Issue 019

september 2007: issue 19
Welcome to my first Presidential chat. It has been very busy for the Club since my induction on the 1st July, as always. I would first like to thank everyone in the club and guests who attended for a memorable handover; it is one I shall always remember. Within the first week our club was represented at four handover meals and more would have been attended if work had not got in the way. We spent our first Friday evening of the Rotary year inputting information onto a database for Stroke Awareness. This was carried out with friendship over a meal. Saturday saw some of us at Stafford Castle watching Much Ado About Nothing with our first Community event for this Rotary year a sing-along at Pelsall Community Centre on the Wednesday of the following week. District Handover was on the following Friday, with Ash on the top table. Another two Community sing-a-longs on the following two Wednesdays and Chinese meals and cinema nights inbetween , not to mention our regular weekly meetings and committee meetings. Those and and an application to become a partner in a matching grant in Turkey, led us nicely into August I said it had been busy and this was only the first month! Bloxwich Carnival was on the first Saturday in August which saw almost all of the club attending providing refreshments and entertainment which raised a grand sum of sorry I am sure this will be mentioned later in the magazine so I do not want to spoil it. Sports events, more cinema evenings, Cannocks Dragon Boat Race, and a games night were all activities that filled our diaries in August not to mention the very successful Murder Mystery evening we had at Steve and Helens (a big thank you to them both for this really enjoyable evening). The most tiring event so far, I think, has been supporting the V Festival in Weston Park. It was wet, cold and very muddy but definitely an enjoyable experience at both the Rotary Roadshow and the tent collection. As I write this we are preparing to pack for the Rotaract Banbury Camping rally where nine of us are attending. I have had to search for all my winter woollies just in case. I could go on but I think I have waffled too much already. I think you will agree that we have been very busy on all fronts, and so far Ive enjoyed every minute of it so club, let us keep up the good work, which I am sure we will. Dawn Jordan, President 2007-08
the presidential prattle
the cover story: about our front & back cover designs for this issue
As we have something of a camping theme with at least a couple of stories this month we decided to use Camping magazine for our front cover. For the back we have adapted a nice little advert for a perfume called Miss Dior, which Im sure is very nice. But, it was a silly advert, even before we got to it.
a rotary sunday exclusive: page 2
september 2007
club visits since the last issue

1 The Front Cover 2 Presidential Prattle The Cover Story 3 The Contents (thats here!) Recent Club Visits 4 Bloxwich Carnival 5 V Festival Tent Collection 5-11 Banbury Camping Rally 11-13 Confessions of a Banbury Virgin 13 The Tale of Big Bad Mike Cinema Night: The Simpsons 14-15 Future Events 16 Cannocks Dragon Boat Racing 17 RIBI Roadshow at the V Festival 18 Kids Out 18-19 Peski Kid 19 Much Ado About Nothing 20 Halesowen Rotaracts Farewell Snging at The Lakes 21 Kev & Donnas Barbecue Thomass Birthday Meal 22 Ash in Greece 23 Neils Birthday Weekend 24 Cinema Night: Disturbia Card Making at the Youth Club 25 Disabled Fun Day 26-27 RYLA 27 Ten-Pin Bowling 28 The Back Cover
A Rotary Sunday Exclusive can be contacted at: 28a Lister Street Willenhall West Midlands WV13 2HQ Tel: 01902 631164 / 07970 652834 Fax: 0845 330 8854 E-mail: news@bloxwichphoenix.net Website: www.bloxwichphoenix.net Submissions are always welcome!
this issues contents
Since the beginning of the year we have made several club visits. During July we had representatives at several handover events. Troy and Steve A attended the Darlaston Handover on 3rd July, where Dave Read took over the presidency. Dawn & Helen went to Wednesfield on 4th July to see Derek Blount take over. On the next day, the 5th, Neil went to Aldridge and gave us this short report: Myself and Andrew attended Aldridge's handover, at their usual venue The Druids Heath Golf Club. It was nice to see many familiar faces. There was the usual banter saying that we should have joined Aldridge not Bloxwich. Well we would have lowered the average age a bit I suppose. It was good to be able to join new President Brian at his first meeting and to be able to bring the good wishes of Bloxwich, and return his. Helen went to Willenhall, and wrote the following short report:: Four of us planned to attend this event, Troy, Dawn, Steve A and myself. However, at the last minute Steve had to work away, so Richard stepped in to take his place (although it meant he had to sit next to me all night poor Rich!). The handover was held at the Goodyear Pavilions in Wolverhampton and representatives from a number of clubs attended. After the meal (which was, as always at the Pavilions, very nice), the incoming president, Chris Clifford, was inducted, followed by the other new officers. Speeches were then made, with Chris outlining the clubs plans for the year to come. It was also nice to see Clovis Cross attending the evening. Recently we also paid visits to Brewood and Ironbridge clubs, where President Dawn was able to exchange banners. If youd like to visit another club, please let Dawn know which ones and when, as were trying to visit as many as possible this year.
september 2007
september 2007: issue 19
The Beginning of August saw the Rotary Club of Bloxwich Phoenix attending the local Bloxwich carnival en-masse. We provide our usual display of fundraising stalls, (the straw game, the find a key game and the Tombola. These stalls were manned by a plethora of Rotarians who did themselves proud with their punter pulling techniques. A Special commendation must go to our President Dawn who stuck to her post without flinching all day, we know this as the sun did some face painting of its own by turning Dawn into a lobster. We once again provided the Tea, Coffee and Cake Stall that we are fast getting quite a good reputation for providing. Rotarians Lisa, Helen and Vicki were the hardworking ladies behind the counter, who worked without break throughout the day. A special thank you must go out to the providers of the homemade cakes and biscuits and we now know about some of the hidden talents of Sean Delia Westwood.
In the large arena we were once again treated to various displays differing in their professionalism throughout the day and although we didnt really get time to appreciate them all, one act that caught the eye, utilised some large equipment that was a permanent fixture in the arena. The equipment they used can only be described as three large rings on a frame which rotated around a central point, (well it can be described differently, but that is the description of what it was). The act involved three men who walked either inside or outside the rings as it rotated and although this was very impressive, once youd seen it, youd seen it! With the new Rotary parasols in attendance, the caf area looked more like a scene from a Parisian street, than a field in Bloxwich and the local community once again made full use of it including utilising the facilities to do a nappy change dumping the waste on the floor as apposed to putting it into the bins provided. We did as usual have spotters on hand to soon clear it away making it suitable for other customers to use.
bloxwich carnival
The wind was a bit of an issue to say the least when we initially erected the marquee and large gazebo but we managed to do it in such a way that the marquee survived the day although it will probably have to be replaced before next year, the large gazebo being of more robust construction fared a lot better.
Although the day is mainly used to keep our profile high within the community the Tea, Coffee and Cake Stall certainly helped us raise an amount of money that once again reached new heights, with just over 400 for the day.
saturday 4th august
written by troy allen september 2007
The Rotary Club of Brewood and District wanted to involve as many Rotary Clubs from District 1210 in the tent Collection that immediately follows the V festival. Over 200 Rotarians from District took part including 9 Rotarians from our club and one helper. Most followed the site rule of wearing fluorescent jackets, this was a health and safety requirement but it also helped us tell which the Rotarians were and which were the tramps who were nicking the alcohol. There were plenty of tents to choose from, as the campsites looked like war zones with virtually everything left in situ (although security patrols had checked and collapsed most of the tents.) Some lackadaisical revelers were still on site, playing football and drinking, they shouldnt have been there especially considering they were supposed to have vacated the site a good six hours previously. We collected the tents following a few simple rules and they were then put on to trailers and then onto Lorries. First checked that the tent looked decent, then we checked if the tent had all its poles, then we checked if tent had a bag and finally we checked whether the tent was clean inside so it could be used again. Unfortunately not all these requirements were met and some otherwise perfectly good tents were condemned due to their content. One tent for example that we came across, we took the airbed out and thought it was covered in mud and therefore not of use, leaving us with just the tent to utilise, however we then found the source of the stain and it wasnt mud thus rendering the tent useless as well. With the Rotary Club of Brewood and Districts permission we also obtained 12 tents to donate to local projects that had asked for help, namely the Sea Scouts and a local special school. The members of the Rotary Club of Bloxwich Phoenix were amongst the last to leave the field; once again we held our own, thanks to all those who helped.
collecting tents from the V festival
rotaracts banbury camping rally

