Reports on recent activities and events

Lunchtime meeting - Rtn Dr John Harries - 10th January 2012
Dr John Harries, a recently inducted member, gave his ‘My Job’ talk at this week’s meeting. Dr Harries retired from his post as Pro Vice Chancellor of Aberystwyth University in 2010.
An Aber graduate of 1970, he completed a PhD in 1974 and was appointed lecturer at the Welsh Agricultural College, becoming its Principal in 1992. When the College merged with the University in 1995 he became the first Director of Teaching of the newly formed Welsh Institute of Rural Sciences based at the Llanbadarn Campus.Following a period of four years as Dean of the University’s Faculty of Science, John was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor in 2005.  His strategic responsibilities included the University’s estates, human resources and special projects. He jointly led the University’s successful application for degree awarding powers in 2006 and was significantly involved in the merger of IGER into the University to establish IBERS. Major areas of activity in Human Resources  included  staff promotion, pay structures and job evaluation for some two thousand staff, all significant challenges.  During John’s time as Pro Vice Chancellor, he led the development of a new 10-year estate strategy with the major objective of focusing  activities on the Penglais Campus in order to improve operational efficiency.    Strong recruitment and growth in student numbers, reflecting the University’s excellent performance in national student satisfaction surveys, put greater pressure on ensuring sufficient student accommodation of good quality. John outlined a major project for developing new student accommodation on University land  at Penglais Farm.  Dr Harries concluded by emphasizing the internationally competitive nature of higher education, this inevitably meant continual and considerable change in order to progress and keep ahead.
President Sonia thanked the speaker for his Job Talk which had given an insight into his career and an overview of the changes he had witnessed.

Evening meeting - New Years message - 10th January 2012
At this week’s New Year Message meeting, Celia Gardner, the President of the Inner Wheel club brought greetings from her members and thanks for the support of  Rotarians in their  many joint ventures which had been happy and fruitful. She looked forward to the Strasbourg visit in May and another summer pig roast. Celia asked that we think of those suffering in other countries and to be aware of the possible detrimental changes in our local hospital.
The chief guest was Ken Richards former senior lecturer in Economics at the University whose theme was ‘ Thoughts on 2012.’ Regardless of the euro crisis, it would be a challenging time for the UK. He would speak on alternative ways of getting around the problem Distribution of wealth was very unequal with half of households having less than £1000 of assets while the top 10% own over half of the wealth. The speaker advocated increasing capital spending via housing, the rail network,  for example, which would increase the taxation revenue. The 20% basic rate of tax penalises the lowest income earners. The rate could be raised with increased allowances for the needyThe VAT, raised last year to 20% is unevenly applied. It should be raised for all but the lower paid should be compensated. Inheritance tax could be levied on the donor not the recipient- the threshold of £650 K benefits the high income earners.Surprisingly Mr Richards showed that the cost of motoring had reduced in the last 30 years whereas public transport costs had increased. The net effect of Osborne’s delayed rise in fuel duty was a £1 billion loss in revenue which was retrieved by the cutting of child credit.In respect of higher education tuition fees, the move to shift the burden has failed. The loan system will increase spending while the support system is an anachronism where a family on £100K income can get the same support as a one-parent family
In giving the vote of thanks, past-president Richard  Morgan said that the speaker had put forward many challenging ideas showing the tangle of economics with politics. The growing gap between rich and poor, the alienation of young people with a million unemployed may have serious consequences. He agreed that there was a need for redirection of policy for tuition fees where UK and overseas students were treated very differently.
The chair of Community and Vocational committee, past –president Meurig Lewis reported that the Christmas collection has raised £2,906 for local charities.. He thanked Vaughan Electricals, John Davies Jeweller,  and Phillip Evans Estates for their invaluable support. 

