Rotary Club of Guildford District

Speakers September 2010

Guest Lunch Speaker 1st September 2010

Member Tony Gorham

In his well presented talk Tony, who joined our Rotary Club at lunch on Wednesday 12th May, gave an entertaining insight into his life from the early days as a war baby, through school days,leading to his first job at the Ford Motor Company.

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Following Fords he went into teaching where through sport he came into contact with young people with learning difficulties and this lead to over twenty years at the Lockwood Centre.

The Lockwood Centre, 9-13 Westfield Road, Slyfield Green is a unit for adults with learning disability who live in SW Surrey.

The Day Centre develops ability, independence and potential through community involvement, arts and work opportunities.

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He concluded by identifying as two of his highlights;
Having lunch with the Queen in Guildford,
and also in December 2003 accompanied by his wife Helen,
being awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by the Club.

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Paul Harris founded the Rotary movement on the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and in serving the local community, continues with the spirit of this Award.

It recognized Tony's exemplary humanitarian service, to those initially excluded from main society, with an emphasis on his personal zeal in voluntary efforts and active involvement in improving the quality of life of those with learning difficulties.

The vote of thanks expressed all our thoughts, in the honour to have Tony as a member of the Rotary Club of Guildford District.

(Posted 15.05.10)

Speakers August 2010

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Speaker Simon Ramm
'Community First Responders'

On the 25th August Simon, team leader of the Woking Community First Responders explained the concept and nature of their role supporting the ambulance service.

In an ideal world we would have an ambulance parked on every street corner in readiness for that emergency call, but being realistic this is never going to happen. A Community Responder Scheme aims to give greater cover to the area through longer hours, and by living local give the earliest life saving intervention.

CFR teams have a full support network employed by the Ambulance Service.

The Team Leader's role is to organise cover, support team members, organize training and assessments, and keep kit appropriately stocked.

Team Leaders also liaises between the team, CFR support and management.

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CFR's must obey the Highway Code and Road Traffic Acts. Vehicles are not provided nor are blue lights. Their role is purely voluntary with local people giving of their free time to help others.

Community First Responders must be:

Over 18 years of age and physically fit

Have a full, clean driving license and their own car

Able to achieve a satisfactory standard of proficiency after training

Sympathetic, with a caring approach to people

Able to work as part of a team

Honest, trustworthy, reliable and compassionate.

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(Posted 28.08.10)

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In America and Canada With Group Study Exchange

On the 18th August some 45 members, partners and guests enjoyed their first evening meeting of the New Rotary Year when Penny Hunter, Sue Hanks and Sarah Wells, representatives of the Rotary District 1250 Group Study Exchange Team, told us about their recent trip to Rotary District 5060 which bridges Central Washington USA and South Central British Columbia Canada.

The Group Study Exchange team included:

Team Leader Sue Hanks from the Rotary Club of Chichester Harbour

Doug Walters - Lecturer in Agriculture. Sponsor Rotary Club of Billingshurst & District.

Penny Hunter - Criminal Defence Solicitor. Sponsor Rotary Club of Guildford District

Keiran Holliday – Projects Manager Surrey CC. Sponsor Rotary Club of Bognor Regis.

Sarah Wells - Urban Planner with Waverley Council, Sponsor Rotary Club of Farnham.

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Sarah looked at the differences in local planning and design, one interesting feature being the focus that towns have for a theme for their buildings, one being Mock Tudor and another being Bavarian!

Penny told us about the way they treat crime with the death penalty still being in existence in some States. Despite this one town not much bigger than Guildford had 49 murders in one year!

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Penny brought back banners from Clubs visited during their trip which were presented to the President James with best wishes of these Clubs Presidents.

Geoff Wilson, in his vote of thanks, highlighted everyone’s enjoyment of the two presentations and the very apparent benefit that they and their two colleagues, Doug Walters and Keiran Holliday, who unfortunately could not be with us, gained from their trip.

To find out more on the GSE initiative use this direct link: RI Foundation web index page.

(Posted 21.08.10)

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Speaker 4th August Member Lucien D'Sa - 'My Job Talk'

Lucien, one of our recent inducted members, is a chartered engineer and currently a resident of Oxshott.

He spent the first 17 years of his life in Zanzibar, before coming to the UK to study in 1963, a year before the coup which transformed Zanzibar.