Oh come on boss, can I go now, you said if we werent too busy youd let me leave early I pleaded. Unfortunately were short on staff Lisa and we really need everybody here, but look, just pack up and leave on the dot, any work left over, Im sure, it can be done after the holiday My boss smiled a wry smile and walked away; what a vision of compassion. What a t... I was rudely interrupted by my colleague. Dont worry it wont take long to get down to Banbury, just shoot off at half five, miss the M6 at this time of night and take the... I think he was trying to be helpful but all I heard after the opening sentence was blah, blah, blah and if Im really honest, I really couldnt be bothered. Half past five on the dot, I had already closed down my computer and had told my last customer (who incidentally called at 5.25pm for a list of prices) to shove off, literally, I think my parting comment to the customer in question was; Youve got to be joking Carl, theres 22 items on here, havent you got a home to go to, anyway, Ill get your prices on Tuesday, now shove off and have a good weekend, byeee. I raced out of the building wishing everybody a good weekend; packing lists racing through my mind. I reached home in record time, Troy packed the car (I cannot pack a car in the space saving and organised manner that Troy can, so I left him to it), we set off on the wide open road (well on the Stafford Road) heading towards our grass filled destination. We reached Banbury and made our way towards Wroxton (arent Sat-Navs wonderful, no arguing, no messy maps), we trekked up
september 2007
monday 20th august
written by troy allen
24th-27th august
that same windy lane that we have been travelling up for half a lifetime, we reached the opening which led us down a dust filled, pot holed track driving past a small glade of trees, the sun was still shining it had been and still was a glorious sunny day, reaching the end of the tunnelled trees to a wider opening, the campsite itself. We drove through the familiar wooden fenced entrance, travelling across uneven ground to reach the end of the spacious field, tents already mounted either side of us, the white solid marquee standing prominent on the right hand side of the camp, as we approached the last stretch that led us towards the back of the campsite we were met by a castellated fortress and the renowned Rotary village sign Ashville. We parked behind the tents and made our way through the small opening in the blue roped perimeter fence encompassing the camp (by camp, I do of course mean Ashville town), the kind residents of the town had erected the town marquee and our tent (although rather stinky by all accounts, mainly blamed on the Malvern camping trip some two months earlier). Many thanks to the kind residents of Ashville who helped to erect our weekend domains. After unpacking the car and inflating our new improved double bed that stood prominent from the floor (that took about an hour to inflate), we were ready to relax and enjoy the Banbury Camping Rally experience, we greeted our friends Mark, Rebecca, Max and Claire whom we had not seen in a while and caught up on all the gossip especially Rebeccas details on her forthcoming wedding to be held next August Bank Holiday a very exciting time.
The Ceremony began Emma the Rotaract Banbury Camping coordinator, welcomed everybody and requested that everybody have a good time (which I had no doubt that we would), she ran through a quick schedule of events all of which were conveniently included in our Banbury Packs inclusive of the obligatory wrist bands (ex Fairport Convention stock). Part of the opening ceremony
Friday 24th August 2008 9.00pm (Party time)

The red wine was flowing, beer in hand we were firmly sat in our camp chairs in the Marquee, planning what we would be doing for the rest of the weekend. We made our way towards the main marquee, to view the opening ceremony. The marquee was slightly smaller than marquees used in past years. We sat on the floor and waited patiently for the Banbury Organiser to address the crowd.
was a short talk by a lady who had personally been involved in an organisation called Missing Persons, her story was one of woe, her son had been missing for over 16 years, he had a past history of depression, but had never done anything like this before, she searched for years with the help of Missing Persons they supported her throughout, helping her through the hard times counselling her during the lowest moments, until one day they managed to get a lead, her son had been involved in a car accident (he had broken his leg), although unlucky for the son, Missing Persons contacted the son and asked if he would like to get in touch with his mother, which he did through a series of letters until one day he agreed to meet his mother in person, the years apart had created a fear of contacting family, to cut a long story short he is now in contact with his family and writes to his mother on a regular basis, the lady explained how she was lucky to find her son and lucky that her son still wanted to be involved in the family, she stated that some people are never found, but Missing Persons is there not only as a search tool be as a support group and an understanding shoulder to cry on. Her talk was compassionate and in some ways up lifting although still sad by the years missed with her son. I wasnt really sure that the talk was a good idea for an opening ceremony; I believe it was a good talk but maybe not for that time or place. After the Ceremony had finished the bar opened and the Disco began. We danced a little but it has to be
september 2007
said there was a distinct lack of people in the main marquee and so we made our way back to Ashville sat in our own marquee with Dawn, Rich, Helen and Steve and had some cheese, ham, biscuits and crisps for our tea, kindly supplied by Steve and Hel. Mike, Neil and Stevie J came along later and joined in our silly game of The Rubbish Jokes Ever I told that old favourite. Whats pink and fluffy?
Answer... Pink Fluff? Steve A repeated the joke off Big Brother, which I thought was really good and so here it is repeated for the perusal of non Big Brother converts; A Polo Mint is having a drink at the bar, he turns to the Trebor mint and says Im really hard mate, hard as nails so dont mess with me the Trebor mint replies Ok mate, I dont want any trouble, the door goes and in walks a Locket, the Polo mint shoots under the table and hides. The Locket orders a drink, drinks it and walks back out, the Polo mint crawls from under the table and saunters back to the bar. The Trebor mint looks at him confused and eventually plucks up the courage to ask the Polo Hey mate, why did you hide when the Locket came in, I thought you were hard, the Polo replies I am but hes MENTHOL.
To be honest we continued along this line for most of the evening, the jokes steadily decreased in content, text and suitability if you get my meaning and the drink still flowed, Neil was slowly falling into intoxication as was Mike and Richard, but I was tired, I had to sleep and so I said my goodnights and excused myself from the table set off for the toilets with Helen and Dawn for our nightly ablutions, we walked in the dark, our torched lighting the way back to camp listening to the cheesy music playing as we trekked our short way back, I voiced another round of goodnights and departed. Once inside the tent and suitably attired I attempted to get into the new double inflatable bed, which rocked from side to side so much so that I thought I had swapped Banbury for a dodgy cruise. I finally managed to drop off to sleep when Troy approached unzipping the thin material venturing inside the inner tent; he soon de-cloaked and climbed or attempted to climb into bed beside me. With both of us in the new inflatable, it really did feel like we were on the briny, we laughed at first about the constant waterbed motion and the fact the bed had automatic roll together built in, however two hours in, still wide awake and the bed now moving so bad we were feeling sea sick, the laughter funnily enough died down and was now turning into a different emotion, one of anguish and desperation, this was going to be a night of sleep deprivation.
Saturday 25th August 2007 3.00am (yes thats AM)

Inflatable bed still flowing nicely, I reach for the Portable power pack in the dark, in the cold, attach the inflator, flick the switch and start rather noisily inflating the deflating airbed. The bed began to reach its ultimate solid setting in a kind of bouncy castle way. I jumped back into bed; nearly knocking Troy out in was like sleeping on a trampoline, I wouldnt recommend it. We lay clinging onto the edges of the bed for dear life until eventually we dropped off to sleep for the few remaining hours of darkness that were left.
Saturday 25th August 7.00am (Rudely awoken by mobile alarm)

Inflatable bed still bouncing about, slightly deflated and by slightly deflated I mean Troy and myself and not the bed. Definitely doing something about Saturdays sleeping arrangements otherwise Saturday night sleep time may have got violent.
Saturday 25th August 2007 8.30am (breakfast)

