NEW DISTRICT GOVERNOR

26th June - DG Carole Angliss hands over to DG Paul Edwards

The final chapter.......

This is Rotary Fellowships month.

It's a shame that many club Rotarians don't realise the variety of Rotary Fellowships that are available. There is everything from caravanning to genealogy, and all of them bring a raft of new Rotary friends and broaden horizons. I belong to three, The Rotary Global History Fellowship, Fellowship of Internet Rotarians and Rotarian Genealogists. I also used to be a member of the Rotary Yachting Fellowship and I can thoroughly recommend them all.

My time has been extremely full since last putting pen to paper, just after the District Assembly, and things don't seem to be slowing down at all towards the end of the year. I would say that is a really good sign, because hopefully, it means that we are getting better at achieving a seamless changeover. We really do want to see the end of 'stop start' Rotary when the responsibility passes on to the next Governor and the next Presidents.

Having welcomed the incoming GSE Team from District 7020 in the Caribbean at the beginning of May, it was great to be able to spend a day with them at the Devon County Show later in the month. This was organised by RC of Torrington to whom I pass my thanks. I was also pleased to see the presence of a significant number of other clubs from the district represented at the show in one way or another. This is certainly the sort of event where we need a significant presence if we are to raise our profile in the community. Perhaps we will see the Communications and Marketing Committee grasping the nettle and taking on the role of coordinating the clubs efforts at events like this from now on!

At around the same time as being at the Devon Show, I found myself warmly welcomed by both Exeter Enterprise and Babbacombe and St Marychurch at their President's Nights.

Having attended a meeting of the Foundation Committee, I managed to slip in a much appreciated weekend away, in order to attend the Chelsea Flower Show. This was well worth the effort and very enjoyable.

I was then able to attend my own club, Totnes's President's Night where I was delighted to be able to present President David with a very well deserved Paul Harris Fellowship. It has been very important for me to keep as close a contact with my club as possible this year. It is my Rotary home, and the heart of Rotary for me. The members of my club have given me tremendous support this year and I couldn't have done the job without them.

The following day took me back to North Devon, a place where I have been blessed to make many friends this year, to attend Bideford's President's Night. A rousing occasion with 120 guests, in a venue overlooking the sea, where we were able to watch the beautiful sunset over Lundy.

The meal was followed by a comedian who was able to elicit a laugh from even the most sombre, and sent us all home smiling.

At the beginning of the following week, on Monday, I was off to Tiverton to help in the celebration of their Sixtieth Charter Anniversary. Still managing to hold onto the spot of largest club in the district by the skin of their teeth, they now share this position with RC of Bideford.

We were again royally entertained, this time by PDG Andrew Heriman and his wife Sue. He is certainly very talented, and it doesn't seem to matter how often I see him perform, he still makes me laugh and I always hear something in the lyrics that I have missed before.

The following night I was pleased to accompany AG Peter Thornhill to Chudleigh and Bovey Tracey's Assembly at their invitation, and delighted to hear of their well laid out plans for next year, alongside their determination to considerably increase their numbers. Music to my ears as next years' Membership Chairman.

RC of Teignmouth kindly invited me to join them for their Kid's Out day on 8 June. The owner of the pier opens it to them each year on this day, when they take a significant number of handicapped children from the special schools around the area for a fun outing; seventy seven this year. It is really humbling to watch the children and see their laughter and smiles as they have such a great time.

Today it is the Executive Handover at Tiverton and the last time that I will officially chair this meeting. Then, over the weekend I will present RC of Ilfracombe Compass with their Charter, followed by a trip to Alcester for my last two day General Council Meeting.

There are four more President's Nights to attend as well as one or two more committee meetings and then it will be the District Handover on Sunday 26 June.

Overall it has been a very enjoyable year and an amazing experience to work with you all. You have accomplished great things, and I am very proud to have had an insight into all that goes on in 1170. I think we can safely say that we have been on the RIBI map this year; three new clubs and national finalists both in Young Chef and Youth Speaks Competitions, as well as first Dfid Grant in RIBI, to name but a few of your achievements.

My sincere thanks go to the District Team for all that they have done and achieved, but I also want to thank each and every one of you for your friendship, courtesy and support. I couldn't have done it without you.

Dublin and beyond.......

It was really great to enjoy a few days off on the back of the RIBI conference; and as if by magic, the weather has been amazing. Having flown into Dublin on Tuesday, we were able to make our way up to Belfast; by the scenic route of course, to visit family, and then travel back to Dublin on Thursday for the Conference, via the West Coast.

