Generous Fifers are supporting Rotary's worldwide drive to eliminate polio.

Current publicity and collection points and senior school fund raisers now guarantee a four figure sum bring raised locally according to initial feed back at the weekly meeting on Tuesday.

More local ventures in prospect were also outlined to Club members when Joe Noble and Stewart McPhail from McDonald Estates gave a presentation on the Invertiel Regeneration Project. Recently reported and highllghted in The Fife Free Press, the prospect of retail, commercial and residential elements being realised in and around the former B&Q site where other unused, unsightly properies lie; it all prompted pertinent questions from their audience.

Rotarian John Kilgour proposed a deserved vote of thanks

In midst of quietly celebrating both the foundation of Rotary International in 1905 and The Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy in 1921, the weekly meeting addressed current projects that continue the movement's orginal aim of giving 'service above self'. 

The cutting of a birthday cake by longest serving member Tom Christie and newest serving member Keith O'Donnell went hand in hand with news of publicity and fund raising drives in local supermarkets and among local secondary pupils in support of Rotary's worldwide drive to eliminate polio.

Rotarian Alan Suttie has provided a detailed report on his recent trip to Tanzania and his visits to the various projects that the club is involved with. His report can be read here.

This short video from Time Magazine shows what ShelterBox is doing in Haiti.

40 Rotarians and guests enjoyed Fellowship Dinner at the Adam Smith College on Wednesday eevening.

The 2nd year students on duty produced an excellent meal and were congratulated by President Ann at the end of the eveing.

Jim Dumbreck is to be congratulated for, once again, organising an event where good food and good company were enjoyed by all who attended.

There was a definite international aspect to the weekly meeting with the welcome presence of four fine young international students from Kirkcaldy's Adam Smith College.

Adam Smith International Director Dr David Astill and International Co-ordinator Lesley Thomson accompanied Lisa Hammer and Sandra Hufnagel (bi-language secretarial studies in English and Spanish) from Germany, Josephine Banda (administration and information technology management) from Malawi, and Virvardhan Bansal (engineering systems) from India.

Dr Astill gave succinct account of successful college links between Scotland and Malawi; and in interview with Lesley Thomson ,all four students spoke warmly and well of their stay in Scotland.

The warmth of a Scottish welcome experienced by all four students more than made up for the coldest winter weather of recent years. Here were four young visitors to our shores whose various good skills and qualifications would benefit any employer, be it in Fife or worldwide. Senior Vice President John Ferris gave the vote of thanks.

If you would like to learn more about International Studies at Adam Smith College click the following link.

President Anne welcomed 31 members and 3 guests to Tuesday's meeting. 

She reported that 9 Ingolstadt Rotarians had indicated they would be visiting us in June,

In addition to the 4 Shelterboxes funded by the Club for Haiti (some Rotary Shelterboxes had already been seen in use in TV reports from the country)  another generous donation had been received to allow a further  box to be supplied.

Guest speaker Charles Stewart updated the Club on his exciting Heli 2 Africa project. After much refining of plans all is now in place for a flight by autogyro, starting in Cape Town and ending in Nairobi, taking 50 days and covering 700 miles and 8 countries.  This will take place in July and August and the overnight stops have been selected using Charles' knowledge both as a pilot and wildlife tour operator in Africa.

In addition to Rotary Charles hopes that the African Outreach charity will benefit from this trip and he showed pictures of the conditions in which many aids orphans live and which the charity and motivated individuals try to alleviate, notably by providing clean water and also the school uniforms, without which no child can go to school.  

Rod Scott gave the vote of thanks.  

The International theme continues next week on Rotary International Day when the speaker will be David Astle from The Adam Smith College, accompanied by some of the overseas students.

Club President Ann Mitchell announced that the club had purchased four more emergency Shelter Boxes  now bound for earthquake relief in Haiti. They were additional to similar boxes in, and en route to that stricken country. 

Rotarians at the weekly meeting also had heartening update of other major works in Nepal funded by the club in concert with other Rotary clubs. Fresh water, and latrine provision,for homes and schools in remote Nepalese regions continues. 

Do you know this Elephant?

He was recently found in the club lecturn and is believed to have some significance to Rotary in Fife but we're not sure what.

He's about 6.5 cm tall (2.5") and has lost his left tusk.

Can You help?

If you can shed light on who this little fellow is or what his story is please let us know by emailing elephant@kirkcaldyrotary.org

Finding out would make President Ann very exited!

The first ShelterBoxes have arrived in Port au Prince and hundreds more are due to arrive later today.

The ShelterBox Response Team of David Eby (US), Wayne Robinson (US) and Mark Pearson (UK), who have been in Haitis capital since Thursday, took delivery of the first ShelterBoxes at Port au Prince airport yesterday.

The team say twelve of these boxes will be used to build an emergency field hospital at the airport.

We are helping build a field hospital with these tents at the airport, said Mark Pearson. These are desperate conditions, amputations are happening every half hour. Theres an urgent need for tents at hospitals and this is our first priority.

ShelterBox Head of Operations John Leach said: The safety of our staff in Haiti is of paramount importance.

We are working with the agencies on the ground to ensure that ShelterBoxes are not only distributed speedily and efficiently, but that our team on the ground is able to work in a safe environment.

Hundreds more boxes are due to arrive into Port au Prince later today from Miami on a chartered aircraft. Thousands more ShelterBoxes are being packed and shipped from ShelterBox HQ in the UK.

ShelterBox Founder and CEO Tom Henderson said: The devastation in Haiti has moved everyone here. We now have our boxes on the ground and its a privilege to help. The scale of devastation is huge.

By the sheer grit and determination of our staff and volunteers we have been able to respond in record time. Our thanks go to the teams of volunteers, as well as to our donors, who have allowed us to do this.

ShelterBox relies entirely on public donations and peoples generosity. We receive no institutional funding and no DEC money. Id urge, if you can, to help us.

The weekly meeting focussed in on practical and pressing matters at home and abroad.

On the homefront, Past President Dave MacLauchlan presented two cheques, each for £1000 to representatives from The Maggies Centre at The Victoria Hospital, and also from Rachel House, the CHAS centre at Kinross.

Mhairi MacCallum from Maggies reported on 8000 plus visits to Maggies Kirkcaldy in 2009; and gave an overview of this valued support facility.

Likewise, Catherine McKinlay outlined ongoing work at CHAS Kinross, and CHAS Balloch. She also described support efforts for young men with muscular dystrophy who now feel they are 'too old' to be at a CHAS facility.

Looking beyond Kirkcaldy and Fife, Rotarian Rod Scott informed members that two emergency shelter boxes had been donated by the club; adding to more than 3000 similar boxes en route from  Rotary International to earthquake stricken Haiti.

Past President Allan Bertram was interviewed by Rotarian Iain Gow and regaled us all with stories of his early days in Dundee and Angus as a young architect.

Rotarian Alan Suttie became the clubs latest Paul Harris Fellow when he was honoured by the club at our Christmas meeting.

Alan was honoured by the club in recognition of his ongoing work on behalf of the blind and visually impaired in Tanzania.

Details of Alan's work in Tanzania can be found in our International pages.

District 1010 Foundation Chair Stephen Chorley gave a very informative talk on Rotary Foundation at the club meeting on 17th November.

If you can not view Stephen's presentation above please click the following link.