Gossip Sheet # 28 - January 23, 2003
Editor: Liz Palmieri

Program – Robbie Burns Day Celebration

Brian Stewart and Tom Vickers

The haggis, carried by Brian Stewart, was piped in by Jimmy Johnson. Guest Tom Vickers read an emotionally charged Ode to the Haggis. Tom invited Rotarians to join in a toast to the haggis (the entourage toasted with the a shot of scotch a.k.a. the ‘water of life' while the rest of us settled for the 'water of nature')

Following the Selkirk Prayer, which was said by Terry McDougall, members and guests joined in singing the national anthem.

Head table guests: Angus Adams and Don Fraser (a couple of fine Scotsmen), President Earl, Bill Cole (Sergeant-at-Arms), Peter Mahoney (a very brave Irishman) and John Lehnen (who welcomed our guests).

Guests today included: Curtis Tye (guest of Erika Beatty), Peter McDougall (husband of Terry), Brigit Vanderkuip (daughter of Rick) and Jose Guerto (guest of Lezlie Murtch)

Birthdays – John Potts

Announcements

At the Board meeting this week the resignation of Rob Tiffin was accepted (he accepted new position at York University) and the leave of absence of Ray Luxon was extended an additional three months.

The Feb. 13th meeting will be an evening meeting (Valentine's Day). Sam Waters will be providing further details at next week's meeting.

There is a meeting in Toronto for Rotarians hosted by Easter Seals on Jan. 28th where they will be announcing a multi-million dollar camp initiative.

Eugene Gillies announced that ClubMate is now on-line. Of our 146 members, 105 have email addresses. Eugene will be sending each member an email, with his or her password to access the software. He asks that members respond to his email to confirm receipt. Members will now be able to update their contact information on line (except attendance and dues information). Contact Eugene at eugene.gillies@sympatico.ca for more information or to send him your email address.

Rotary Lakewood will be having a Chili (or Chilly) Golf Tournament on Feb. 1st – see President Earl for further information.

Rotary Club of St. Catharines South is having a Mardi Gras costume dance on Friday, Feb. 7 at the Lions Club Hall in Port Dalhousie. $12/person. Call Dan Toppari at 905-227-9288 for tickets and further information.

Happy Dollars

The club welcomed back kilt-clad John Gleddie who collected happy dollars. He was happy to announce that he has been leading a rather racy life these days (see article in the sports section of Wednesday's Standard for background) and that only a Scotsman would wear a kilt on one of the coldest days of the year.

Rick Evans noted that in their search for even colder temperatures, our youth exchange students are heading off to Temagami on Feb. 7th. Sara, our student from Sardinia, needs to borrow a pair of size 7 ladies skidoo boots and a nylon wind suit. Apparently the temperatures in Sardinia are not quite the same as those in Temagami!

Bob Ure was happy to be able to wear a most interesting two-piece tartan suit.

John Snowling was happy to see John Gleddie after a long absence.

Ken Taylor updated us on his Not Just Tourists project whose volunteers have transported 2,600 pounds of medical supplies from his basement since November.

Erika Betty was happy to see so many beautiful legs on such a cold day.

Larry Ross, in the finest Scottish tradition, contributed $0.25 as his happy dollar (and didn't ask for change).

Bill Finley apparently was complaining on behalf of his table about all the funny clothes being worn by some of the club members.

To which Harold Nash said that he had no problems with kilts, in fact he envies those who can wear them. He just has a problem with the mixing and matching of the tartans – there's no accounting for taste and style.

Maurice Gomme presented a cheque for $1000, raised through our Nevada ticket sales, to George Irvine for the St. Catharines General Hospital Foundation.

Brian St. Hilaire paid his happy dollar in honour of his Grandfather McIntyre, a fine Scotsman.

Bill Campbell welcomed his Sassenach (a.k.a. lowlander) friends to the Robbie Burns Day celebration.

Chris Bangham lead the club in a round of applause to thank Eugene for his hard work and energy to get ClubMate on line.

Ray Jefferies paid $8 in celebration of his newest granddaughter, Julie Rebecca, (daughter of Heather) who was born on New Year's Eve in New York City.

Liz Palmieri paid a generous $5 as she was happy to see so many men in kilts.

Rachel Delaney noted that when walking into the meeting today she was following Brian Stewart and admiring his kilt. She tried to tell us that when a gust of wind came up, she coyly averted her eyes. Yah sure Rachel!