We all cleared the table, Rich readied his Beau-Clair in preparation for the Sausages, Bacon and Eggs, Dawn prepared the mushrooms, tomatoes and beans, I placed the condiments on the table and everybody had plates and cutlery waiting.
a rotary sunday exclusive: page 7 september 2007
Food was served up and believe me there was food a plenty, with a good assortment of fruit juices, many thanks to Dawn and Rich for acquiring and cooking the breakfasts throughout the weekend it was greatly appreciated. We all tucked into our breakfast; there was enough for seconds, fantastic. Andy, you missed out! After breakfast Helen and Mike kindly washed everybodys eating tools, ready to use for the evening. The group decided to split up for the day Rich and Dawn were going to get Sundays breakfast, Stevie A, Helen, Troy and I all decided to take a trip into Banbury and of course get the secret surprise food for Neils secret surprise 40th. Mike, Neil, Rebecca, Mark and Stevie J travelled to Bisector. We all parted and headed towards our respective destinations. Troy drove into Banbury centre parking up in one of the many multi story car parks. We walked the short distance into the main shopping centre, heading straight for Clinton Cards, purchasing the secret surprise 40th banner and other secret surprise 40th accessories for the secret surprise 40th to be held later that day. Heading out we worked our way along into the town centre making a bee line for Wilkinsons for the sole purpose of purchasing Water Pistols and marquee lighting. Unfortunately there were no real hard core water pistols to be purchased but in true Troy and Steve fashion they purchased the next best thing water pressure pumps and hand held water pumps, just to fend off any unwanted attacks on the camp site by unruly campers, just in case! Whilst in Banbury I convinced Troy that we needed another double inflatable bed to put on top of the crazy bed we already had, I thought that this may steady the original bed in some way manner or form, well couldnt be any worse could it. We popped into a camping shop called advantage, took one look at the prices and walked back out again, we then headed towards Millets were we found a double inflatable at a snippet of a price and picked up a rather nice double aluminium camping table too.
The rest of the time in Banbury was spent shopping and generally having a wander around, we ventured into Druckers were Helen treated us all with extremely delicious beverages, Steve and Troy took a detour into W H Smiths were they nearly had a fight with the woman behind the counter, no change there then. We bumped into Stevie J, Neil and Mike, we were trying to ask Mike to keep Neil out of the way (nicely) whilst we could set up the secret surprise 40th back at camp, but every time we tried to discuss it with Mike, Neil came to chat, bless! Later on that day we also bumped into Rebecca and Mark, a plan was hatched code named mission impossible to keep Neil away whilst we dressed the marquee and placed party food out on the tables for the evenings entertainment. We made our way to Tesco for party food, the car was already full, but we had faith that we could fit more into the car than ever before. After whizzing around Tesco, purchasing party food and goodies for party packs we headed back to the car and then began planning how we were packing the food in, simple pack around the people. Steve
september 2007
Back in our camp Rebecca, Mark and Neil disappeared to Tesco under some pretence or other. Everybody worked hard putting up Banners, Blowing up Balloons, Creating Party Packs, Setting the table all just in the nick of time, and finishing the finer details Neil arrived. We all stood in a processional line so that Neil could walk down the line as we cheered, Stevie A released a Mega Party Popper that exploded into a plethora of multi shaped and coloured confetti. We sang happy birthday to Neil and then sat to a party feast, it was lovely and I think, well I hope Neil thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the birthday cake.
Saturday 25th August 2007 - 10.00pm

By now I had blown up the other double inflatable bed and had added it to the existing inflatable, our bed now resembled the princess and the peas. We chatted and drank for a while and then decided to venture down to the main marquee, we donned our fancy dress Troy and I went as cowboy and cowgirl, complete with toy hobby horses that actually made neighing and trotting noises, cute eh! Steve A put on a really good fancy dress, it was an inflatable horse, the suit fitted around his waist so that his legs became the horses back legs and two small false inflated legs looked as if they were attached to his body, if you see what I mean. Once inside the marquee we danced a little, drank a little and basically had a good time, after a while we decided to head back towards camp to finish off the evening with a few more drinks, even though some of us were already worse for wear, naming no names, Neil, Mike!!! It was about this time in the evening Dawn decided to open the Raspberry Vodka dun, dun, duunnn! Well that was it, everybody went to pot, out came the Whiskey, Neil was in his element, Mike was joining him, Dawn had reached the element and then some and Helen was just about to join her, and then Dawn very kindly offered Troy a glass of Vodka to which Troy said accepted, only, little did Troy know that when Dawn offered a glass, she actually meant a full
and Hel got into the back of the car and we started strategically placing bags around them, I got into the front seat and bags were packed around me and then Troy placed himself carefully into the driver seat and we set off for the camp site
Saturday 25th August 2007 6.00pm

We arrived at camp and Neil was sitting in the marquee, surrounded by blow up penguins, sheep, cows, rattle snakes, not forgetting the inflatable paddling pool complete with plastic ducks. After discussions with Rebecca and Mark it was agreed that they would convince Neil to go with them to Tesco this would give us at least an hour to prepare the Party, but before setting off, we had previously promised that we would attend The Rotary Club of Eltham Phoenixs mulled wine session. We made our way over to their main tent and greeted Christine (one of the members) dressed in a naughty saloon girls outfit, Terry (another of Elthams members) enticed us into the tent with promises of mulled wine, the wine tasted lovely, but time was pressing and we had to get under way with the 40th surprise celebrations.
september 2007
(wine) glass, we chatted, laughed and laughed some more, but it reached the point where I couldnt stay awake any longer and so I gracefully retired. I managed to climb into the bed, eventually, it was like lying on top of a cloud, and I think I slept soundly?
Sunday 26th August 2007 - 8.30am

The camp stirred, slowly everybody surfaced, Troy had disappeared earlier that morning with Steve running a few errands returning in time for the days events. Today breakfast would have to wait as we had all opted to learn Archery, yes thats right they were letting us loose with bows and arrows. We had a fantastic time with the Archery; I thoroughly enjoyed it even though it was hard work. We all returned like warriors back to the Fort after our fight training, we were fired up and ready for yet another scrumptious breakfast, cooked expertly by Richard and Dawn.
can you buy a plethora of Herbs but they also have an extremely nice coffee shop and Nic-nac shop. We then ventured on to the caravan and camping shop, had a mooch around and then decided to return to the Fort.
Sunday 26th August 2007 6.00pm

Everybody began arriving back at base just in time for us to order a takeout, we decided that we would try the local Chinese, everybody placed their order, Troy and Steve kindly offered to pick the food and bring it back to camp, once back at camp everybody tucked in and scoffed the lot. We had drinks (again) and chatted until dusk set in, soon it would be time to take a last trip down to the marquee for the closing ceremony followed by Karaoke and Disco. The boys lit a fire, which turned into towering inferno and so Troy kindly offered to stay at camp to look after the blaze. The closing ceremony consisted of Thank yous and goodbyes followed by a rather extended video of the Rotaract National Conference. Everybody made their way back to camp after listening to some music, well, Karaoke songs. We all sat warming ourselves around the fire (by now it was well under control). We were minding our own business quietly chatting when we were rudely interrupted by the sound of a chant in the distance, the strange noise in the background was coming closer, we could now see lights, it was the villagers (aka Rotaractors), and they were revolting, literally. They were chanting We want Ash, We want Ash oh, my, god, they had come to kidnap the bear, well, Mike jumped into action he reached for the Water Pump, as the Rotaractors neared Mike aimed his pump into the air and squirted a warning shot into the air, do I hear you gasp in anticipation, What happened next, well Ill tell you, a big fat nothing, thats what happened next, they ran away, now wheres the fun in that. Needless to say Mike stood guard for the next how ever many hours, only shooting once again and that was at Rebecca by mistake, well he was only keeping his aim in, bless!
september 2007
Sunday 26th August 2007 2.00pm

Welly Wanging; we all joined in, even Ash wanged three wellies; whereas my attempt was abysmal, we thought Richard had grabbed the trophy but unfortunately was pipped to the post by a Rotaractor.
We returned to the camp and relaxed a while but we found that relaxing is quite stressful and so Helen, Steve, Troy and I took a short journey out to the National Herb Centre, a lovely place to visit not only
rotaracts banbury camping rally: confessions of a banbury virgin 24th-27th august
Steve, Helen, Troy, Stevie J and I decided to give the karaoke a go! We set off towards the sound of patchy singing; we reached the marquee, picked up the list of songs issued out and chose our music. It took a while and we had to suffer Eltham Phoenixs rendition of A Fairytale in New York but eventually my song came up Nothing Compares to You, the music was loud and the hosts had decided to put 90 decibels of echo on the mike, apart from that it went ok, next up was Troy and Steve with I Got you Babe I know, kind of scary isnt it! We waited for the longest time until eventually Helen had her turn and sang Hopelessly Devoted to you and very good it was too. Troy waited even longer until his song came up Only the Lonely Troy sang it really well, despite the DJs interference. We waited around for other songs to come up, we waited and waited, unfortunately, we waited some more, in the end we gave up and headed back towards camp. We reached the Fort, but it seemed everybody had gone to bed and so did we.
Monday 27th August 2007 Early