Lunchtime meeting - Scouts Christopher Davies & Stewart Gethin - 3rd January 2012
At their first meeting of 2012, on 3rd January, Aberystwyth Rotary Club welcomed two Scouts as their guests to talk about their experiences in July and August 2011 when they attended the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden. Christopher Davies and Stewart Gethin are members of the 2nd Borth Scout Group, and they described the process by which they were selected to be in the 40-strong party of Scouts, Guides and 4 leaders, representing south-west Wales. Their unit was called Deheubarth, inspired by the name of this part of Wales in medieval timesWith an excellent display of their own photographs, the boys described the seven team-bonding meetings of the unit held in locations ranging from Burry Port to Cwm Newyddion to prepare them for the JamboreTheir outward journey included a stop-over at Copenhagen where they saw the sights, including the Little Mermaid, and began to appreciate the size of the UK contingent, at 4444.Arriving at the Jamboree in Sweden, they erected their tents and explored the site which was temporary home to 40,000 participants. The boys’ pictures included an Offa’s Dyke sign that they had humorously erected between Deheubarth and a neighbouring English unit. Christopher and Stewart described the many activities that they enjoyed, including going to another site to camp with Swedish scouts. On the return journey the boys were fortunate to travel via Iceland where they had the advantage of being accommodated in a scout-hut for 5 days. This provided the opportunity to visit hot geysers and to go whale-watching.Christopher and Stewart concluded their talk with thanks to local organisations, including Rotary, that had provided financial support for their trip.In thanking the boys, President Sonia congratulated them on being selected and on their excellent presentation and said that the Rotary Club was very pleased to have been able to help them to participate in such a wonderful experience >

Lunchtime meeting - Bryn Button - 6th December 2011 Club member, Bryn Button was this week’s speaker. In 1999, Bryn, an engineer by profession, volunteered to work for the medical aid charity Medicines sans Frontieres and quickly found himself in Kosovo engaged in hospital repair and construction. Stints in south Sudan, Malawi, north Sudan, Uganda and Armenia quickly followed. His last commission before retiring this year was in Papua New Guinea,. a country in the south-west Pacific north of Australia with its capital Port Morseby. Bryn’s task was as a logistician renovating a hospital in Tari which had been partially destroyed by inter-tribal warfare. The country has more than 800 tribes, the majority of whom carry machetes and frequently use them to resolve tribal disputes. This in a country where until recently headhunting and cannibalism was endemic.. MSF medical staff worked full-time to repair the terrible wounds inflicted by tribal  warfare Bryn showed  gruesome slides of  detached arms, hand and finger injuries.  In the absence of police and government action, law and order is non-existent and violence is a way of life. President Sonia Dobson thanked the speaker for his presentation and also for his dedicated work for the MSF charity in so many countries over so many years

Lunchtime meeting -Adrian Keenan - 8th November 2011The speaker was Adrian Keenan, waste minimization  assistant for the County Council. His task was to explain the changes in the household waste collection introduced last year. The European Landfill Directive had set statutory targets for the amount of biodegradable waste that can be landfilled.
The Welsh Government [WG] has set annual targets for each Authority until 2020 which reduce each year. The Authority will be fined £200 / tonne for every tonne over the limit . These targets for recycling and composting are 52% by 2012-13 to 70% by 2024-25. In November 2010 the Council approved a new collection system- a weekly recycling collection, a weekly food collection and a fortnightly residual/black bag collection. A WG grant allowed the purchase of new vehicles with part of the grant to be used on Food Waste collection.  
Three Transfer Stations located at Glanyrafon, LAS Lampeter and DI Evans,Beulah  receive the three waste streams where they are  bulked and transferred to reprocessing, treatment facilities or landfill. The Food and Green waste goes to an In-Vessel Composter where it is treated and made into soil conditioner compost. The Recycling bags go the LAS for sorting and treatment and Residual waste sent to landfill in Llanidloes  Every tonne of waste diverted from Residual to Recycling/Food saves on average £50 per tonne. Mr Keenan stated that the system was working well with more than three thousand tonnes of food  waste collected annually for example 
Rtn Garfield Williams in thanking the speaker commented that the spate of questions showed the interest of members after a most enlightening presentation.            

