Sunday 12th April. This is the last day of the Conference,
which is due to finish at 1.30 p.m. We
were all packed up with suitcases and other sundry bags of shopping safely
loaded into the car (in the rain) before breakfast. We shared a table for
breakfast with Tim and Linda Cowling, and I made an error which may have
far-reaching effects. Tim Cowling and
the DG were discussing the DG’s role next year as Chair of Rotaract. During the
conversation Tim described a scheme his District (1090) were looking at,
whereby ILM (Institute of Leadership & Management) qualifications based on
voluntary work, could be offered to Rotaractors or possibly older Interactors.
It was a scheme first discussed with the motivational entrepreneur Seema Sharma, who was very supportive of the
idea. The scheme has languished for a year or so, but Tim now wishes to revive
it and pilot the project in his District.
Seema Sharma
In an attempt to show off my consummate knowledge of Further
Education after working for 5 years at Brooklands College, I started asking
questions about what Level the qualification would be pitched at, i.e Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE) level 3 (A
level) or Level 4 or 5 (Diploma). Tim
was so impressed with my apparent knowledge of the subject that he invited me
onto the steering committee for this project. I cursed myself for not keeping
quiet. Tim’s District includes Oxfordshire, so travelling to meetings would
take all day, and I had already passed on the sum total of my knowledge about
these qualifications, so I had no further value to add. As I tried to wriggle
out of this situation, the DG was rather unhelpful in declaring that it was a
great idea that I should join Tim’s sub-committee. I was thus
out-manoeuvred and gave in gracefully,
agreeing to attend a meeting at Paddington Station in May to discuss
accreditation of the qualification.
Brooklands College
The final plenary session got under way with RI President
Gary Huang speaking first, as he had to catch a flight to USA later today. He
was clearly struggling with a cold, and I felt for him. He spends much of his
time flying around the world, and I know from my own experience that aircraft
can be unhealthy places. Between sniffles he reflected on the Conference which
he said he had enjoyed very much. He did, however admit to being unable to
understand 60% of the Irish comedian’s jokes a couple of days earlier, and just
smiled broadly to try and give the impression he understood. He reiterated that
one of the highlights of the weekend for him was meeting that young girl of 8
who had raised over £70,000 for Charity and consequently was a winner of the Rotary Young Citizen Award. He
told us that he had personally invited her to the Rotary International
Convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil in June.
Sao Paulo
Another highlight of the morning for me was a presentation
from Mark Little, a Rotarian from Norwich, who spoke passionately about a group
he has formed, the Action Group of Rotarians against Child Slavery. In 2005 he
launched a determined campaign to get the abolition of Childhood slavery
recognised as an approved activity by Rotary International. He has travelled to
Third World countries all over the world to set up International projects, and
has visited child slave rehabilitation and trafficking shelters in India,
Thailand and Nepal. His sobering message is that child slavery occurs in
countries all across the world, including so-called civilised societies like
our own.
A little later we heard from one of the last speakers of the
day, Clive Knowles, a Rotarian from the Midlands, who created a large
metalworking company in Shropshire. His business, the British Ironwork Centre
is engaged in an ambitious project to remove 100,000 knives from British
streets. These are being collected by
Local Authorities and Police Forces throughout the country and sent to the
Ironwork Centre, where an enormous statue is under construction, created from
these knives. What an amazing community project.
Clive Knowles' stand
The DG and I left the Conference a little before the end, as
she wanted to say her farewells to the Rotaract team at their stand. On the
concourse of the Hotel, we met the President of Belfast Rotary Club, Ronnie
McLean. His club is 104 years old, the second oldest Rotary club in RIBI (the
oldest being Dublin, which is older by a few months). Ronnie’s chain of office
looked very heavy, carrying the metal badges of all his predecessors. Unusually
for the DG, she didn’t want to hang around, and by 1.30 we were in the car
heading North, as we were booked into the Roe Park Hotel in Limavady, near the
North Antrim Coast and the Giants Causeway.
DG with Ronnie Mclean, President of Belfast Rotary Club
Within 10 minutes we were out of the city and enjoying some
countryside for the first time in days. To get into the mood we changed our Sat
Nav voice to an Irish one, Sean , who would be our guide for the rest of the
trip. The direct route would have brought us to our hotel in an hour and a
half, but we decided to spend a little longer and take the scenic route, via
the Causeway Coastal Route. We reached the coast at Cushendall and followed it
Northwards from there. The weather was thankfully fine, with good visibility,
so we were able to see the magnificent coastal scenery at its best. I was kind of surprised to have a clear view
of the Scotland coast for much of the time, which I presumed to be the Mull of
Kintyre.
Rathlin Island
At Ballycastle, a seaside town where a ferry can be taken
across to Rathlin Island, about 2 miles offshore, we stopped for a coffee and
cake, which we took to a nearby viewpoint overlooking the island. A few miles
further along the road, we stopped at another viewpoint which overlooked the
famous Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. It was a long way below us, but we could
clearly see people crossing the bridge. We decided that the rope bridge would
present too much of a challenge to us, and decided to move on. On the way to
our hotel we passed close to the Giants Causeway, but thought we should save
that visit for tomorrow.
Looking down to Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge
I’m afraid Sean didn’t cover himself in glory finding our
hotel. Having keyed in the correct co-ordinates, we were taken to the edge of a
small town called Ballykelly and told we had arrived at our destination.
Fortunately the DG had her I-pad with 3G dongle attached, and a search of the
Hotel’s website uncovered a different Post Code. Using this one, Sean led us
faultlessly to the Roe Park Hotel, situated in a beautiful natural area, and
surrounded by its own golf course. What
a shame I hadn’t brought my golf clubs, although I’m not sure how I could have
fitted them into the car. The Hotel was great and we had a superb suite, with
comfortable sitting room as well as a four-poster bed. A suitable location for
the DG to celebrate her birthday indeed.
View from our room
After a pleasant meal in the Hotel Restaurant, I thought I
would take advantage of the free WiFi available in the Hotel (unlike the Hilton
in Belfast which wanted £15 a day) and catch up with some e-mails on my laptop.
I never take the laptop with me as a rule, but on this occasion there were a
few things I wanted to keep up to date with. When we got back to our room I
asked the DG which bag was my laptop in. ‘It isn’t in any of them’ came the
reply. It then dawned on her that because it wouldn’t fit in the safe in our
room at the Hilton, she had hidden it behind a curtain. And that was probably
where it still was! We would have to go back in the morning. That’ll teach me
to take the laptop away with me.
View from our other window
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