Club Service

There is no doubt that this is one of the coldest winters for many a year. Tough for Farnborough Rotary Club too.

The snow which has been with us since the 3rd week of December, has meant that our club has had to cancel our usual Christmas street collections and we’ve had to cancel or regular weekly meeting last week.

As we start this new week, we’re still not sure if our meeting scheduled for this coming Thursday lunch, will go ahead.

Its a timely reminder that as a club we do have a responsibility to look after our other members, especially those who may live in rural areas and indeed maybe frail.

Talking of which, one of our members,  I thought I would mention Tom who has been with the club for 28 years. A proud Welshman who unfortunately suffered a bereavement last year with the loss of his wife Ann. They had been married for a very long time.

I phoned him the other day to see how he was getting on as he lives on Yateley common, right at the end of a track and with the snow being as heavy as it has been over the last few weeks, I knew it would be difficult for him to get about.

He was as chirpy as ever, said he had “plenty of grub”, (he’s very down to earth) and that the neighbours had been round regularly and that he was OK. Typical Tom.

I sent out an email to our members to ask if anyone who had a 4X4 could visit Tom and maybe pick him up for this weeks meeting. A number of people responded and if the meeting goes ahead Tom  will get there.

But I was particularly impressed with others, who do not have a 4X4 but felt they could pick him up anyway, although I would not recommend it, as the track is quite thick with snow.

Following my email that I sent out yesterday, one of our other members, I wont  mention his name for fear of embarrassing him (KH), who lives in Yateley, took the bull by the horns and went to see Tom and check if he was Ok. (He hasn’t got a 4X4 and had to leave his car half way down the track)

He was, they spent some time together, shared a whisky and KH left knowing that Tom was indeed OK. Now that is what I call true Rotary spirit.

No doubt Tom has received many phone calls over the Christmas period asking if he needed anything and it is a timely reminder to all of us to look after our elderly neighbours, family and friends

Fellowship, one of the foundations of Rotary.

11 members of Farnborough Rotary Club and two guests enjoyed a great day out yesterday.

The weather was glorious when our first player, Rotarian Dave Thomas, stepped up to the first tee at just after 9am.

The weather remained fantastic and the course was in reasonable condition.

Now I play off 28 and there was the usual heckling about being a bandit, which may have been true considering some of my very lucky shots. Especially when you learn that I came in joint 2nd but on a countback of my points (of just 29) I was relegated to third.

Some of our players, play with good handicaps 12s 16s and 18s, so I don’t know how I did it but Hey Ho!

But the game was played in great spirit, the banter, which for me makes up part of the game was excellent, especially when one of my playing partners Geoff Robinshaw told us jokes and anecdotes all the way round the course.

The game is organised twice a year spring and autumn and on this occasion it was organised by Brian Fagg.

The winner was Laurie Dudley, who left before the presentation so is not featured in the photographs below, but as he won, he will organise the autumn event. Also not show in the photograph because he’d left early Andrew Clarke

After the game we headed back to the CourtHouse pub for a beer and a delicious lunch .

Farnborough Rotary club is out of the annual district badminton competition.

Sean Usher and Jim Thomson from Farnborough played John Dumbrell and Karen Sutton from the Shepperton Aurora club.

Shepperton Aurora beat Farnborough A 2-0 (21-19, 21-15).

Two other Farnborough members Tim Dunkley and Gil Puxley lost to Rushmoor Rotary Club

“It was a great game,  I was a last minute replacement and only started playing last week, but I intend to take it up now and play more regularly. But Jim played really well, covering up for me on more than one occasion.

Karen and John had only played together once before but you could see that they have both played quite a bit and they both played really well”.

This was just another example of the rotary clubs getting together for some fun and sport.

If you want to get involved with Rotary,  contact Farnborough Rotary club’s secretary John Anderson. We would love you to come along to one of our lunches or events. John’s Email

By the way, apart from organising the event, local rotary clubs are having a stall at the annual Donkey Derby event at the King George V Playing fields on Bank Holiday Monday 25th May. Why not come along and have a chat to members of our local rotary clubs.

You never know, you might just want to get involved.