5th July 2009 District 1150 Handover

At the Glyn Clydach Hotel in Neath on the 5th July the official District Handover took place. It was mostly a fine day with some showers but this did not spoil the event. We arrived early to have lunch quietly with other members of the Rotary Club of Newport, and then got to work to set up the room with flower decorations, pull-up banners and theme banners. We were to go though the Handover ceremony, have a strawberry tea and finish with some musical entertainment.

We also had the opportunity to hear from our very first Peace Fellow, Becky Palmstrom, who was in the UK for a short period having just arrived from Burma to take a short break before heading off to South Africa for another course of study before starting the Peace Fellows programme at Berkeley in September. I have always been bowled over by the sheer quality and talent of the Peace Fellows I have met and Becky is certainly well in the pack. She just wowed everyone with a very short overview of her recent experiences.

We had about 150 people present and there was a great deal of fellowship and catching up to be done, which slightly delayed proceedings but without any ill effects. The Handover went without incident and Clayton performed his last duty as DG with dignity and panache and then it was down to me to thank Clayton and Lynda, introduce the District team for 2009/10 and make a short address. Tea followed with more fellowship, lots of pictures (to be uploaded later) and there was a super buzz in the room.

Our musical entertainment this year was provided by our District Young Musician Final winner Ben Tarlton, a 13.5-year-old cellist. What a talent! He played with skill, feeling and was at one with both his instrument and the music. Accompanied by his mother, Sally, he was really enjoying the experience of performing and is certainly a talent for the future.

At the end people were slow to go home as there was still lots of catching up to be done, but it felt as though everyone had enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon. My thanks to all those who helped make this a wonderful event, especially Martyn, Jane, Brian, Mary and not forgetting Edwina.