Sonia Dobson Aberystwyth Rotary President 2011 - 2012

Sonia was born in Bolton into a ‘cotton’ family but on the collapse of the cotton industry moved to Devon where her father took up his hobby of farming full time.
She spent two years at boarding school in Oxford –an experience which did not agree with her - before attending The Maynard School in Exeter and then London University to study general science and finally settled on Geology. That led to a position as an assistant scientific officer in the Geological Service which she held until getting married to Max and moving to Aberystwyth.
After the birth of her two sons she looked for a career change and took the opportunity to start the National Union of Students Insurance Service in the University and then the Travel Service three years later. Subsequent to the demise of NUS Travel the travel service was taken over by the Guild of Students and Sonia became the manager offering a full business facility to University staff, associated organisations and students until her retirement in 2000. Since then she has been working part time in the Enterprise Department in Coleg Ceredigion helping SMEs, to meet the statutory requirements within business, organising relevant training and setting up network groups.
President Sonia’s overriding interest has been in the world of theatre, originally as a performer but since the seventies as a production /stage manager. She has worked professionally on ten Aberystwyth Arts Centre Summer Seasons, two tours and co-founded Aberystwyth Community Theatre as well as remaining a loyal member of the Aberystwyth Warden’s Dramatic Society having been involved in all twenty nine Christmas Pantomimes. She has done some teaching of stage management at Coleg Ceredigion.
Sonia has always enjoyed sport and the outdoors and used to love taking horse riding treks in the Cambrian Mountains. She played Netball for Aberystwyth and Dyfed and Tennis for Aberystwyth. Her other interests include travelling and was lucky enough be in one of the first groups allowed to trek from Kathmandu to Lhasa when the Chinese opened the border in 1989. When not working or travelling she enjoys her garden, reading and being a crossword addict.