It was time to leave, everybody set into operation clean up, pack up and bog off. We all worked hard together, by the time we had finished and fitted as much as humanly possible in one car we were ready to set off, I unfortunately was ill, and Stevie A unfortunately had trouble with his car but we sorted everything with the help of Neil and set off for home extremely tired and worn out. This was supposed to be a relaxing weekend, what was all that about? Needless to say it was a great weekend.
written by lisa allen a rotary sunday exclusive: page 11
Over the years I had heard so much about the Rotaract Camping Rally at Banbury, but in all that time I had never been. Well now seemed as good a time as any. I joined the convoy of Richard, Dawn, Steve and Helen. Something was wrong; the traffic was moving! We arrived at the campsite in plenty of time and proceeded to establish Ashville. It was warm. Very warm. Really very warm. Very, very warm. In fact it was bl**dy boiling. Just the weather not to run about like mad fools in the sun putting up tents and the rest. But everyone did their bit. I think its fair to say that by the time we ad finished we were absolutely knackered. But Ashville looked pretty damn good. Steve and Richard had done a wonderful job with the fort. While some of them went off to do some shopping I volunteered to blow up the inflatable animals. I had naively assumed that the sheep and cows were, well just inflatable animals. It seemed not. They had another use! Oh dear. Where did they come from! The evening was spent by polite intelligent conversation, good company and rather a lot of alcohol. Or was that just me? Saturday morning was one of the few times when I have been camping when I had to get up early because it was so hot. What no torrential rain? Then for a nice warm shower. It was freezing. Richard did the honours again, rustling up something incredible to keep us all satisfied. Then to archery. Well I said I wanted to take a bow. If you havent tried it you should it really was good fun. We all enjoyed it and I certainly
september 2007
think it may be a future event. The dark horses were Richard, Steve J and Michael, who seemed naturals. Helen did really well too, but next time perhaps she needs to stand back a little more. They said put your back into it! Then into Banbury. Not much to say really, except seeing a runaway bride. Ask Michael. Whilst there, myself, Michael and Steve J tried to solve the mystery (well it was to us) as to why that famous Banbury Cross had been erected. Eventually we found it, not alas the original, which had been torn down by Puritans in the 1600s, but the Victorian replacement. So why had it been put up well to replace the earlier one of course. No mention as to the purpose of the first one. Rather disappointing really. Does this town have a Tourist Department? After all it must be the most famous thing about Banbury, after the Rotaract Camping Rally that it. Oh well back to the campsite for a we deserved snooze and drink. Well this being on holiday is jolly hard work. I never saw it coming. I never expected a thing! Whilst we were enjoying a drink of mulled wine, and Troy was showing us his prowess with his sidearm Rebecca asked if I fancied a trip to Tescos. Like a lamb to the slaughter I said yes. When we got back I noticed that everyone was standing outside the marquee. Most odd. They were forming two lines. But why was I being told to walk between them? What did the banner say? It was as you well know a surprise party to mark my fortieth. Surprise, more like a huge shock! There were drinks, snacks, jelly and even a cake with my face on (well you cant have everything). To say I was touched would be a huge understatement. It really made the weekend for me. I would never have expected it in a million years. All I can say is that you are a load of saft buggers!
As that night from memory I drank whiskey, wine, whiskey, larger then vodka, my recollections are a little hazy. Another morning, another shower. Boiling hot! I give up. I had to go to he Rotaract meeting. If anybody wants to know how I got on why? Back in time for the welly wanging. Despite all of the bet endeavours of those who took part nobody managed to hit Steve J. Not much else to say about the rest of the day. Oh expect Michael single handily fought off a raiding party, bent on taking Ash. But that as they say is a another story. Well, will I go again. Definitely. But perhaps not next year. Rebecca might kill us if we tried.
written by stevebennett written by neil jordan september 2007
the simpsons movie

Now in old Ashville, a long time ago, There lived a man you ought to know! Called Mike, Big Bad Mike! A quiet young man, or so youd think, But one thing we noticed, he likes his drink! Our Mike, Big Bad Mike! It was on one Balmy summers night, That a group of Rotaractors came to fight, This surprised, Big Bad Mike! They came to Kidnap Old Judge Ash, In an opportunist, grab and dash! They hadnt seen, Big Bad Mike! It wasnt as easy as theyd planned, As Big Bad Mike, He made a stand! Good old Mike, Big bad Mike! Mike fired a shot into the air, The Rotaractors squealed it wasnt fair! Dead eye Mike, Big Bad Mike! The show of Strength, Mike made that day, Made the Rotaractors run away, From Mike, Big Bad Mike! So if youre ever down Ashville way, Remember what happened that day! With Mike, Big Bad Mike! You can think of Mike with a sense of pride, And just be glad that hes on your side! Thats the tale, of Big Bad Mike!
thursday 2nd august
And when we thought the shooting done, He shot Rebecca, just for fun! Bad Mike, Big Bad Mike!
written by troy allen
When we were in America we had been to the cinema to see Fantastic Four: Silver Surfer or some such nonsense. I mention it simply because it was there that I got to sit on the sofa next to the Simpsons family, who were sat neatly in the foyer advertising the (then) upcoming Simpsons Movie. Yes, basically, Im name-dropping. Anyway, it seemed only right therefore that we should go and see the film when it came out, and so, on the night of Helens birthday I went with Helen, Stevie A, Lisa and Troy to see it. I had asked as many people as Id had chance to, but it was quite short notice and lots of people were already busy. Their loss if you ask me. Richard and Stevie J of course dont like the Simpsons because its not a hundred years old and therefore classes as modern comedy. They dont like modern comedy, although they did both laugh in Sex Lives of the Potato Men. Really. So, what of the film? Well, if you wanted to, you could justifiably say that it really wasnt very much different to any episode of the TV series, just, at 85 minutes, longer. Thats true, but when that means 85 minutes of extremely funny and well-written comedy with continual verbal and visual gags, is that such a bad thing? Particular highlights are Homer bouncing between a rock and a hard place (the latter being the name of a cafe), and the scene where Homer is letting his love for his new pet pig go just a little bit too far. Sat together on the sofa watching TV, Homer turns gently o the pig and says "Maybe we should kiss to break the tension ..." Add to that the fun weve had since with Charlie and Smokey (Helens cats) taking on the pigs role for our new version of Spider Pig, and it all adds up to an excellent evening of entertainment. Go and see it if you can, its well worth it. written by ash the bear
september 2007
forthcoming events forthcoming events
committee meetings
Ever wondered why it is that were not doing what you would like us to do? Well, the obvious solution is to attend one or more of the committee meetings. The next membership services and fundraising meeting for example, is on Monday 24th September, and members are always welcome. The meeting starts at 7.30pm at out normal venue.
district conference
heartcare abseil
Ash and Neil will be abseiling down the Walsall Art Gallery as part of Heartcares event, and others of us will be marshalling the event which takes place on Saturday 29th September.
The conference has been fully booked for quite some time, though there are day delegate tickets available for the Saturday. For the ten of us who have booked, Llandudno promises to be an excellent venue, and significantly easier to get to than in previous years.
green park school quiz

The annual Green Park School quiz takes place on Friday 12th October; were once again doing the quiz with the help of Vickis dad. Teams to take part are welcome.
beetle drive home-hosted music night

Our next music night takes place on 29th September at Helen & Steves. Bring a selection of your favourite music along and share it with the rest of us! Dont miss our beetle drive on Saturday 13th October at St Johns Methodist Church, Bloxwich, where were raising funds for our International sponsorships. Entry is 2.50 including tea/coffee.
gse farewell dinner

This takes place on Friday 19th October at Port Vale Football club. The cost is 15, and its your chance to say goodbye to the team from Argentina.
walsalls fun-run
Walsall Rotarys 10k fun-run takes place on Sunday 30th September, and we have been asked if we can help out. Contact Dawn for details of what theyre looking for!
soup night
On 20th October join us for a home-hosted soup night. The last one was very popular!
september
october
halloween evening
Lisa & Troy are hosting our halloween evening on Saturday 27th October.
carol singing
This year we will be singing at The Lakes and at Parklands with the dates currently set for 3rd and 5th December.
forthcoming events
halloween ghost walk