Zanzibar is an archipelago located in the Indian Ocean, about 25 miles from the Tanzanian coast, and 6° south of the equator.

Zanzibar Island (known locally as Unguja, but as Zanzibar internationally) is 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, occupying a total area of approximately 650 square miles.

It is characterised by beautiful sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs, and the magic of historic Stone Town - said to be the only functioning ancient town in East Africa.

His company developed software for the local and national government market and was sold to a subsidiary of Pitney Bowes.

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He has created a family charity trust which seeks to help needy causes both in Africa and UK particularly in the areas of health and education.

He loves to travel and also to fly his own plane which he keeps at Shoreham airport.

(Posted 07.08.10)

Speakers July 2010

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Speaker 28th July John Redpath

'The Guildford Spike'

The 1834 Poor Law Act, required local magistrates
to set up a Poor Law Union,
with an annually elected Board of Guardians.

These unions were responsible for poor relief in the local area. Union meeting minute books from 1836 to 1929 are held at the Surrey History Centre in Woking.

Poor relief was mainly provided through the local Guildford Workhouse. By 1895, this building was suffering from serious overcrowding and so a major construction project was launched, mainly focusing on the children's area and the infirmary.

In the terms of 1871 Paupers' Inmates Discharge and Regulation Act, workhouses were permitted to detain male and female vagrants in a 'casuals ward' until they had done a morning's work, to pay for their keep. This was also in line with the popular 19th century idea that the 'idle' or 'able-bodied poor' should be made accustomed to hard work, in order to combat their perceived laziness.

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In 1905 construction of 'The Spike', a reference to the spikes used by one the inmates tasks picking oakum, took place.

It housed casuals overnight segregated by gender, with a married couple, called the Tramp Master and Mistress, superintending the House. Inmates were checked on entry for alcohol and ordered to take a bath and have their clothes disinfected.

They were then given a meal and a bed for the night, in narrow, individual cells, which they were locked in until the following morning. The cells were provided with a bell system to call for help in an emergency.

They were expected to work, by picking oakum, chopping wood or breaking rocks and the Guildford Spike retains the original cells. Inmates were expected to push their broken rocks through a window grille, ensuring stones were broken into sufficiently small pieces.

The Spike continued to be used as a hostel for the homeless until the 1960s, after when it was used by the NHS to store records and to house workshops. In 1999 it was made a Grade II Listed Building and in 2002 it was purchased by the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust. Building work began in 2006 turning the building into community centre, with a heritage exhibition particularly aimed at children.

(Posted 31.07.10)

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Speaker Sqn. Ldr. Bill Turnill 'The Vulcan Bomber'

Our guest speaker at lunch on Wednesday 21st July was Sqn. Ldr. Bill Turnill who returned to relate further personal experiences working with the Avro Vulcan.

Design work began at A. V. Roe in 1947 leading to prototype testing in 1948 with the single-seater Type 707 aircraft, and despite it crashing on 30 September 1949, work continued. Prototypes initially flew with a straight leading edge, which was modified in development to give better flying characteristics than a pure delta.

Prototype 698 maiden flight was in August 1952. The name Vulcan came in 1953.

The RAF on receipt of the first Vulcan B.1, XA897, immediately dispatched the aircraft on a round-the-world tour to fly-the-flag. Unfortunately on 1 October 1956, while landing at London Heathrow Airport at completion of the tour, it was destroyed in a fatal accident. The second Vulcan was not delivered until 1957.

A number of ongoing improvements led to the Mark 2, first tested in 1957 and entering service in 1960.

The Mark 2 had a larger wing with a different leading edge, and better performance also a distinctive kink in its delta wing to reduce buffeting.

The Vulcan crew was two pilots, two navigators and an Air Electronics Operator.

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134 Vulcans were manufactured (45 mark1 and 89 mark2), the last being delivered to the RAF in January 1965.

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With no view from the cockpit of the rear mounted elevators and ailerons, the cockpit display included an indicator their position. There was also a periscope view of the bomb bay and general underside.

The Vulcan became part of Britain's independent nuclear deterrent, carrying Britain's first nuclear bomb. The Avro Vulcan performed its last flight in bomber service in December 1982, when Number 44 Squadron stood down.

