The Westerner for February 8, 2010
Meeting: chair, Ben Doz; music, Bert; grace, Jim Spalding
Guests: Miao Tsai, Ottawa; Marley Doz; Bryce Classen
No Noon Meetings: February 15, Family Day; February 22, Rotary Day
Rotary Day: see Ben Doz for tickets, $49, function @ Sawmill Banquet Centre, 6:00 pm cocktails, 7:00 pm dinner; talk by Dr. Robert Scott, chair for PolioPlus for Rotary International
Hockey Pool Winners: congratulations to Laurie and Wayne
Belize: Duane has returned. He confirmed Chris' report that there are many development opportunities for our club in Placencia and invited interested Rotarians to call either Chris or Duane to help develop a suitable project
George Grover Scholarships: one of the current winners wrote a thankyou letter - Peter McPherson, second year medical student, interested in medicine for children - the three winners talk to the club in our next meeting, March 1
50/50: Al Sanderson and Lorne did not match cards, $133 carried over to March
Finemaster: Bruce quizzed the entire club; if you personally did not know the answer to the Olympic related questions, you paid a fine - how many rings (5); colours of rings (black, blue, red, yellow, green); where was last winter Olympics (Italy, 2006); where is next winter Olympics (Russia, 2014)
Avenue of Nations Club Meetings - Starting March 2nd, the meetings will be on Tuesdays from 12:00 Noon to 1:15 pm at the Petroleum Club. Cost will be $25 for three course meal with salad, hot dish, dessert and coffee. If you need a make-up, this will be a good opportunity.
Guest Speaker: Lorne was introduced by Ben Doz. The 2 of them plus Marley were the only Rotarians among the 12 people that attended the latest eye health care trip to Guatemala. The program was mainly centered on slides of the event. Some comments included: face mask and machete purchased in Antiqua market; the event provided free eye care, glasses, prescriptions and surgeries to the very poor people in the mountains of Guatemala 2 days travel beyond the usual clinic area of Huehuetenango; 466 exams and 26 sugeries were performed; Al Sanderson left a jacket in a river submerged truck several years ago - the truck and jacket were salvaged - the jacket was worn by various people but was well laundered - Al got the shredded remnants as a memento; the group spent 6 hours on the way down and 5-1/2 hours on the way home in Mexico City airport; highway was good from airport to Huehuetenango (5-1/2 hours of travel); Rotary Club of Huehuetenango supplied Juan Francisco as main driver and translator plus Dr. Carlos Solarzano (as usuaual) as main planner and expeditor; weather was cold for Guatemalan norms - only 6-8 degrees Centigrade @ 10,000 plus feet in altitude; travel from Huehuetenango was on much poorer roads which were further deteriorated by a large amount of rain; the team changed to 4x4 transport at Barrillas; the eventual clinic was several days travel past Huehuetenango @ Nueva Eden - a beautiful clinic built by Rotary Club of Squamish, British Columbia - included a generator which could provide power for outlying needs as well as the clinic; the clinic is located in a central area with access to it by the residents of 18 Guatemalan villages; a major change to this year's event was that the surgeons joined the exam group and travelled to this clinic (prior years they stayed in Huehuetenango and patients were brought to them from other locations); Dr. Carlos does all the local bookings for the group as far as provision of supplies and services, vehicles and advertising that the group is available to provide free eye care. Lorne was awakened at 4:30 am by the arrival of the first patients, especially one morning when a very young girl was staring through his window.
Ben Doz thanked Lorne for his moving presentation (the pictures were not that gory).