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THE ROTARY CLUB OF PORTHMADOG
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Club News 2010/11
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Porthmadog Bypass Walk - Sept 25th-2011
More
than 2,000 people descended on the new Porthmadog
bypass on Sunday for a once in a lifetime chance to
walk a 4km stretch of the road.
With the £35m highway
set to open before the end of the year, residents
were invited by contractors Jones Bros and Balfour
Beatty to explore the new route - which will avoid
the notorious traffic bottleneck on the Cob, and
help improve journey times between North and South
Wales.
Porthmadog's Rotary
Club raised several thousand pounds from walkers and
cyclists throughout the day, with the funds due to
be reinvested in local good causes.
The weather was good
and the Hog Roasts at each end proved very popular
and sold out.
People came from as
far afield as Anglesey and Dolgellau and we are
very thankful to them and our local residents for
their generosity and support.
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How are you supporting that heavy bucket David? |
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The Hog Roasts were popular. |
Digging deep to help our collection. |
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Just some of walkers (and one rider) |
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Tudor
Owen - Sept 29th-2010
Local Photographer Tudor Owen showed us part of
his collection of pictures covering the last 40
years.
Tudor lives in Croesor and is
passionate about his love of the Mountains and lakes
of which there are so many in this beautiful part of
the country.
His talk was so interesting that
no-one fell asleep or wanted to go home.
Trawsfynydd
Decommissioning Sept 13th
Health Physicist Robin Ward from the Trawsfynydd
Power Station gave a fascinating talk on the
practicalities of decommissioning the nuclear
reactor and the associated buildings.
The picture on the right shows an
artists impression of how the site will look in
years to come when the present buildings are reduced
in height and the landscape restored.
Rotary Steam Evening Aug 16th
The Welsh Highland Railway in Porthmadog was the
venue for an evening of steam enjoyed by more than
35 of us, members and guests.
Starting with a glass of champagne
we all boarded GELLERT and rode to the end of the
line observing on the way the progress of the new
Porthmadog bypass. We then rode the train back to
the station and enjoyed a delicious meal of Salmon
or Chicken, we the re-boarded the train and headed
for the revamped museum which has enjoyed a massive
update during the past two years.
We the returned to the station and
had our dessert and enjoyed some good fellowship.
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World War II Memories - July 12-2010 |
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At its meeting at the Golden Fleece, Tremadog on
Monday 12th July last, Porthmadog Rotary
Club was treated to a most enjoyable time of
reminiscence by Non Williams and Malcolm Green of
the North Wales Military Vehicle Trust.
Non
and Malcolm, who will be familiar to all who visit
the Russell Tea Room at the Welsh Highland Heritage
Railway in Porthmadog, who were dressed in period
costume, Non in the typical 1940�s
ladies fashion and Malcolm in the fatigues uniform
of a GI of the United States 1st Army,
shared items from their extensive collection of
World War II memorabilia.
Items such as American Army ration boxes which had
contained food, cigarettes, drinks and other items
necessary for the survival of troops at the battle
front, which were generally consumed �on the hoof�,
were passed round among club members.
Apparently, 400,000 tons of supplies were ferried
daily to the front line troops on what was called
the �Red Ball Express� � a highly vulnerable and
dangerous transport convoy, which was subject to
persistent enemy attack. Contemporary
newspapers, ration books, clothing coupons, Identity
Cards, soap and various examples of wartime
packaging along with gas masks and various Ministry
of Supply information leaflets all helped to remind
us of those times and evoke a sense of what life was
like in those war years. Altogether it was a most
informative and entertaining evening.
A
vote of thanks on behalf of the club members was
proposed by Rotarian John Kerr. |
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Presidential Handover - June
28-2010 |
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As we move into Summer here in North Wales,
President Graham's term of office comes to an end as
he hands over the presidential ribbon of office to
our new President Patrick Fisher.
Patrick who has been in Rotary for
seven years joined the Rotary Club of Porthmadog in
2007 having moved to North Wales in 2007, was
previously a member of the Nene Valley Rotary Club
in Northampton with whom he keeps in touch.