Lunchtime meeting - Male cancer awareness - 1st November 2011
At the start of this week’s meeting, President Sonia inducted Dr John Harris into membership of the Club. John became the first director of the Institute of Rural Studies when the Welsh College of Agriculture merged with the University. Following a period as Dean of Science , in 2005 he became Pro-Vice Chancellor of UA before retiring in 2009.
President Sonia welcomed Vicky, Hilary and Liz, all members of the Rotary Club of Mawddach who had come to talk on their male cancer awareness campaign, the aim of which was to improve awareness of prostate and testicular cancer.
Prostate cancer kills one man every hour in the UK, with 37,000 diagnosed per year most of them over 60. If caught early the condition is curable. Unlike breast cancer in women there is no routine screening available. The Prostate Specific Antigen test or PSA can be used for early detection of prostate cancer but its use as a routine screening for the disease is controversial.
The speakers emphasised the role of women in its diagnosis to encourage men to talk about symptoms . The ‘Everyman’ website details the anatomy involved and lists the usual symptoms e.g. weak flow, frequency of flow, blood in urine.
Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men aged between15 and 44 and again is curable if diagnosed early. The condition affects around 2,000 men each year in the UK, a figure which has doubled since 1975 for reasons unknown.Again the website explains clearly the self-examination for lumps in the testes which should be carried out monthly.
President Sonia, in thanking the speakers, was sure that all had benefited from the presentation and wished them every success in the furtherance of the campaign.

Lunchtime speaker - Iori Lewis - 25th October 2011
The President of the local branch of the Royal British Legion and past-president of the Rotary Club, Iori Lewis was this week’s speaker. In a talk which he had given to local school students he spoke of his experiences in the 1939-45 War in several theatres.Born in St Dogmaels, Iori joined the Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire Yeomanry in May 1939. The cap-badge of that regiment bears the name Fishguard to commemorate the 1797 French invasion –the only British regiment to bear a battle honour fought on British soil.
On the 1^st September 1939 the unit was mobilized as1463 Regiment Royal Artillery and left for three months training in Llandudno, then a move to the Sussex Downs to await the expected German invasion.
In June ’42 the regiment left Liverpool on the SS Strathmore for Egypt to join the Eighth Army-the Desert Rats. In many ways the desert was an ideal place to fight a war since only the combatants were in danger of being killed.
Iori vividly described the hardship and horrors of war. Daytime was uncomfortably hot nights desperately cold and the ever presence of flies. Rations were meager, one tin of food was dated 1917 and the daily water allowance was one pint for all uses.
Under the command of Montgomery, El Alamein was the site of a six day bombardment then a 2,000 mile chase coping with the attacks from divebombers. Churchill said that the Allied victory at Alamein was the end of the beginning. 'Before El Alamein we never had a victory, after Alamein we never had a defeat’.
Iori’s war continued into Italy via Salerno and Cassino and finally Normandy through France and Germany until finally on 4 May 1945 ‘it was all over’.
For nearly seven years war had been part of their lives now having to face the difficult adjustment to civilian life which in some way was eased for Iori by marriage in September 1946.
Iori has made several pilgrimages to the scenes of conflict where friends have died and has worked tirelessly for the Royal British Legion who look after families and those who have suffered terrible injuries. He welcomed the efforts of young people who help out as poppy sellers but there was urgent need for more.
Past-president Richard Griffiths thanked the speaker for relating his experiences to those who fortunately had never been to war.