Details of where the ghost walk will be this year are yet to be announced, for fear of disturbing the spirits, but Troy will once again be guiding the tour. It will take place on Halloween, 31st October.
hamper collections
Our hamper collection once again takes place at Asda, Darlaston over two Saturdays. The first is on 1st December, with the next on the 8th, after which we will be assembling the hampers at St Johns Methodist Church.
fireworks evening
Stuart and Gabrielle are once again hosting their annual fireworks extravaganza, and we are all invited. The evening is normally extremely popular, and surely there cant be any rain this year?
santa sleigh
We have eight nights of santa sleigh collections pencilled into the diary, and are asking all members to do their best to support this important fundraiser for us. Proceeds will once again be going to Rotary Foundation. Our route at present sees us in Blakenall on Friday 7th December, Dudley Fields on 10th, Pelsall on 11th, Turnberry on 13th and 14th, Little Bloxwich on 15th, and Mossley on 17th and 18th.
foundation auction dinner

After the success of our auction dinner held earlier this year weve decided to repeat the event. Tickets are strictly limited. The event takes place at The Terrace restaurant with tickets costing just 17.95
ribi president visits district

The RIBI president visits our district at the end of November. Weve been invited to Stafford Knots breakfast meeting on November 29th, and there are likely to be other venues on offer soon.
see the diary online

