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Dale Turner (Chair), Umesh Gupta (Speaker), Harry O'Connell (Co-chair), Rick Gallant (President)

 

wh-4p-ol  Rotary Club of Charlottetown

August 25, 2014

Meeting Minutes

Meeting Chair Dale Turner opened the meeting and asked all those in attendance to join in the Island Hymn and Rotary Grace.

 Tom Deblois, Sargent of Arms canvassed the group for happy dollars.

Secretary Kim noted that our exchange student Selena Suter arrived from Switzerland on Wednesday and has been focused on settling in with her first host family.

 Secretary Kim Nickerson provided her report.

  • 28 members present, no scooters, 17 make ups.
  • Larry Sider hosted guest Sheldon Brushett.
  • Rotarian Bill Cox joined us from the Norwich South Rotary Club in England.
  • Paul Crant won the 50/50 draw. Kim forgot the cards so the jackpot draw will be done in 2 weeks before the next 50/50 draw.

 President Rick Gallant provided members with his weekly report.

  • Rick thanked the members of the Seniors Committee and other Rotarians who helped at the Gold Cup Parade seniors viewing stand. It was a soggy but lively day of giving back to our senior’s community. Rick asked those who helped that day to stand and be recognized by the club.
  • Rick requested approval from the members present for the $1000 donation to UPEI for yearly scholarships. The motion was carried.
  • Rick noted there would be no meeting next week due to Labour Day.

 Dale introduced guest speaker and fellow Rotarian Umesh Gupta.

  • Umesh arrived on PEI after graduating with his PhD in Ottawa on October 1963.
  • His travel to PEI was long as flights went from Ottawa, Montreal, Saint John, Moncton, Summerside and lastly to Charlottetown.
  • There was only one traffic light in Charlottetown at that time and two grocery stores, the Save Easy and the Co-Op.
  • Umesh mused that there were opportunities to move on from PEI with his career, but he liked living here and appreciated the friendliness of the people who lived here.
  • Umesh noted PEI was a quiet and calm place to live.

 Co-chair Harry O’Connell thanked Umesh for his talk on his experiences on immigrating to PEI.

Meeting Chair Dale closed the meeting by asking the group to sing O Canada.