Lunchtime meeting - Nightlight - 18th October 2011
Heather Cox and Sarah White are two of some fifty volunteers who operate the Aberystwyth Nightlight service which was started  three years ago by members of St Michael’s Church but now supported by many churches in the town. Heather and Sarah came to this week’s lunch meeting to speak about the project whose aim is to be a presence on the streets of the town between 11pm and 3am on a Saturday night to help anyone in need usually those suffering from  excess of alcohol. Two teams of eight each operate in rotation, for 45 minutes in the town’s main streets. They can issue water bottles, sick bags and lollies which can quickly defuse a situation. Flip flops can be useful for those girls who cannot make it home on their heels By radio, contact can be made with taxis and police who, with the council give strong support making the scheme more effective. Heather spoke of her personal experience as a volunteer suffering occasional abuse and hostility and being dubbed ‘one of the  angels’. The lollypop offer stops the revelers in their tracks and prevents escalation. Volunteers, in answer to the question why are they on the streets reply they are showing God’s love as good neighbours. The speaker also said she enjoyed some amazing conversations at 3am. In answer to questions from members, it was said that the project had led to changes in behaviour with less violence and more fun shown. The effective response from police was also recognised.
President Sonia thanked both Heather and Sarah for the presentation and for their  effective work in the streets of the town to the benefit of many.
Sonia congratulated the Club quiz team on their success in defeating  Lampeter and Carmarthen Rotary Clubs albeit very narrowly.

Evening meeting 27th - John Bradshaw - September 2011
At this week’s evening meeting our intrepid traveller Rtn John Bradshaw was able to elaborate on a previous lunchtime talk on his Rickshaw Challenge. This was a 1000 mile journey along the  most hazardous roads of western and central India in a 15 year old ,145 cc engined, 7HP three-wheeled Tuk-Tuk without a  map. Apart from the adventure aspect, the main reason for the trip was to support the Round Table of India’s scheme “Freedom through Education” John and fellow ex-Tabler Dylan Raw-Rees had raised over £800 for the charity which provides schools and additional classrooms for children from the city slums. Fourteen rickshaws took part with crews from many countries, on the route from Mumbai to Pune, Goa, and then at Mangalore turning east to cross India to end in Chennai twelve days later-and this during the monsoon season! On this occasion John was able to illustrate his talk with slides and video shots bringing  to life the many  hazards which confronted him.  On the first day his Tuk-Tuk broke down three times  and then regularly during the rest of the journey in almost continuous rain with no lights or screen wipers.. The front wheel assembly sheared off, a half shaft broke and the exhaust fell off twice as well as punctures and failure of the pull-start. Perhaps unbelievably these incidents were the highlight of the trip when many hours were spent on the roadside with Indian rickshaw mechanics and local people eager to help. In giving the vote of thanks past-president Robin Varley commented on John’s enthusiasm and incredible optimism, giving an insight to a country  not found in a geography text. The audience could have nothing but admiration and perhaps envy for John’s sharing of his experiences in such a humorous and casual manner.
Lunchtime speaker - Sue Reece, McMillan Cancer Support - 14th September 2011
Sue Reece, the Fundraising Manager for Macmillan Cancer Support in southwest Wales was this week’s speaker. The charity, whose aims are to reach and improve the lives of everyone living with cancer, is celebrating its centenary this year.Practical, medical, emotional and financial help is provided by specialist nurses in pain relief, by a support line which is always open and by giving grants as one off payments. The charity listens, lobbies Parliament , pushes for change and is totally dependent on voluntary donations.In Ceredigion its activities include community clinical nurses, palliative care, occupational therapy, welfare benefits advice supported by an active fund raising committee.There is always a great need to fund raise, the speaker invited the organisation of , and participation in, the World’s Greatest Coffee Morning to be heldon Saturday 30 September.President Sonia warmly thanked the speaker for her talk and wished her success in her work which was of benefit to so many cancer sufferers and their families
Report for Spokesman September 2011
For the first For the first time in its 63 year history the Club has elected its first lady president.  President Sonia Dobson’s first task was to officiate at the annual summer pig roast. As usual this was a joint venture with Inner Wheel with the two clubs sharing £ 1130. The Club’s portion will augment the polio eradication fund.
Our two RYLA participants gave an impressive and mature presentation of their activities at Dolygaer which they found challenging and great fun.
Disappointingly we are without a Foundation Scholar but pleased that Wendy Swain , last year’s scholar, secured her Masters with distinction at UWA.
Sadly William Williams has moved to Cheltenham. In recent years he has raised £14,000 for various charities mainly by sponsorship for his road runs. The Club has nominated him to act as an Olympic torch bearer.
Support for Age Concern transport will continue as would Message in a Bottle. Local schools would be asked to support Mary’s Meals by filling the remaining stock of 40 back packs.
Involvement in Environment Day will continue following a successful clean-up including local beaches.
Our man in Malawi Bryn Button has identified a project in a hospital there where there is need to renew a cooling system  in the pharmacy. The Club will need to raise £1,000 with hope of a matching grant to finance the project.
Our inveterate globe-trotter John Bradshaw returned safely from his rickshaw ride across India . Sponsorship allowed him to purchase much needed supplies for schools en route.
The first youth competition run by the New Generation group –photography, will this year, be linked with AberPhoto festival in mid-autumn. At least a further six youth events are in the pipe-line.
Arrangements are well in hand for a repeat trip in May by Eurostar  to the EU parliament, this time in Strasburg