When the Royal Navy took on the deterrent role with Polaris submarines, the Vulcan bombers adopted a low-level tactical strike role in support of European NATO ground forces and carried up to 21 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs in a secondary role. Combat missions, involving the Vulcan with such armament, took place in the 1982 Falklands War with Argentina, to bomb the airfield at Stanley and attack Argentine radar installations.

On 1 November 1973, the first of nine adapted B.2 aircraft was delivered to No. 27 Sqn at RAF Scampton, reformed for a main role of Maritime Radar Reconnaissance and secondary role of air sampling.

They were withdrawn from this service on 31 March 1982, with six of the aircraft converted for use as tankers based at RAF Waddington from 1982 to 1984.

The RAF retained two mark 2's for the "Vulcan Display Flight", performing air show fly pasts, but money ran out seeing their last flight on 23 March 1993.

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One is still airworthy and privately owned by a charity Vulcan To The Sky undertaking exhibition flights at air shows and rememberance functions.

(Posted 24.07.10)

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Speaker Jackie Payne - 'The Samson Centre'

Jackie Payne , our speaker at lunch on 7th July, outlined the work of the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Group at the Samson Centre in Guildford, a self-help group providing practical and emotional support for people with Multiple Sclerosis, as well as their families and carers.

Our building was a joint venture with The Waterside Centre, a registered charity incorporating the Wey Kayak Club and the Guildford branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club, under which their existing centre would be demolished and replaced with a new building designed to suit the needs of all its users.

The following treatments and equipment are currently available:

Physiotherapy (one-to-one, or group)

Exercise classes

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Foot massage

Indian head massage

Standing frames

Motomed cycles

Gym equipment

Apart from the therapy, the Centre offers members the chance to meet one another and to relax and enjoy a cup of tea and a biscuit. We have a fully equipped kitchen which can turn out anything from light snacks to full meals, and there is also a licensed bar.

The group is active socially organising a full calendar of events, both at the Samson Centre and elsewhere.

(Posted 10.07.10)

Speakers June 2010

Speaker Member Paul Marsh - 'Past President Law Society'

Our speaker at lunch on Wednesday 16th June was Member Paul Marsh who spoke on the Law Society and of his time as President.

The Law Society is governed by its Council, set up under its Royal Charter to represent solicitors in England and Wales.

Duties include negotiating with and lobbying the profession's regulators, government and others, to offering training and advice, to help, protect and promotion.

Development of the Law Society:

In 1823 a Library and dining club.

From 1903 publication of the Law Society's Gazette.

By 1959 advice to members on costs, professional practice and office management was offered.

Foundation in 1988 of the Strategic Research Unit publishing analytical and factual information.

Now six regional offices, plus an office in Wales, provide services and support locally to solicitors.

Future planning includes offices for the remaining regions in England.

Four boards advise the council on representative matters on delegated functions:

Management Board

Legal Affairs and Policy Board

Membership Board

Regulatory Affairs Board.

Paul told us of his background and carer which led up to him becoming President of the Law Society. The position came with a beautiful Georgian London house (60 Carey Street) where he entertained an amazing array of dignitaries from all over the world.

In addition Paul and his wife Sheila were involved on International travel, again meeting some fascinating people.

Paul was thanked heartily for his most interesting talk and excellent presentation with a request to please speak again at some future date.

(Posted 19.06.10)

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Speaker John Miles - 'A Different Eye On The World'

Our speaker at lunch on Wednesday 2nd June was Rotarian John Miles from the Rotary Club of Leatherhead, from whom he brought their President's greetings.

John and his wife recently went on an eight month round the world trip. John's illustrated talk comprised anecdotes and facts on the places they visited.

In eight months they travelled a total of 58,000 miles, using during that time 52 different ships, 56 flights on 15 different airlines, 10 train journeys and staying in 78 different hotels.

John estimated they had spent over 100 hours just waiting around in airports for delayed planes!

Whilst in India John visited several Calcutta Rotary Clubs together with eye clinics and hospitals set up by the Guildford Rotary Eye Project run by Sam Das.

John is now involved in that charity as a fund raiser and the serious bit in his talk was to advertise that charity and gain interest from us to help over time but particularly on World Sight Day on 14th October.

Use this direct link for full information: www.guildfordrotaryeyeproject.org.uk.

Thanks to Don Raffin for the main photograph and report.