The club diary is always available on the clubs website at www.bloxwichphoenix.net For the latest information check it there!
november
december
cannock rotarys dragon boat racing
sunday 12th august
This was the first time I had ever been to see this event... so i wasn't exactly sure what it was all about. Turning up at Chasewater Park, we were directed to the far end, near the Power Boat Club and Railway Station, to be met by a huddle of about two dozen gazebos and small tents. The Racing itself is handled by a company called (curiously enough) Dragon Boat Events, and they supply all the boats, paddles, lifejackets, prizes and safety instructions. Twenty three teams had entered, and each had three races to try and get one of the four quickest times of the day. All races were in sets of two, over a straight course that seemed to give an average time of around one Minute. An early quick time was set by the team "Team Spirit" at 55.49 seconds. A few races later, and after an early-ish lunch of beefburgers, I wandered over to the Power Boat Club, as the programme said a live local band "Kick", would be playing, but as I got there, the band had just finished and three young teenagers were just starting their set instead, so I found my way to the end of the floating jetty to get some more video of the boat races instead. A walk back via the Railway station, which included coffee and a cream tea, ensured I was in time for the second half of the races, and after having a beer thrust at me by one of the members of Cannock Rotary, I proceeded to enjoy the remaining heats. With most of the main race heats done, quite a few challenge races were held...... -l, My team A, is better than your team B.... Lets Race!! I noticed a large empty area labelled Air Ambulance, with a somewhat busy Cannock
Rotarian by the name of Steven King, busily trying to find out if the helicopter was actually going to make it, due to the many calls it had unfortunately found itself involved in.... A team of four husky dogs was on display, and it was hoped that they would be doing a dog-sleigh demonstration, but it was decided that it was much too warm for them to participate, The owner went on the explain, that the dogs are never run in any temperature over 15 degrees, as they overheat too quickly.... and went on to explain they actually run faster as it gets colder.. preferring temperatures of zero to minus 30 degrees.... A further walk around the tents found a few more supporting Rotarians from other clubs, and a District Governor, who was semi hiding at the back of the Shelter Box stall. The final race was a four team event with spectacular finishing times. 4th Place:- Abbots First Responders, - 59.78 Seconds 3rd Place:- Team Spirit, - 58.41 Seconds 2nd Place:- ChaseWater, - 58.00 Seconds 1st Place;- A.J. Sellman, - 55.18 Seconds The winners also just grasping the fastest time of the day. A thoroughly enjoyable day, especially as the weather held out, with lots of sun.
written by steve jordan september 2007
This year instead of attending V in the capacity of festival goers, Bloxwich Phoenix went to man the RIBI Roadshow that was present this year. It is the first time that Rotary has had such a presence over the weekend and the purpose of it was to raise the profile of Rotary International in the public domain. The Roadshow arrives at the venues it is requested to attend in the form of a large display trailer similar in size to the large Police recruitment trailers etc. The trailer is emblazoned with Very large Rotary logos, signs and screen printed posters which combine to form a very impressive display. The display concentrates on the national and international aspects of Rotary International leaving the club hat hires it to provide the local aspect. There was a mix up for the first day regarding the local displays but this was rectified in time for the next day with the use of Steve Antills well renowned desk top publishing skills and a very late night. A3 laminating pockets were obtained and the approximately 20 new posters were laminated on site and then attached to the display while still warm. Lamination proved to be a very necessary requirement as it rained (and thats an understatement) through the entire festival. Back to our involvement in the weekend, a group of us arrived at 9:00 to man the Roadshow only to find that the man who had driven it down from Manchester had been waiting for us since 8:00 to set up, not a good start but it could have been worse as we had been originally told we could attend at 10:00. At the start of the weekend it is fair to say that the Roadshow driver had a slight difference of opinion of what we wanted to achieve with the Roadshow, as it had only previously been used to sign up new members on the spot; we were asked our opinions on how we thought it should be run over the weekend and then he told us how it would be run, however by the end of the weekend I believe he came round to our way of thinking.
We were accosted by the Samaritans who occupied the next pitch, who seemed very disappointed that we didnt appear to want to commit suicide. Samaritans are by definition a very mild mannered but Steve J managed to upset them with his roving reporter style of camerawork. We ventured to the food concessions and managed to find a stand were each pork bap was expertly handcrafted if not expertly cooked. We though it would be a good stand to go to as it seemed very popular judging by the queue, however it later transpired that the queue was solely made up with people waiting to have their orders finished. Whilst we were waiting to have our order completed the owner of the stand came in and removed all the notes from the till, it was either that or a very brazen thief. I cant overestimate the quantity of rain that fell over the festival weekend; needless to say the Pac-a-mac stall did a roaring trade as did the Wellie and dry sock stands. We had to wear two security wristbands that allowed us to have Access all Areas but with the weather and our commitment to the Roadshow we didnt really make full use of these. With the weather as it was, we took advantage, like a Venus flytrap, of the stray attendees who took shelter at our stand. No one could leave without having a leaflet telling them all about Rotary. Steve J on several occasions used the market traders call to entice people to the stand and on one occasion yelled to people that he had free sun cream and when people came up to him hed give them a leaflet insisting that was the sun cream hed been shouting about. One or two Rotarians ventured out of the mist, proving our point that you never know where a suitable person for Rotary is to be found and nowhere should be ruled out. Two Rotarians we met that weekend were from a club we know, that hails from Kent, Eltham Phoenix. (Regular readers of our magazine may well have seen the name before.) As a post script to this article, the wearing of white leather miniskirts and stiletto heels to rain drenched festivals is a no-no, as you dont half look daft when you fall over and get caked in mud.
18th-19th august
manning the RIBIroadshow at the V festival
sunday 10th june
The Rotary Club of Bloxwich Phoenix participated in the annual Rotary Kids Out day, by organizing a trip to Twycross Zoo. We invited the children (with a family representative) from the local Allsorts project in Bloxwich. With a small coach laid on for the trip the children, their family members and the Rotarians (with their own children where suitable) we set off for the zoo. Everyone had already been furnished with a Kids Out T shirt, so we all looked the part. As soon as we began the journey Goody bags for the children were distributed. This went a long way to entertaining the children on the way, that, plus the inevitable excitement of the trip made the journey go by quickly without much incidence. Our arrival at the zoo coincided with, believe it or not, a bikers trip to the zoo. The bikers attending the zoo in force didnt really impact on the day until we came to getting coffee from the coffee shops as it seemed t be the only reason that the bikers were there, hence the long queues.
The children started enjoying looking at the animals straight away and with so much to see, it kept them going until we all met up for the picnic at lunchtime. The excitement on the childrens faces was plain to see and it was obvious that we had made the correct choice in venue. The children could hardly eat their lunches fast enough so that they could get back to the animals. One of the favourites was the Prairie Dogs who were always posing for the children and were almost near enough to touch. There were more types of monkey than you could shake a stick at (not that youd want to shake a stick at a monkey!), including some very large Orang-utans. The good thing about Twycross Zoo is they have a real concern about the habitats of the animals, so at not point did you feel that the animals were bored or neglected, like you can get from other zoos. The day was thoroughly enjoyed by young and old alike and there are already plans afoot to run the day again, possibly with more clubs and therefore more children involved.
kids out day at twycross zoo
much ado about nothing at stafford castle
Having never been to Stafford Castle I for one was looking forward to our trip to see Much Ado About Nothing in the castle grounds. A couple of days before, performances had started late because of the really wet weather, and many cars had got stuck on the parking area. To prevent this recurring, the organisers had arranged alternate parking some distance away, and were using buses to get people to the castle. We got there quite early to avoid any rush, and so we could have a picnic in the grounds beforehand. It was probably a good move; we were able to relax for a while beforehand and enjoy our food on an area of grass close to the castle and the stage area. This wasnt our first choice spot, but apparently the whole performance would have been jeopardised by us sitting where wed originally gone - close to the banks of a stream some 50 yards from the seating area. But, we did as we were told and moved.
saturday 7th july
written by steve antill
Having taken our seats for the play we were told there would be a fifteen minute delay while they got everyone to their seats, so we did do the right thing getting here early - much less stressful, and anyway we were celebrating Troys birthday, so we wanted a good night. The play began, with a young boy playing with aeroplanes. Slightly strange in some ways, since in most other ways the setting and performance was quite traditional. The male lead used to play a Doctor in Coronation Street, and by all accounts was quite dishy. It was strange that being so close to the stage there wasnt an attempt by any ladies overcome with TV related lust to dash forwards. Strange, until you remembered that the seats were designed to fix you in position for the duration of the performance, so probably no-one could move even if theyd wanted to. One of the strange things about watching a play by Shakespeare is how you adjust quite quickly to what at first seems strange language, and after a few minutes everyone is just carried along by the story. Apart from a couple of titters when they hammed up the comely words. Overall an excellent night, giving us plenty to chat about while we waited for the bus!
september 2007
Andrew, Neil, Michael and myself headed for the End of Halesowen Rotaract Ball at the very select Hilton Hotel, near Bromsgrove. We arrived to the black tie evening to be welcomed with free drinks these Rotaractors know how to entertain! We had time to meet up with old Rotaract friends and there were several displays with photographs of past Halesowen Rotaract events. I felt quite saddened that the club had to fold, especially when it was obvious to see the wealth of fun and fellowship that these young people got from this great organisation. However tonight was a night for celebrating their glorious achievements and so we did, big time! The meal was very nice with plenty of loud balloons being let off across the room and the traditional take wines. Claire, Max and Mark from Halesowen Rotaract gave some funny and amusing speeches about past Rotaract events and traditions.Then the party really got started and we were dancing to some really cheesy eighty songs it was great! We even managed to fit in the old Rotaract favourite Tubthumpin by Chumawumba, with all of us bouncing around the dance floor like loons. It was a great evening enjoyed by all. I would personally like to say well done Halesowen for putting on such a good show you really did go out in a blaze of glory!
Yet again our infamous singing group The wandering Warblers or is that The Phoenix Singers well whatever we deem to call ourselves, we were out and about entertaining (yes thats right I said entertaining ). After rehearsing a new listing of songs, this time choosing popular old time Sing-a-long songs especially designed for the over 60s, we donned our Rotary Shirts and made our way to The Lakes retirement home, present were myself and Troy, Stevie A, Helen, Vicki, Dawn, Kathryn, Richard and Andy we ran trough a list of songs including; Knees up mother brown Pack up your troubles (Solo part with Richard) Where did you get that hat (Solos from Vicki, Dawn, Helen, Kathryn) A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square (Solo part with Troy) Chattanooga Choo Choo (All the girls) White Cliffs of Dover Well meet again When Im cleaning windows And many, many more. All of the songs went down well with the residents and their visitors, in fact, the residents enjoyed the show so much we were asked to return a month later with the same songs? Apart from The Lakes we also sang at The Parklands. whilst at The Lakes we were requested to sing for a group from Pelsall, which also went well, I think it would have gone down better had they had time to squeeze a round of Bingo in, oh well. The main thing is, how much we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, actually doing something hands on within the community. The next practice will begin shortly for the Christmas Set, anybody interested in singing please come along to the next practice, we will be happy to see you there.
halesowen rotaracts farewell ball
saturday 23rd june
written by andrea groom
wednesday 6th june
sing-a-long evening at the lakes
written by lisa allen september 2007
kevin and donnas barbecue
We were once again cordially invited to a barbeque at Kev and Donnas house. This year the weather treated us kinder than it had in previous years and the rear patio soon filled with a hungry throng. The children were in force but luckily the size of the garden was enough to absorb them so the adults could have meaning full discussions about the validity of Big Brother as entertainment and who were madder the twins or Brian. Donna, with the help of her family, kept a constant flow of food coming from the kitchen and Kev provided the usual assortment of cooked dead animals which were all once again very tasty. Inside the conservatory Lisa discovered the Chocolate fountain so we lost her for a while and Sean wouldnt sit down for a while in case he was subjected to another impromptu lap dance, once I assured him this would not be happening the relief was plain to see. Andrea and Mickey took the opportunity to plan some more details of their forthcoming Wedding and both Steve A and I were upset that our choices for the song to be used for their first dance didnt seem to be taken seriously; personally I think they are missing a trick by dismissing Star trekkin point blank. Im not saying we had a lot to drink, but as the evening wore on Steve A pointed out the similarity between Kathryn and a 12 Meerkat and to me the likeness was uncanny, Kathryn however, seemed to slightly disagree as when told she spat her drink out like a fire eater does with petrol. Andy developed a taste for blackcurrant pencils, an odd name for them, as they didnt taste of blackcurrant and they didnt look like pencils. Kev and Donna once again did us proud, roll on the next one. written by troy allen
thomass birthday meal - wing wah, fordhouses saturday 21st july
We went to Wing-Wahs for a very enjoyable Chinese meal to celebrate Thomass birthday. A really good selection of food was available, including a chocolate fountain, which you could dip marshmallows into, chocolate heaven! I couldnt help comparing it to The Imperial, which is perhaps my favourite haunt for Chinese meals, and it stood up well in comparison, there was perhaps more choice available, (the Imperial doesnt have a chocolate fountain), although I didnt like the duck pancakes quite as much. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening, there was good conversation all round, and it was topped off with us singing Happy Birthday and Thomas getting an enormous pudding to eat. He did very well to get through most of it, but couldnt quite finish the melon at the bottom. At which point he offered it to me, but unfortunately I was too stuffed to assist. (unusual for me I know!) So all in all, a very relaxing evening, we should go again soon.
saturday 1st september
written by andy higham september 2007
I recently went on holiday with Andrea and Mickey to Afandou, in the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes. I was so excited before I went because I had never been to Greece before. I had my suitcase and passport packed but Andrea said I had to go in her big suitcase because she already had too much to carry. I was a bit unsure but she said it will be okay, honest. I dont trust her. Four hours and a bit later we arrived in Afandou. I couldnt tell because I was still in Andreas suitcase. Apparently there was a mix up over the rooms and we had to wait an hour for the hotel to find us a room with a terrace. I was very hot in the suitcase and I gave a jump for joy when Andrea got me out and placed me on the bed in the lovely air-conditioned room. We changed and immediately headed for the pool. Mickey said he was going to drown me hes such a kidder!
such as Kleftico (lamb) and Stiffado (beef stew). We met a beautiful single lady called Helen, from Southampton, who I think quite fancied me. She was a teacher in a Primary school and she was really nice. Andrea seemed to be enjoying her lager and as the night went on the audience were asked to get up to dance. Andrea and Mickey got up and left me to chat to Helen (suited me!) They danced the traditional Zorbas Dance and asked me and Helen to join in. We tried but I was scared that my arms might be ripped off so I sat down. The evening ended with a man dancing in a circle of flame then smashing lots of plates on the floor, I dont think he liked the food. Another highlight of my holiday was when we hired a car and drove to the lovely medieval town of Lindos. Andrea and Michael walked with me to the top of the Acropolis on the hill. It was a beautiful view from up there but unfortunately the photos didnt turn out to well. I had my photo taken with the Greek waiter who seemed to enjoy having a teddy bear. We returned to Lindos beach in the day time, which I have to say was the best beach on the island. We couldnt go to Rhodes without visiting Faliraki, nightclub territory. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. By day Faliraki is fairly quiet and we looked around all the fantastic designer clothes shops. We went in the sea and Mickey found 30 euros in the water! Our favourite restaurant was The Opera House, it was a rooftop restaurant that had a grand piano playing, not what we expected at all! The nightlife soon livened up though and it was too loud for a young bear, the ground seemed to shake down the street, a good night though. I really enjoyed my two weeks in Afandou. I wont mention everywhere we went but highlights were Kamiros (an ancient settlement), Butterfly Valley and the beautiful Rhodes Town. I would recommend Rhodes to anyone for a perfect Summer holiday.
ashs holiday in greece august 2007

