The Rotary Club of Rutherglen marked a welcome return to regular, in-person meetings with a fascinating insight into all things maritime.
President Eddie Goldberg confirmed that meetings have resumed on a bi-weekly basis on Thursday evenings at 5.30pm in the Kings Park Hotel in Rutherglen. These will alternate with online virtual meetings on Zoom every other Thursday evening at the same time.
At the most recent, well-attended get together, everyone enjoyed an excellent presentation by member, Elizabeth Nairn.
Elizabeth’s knowledge of the high seas, which began with an interest in stamps, has developed into a true passion, judging by her comprehensive description of Clyde-built shipping.
In particular, Elizabeth gave a very interesting description of the history of the world’s oldest clipper, the City of Adelaide. Built in 1864 to carry immigrants to Australia and later renamed The Carrick, the ship saw service in the North American timber trade, then as a hospital ship, and ended its working life as a Royal Navy Training Ship, finally retiring as the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Club (RNVR ), moored on the Clyde.
Elizabeth followed this with a potted history of the huge contribution made by shipbuilding on the Clyde in both the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy, as set out in her excellent display, and ended with a poignant section relating to Remembrance Day.
A well-deserved vote of thanks was given on behalf of the club by Past President David Paul.
While the pandemic prohibited physical meetings, the club continued to make contributions to local and international good causes.
Recent donations included three Shelter Boxes for the European Flooding Disaster. Erskine Hospital was the worthy recipient of £1000, and a further contribution was made to the local Cambuslang and Rutherglen food bank.
The Club donated £500 towards the National APS awareness and fundraising campaign of recent guest speaker, Rotarian Phil Godfrey. It will go to APS Support UK, which helps people with antiphospholipid syndrome - an auto-immune disease which affects the blood's ability to clot.
Another recipient of a £500 donation was Kay Aschaber, daughter of former Rotary member, the late Phil Spence. Kay completed a sponsored West Highland Way walk in aid of the Queen Elizabeth Colorectal Service, which cared for her dad.
During the pandemic, The Rotary Club of Rutherglen made donations to: CHAS; Christian Aid; Healthy n Happy (CamGlen COVID) Rain or Shine; Shelter Box; Erskine; PoppyScotland; Disaster Aid; MS Society Scotland; Freedom from Fistula; Brothers in Arms; Rutherglen High School; Ashton School Fund; Haiti Disaster Appeal; Salvation Army; Kilbryde Hospice; Well-Fed Scotland; Kidney Kids Scotland; Polio Plus; The Haven; Rutherglen Social Work; APS Support UK; Colorectal Surgery Fund; CamGlen Food Bank.
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