It seemed that we weren’t back from Lisbon very long
when it was time to attend the District
Governor handover event. Unusual for this year, it was being combined with the
RIBI President’s handover. This is because the new President of RIBI, Nan
McCreadie is a member of Feltham Rotary club, which is within our District,
1140. So she was handed the RIBI presidential chain of office by the outgoing
President, John Minhinick. Following this Mike Thorn handed over the District
1140 chain of office to the new District
Governor, Ron Daniels.
The ceremony was held at The Stoop, home ground of
Harlequins rugby team, where coincidentally, Ron Daniels is a season ticket
holder. I was delighted to attend this venue, as I have been a follower of
Harlequins for many years, as they are the nearest Premiership team to where I
live. This wasn’t always the case, because for most of my life London Irish
were nearest, as their home ground was at The Avenue in Sunbury. However, a few
years ago they moved their home ground to the Madejski Stadium in Reading.
Consequently I switched my allegiance to Harlequins. I have always liked their
kit, and for several years I have worn the ‘Retro’ (i.e. without advertising
logos) shirt with pride. To be honest I’ve never actually seen them play, but
then most Manchester United fans have never seen their team play, so I’m not
alone. I came close once, a couple of seasons ago, when Ron invited me to join
him in his Executive Box, but I was otherwise engaged, so the opportunity
passed.
The Stoop
Anyway, getting back to the point, we arrived on a pleasant
summer’s day, after an easy journey (It’s only 15 minutes from us). I was immediately struck by how far some of
the guests had travelled to be present at this event. Jim Moulson, former RIBI President, who the
DGN and I have got to know, travelled from Scotland (I’m presuming this, as he is
a Scot), and others had come from all over the country. There was a good turnout from the District
Team, so we had a pleasant evening.
The new DGE (with ribbon) and Helena Daniels, consort to this year's DG
There was musical entertainment from a band who, on paper at least, sounded
good. They had produced a small booklet
with the words to songs they would be singing, to encourage us to sing along. I
was impressed. Some of my all time favourite songs were included, such as Proud
Mary, American Pie and Delilah, and I was looking forward to belting out these
numbers as the band got into their stride. Unfortunately it didn’t really turn
out like that. The band had a very subdued style, more suited for background music, and worse
still, they managed to make each song sound like the one before. Upon reading their biography in the programme
it said they often had gigs in old people’s rest homes. I know that not all Rotarians are spring
chickens, but I suspect the band
misjudged its audience somewhat. However, the music was happily not an obstacle to Vivian doing some networking.
The band entertain us
So, unable to join in a rowdy sing-song, I turned my
attention to the food, which was a barbecue, served outside, alongside the
rugby pitch. There was no disappointment here, as huge joints of pork, beef and
lamb were served up, with salads and potatoes. There was more than enough for
everyone, and I must admit I went back for seconds. Even so, there was a lot
left over at the end of the evening, and we took a large joint of cooked pork
home with us, which went straight into the freezer, and was enjoyed some weeks
later, for Sunday lunch.
And more networking
The formal part of the evening didn’t take very long. John
Minhinick, with a minimum of fuss handed over his chain to Nan McCreadie
(incidentally the first woman President of RIBI), and then Mike Thorn handed
over to Ron Daniels. I was also promoted at this event, as I moved from being
Consort to the DGN to Consort to the
DGE. Nobody told me what the’E’
stood for, but I like to think it means ‘Extraordinaire’. Vivian also stepped
up at this event, and actually received a chain of office (well, more of a
ribbon, actually) but to my surprise there was no bling for the Consort. I made
my views on this injustice perfectly clear to anyone within earshot, although
on reflection it was probably just an oversight, which will be corrected later.
Buoyed up by this thought, I decided not to take my complaint any further.
So, just 12 months to go before I take up my post of Consort
to the District Governor. What a treat it will be for the District. I spent
some time at The Stoop telling people about my plans to develop the role of
Consort to the DGE, as it wasn’t too difficult to be heard over the music, but
didn’t really have much time. Just my luck that everyone I started to talk to
on this subject was just about to go home. It wasn’t long before we also
headed for home, with a joint of pork under my arm, having administered a peck
on the cheek of the new President of RIBI.
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