Lunchtime speakers - RYLA- 13yh September 2011
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards or RYLA is a training programme for leaders and potential leaders at a formative age. Leadership skills, personal development, and citizenship are emphasized on the five day course which is held at the Dolygaer Outdoor Education centre in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons. This year was the turn of  Penglais School to nominate two suitable students for RYLA. At this week’s meeting Alma Piotrewcz and Aiofe Taylor, two Penglais sixth formers sponsored by the Rotary Club, gave a very mature and clear report on the activities which included gorge walking kayaking, caving, abseiling as well as orienteering. Each student gets the chance to lead their own team after having participated in a particular activity which in the case of Alma and Aiofe was caving. This meant teaching their fellows use of equipment, tying knots and reading cave maps and while underground , keeping  track of the individuals following  strict safety procedures. After initial doubts both girls affirmed that the experience had been invaluable, challenging, had improved self-confidence and been great fun.  They also found that the interaction with strangers was an ideal preparation for learning to live with other young people when they leave home for work or college.
Chair of the New Generation committee, Rtn Alun John thanked the young people for their well prepared  presentation of an  experience that had been thoroughly enjoyed.

Lunchtime speaker - Penny Dunsford - 23 August 2011
Penny Dunsford, this week’s speaker, has worked for the Aberystwyth Women’s Aid for fifteen years. Its aims are to enable women and children to live safely, free from domestic buse, to empower those who experience domestic abuse to determine their own lives and to increase awareness of domestic abuse. Domestic violence has physical, sexual, psychological and financial aspects. Amongst the startling statistics revealed , domestic violence accounts for 25% of all reported violent crime in England and Wales. Two women are killed by a violent partner each week and it is estimated that 33% of women experience domestic violence in their lifetime. On average a woman is assaulted 35 times before seeking help. In the town, Women’s Aid has a 4 bedroom house as a refuge which this year has provided accommodation for 14 women and 11 children where the average length of stay was higher than normal. Of that number 9 are from Ceredigion, 2 from other counties in Wales and 3 from England . Funding from WAG in 2009 was used to purchase premises for a Domestic Abuse One Stop Shop. Situated in Portland Road, the building will provide improved and accessible premises for their drop-in service, community support, counseling training and awareness raising programmes. The speaker acknowledged the additional financial support from the Children in Need  charity, Comic Relief and the Local Authority, and looked forward to working closely with other agencies to develop a comprehensive  multi-agency service to meet the needs of  people in the local and surrounding area.
Senior Vice-President Hywel Wyn Jones  thanked the speaker for the insight into the working of  WA and the sobering statistics revealed in her talk.