We had a great time by the pool, drinking lots of lovely drinks and listening to some very cheesy eighties music. I was careful to keep out of the sun to avoid sunstroke as it was a whopping 40 degrees. One of the highlights for me was when Andrea and Mickey took me to a Greek night at the hotel. We tried lots of Greek delicacies
written by ash the bear september 2007
As I had reached a certain age I had decided that something should be done to mark the occasion. But as they dont let you go swimming in distillery vats I though I had better do something else. What about a weekend away? Why not! I had planned to take the Friday off, but then cunningly I thought I could go on my visit, leave early and therefore keep a days leave for another time. But the visit was abortive. So I left early anyway! The drive up wasnt too bad. It could have been much worse. The lorry in the next lane to me stopped suddenly. Unfortunately its load of bricks didnt! So if you got held up just past junction 27 of the M1 that day now you know why. The biggest delay was on the A617 approaching Chesterfield town centre. I cursed my luck for having to dodge the road works at rush hour, confident that those who came later would have a clear run. Strangely it was much worse for them. Can anybody explain that? Having found Chesterfield now all I had to do was find the hotel. Bereft of a sat nav I employed the usual Customs trick of driving round in circles at high speed until I saw something I liked the look of and aiming for it. It worked too! I only had to drive round the town twice. I confess I was rather nervous about the hotel, especially as it was opposite Chesterfield Town Football Club. Chesterfield FC is the only away match of Walsall FC that I have been to. And to show you how long ago that was they had wooden stands! Also as I had booked it from a tourist board guide I was rather a shot in the dark. In the event it was one of the nicest Ive stayed in, run by two nice Dutch / Danish people. The first evening Michael and I bravely decided to risk the hotel food. The menu looked very nice, but I have rarely found hotel food to be anything special. This, however, was an honourable exception. Not what I expected at all. This boded well for the weekend. In dribs and drabs the part assembled. All of course bar Andy who had to work. But we had a drink in his memory. Then one for Tray and Lisa. One for Helen and Steve, and Clare and Kevin, and Sean and After breakfast the nice man from the hotel leant me a walking book and so full of optimism we set out. On the way we stopped at a service station to buy some sandwiches. I decided it would be a good idea to get some cash out as I only had five pounds. The ATM ate my card! Bugger! Later I hd to borrow
money off Steve J to buy myself an ice-cream. Amway guided by Steves sat nav we quickly found the car park. It certainly took us the shortest route; I am convinced that for part of it we actually went through some gardens. The car park. It was full! Actually it was HALF full but some people CANT BLOODY PARK. Honestly you could have got a bus in there. Grrr. So we drove to the next car park. It took a little longer that we had anticipated, but it was a nice drive. Really it was. In the end we had to stop and ask for directions and buy a map. Funny but one person in our part had a high opinion of the powers of HMRC staff. He seemed to think that we can get the Ordinace Survey to hand deliver maps to us at a moments notice. Oh how I wish it were so. So to the second car park. Pay and display! But gentle reader I had my National Trust membership card and volunteer card, both of which allowed us to park free, so we duly displayed ten in the car windscreens. Rebecca then duly put up a sunshade in her car and completely hid the card. Oh well. There was a group of girls undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh (lucky Phil I say). I wanted to join them but my friends wouldnt let me. Bar humbug. The walk was fantastic, the views were really impressive, though I confess that it was rather windy at times. I think we were lucky in starting where we did s it meant we could tackle to steep part when we were all fresh. Otherwise we might not have made it. We topped halfway for lunch at the first car park! While we were there an ambulance the a Mountain Rescue vehicle turned it. We found out later that a woman had fallen nearby and broken her ankle. It just goes to show you never know when you will need to call upon them. I have nothing but admiration for these people. After the walk we went to the famous plague village of Eyam. Never heard of it? Well look it up must I tell you everything? Put it like this, it has plaques outside it houses to say who died there. How jolly. Back to the hotel and another excellent dinner. Andrew had arrived this time. Afterwards a drink and some polite civilised conversation. An absolutely no TV. Just ask Andrea. The next day at breakfast I had a shock. What me snore! Surely not. Then back home via Bolsover Castle. A ruin in places. I know how it feels. I rather begrudged paying to get in, well it is English Heritage not the National Trust. And an audio guided tour. With the Trust you get real guides. And better cake. But still very impressive. And so, eventually home. All in all it had been wonderful weekend. Only ten years to plan the next. written by neil bennett
september 2007
14th-16th september
neils birthday weekend
Disturbia was, we though, the best choice from a relatively uninspiring collection of films on offer at our local Cineworld complex this week. Six of us decided to watch it anyway, with the trailers suggesting it would be a thriller along the lines of Hitchcocks Rear Window. The film begins with Kale (the main male lead) and his father driving home from a fishing trip, only to be involved in a serious accident in which the father dies. Cut forward a year, and Kale is seen thumping his teacher after an inadvertent crack about his father. So, we now have a reason for the tag and the house arrest. And, as films go, it was reasonably plausible. Kyle, after a slow start, begins to fill his time watching what happens in the area, and thats how he sees his neighbour Robert Turne returning home with a car matching the description of one used in the abduction of a local girl. In the meantime, he gets his best friend Ronnie and newly moved in neighbour Ashley involved. They find lots of evidence, mostly circumstantial (so you dont wonder quite why they didnt just go straight to the police). Its pretty suspenseful for around two thirds of the duration of the movie, but the final third descended slightly into something of a typical horror slashfest, though at least, and credit is deserved here, the baddie died when he died, rather than getting back up and trying again. All in all, a perfectly passable movie, but, take note Cineworld, when I get scratch cards with prizes with my nachos, I would prefer to win more than a diet coke.
cineima night: disturbia
card making at the youth club

