President Roger called the meeting to order at 7:07 am.
Roger welcomed guest speaker Ron Gerwing and welcomed guest Iza Hanson to her second visit to a club meeting.
Roger once again circulated a signup sheet for both hosts and guests for fellowship dinners in November and December.
Bill Mitchell provided his ‘Rotary moment’. He lived in the west end of Toronto and decided to join the Parkdale Rotary Club. He enjoyed the fellowship of that club. When he and his wife retired to Prince Edward County he wished to maintain his involvement with the Rotary. His intent was to join the Rotary Club of Picton, however, at that time there was discussion about establishing a new club in Wellington. He noted the excitement of being at the forefront of this development. His excitement and pride persists as the Rotary Club of Wellington continues to grow and evolve.
O Canada was sung. David Hawkins recited an invocation. Breakfast was served.
Roger inquired about the health of members: Happily everyone was well!
John Heeringa introduced our guest speaker, Ron Gerwing. A few years ago Ron retired to PEC to tree farm. He described how he came to know the country of Niger. It is a very poor country with a population of 23 million people, of whom an estimated 5 million face serious food insecurity. It is a former French colony which is now predominantly Muslim. The north of Niger is the Sahara desert however the Sahel valley possesses a massive aquafer which lends itself to farm irrigation.
Ron took a course in Zimbabwe, ‘foundations for farming’, which highlighted techniques for successful farming in dry arid land. Ron has made it his mission in Niger to educate locals on farming techniques and business acumen to allow for sustainable food security. He outlined some of the early barriers to his program including government resistance and unpredictable weather patterns. Early success includes the identification of a favourable organic fertilizer which, together with humic acid, has shown to increase crop yield by approximately 70%. Ron is hoping that our rotary club will support him in his farming education endeavors in Niger.
Phyo thanked Ron for her presentation.
Bill Pennel reflected on the recent dinner dance fundraiser. He reported that the food and the band were both excellent and everyone seemed to have a really good time. He thanked all the committee members for their hard work. He estimates that this fundraiser generated approximately $13,000 for our Rotary club.
Howard updated everyone on the Pumpkinfest events. He reported that the winning pumpkin weighed in at 2,022 lbs. He thanked all Rotary members who assisted. Lyn also reported that the parade went well and thanked members who participated in float decoration and the parade itself.
Roger reported that there will be a meeting of the wellness committee following the Rotary business meeting,
Congratulations to Howard who is celebrating his birthday this week. Roger provided his weekly joke.
The happy toonie can was passed around. Norm’s ticket was pulled for the 50/50 draw, but, alas, no ace of spades. The meeting concluded with the recitation of the 4-way test.