Rotary Club - ROTARY CLUB CELEBRATES SILVER JUBILEE

The Rotary Club of Windsor St George celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner at the Windsor Guildhall on Friday 23rd November. Over a hundred guests attended the special dinner including Rotary International Director Gordon McInally, the Mayor and Mayoress of Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Councillor and Mrs Leo Walters, the Mayor and Mayoress of Eton Councillor and Mrs Phillip Highy, the Dean of Windsor the Rev David and Mrs Connor and Rotary District Governor Tony Bacon and Mrs Sarah Bacon. President Friedrich Dreyer President of Rotary Club of Goslar Nordharz, which is twinned with Windsor St George was present together with three other members of his club. President Dreyer presented the club with £500 for the Walk School Project in Kenya. The Rotary Club of Windsor St George is trying to raise £10,000 for the Walk School to fund books for all the pupils.

The Rotary Club of Windsor St George was chartered on November 23rd 1982 by the Rotary Club of Windsor & Eton. Four founder members were present at the dinner and the President Judith Diment presented Founders certificates to Tom Farrell, Roy Hockedy, Dieter Shaw, and Ken Smith. Ken Smith gave an entertaining talk on the history of the club and its contribution to the community. In addition to giving time to many service projects, the club has donated over £200,000 to charitable causes in this period.

The President of the Rotary Club of Windsor & Eton Bob Pickles presented the President of Rotary Club Windsor St George, Judith Diment, with a Rotary Bell to commemorate the anniversary. Judith said “It is a great privilege and honour for me to be entrusted with the leadership of the Rotary Club of Windsor St George in its silver jubilee year. Ken’s talk has illustrated the significant contribution made by the club to local, national and international projects over the last 25 years. We are nearly half way in to our silver jubilee year and I am proud of the achievements of the club since July. Club members have cycled for bowel cancer, walked on the Boundary walk for the Talk School in Kenya, helped fund a minibus for Help the Aged, taken senior citizens on a summer boat trip, organised a wonderful Gala Opera evening for RNIB Talking Service, helped run the fireworks evening at Windsor Race Course for two local childrens’ hospices and provided stewarding for the Christmas lights parades in both Eton and Windsor, and have finalised plans for our Festival of Christmas Music next month at Eton College and a visit to Dresden with the Rotary Club of Goslar next May.

Over the years ten members of our club have been awarded Paul Harris Fellows in recognition of their contribution to Rotary. Tonight I want to add to this distinguished list and recognise one of our members for the outstanding contribution he makes in our club – Chris Davies. He has served on every committee in the club and was President in 2005-6. Born in Kenya he has always had a keen interest and commitment to projects in Africa. He is an engineer at British Airways, He has always used his vocational skills and contacts to assist the club whether it is in
securing free airline tickets, transporting goods or at a more mundane level facilitating design and printing of the club newsletter. Chris met his wife Jane in Kenya and they moved to Windsor in 1995 and they are both involved with Windsor Talking Newspaers for the Blind and he drives for People to Places. He followed his father into Rotary ( he was President of Nairobi Club in 1982) and joined Windsor St George in 1999. it gives me great pleasure to ask RI Director Gordon McInally to present Chris with the Paul Harris Fellow.

The club also felt that in our 25th year we wanted to recognise volunteers who make a significant contribution in the Windsor community. One person stood out Colleen Jones. Colleen has been involved with Voluntary work for many many years and has been Chairman of the Friends of King Edward V11 Hospital for over 20 years. Most days in her capacity at Chairman she has visited the hospital even during periods when her health has been less than 100%. Last year alone the Friends raised over £2000 at car boot fairs held at the Hospital Staff Car Park and in total raised over £20,000 during 2006/7. She has recently become a member of Windsor & Eton Inner Wheel.
It is for services to the community that Colleen Jones has been awarded this Paul Harris Fellow award. I ask Gordon McInally to make the presentation.
The success of the club is the result of the dedication and commitment of all members and I would like to recognise all members by giving them a small momento to recognise their contribution. We are very proud of the clubs logo which has been incorporated into this pewter coaster, it incorporates the gates of St George’s Chapel,Windsor. To facilitate the presentations please would the member nominated on each table come to receive the gifts from Richard Cox. I am delighted to present one to each of our speakers on behalf of the club to thank them for coming this evening.
I have mentioned that the club supports the community in many ways and I have one further duty to present a cheque to The Dean of Windsor for the new Chorister Scholarship Fund for St George’s School. “

For more information please contact Judith Diment on 07860 162313