to go to achieve goodwill, peace, and understanding among all people of the world. Sarah also persuaded our neighbours, the Melcombe Regis Rotary Club to add to our donation in support of the Weymouth Pavilion. The theatre is struggling like so many businesses during pandemic closure. So, thank you Sarah, for a bright-light outcome! A huge thank you to Jayne also, who has been co-ordinating the collection of laptops for Atlantic Academy, so a reminder to everyone to keep searching and networking with our friends to provide more laptops for home schooling on Portland. In support of the young people on the Island, youth workers Lisa Osborn and Debbie Warren from the Portland Drop-In centre spoke to us about their work running an imaginative youth club at the Community Hub, Fortuneswell. Targeting 135 young people, Lisa described how they have been doing doorstep drop-ins during the pandemic. Over Christmas, with the help of Portland Rotary, they had also delivered secret Santa presents.