My children often refer to me as an annual hobbyist. Unfortunately, there are many examples that support their observation, however, beekeeping I am happy to say, has endured beyond the one-year threshold. Becoming an apiarist – the sexy name for a beekeeper – was my first County inspired hobby. Did you know that honeybees are considered partially domesticated? The colonies however do require some management and care. For small scale beekeepers the typical purpose is honey production and perhaps producing a candle or too – OK that part might have been a one-year hobby. For others beekeeping can be a business, often related to pollination services. Bees however are also fascinating to simply observe, and one will quickly appreciate that a colony is a perfectly organized society.
Bees are often admired for their tireless work ethic, but their real genius lies in how they organize themselves for the good of the whole colony. Each bee has a role—whether worker, drone, or queen—and they perform their duties with precision and cooperation. This clear division of responsibilities ensures that the hive thrives, even in challenging conditions.
For a club, particularly one like Rotary, this offers a valuable lesson: success comes when members understand their strengths, embrace their roles, and trust one another to fulfill their commitments. In the hive, there is no competition for glory; every bee works toward a common goal—survival and prosperity. Similarly, Rotary clubs function best when members focus on shared objectives such as service, fellowship, and community impact, rather than individual recognition.
Bees also demonstrate the importance of communication. Through their famous “waggle dance,” they share vital information about where to find nectar. In Rotary, effective communication—whether through meetings, bulletins, or personal conversations—ensures that all members are informed, engaged, and able to contribute to projects.
Another lesson lies in adaptability. Bees adjust their behavior with the seasons and changing conditions. Likewise, Rotary clubs that remain flexible—adapting programs, meeting formats, or service initiatives—are better equipped to meet the evolving needs of their communities.
Finally, bees remind us of the power of collective impact. One bee alone cannot produce a jar of honey, but thousands working together can create abundance. In Rotary, each member’s contributions—no matter how small—combine to produce remarkable results in literacy, health, clean water, and peace initiatives.
By emulating the teamwork, communication, adaptability, and shared purpose of bees, we can strengthen our organization and enhance our service, creating a thriving “hive” of positive change in our community and beyond.
Yvonne Buys President 2025/26
Thought for the week..
‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ - African proverb
This Week's Zoom Meeting Details:
Topic: Weekly Rotary Meeting Time: Aug 05, 2025 07:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81827939082 Meeting ID: 818 2793 9082 Passcode: rotary
---------- // --
Last Week: MJ Patel and her Mom
Rotary meeting minutes August 19, 2025 Notes by: Lyn McGowan
PP Roger called the meeting to order at 7:07, with 32 members and 2 guests in attendance (PECI student MJ Patel and her mother Deenah.)
Health of Members: Lyn’s hip surgery has been moved up to this Friday, August 22 (hooray) and David H is seeing distance very well after his cataract surgery but was using a handy magnifying glass for reading.
Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker, MJ Patel, was introduced by Pierre. MJ just returned from Spain and Portugal where she completed her Grade 12 English credit, to get a jump start on her senior year at PECI. She is a very active, enthusiastic student at PECI - co-chair of the Athletic Council, on the Student Council and the Student Voice Committee. MJ has lived in Picton for 5 years, plays soccer and basketball, teaches art to children ages 3 to 10 in her spare time and volunteers weekly at Reaching for Rainbows. (Wow!)
MJ attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Symposium (RYLS) in March in the Ganaraska Forest, sponsored by our club, and couldn’t say enough positive things about her experience. Prior to attending RYLS, she didn’t really know anything about Rotary; while there, she learned about Rotary, and all the people who just want to make a difference. She met a bunch of like-minded young people who were excited for change, looking forward to the future, wanting to change the world. Some of these were members of local Interact Clubs, already very familiar with Rotary. She described RYLS as a wonderfully inclusive, collaborative environment with fantastic programming, where she learned crucial skills for leadership and developed the confidence to make presentations. The young people she met want to lift each other up and be true leaders of tomorrow.
MJ is in the process of applying to university and has found a program at McMaster integrating business and the humanities, which she hopes to pursue. She thanked us warmly for giving her this opportunity, which she says changed her life. In response to a question from Trudy about engaging youth, MJ described PECI as a trade school where the students aren’t really presented with a vision of career paths that aren’t trade-related - at Career Fairs, for example - and suggested that engaging along that line could be very beneficial. MJ was thanked by Bill H.
Club Business:
Roger announced that, unfortunately, Shawn has decided to step back from Rotary for personal reasons. We hope he is able to return in the future, as he will be missed.
Howard spoke about solicitation for the online auction. He and Lana are co-leading the canvassing endeavour. The canvassing spreadsheet notes all contributors from last year, along with the canvasser from last year. A few potential donor names do not have a canvasser assigned. Please check the spreadsheet to see if you can help. Bill thanked Howard and Lana for stepping up.
Ken mentioned the Legion is holding a golf tournament on September 18, with a full turkey dinner. They are looking for one or two Rotary teams. Cost is $100 for Legion members, $110 for non-members.
Roger reminded everyone of upcoming events:
Saturday, Sept 6 – Road Apples Concert at the Regent (Tragically Hip Tribute Band)
Sunday, Sept 28 – Wellington Rotary Foundation Walk
Tuesday, Oct 15 – Dorothy Spiers-Vincent from Perfectly Preserved bringing items for sale
Saturday, Oct 18 – Pumpkinfest AND Rotary Dinner/Dance/Auction
Christine announced we are planning a Thank You (Potluck) Dinner for our Friends of Rotary for Tuesday, November 18th. Liz, Margo, Howard and Bill offered to help with the planning.
Ken’s ticket was drawn, but he did not pick the ace of spades. The pot continues to build!
---------- // ----------
50/50 Draw This Week: $1327
(FYI, the largest previous pot won was $1,131 in November 2021)
Make sure you get your ticket(s) this week!
---------- // ----------
Bottle Depot Volunteers Schedule for This Week
Wednesday August 27, 2025
9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Geoff Telling, Jacques Michaud, Alex Lacher (FoR), XXXX
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Dave Robinet, Lari Langford (FoR), XXXX, XXXX