Mark Zammit who had worked in Scotland for nine years, paid his happy dollars for all the lassies he left behind.

Don Fraser was happy to ask everyone with Scottish ancestry to raise his or her hands.

50/50 was not won by Ivar Khan.

Program
Robbie Burns Day Celebration

Don Fraser hosted the program, first commenting on his great grandfathers kilt, which he was wearing. He hopes to be able to pass it along to a family member of similar stature as Don. He then proceeded to try to put an end to the mystery of what men wear under their kilts by telling a ‘grew some' joke (see Don for the details). He also noted that when the English went north, they raped and pillaged. But when the Scots went south they made love and borrowed things. The ‘borrowing' theme continued throughout the program.

Angus Adams

Angus Adams recounted some history of the haggis and Robbie Burns, noting that the haggis is made of ingredients unique to Scotland while at the same time it symbolically represents the ills, woes, and troubles that the Scots have endured. He remarked that he admires the Scots who left their ‘easy' life in Scotland traveling to start a life in new frontiers (many of whom became rabble rousers and union leaders). He said that Burns never wrote poetry and music until he fell in love and he believes that Burns was the people's poet, almost the country singer of his day. Angus also praised the water of life, otherwise known as single malt scotch.

Brian Stewart

Brian Stewart told us that he didn't know much about his Scottish heritage; in fact he has only spent one day in Scotland. He family is from the Isle of Skye, which he hopes to visit for a longer period of time in the future. He then noted that he believes that the English, who think of themselves as suave, believe that the Scots envy this quality. But the most suave English fictional character is James Bond, who surprising was played by Sean Connery, a proud Scotsman! He closed by saying that by being of Scottish heritage, he is proud that he comes from such a long line of cross-dressers.

Ray Bukovec

Responding on behalf of the club members of non-Scottish heritage, Ray Bukovec opened by saying that an English translation of the Ode to the Haggis would be available on the Rotary website. He noted that while growing up in Slovenia his only contact with the Scots was during the summer, when busloads would arrive on holiday on the Adriatic beaches and that he could never understand what drew the Slovenian girls to the Scottish boys (we think he implied some reference to the men in skirts thing again). His parents encouraged him to look up Scottish in the dictionary and he remembers that they were defined as ‘financially conservative'. He noted that Bill Campbell invited him to his house to see a new recipe book that he was writing – in reading through the recipe for Apple Pie, the first instruction was to go and ‘borrow a cup of flour'. He recounted that after joining Rotary the Scottish conservative trait was apparent whenever he joined his Scottish Rotary friends for a drink at the bar – they seemed to vanish when it was time to pay. Earlier in the meeting Ray had asked members of Scottish heritage to write on a piece of paper their favourite drink – he then invited all to join him at the bar – after which he promised he would mysteriously disappear when it was time to pay.

Tom Pekar

Tom Pekar, an honourary Scot through marriage, noted that before he could become a member of the Mitchell clan he had to take a test with three components. He had to show the trait of trust, show he could take things at face value and show resourcefulness. Tom then proceeded to tell three obscure but somewhat related jokes/stories, which he had also told his future father-in-law, who, upon hearing them told him they were a ‘load of dash' (we all agreed). He was promptly welcomed into the family.

Nigel Riddell

Responding on behalf of the English, Nigel Riddell told us all he had on his MacGregor socks and that his only exposure to Scottish traditions happened when he was young and had become frightened when a burglar came into his house. To calm him down, Nigel's father gave him some warm milk with a shot of scotch. Since that time he can't stand warm milk! Nigel brought along some Scottish props from his house – Walker shortbread biscuits, Quaker Oats and a half empty bottle of Glen Fiddich single malt scotch. It was a sight to see and hear Nigel, a proud Englishman, read a Robbie Burns poem about a field mouse. He then closed with an appalling joke about Shakespeare, Robbie Burns, the Pearly Gates and Timbuktu (see Nigel for the details).

Don Fraser closed with a cheeky comment on the four British races and the unique qualities of each.

Chris Bangham, happy to have the last word, thanked all who participated in the program and in the spirit of Rotary tolerance called them all a ‘lovable band of renegades".

President Earl noted that in the true Scottish tradition the presenters would have to share the bottle of wine.

Rotary Scotsmen

Next week's program – Rotary community outreach project in Tanzania sponsored by our club and Toronto)