It was unfortunate that the Conference venue was as far from the headquarters hotel as it was, because although some enjoyed the exercise (a good 15 to 20 minutes each way) many were reliant on the transport which, unless you were extremely lucky, involved a good amount of queuing. The conference centre itself was pretty tired and the seating rather uncomfortable.

Having said that, there was some very good content, and the entertainment particularly on Saturday night was absolutely excellent. It certainly was an extravaganza.

Back in the real world, I caught up with email and the things that had been overlooked by having a week in the Emerald Isle. I downloaded 14 pages of emails from other districts who use our Membership Database Extension in order to try to make some sense of the discussions they'd had at RIBI Assembly about it, and gradually got to grips with what was going on. Fortunately, I spent a pretty quiet Easter so was able to get on with things.

The following week was fairly manic, preparing for an interest meeting in Honiton to see if a new club was viable. I am sure it is now no secret that the present club has, very sadly, decided to close.

We held the last of our AG Meetings for the year and on Thursday I had to attend the hospital for a minor surgical procedure which left me a bit washed out.

Friday saw the first of a clutch of twenty fifth Anniversaries when I attended Kingsbridge Estuary's Presidents Night and Anniversary celebration at the Thurlstone Hotel.

It was a particularly tiring weekend as early on Saturday morning I set off for Stratford on Avon for the national final of the Young Chef Competition. We were delighted and very fortunate that our young chef, Zoe Sing from St Margaret's School in Exeter was placed second, and we are very proud of her and all that she achieved.

I stayed the night with close friends nearby and then made my way to Cranleigh in Surrey for the national final of Youth Speaks. Our young people had again come up trumps and a very competent team form the Trinity School at Teignmouth represented us in the intermediate competition. The standard was extremely high and although they spoke exceptionally well, they were not placed. They were, however, still winners because it is quite an achievement to get down to the last seven!

It was a long drive home after the competition was had finished and I was pretty tired, arriving there at about 10.30 p.m.

The Incoming GSE Team arrived from the Caribbean the same day, and their hours recovering from jet lag gave me time to be ready for action again on Monday evening when they were officially welcomed to District 1170. It was a very pleasant evening and they seem to be a lively group.

On Wednesday a small group of us made our way to Honiton, where we hope to persuade some of the local business community to be part of a new Rotary club. The meeting was reasonably successful, and we have ended up with about a dozen potential members who we hope will form the nucleus of the new club.

The weekend saw two more twenty fifth anniversaries. The first on Friday was Otter Valley's celebration. The room had a wonderful full width bay window at the end, and we were able to watch the spectacular lightening as a storm broke forth.

The following day it was the turn of Datmoor Vale to celebrate. It was a novel experience to take a boat trip with fizz and nibbles before the meal in an adjacent restaurant. Sadly for Dartmoor Vale the weather was such that we weren't able to venture outside the Marina, so we made several circuits of the pontoons viewing a fair amount of monies worth of boats. It didn't really matter, because everyone was in a good mood and the conversation flowed.I must congratulate all three clubs who have just celebrated 25 years of Rotary service. It is quite amazing what they have managed to achieve during those years. We look forward to the next twenty five. The Governor must have had a busy time that year!Dartmoor Vale's twenty fifth was a very busy day with District assembly taking place during the morning and an Executive Meeting following after lunch

Seale Hayne proved to be a very satisfactory venue for the Assembly, giving us sufficient break out rooms for all the groups. It was also well attended, although we would always like to see more of you there. I very much hope that you all took something useful away with you that will help you make the most of your year in office.

And then came April.......

Since last putting pen to paper my feet don't seem to have touched the ground. I spent a very interesting evening with Exeter Eastgate Club, who had asked me to go along to their meeting to give a presentation to a clutch of potential Rotarians. Although a small club who have struggled with numbers recently, I am very impressed by the way they have grasped the nettle, and their determination to succeed with recruitment. I wish then every success; they deserve it.

The conference committee held a very successful debrief meeting and celebrated with a glass of fizz. DGE Paul, DGN Graham, DGNN Barry and PDG George were all in attendance. Many lessons were learned from the committee's experience, and they were able to pass these on to our successors, along with a very comprehensive Conference Manual which has been prepared by Conference Chairman, David.

Next came the first of the new club charter nights; Braunton Caen. It was a joyous occasion commencing with a fanfare and was celebrated in real style. This was followed the next day by Axminster's President's Night. They held a professionally organised Murder Mystery at Lyme Regis Golf Club. It was a most enjoyable evening and I was lucky enough to win the prize.

I attended a very interesting meeting at my own club of Totnes when returning members of the Brazil GSE Team made a a comprehensive presentation of their visit and showed us how GSE really does change lives.