Patrick in his introductory speech,
congratulated President Graham on his work during
the past year, and vowed to continue to
do his utmost to ensure that the club has a
successful and enjoyable year during his term as
President..
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Patrick receives
the Official Chain of Office from Graham |
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Rotary Tea Break - June 29-2010 |
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Our last event of our
Rotary Year 2009/10 was to hold a Tea and Cakes
afternoon at the Canolfan in Porthmadog, where we
also displayed the contents of a
Shelterbox
What's inside the box?
Only new equipment is used
and is carefully selected for durability,
practicality and suitability for where it is
needed. Tough, lightweight and waterproof,
the box itself can also have many useful
functions from food container to cot. We
also continually work with a range of
manufacturers to improve the quality and
extend the range of equipment that we have
available.
A range of equipment is kept in stock. This
lets us adjust the contents of the box
according to local conditions and what is
most urgently needed. Sometimes particularly
if other resources a re
available locally and the overwhelming need
is for shelter we will just send tents and
pack two in each box.
Each box costs an average of �490 including
all materials, packing, storage and
distribution to individual recipients
worldwide. Based on six months use only this
equates to 27 pence per
person per day.
Shelter
At the heart of every ShelterBox is a
disaster relief tent for a family of up to
10 people. It is custom made for ShelterBox
by Vango, one of the world�s leading tent
manufacturers, and is designed to withstand
extreme temperatures, high winds and heavy
rainfall. Internally, each tent has privacy
partitions that allow recipients to divide
the space as they see fit.
A smile
A children�s pack containing drawing books,
crayons and pens. For children who have lost
most, if not all, their possessions, these
small gifts are treasured.
Warmth and protection
In addition to the tent, there is a range of
other survival equipment including thermal
blankets and insulated ground sheets,
essential in areas where temperatures
plummet at nightfall. Where malaria is
prevalent mosquito nets are supplied, as
well a life saving means of water
purification. Water supplies often become
contaminated after a major disaster, as
infrastructure and sanitation systems are
destroyed, this presents a secondary but no
less dangerous threat to survivors than the
initial disaster itself.
Self sufficiency
A basic tool kit containing a hammer, axe,
saw, trenching shovel, hoe head, pliers and
wire cutters enables people to improve their
immediate environment, by chopping firewood
or digging a latrine, for example. Then,
when it is possible, to start repairing or
rebuilding the home they were forced to
leave.
Fit for purpose
Every item is durable, practical and brand
new. The box itself is lightweight and
waterproof and has been used for a variety
of purposes in the past - from water and
food storage containers to a cot for a newly
born baby.
A heart to the home
Key items are either a wood burning or
multi-fuel stove. The multi-fuel stove can
burn anything from diesel to old paint. Some
boxes also contain our specially designed
wood burning Frontier Stove, pictured below.
This provides the heart of the new home
where water is boiled, food is cooked and
families congregate. In addition, there are
pans, utensils, bowls, mugs and water
storage containers.
Adaptability
A broad range of equipment is kept in stock
so we can adapt the contents of a box to a
specific disaster. For example, following
the Javanese earthquake in 2006, when some
resources were available locally or could be
salvaged from one storey buildings, the
overwhelming need was for shelter � so just
tents were sent, packing two in each box.
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Presidential Handover June
28-2010 |
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As we move into Summer here in North Wales,
President Graham's term of office comes to an end as
he hands over the presidential ribbon of office to
our new President Patrick Fisher.
Patrick who has been in Rotary for
seven years joined the Rotary Club of Porthmadog in
2007 having moved to North Wales in 2007, was
previously a member of the Nene Valley Rotary Club
in Northampton with whom he keeps in touch.
Patrick in his introductory speech,
congratulated President Graham on his work during
the past year, and vowed to continue to
do his utmost to ensure that the club has a
successful and enjoyable year during his term as
President..
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Patrick receives
the Official Chain of Office from Graham |
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