Lunchtime speaker - Penny Muir - 26 July 2011

At this week’s meeting, Penny Muir, who is a carers training and development coordinator for the British Red Cross sought to raise awareness of the services available in Ceredigion Trained volunteers are available to help people settle back at home after hospitalization. They are able to do the shopping, collection of prescriptions etc but not personal care, until independence and confidence is regained. The Mid-Wales Health and Mobility Outreach service is a newly established scheme where trained workers visit isolated communities and individuals in their own homes, providing daily living equipment such as bath aids, wheel chairs, zimmers , commodes etc plus advice and information. The Outreach service is delivered from a purpose-built vehicle which for this area is to be found at Park Lodge car park on Fridays 10.30-12.30 and 13.30-14.30. Contact numbers 07710710754 or 07545926553. The speaker is involved particularly with the Carers Support Service which offers practical and emotional support to carers in the community of which there are 8,000 in Ceredigion. Many carers do not see themselves as carers often becoming one by chance. By definition a carer provides unpaid care by looking after an ill, frail or disabled family member, friend or partner. Carers are grouped by age into Adult Carers 25+, Young Adult Carers 18-25 and Young Carers 8-18. The Support Service provides one-to-one support, training, signposting for financial help and information about education and work. Contact number 01970 261712.  Rtn Godfrey Hill, in giving the vote of thanks, spoke of the work of the Red Cross in the 140 years of its existence in spheres of conflict and disasters but it was enlightening to hear of its dedicated work in the community much of it done by volunteers which are  always needed.

Lunchtime speakers - Deian Creunant & Catrin Davies - 12 July 2011

At this week’s meeting, Deian Creunant and Catrin Davies came to explain a move to establish an annual  photo-festival in the area in the autumn Having lost the former film festival and the junior soccer summer tournament to Cardiff, PHOTOABER  could help fill the void and give the town and surrounding area an identity and encourage tourism. The speakers quoted the coverage of the Pier starlings in the Autumn Watch programme which brought large numbers of visitors with cameras for some time afterwards.By collaborating with organizations involved in photography, competitions similar to that conducted  by the Rotary Club for local schools, could be run.Another idea could be a Photomarathon where photographs could be taken for eight hours with a different theme per hour eg blue or air. The eight best images would be selected and displayed in local businesses. An outside event with a large screen to show the images is envisaged which might attract press and tv coverage and involve local people. The initiative had already received much support but its success depended on securing financial support.

Rtn Geraint Thomas thanked the speakers for sharing their ideas about an interesting and worthwhile initiative and hoped that it would come to fruition. He added that recent visits to local schools had shown that they will again support the Rotary competitions

Meet the President - 12 July 2011

The ‘Meet the President’ interview took place at this week’s meeting. It was appropriate that the interviewer was Rtn John Bradshaw as it was he who introduced Club President Sonia Dobson into Rotary eight years ago. When asked what motivated her to join the movement, it was a wish to expand her horizons, enjoy friendship and fun and to help in the community and further afield – these aims had been fulfilled.

Sonia was born in Lancashire, in her early years she had been nurtured by her grandmother until her mother remarried. Her step-father, a Cambridge law graduate, was in the cotton business but when that declined in the late fifties, the family moved to a farm in Devon. Two years in boarding school was an unpleasant experience for Sonia however she gained a place at London University to read geology where she met her future husband Max . A move to Aberystwyth came when Max was appointed to the university geology department. The couple had two sons, sadly the elder, James died some years ago.

Sonia ran the NUS insurance and travel service service at the Students’ Union for some years before joining the enterprise department of  Coleg Ceredigion operating a networking  system for small businesses. Outside work, she has a great interest in theatre production having qualified as a stage manager.

Sonia thought that the local Club had achieved a balance between fellowship, fun and  fund raising and hoped the Club could be involved if an emergency situation arose in the area.