After a break for the summer holidays we resumed our monthly youth club nights with a card-making night. Helen started by getting everyone to make a card from a relatively simple card kit (there were some with teddy bears and some with animals). They looked good! After that, we explained what equipment wed got with us, showing how to use it where we needed to, before letting everyone get on with it and make what they wanted, offering a little help here and there if it was needed. Many of the cards that were made on the night are going to be sold to help fund the girls applications to go to Rwanda.
wednesday 19th september
friday 21st september
september 2007
Last year through a slight miscommunication we had arrived around two hours early for this event, so this year we made sure to leave it a little bit later! We were still first there though, which would have been fine, except that it was Lisas birthday today, and shed not yet had a cup of tea. No problem, we thought, for there is a drinks machine inside the reception. Problem number one was the venue didnt open until 9am, and we were there about half an hour before that. But, the gods were smiling upon us, and as the staff arrived they said we were welcome to go inside. Phew. Little did we know that problem number two was still around the corner. Literally. The drinks machine. It was out of order. So no tea for Lisa. It wasnt a pretty sight. Fortunately, we didnt find out until later that the only problem was a lack of paper cups, because I suspect it wouldve turned nasty had Lisa realised that. For our second year at the Disabled Fun Day we had decided to arrange our own event. Last year wed helped man a tennis event, which had been good, but we thought it would be good to add another to the list of choices of offer and do our own thing. And so, wed decided upon an obstacle course. When the rest of our crowd arrived, and David Beckwith (the District Organiser of the event) had directed us to a convenient patch of grass on which to set up the course, we collected all our equipment together and decided how we could best utilise it for the event. After some discussion, we ended a course which involved dropping a foam ball into a cardboard box, before putting a rubber hoop on your head for a short walk to another box where it then had to be dropped. From here, there was an egg and spoon part to another stage, where, having dropped the egg and spoon on a mat, you had to pass two hulahoops over your body. Once there had been dealt with, there were four bean bags to be thrown into another box,
and then it was a sprint to the finish, under a big assault course style net. We were going to hold the net so they didnt struggle with it though. We had slightly different riles for wheelchair users, and we had been provided with sets of medals for both, so after the final lining up of all the equipment, which wed laid out so that two people could race head-tohead, we were ready to go. Our first competitor was Vernon, who set what we all thought was a pretty good time of 51.82 seconds. But, just three competitors later David (not Beckwith) managed 50.03. Mr Beckwith did have a go, but we arent a liberty to tell you his time! Vernon wasnt going to stand for being beaten, so he came back for another go, and managed a superb time of just 37.06, surely a winning time! Well, it seemed like it for much of the morning as competitors came and went, but the time remained elusive to all. And then, along came Kathy, who was magnificent for a first attempt managing a time of 36.49. A friend of hers beat her on the very next go, Neil managing 34.78, and Curtis, Shane, and then Vernon (whod heard hed been beaten) each took a bit more time off the best to leave Vernon once again looking good with a time of 28.41 seconds. This set the scene for much of the rest of the day, but Vernons best time, which ended up being just 20.78 seconds wasnt quite enough to take the gold. That honour went to Shane, who broke the elusive 20 second barrier with his winning time of 19.47 DG Peter was on hand to hand out the medals which we awarded to Shane, Vernon and Ben, with the gold for wheelchair users going to another Ben. The best girls were Laura and Patricia, and they were awarded silver and bronze medals for their efforts. Thanks to everyone who came along for what turned out to be a great morning, and one which I think we all enjoyed. And, I should mention, Lisa di, about halfway though the morning, finally get that required cup of birthday tea!
Sunday 9th september
disabled fun day
written by steve antill september 2007
This was my second year acting as a RYLA mentor, and, after last year, Id been looking forward to it immensely. The week I was going on was the second of two RYLA weeks within our District for 2007, a first for us. The previous week, on which our candidate would have gone had she not been hospitalised just before it started, was of the same format as in previous years. This week though, was a new format. Wed been unable to get Kibblestone and Waveriders for this second week, so we were using a new venue and new professionals. We all met on the car-park at Homebase in Newcastle before driving to High Ash Farm. The venue is in the southern Peak District, on the Staffordshire Moorlands, and if the weather was nice, thered be great views!
Sadly, it wasnt too great, with a bit of rain around, but still a big improvement on some of the weather wed had lately. The first afternoon was spent doing exercises designed to get them all to know each other a bit, before we split them into their three groups for the week. The first full day was a day of short exercises which each team did in turn. There were three in the morning session, and three in the afternoon. These went down well, but for those of us used to the usual RYLA it all seemed a little, well, light. A lot of standing around and time to do little other than chat. But, it seemed to go down well., and you could already see some of the strengths and weaknesses of the team members coming to the fore.
rotary youth leadership awards
22nd-27th july
After each day, the mentors have a feedback session with the team, and we try to pick out ways they think they can improve, and to highlight amongst the team what they each need to work on, or help with. The next three days saw each team cycle through each of three days. For my team, the first day was a kind of treasure hunt which involved some clues which needed to be solved before a route could be driven in a van to collect photographs of various landmarks and attractions. This seemed like quite a good exercise, but, as those of you Ive spoken with already will know, it really was a bit too much time in the van, and a bit too easy. The leaders of the course were, I think, more used to dealing with younger groups where self-esteem issues needed to be considered, and as such were a bit too easy on the groups. My group really didnt enjoy the day, and part of the reason for that, I think, was the amount of time taken in the van, and the ease of the task, with instructions amended when they complained! This was something of a theme, and if we were to work with the same people again, it is something wed need to consider carefully beforehand to make sure we didnt have the problems it gave us thus year. Day two for my group was what we call Murder Hunt. The leader of this, Clive, always does this day
september 2007
At our usual RYLA, so we knew what to expect here. I think it was, as always, quite a mentally tough day for all those concerned, which is in large parts a mark of how good Clive is at this, and it will be a sad day for RYLA if and when he is no longer able to do the course for us. Our third day of the round-robin exercises was a Business Day; this was a new one for RYLA, and from the feedback we received, was quite popular with a number of the candidates. The team had to design a promotion for a new mobile phone, which they would then present to the board at the audley Theatre on the last day (tomorrow). The remainder of the theatre would be taken up with electronic music, dance and drumming. Each group had had two hours on each exercise before deciding which one to work with for the final show. This again proved to be quite popular I think, and gave an interesting dimension to the days. The final day was spent, after cleaning and packing, with a morning on bell-boats on a lake. Sadly there was no room for the mentors so we had to drink coffee and watch. After that, we drove to the Audley Theatre, where the groups rehearsed their final shows. Despite the late afternoon slot, there were still quite a few people present to watch, and it was overall a pretty good effort. Feedback from the week was really quite good for a first try at a new format, but it was a lot of work. The extra free time available to the groups, and the lack of physical stress, meant they were much more of a handful than usual! At a subsequent meeting we have decided if possible to do two weeks of the usual format, but it was definitely worth being on this week, and I think we all learned a lot which may well prove to be useful at some time in the future of RYLA, even if not next year. I;m hoping to be involved again in 2008, and would recommend it to anyone who can spare the week off work. Its hard work, tiring, mentally challenging, and at times very frustrating, but its also one of the best things Ive ever done in Rotary.
Troy and I arrived at Strykers in Bushbury and awaited the arrival on the rest of the bowling team (bowling team consisted of; Dawn, Rich, Kathryn, Thomas, Lisa, Troy and Andy). We kicked off on the first round and Im proud to say I did rather well, in fact if memory serves me well I think I actually dominated that round to the extent of making my fellow bowlers cry (well thats what I saw through my rose tinted glasses). The second round although I played amazingly well, I did lose out to a worthy component, Richard, he bowled like a trouper even though some foreigners in the next lane deigned to use Richards private ball. The foreigners dared to rub their filthy hands on his ball, Richard was so traumatised that he had to snatch his ball back and give it a good rub before he could even contemplate rolling it again! The third game commenced it was fiery and fast, we were tired and aching but we carried on, only the mild jesting at Andy spurred us on. The competition now stepped up a notch with Troy in the pegging to win, we tried hard to fight the onslaught but victory evaded us and in the end Troy pulled through for the last victory of the night. Personally I had a brilliant time we had a laugh and lots of healthy competitive banter, whilst of course refining our bowling skills. Whens the next one?
monday 6th august
ten-pin bowling evening
written by lisa allen september 2007

Issue 019

Încărcat de

Informații document

Descriere originală:

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Issue 019

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

september 2007: issue 19

the presidential prattle

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 2

club visits since the last issue

this issues contents

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 3

september 2007: issue 19

saturday 4th august

written by troy allen september 2007

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 4

collecting tents from the V festival

rotaracts banbury camping rally

monday 20th august

written by troy allen

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 5

Friday 24th August 2008 9.00pm (Party time)

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 6

Saturday 25th August 2007 3.00am (yes thats AM)

Saturday 25th August 7.00am (Rudely awoken by mobile alarm)

Saturday 25th August 2007 8.30am (breakfast)

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 8

Saturday 25th August 2007 - 10.00pm

Saturday 25th August 2007 6.00pm

Sunday 26th August 2007 - 8.30am

Sunday 26th August 2007 6.00pm

Sunday 26th August 2007 2.00pm

rotaracts banbury camping rally: confessions of a banbury virgin 24th-27th august

Monday 27th August 2007 Early

written by lisa allen a rotary sunday exclusive: page 11

written by stevebennett written by neil jordan september 2007

the simpsons movie

thursday 2nd august

forthcoming events forthcoming events

green park school quiz

beetle drive home-hosted music night

gse farewell dinner

halloween ghost walk

foundation auction dinner

ribi president visits district

see the diary online

cannock rotarys dragon boat racing

sunday 12th august

written by steve jordan september 2007

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 16

manning the RIBIroadshow at the V festival

written by troy allen september 2007

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 17

sunday 10th june

kids out day at twycross zoo

written by troy allen september 2007

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 18

much ado about nothing at stafford castle

saturday 7th july

written by steve antill

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 19

halesowen rotaracts farewell ball

saturday 23rd june

written by andrea groom

wednesday 6th june

sing-a-long evening at the lakes

written by lisa allen september 2007

a rotary sunday exclusive: page 20

kevin and donnas barbecue