The following day the Governor group held their regular Continuity Meeting. This is probably one of the most important committees in the District, because it means that future leaders are kept completely in the loop and have ownership of all that we do. This means that we can avoid the stop, start Rotary which can be a feature of annual office and ensures smooth succession.

I travelled to Cornwall for the Young Chef regional final and was delighted to be present to see one of candidates win through to the National Final in Stratford on Avon. I shall be travelling there to support her on 30 April and hoping for her success.

On my return from Cornwall I attended the second of our new club Charters. Teignmouth Estuary held their celebrations at the Teignmouth Golf Club and I think I can safely say a good time was had by all.

At the end of March I attended RIBI Assembly in Birmingham. It was a really good assembly this year and all of the team were enthusiastic about the programme and it's content.

Last weekend I spent a very enjoyable evening at South Molton's President's Night and I congratulate Kathy and the club on an excellent evening.

After a pretty late night I was up early on Sunday morning to drive the sixty miles to Upton to support and take part in the Exmoor Challenge, which I am pleased to say, we have managed to win back from District 1200 this year. My sincere thanks to all those of you who rose to the challenge and turned out to do the walks, and to RC of Exmoor for their fantastic organisation. It was a most enjoyable day, only marred slightly for me by the fact that I had to drive on to Alcester for a briefing meeting on Monday morning.

Following Monday's drive home and a very quick change it was a rush back to Exeter for their President's night. Again, a super evening where I presented eight very well deserved Paul Harris Fellowships. President Graham tells me that it is many years since the club have made any Paul Harris recognitions!

A meeting art Seale Hayne College to prepare for District Assembly and my last District Council Meeting of the year last night brings us up to date.

I shall be flying to Dublin on Tuesday for the Annual Conference and I very much hope that those of you unable to attend, or who have never managed to attend an RIBI Conference will watch the business meeting on line.

You don't have to miss the all-important Business Meeting, because it will be broadcast on the RIBI website, live from Dublin, on Saturday 16th April between 2.00pm and 5.00pm.

Simply go to the Dublin Conference Webcast page, in the Events area, to see what's going on and you can follow it all using the Annual Report, Accounts and Resolutions insert in this month's Rotary Today magazine. (Not got a copy? Read it online here.) Please note, the webcast page will not go live until Saturday 16th.

March is Literacy month........

March is Literacy month and that seems most appropriate as we have just completed, what I am assured by members was a very successful district Conference with literacy as its theme.




We have been in the season of Rotary's youth competitions and I have been privileged to attend several district finals of both Youth Speaks and Young Chef, as well as the final of Okehampton's Primary school Quiz. The confidence and expertise of these young people certainly gives us hope for the future.


As you can imagine, a great deal of time during the last couple of months has been taken up with the final preparations for the District Conference at the end of February. During that period we also saw clubs preparing for Rotary Day on 23 February, when they publicised Thanks for life and Polio Eradication. The crocuses came out just in time, and there are areas of Devon were it looks as if someone has been at work with a giant purple paintbrush.

I also hope you all saw the national advertising in the quality daily papers on 23 February.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and all it had to offer, as I hope did those of you who managed to attend. The Rotary Club of Totnes had put in a great deal of effort and many, many Rotarian hours, and I think it showed. Certainly the comments, e mails and cards would support the view that it was not only well attended but well enjoyed.

I have also been busy with President's Nights and presentations of Paul Harris Fellowships. It is very satisfying to see clubs honouring their fellow members for their commitment to Rotary service and it is a privilege to be asked to make the presentations.

Since I last put pen to paper I have also attended a two day General Council meeting at Alcester. It was a long meeting with a very full agenda and included consideration of the motions to be put to the business meeting in Dublin, where I hope I will meet up with many of you.

Last Saturday saw Les and I making our way to Exmoor for Ilfracombe Club's legendary night orienteering fundraising event, Star Trek. It was still light when we arrived just before 18.00, and we could see the layout of the very impressive base camp.

The teams were already arriving and there was a great sense of excitement everywhere. Those managing different aspects of the event were working hard, and the efficiency of the organisation of the event was much in evidence.

The field kitchen was already in full swing providing hot and cold drinks and ham and cheese rolls to competitors and helpers alike, and there was a quiet bustle in the tent where equipment was being checked to ensure the safety of the walkers.

I was able to see the various groups at work, and was able to visit the control centre where Raynet worked alongside Rotarians to monitor the progress of the teams as they checked in at the various check points.

After the majority of the teams, having synchronised their watches, had been dispatched, I was taken to visit the four check points, each of which was housed in a caravan and provided fresh drinking water for the competition.

The course was eighteen miles long and it made me tired just thinking about it. Teams began arriving back at base for the half way stage just before 22.30, and were again offered food and drinks. This time hot pasties and soup which was very welcome, before they went back our onto the moor for the second half.

I was incredibly impressed by this project which has now been running since 1992, and raises many thousands of pounds for charity every year. The organisation is detailed and slick with full club input, and the new club of Ilfracombe Compass working alongside. There are many helpers from charities that benefit from the money raised, and also from others, some Rotarians and some not, who just feel privileged to be a part of the event.

I am so pleased that I made the effort to go along and see this for myself. It was far bigger, better and bolder that I had imagined and is a monumental effort by the Rotarians concerned. Everyone is full of smiles and getting on with whatever job they are able to do. It is certainly Rotary at its very best.

The second half........

The Christmas and New Year break were very welcome and it certainly took several days to get properly back into harness. It's amazing how quickly you can lose the plot!

January is Rotary Awareness month and perhaps we should turn our minds to San Diego where Governor Elect Paul is undergoing a week of intensive training. It is there that he will be inspired to lead this District forward in its mission to support our clubs, so that they can achieve even more to support our local and international communities. This is the most important part of his two year journey towards taking over as Governor, and when he returns in early February he will be the best informed Rotarian in the District. My thoughts are with him.

January started with a party. So many club Christmas celebrations had to be cancelled due to the wintery weather, and one on of those was the Asburton/ Buckfastleigh's bash on 4 January. There was a terrific turnout and I was privileged to induct a new member and present three very well deserved Paul Harris Fellowships. I think I can safely say that a good time was had by all.

The following day there was an audio meeting of the RIBI Membership Development and Retention Committee in the morning, followed by a Conference Committee Meeting in the evening. Things are really hotting up now, and we are extremely pleased with the way registrations are going; many thanks to you all for your support.

District Foundation Committee comes round with amazing regularity and their meeting also took place during the week.

The second week in the month saw me visiting RC Honiton alongside Extension Officer Felicity to see how we can secure the future of a club in the town. This week also saw the beginning of President of RIBI Jim's visit to us, when he attended the 90th Anniversary of RC Torquay. They were well supported by the Bay Group of clubs and it was really to see the support that this group gives each other. It was the first Rotary Club south of Bristol which was their mother club. Ninety years; what an achievement. It was a sparkling occasion and we were treated to a potted history by their archivist, who gave us a most interesting account.

On Monday Jim and I visited RC Tiverton for lunch. It was a lively meeting and a good number of visiting members, together with several District officers were present. We then drove on to North Devon for the Inaugural meeting of RC Ilfracombe Compass. As usual, my drive to Ilfracombe proved to be extremely wet! It was, however, better this time because we arrived in the light.

The Ilfracombe Golf Club was full to bursting, and it turned out to be an extremely enjoyable evening with a great deal of fun and repartee. If this was a sample of the way they do their Rotary, I am sure they will go from strength to strength. On Tuesday morning, Jim and I, and our kind hosts Ian and Cynthia Stuart were up early as we were looking forward to a very full day starting with a visit to St Nicholas Chapel on Lantern Hill in the Harbour, the restoration and running of which is a project of RC of Ilfracombe. We then went on to have coffee with the members of the club who were to meet later for lunch. We were fortunate that there was a complete change in the weather with not a breath of wind with the sun shining down from a blue sky. This was just as well, as we were next on our way to visit and tour of the Calvert Trust. We had also agreed, weather permitting, to do an abseil. They treated us to a sandwich lunch and we were then back to Banstaple, so that Jim could check out the charity shop which is being run so successfully by the two clubs there.

By mid afternoon we were back on the road to South Devon where there was just time to have a shower, change and catch our breath, before an evening meeting in Totnes. It was a vibrant meeting and we were very pleased to be able to show off our very swish newly refurbished venue to members from fifteen other local clubs who came along to meet Jim.

All in all, I believe it was a very successful RIBI President's visit to 1170, and I very much thank those of you who came along to the meetings. It was thanks to your efforts that it worked so well.

Christmas is almost here!

At last I find myself in a position to put pen to paper again. November was an incredibly busy month with all four weekends away from home.

During the first week I made a visit to the Rotary Club of Brixham on a very blustery and wet evening. The wind was really lashing around the Yacht Club up on the cliff where they meet, and this made their warm hospitality even more welcome.

The following day I attended the Inner Wheel District 17 Rally at Exmouth, where I was also made most welcome, and it gave me an opportunity to catch up with many old friends from my Inner Wheel days.

On Thursday it was an early start for the visit to RC Torbay Sunrise for their breakfast meeting. It was still wet and windy and the sea was lashing on the rocks.

Friday saw me traveling to Germany for the Rotary International Institute in Hanover. When I booked my flight I was delighted to find that I could fly from Exeter and expected it to be a pretty straight forward journey. I didn't bargain with Flybe cancelling all the flights to Hanover from Exeter after the end of October, thus finding that I had to fly from Southampton. The flight was at 10.30 so necessitated a fairly early start from home and after much investigation I decided that a train to the airport was the best option. To make the connection I had to catch the 05.57 train from Totnes, so it was an early start. There were two other connections to make and because of the lateness of the train, I missed the second one! I did, however, arrive in time for the flight and the rest of the journey went reasonably well.

It did turn out to be worth the effort because it was a very useful weekend with some interesting presentations. I joined DGE Paul in Hanover and we travelled home together on Monday. It did, however, take four trains to travel from Southampton airport to home on the return journey.

On Tuesday I visited Newton Abbot club who very quickly made me feel at home and brought me up to speed with all that they are doing. It was a most interesting meeting.

The following day it was time for District Continuity again. This is when the Governor group (PDG, DG, DGE, DGN &DGNN [if there is one]) get together for a chin wag and talk about the things that affect District Governors and the continuity of service in the district.

Then came the highlight of the week. On Thursday RC of Teignmouth Estuary Inaugurated. It was a super evening with Peter Davey, RIBI Membership Development and Retention Chairman and John Banks, RIBI Extension Officer traveling to Devon for the occasion. Many congratulations to all those who have worked so hard. It was a special evening and well supported by all the local clubs.

At the weekend I took a couple of days off to see my family. It was well worth the long drive as I hadn't seen my grandchildren since the beginning of the Rotary year and was really missing them.

When I got back on Monday we were straight into all the District heats for the Young Chef Competition. It never ceases to amaze me the quality and variety of the food that these youngsters produce.

On Friday lunchtime I was off on my travels again, heading for Coventry for the Mid Year Review. This is when all the District Committee Chairmen from RIBI get together to compare notes and see how the year is progressing. I was there to attend the Membership Development group and help with the day. I was fortunate that the weather wasn't too bad and the snow followed me up the country although the journey did take five hours.

I fully intended coming home on Saturday evening so that I could be at Dartmoor Vale's Santa Special on Sunday morning, because it is such a special event and really heralds the beginning of Christmas. My plans were thwarted though, because when I came out of the hotel I found four inches of snow on my car! In the event, I decided to spend the night and Sunday in the midlands as I had a General Council meeting at Alcester on Monday. Common sense prevailed!

Two more Young Chef heats and a Conference Committee meeting and another week drew to an end. This time Les and I were off to Ilfracombe to saver the pleasures of their President's Night. We were so lucky with the weather, with a break from the cold snap and the roads clear of snow. It was an exceptionally good evening, and it seemed that most of North Devon was there, although sadly, President Ian's family couldn't make it out of the snow covered south of England. On Sunday morning our generous hosts Nigel and Jill Vince, treated us to a walk on the cliff in beautiful sunshine and, with good visibility, the views were stunning.

By Monday the temperature had dropped once more and I made my way to RC of Torquay for lunch. They are a busy club and are preparing for their ninetieth birthday in January; what an achievement!

The following day I was with Preston Club for their meeting in the evening. I gingerly picked my way through the weather and am increasingly grateful that I visited the distant clubs earlier in the year when the weather was better.

On Thursday I joined DGE, Paul and Editor, Peter and we spent most of the day with the January edition of the District Magazine before making our way to Tiverton for a District Executive Meeting. This was followed on Friday by Paul and I meeting up again to see Teinbridge MP, Anne Marie Morris to talk about The Big Society. A very useful meeting, and it will be interesting to see how this develops and what comes from our discussions.

This week, after attending my club on Monday, Les and I were off to North Devon again for the Inauguration of RC of Braunton Caen. This was another very special occasion with the new club being heralded by a fanfare. It was a very lively and enjoyable evening. Another hard working group having made the new club possible, and provided an evening club for those who have difficulty making lunchtime meetings. They were also delighted that RIBI Extension Officer John Banks made the long journey from Leigh-on Sea in Essex to be with them.

Thursday saw a second Editorial Meeting and I now only have my own Club's Christmas bash and Christmas lunch at Ashbuton/Buckfastleigh on Tuesday before I can look forward to a very welcome Christmas break.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all:

All the Blessings of Christmas and a very Happy and Peaceful New Year.

I also offer my sincere thanks to you all for the untold hours that you put in on Rotary projects to help those less fortunate and in need.