(Updated July 8, 2010)
20 Great Reasons To Join Rotary
Rotarians gathered on July 8, 2010 at Bob Black's home on the beautiful Belleisle for supper. Pictured at the left hand table are Kim Derrah, Pat & Murray McGibbon, Ginette Landry, and Frank Derrah. At the right table are Louise McNamara, Bob Black, President Lou McNamara. Over seeing the gathering and keeping a close on on his master is Bob's dog Sam who enjoyed some treats and looked forward to steak bones from supper. Bob and Ginette put on a great steak BBQ with strawberry shortcake which was enjoyed by all. The picture was taken by Robert Lockhart.
On June 28, 2010, the Sussex Club had its change of Officers for the new Rotary year 2010-2011. Pictured above are President Frank Derrah (right) passing the gavel to incoming President Lou McNamara. The Club thanked outgoing President Frank for his year at the helm, and wished President Lou best wishes and the membership's support for his year.
The Club's guest speaker on June 21 was our very own Rotarian Wendy Osborne who spoke about her recent trip to Guatemala. She had woven items, coffee, etc. on display.
Food for the Hungry Canada is the organization that she was associated with during her trip. There were 11 people that went. There are 650 people in the village that they visited, 28-30 children that are sponsored by Wendy's church. They left the village just before a tropical storm which left the village with 2 ˝ feet of rain.
The children only go to school for 4 months of the year. All work in the village is done by hand. There are 5 churches in the village. Wendy and her team worked on crafts with the children. Most of the people work for today and do not plan ahead for tomorrow.
Wendy had an extra 5 day stay due to the volcano eruption.
Guest speaker June 14 was Jason Sturgeon who was introduced by Rhoda Wilson. Jason is owner of Tech Experts in Sussex and spoke about his education and background before starting his own business 3 years ago. He graduated from Sussex High school in 1992; then went to university for a while until he found it wasn't for him. He worked at various jobs including bee keeper until he found his interest in computers.
He graduated from NBCC 2 year business teck and later 1 year in advanced training courses. His main interests are in networking and systems management. He then found work in Sussex at Screen Savers as their technician and worked there 5 years gaining considerable hands on experience in computer servicing.
In 2008 he had the chance to start his own company which occupies the former Down East Arts building on Queen street. While servicing is his main business he also sells computers and related equipment and hopes to soon be the local reseller in this area for MAC which could be a big boost for his business. Jason is very customer service orientated and has established a good reputation for service locally. His business has grown and now has 2 technicians and 1 admin. clerk in addition to himself. A very good speaker, interesting, informative with lots of questions.
The Brazilian D4680 GSE Team visted our Club on June 7th, and have been in District 7810 for a month. Shown in the above picture is Team leader Mario (centre) and team members: Andre, Henrique, Sabrina, and Carolina . They arrived on May 9th and will fly home on June 9th. Also in the picture are the host families from our Club: President Frank Derrah, Club GSE Chair Roger Albert, PP Bob Kimball, and Rotarian Rhoda Wilson.
Bob Tremblett of Tremtech was the Club's quest speaker for May 10, 2010. He graduated in 1982 from St. John's NL from the Electronics Technology. He has worked for Sears Canada for 13 years on their main frame computers, etc. and in their Service Department.
Bob has 4 children (1 girl & 3 boys), and moved to Sussex from Newfoundland in 1997. He worked with E J Cunningham when he first moved to Sussex. He then changed jobs and worked for Rite Switch Electrical for 9 years and 4 years ago he started his own business - Tremtech Electrical.
Most of his business is done in Sussex and area. He does installation of alarm systems and they are monitored by Armstrong Communications. He is now a service depot for Sears and his son looks after this part of the business. They currently have 6 employees and want to add 2 more.
www.Tremtech.com
On April 12, 2010 the guest speaker was Dr. Bob Richmond, a Chiropractor whose practice is in the old RCMP building on Main Street. He spoke about Total Health - all systems working 100% free all the time.
The most important systems in the body are the spine and the central nervous system. Misalignment of the spine causes the cushions between the disks in the back to protrude. You may not have any symptoms / pain but could have issues that you are not aware of. He had Rotarian Andrew Palmer stand at the front of the room and he showed us that you could have a misalignment and that the body compensates for these issues. He also used Lou McNamara (photo right) to demonstrate Chiropractic techniques.
Dr. Bob suggested that in order to correct what ever issues someone is having it may take several trips and this would depend upon the person. To keep up with the usual maintenance most people have to go once a month. He has sons that are professional athletics. He had mentioned that one plays for the Blue Jays.
The Rotary Club of Sussex held its first annual Rotary Fundraising Dinner and Auction at the Sussex Legion on April 15th, 2010. 140 tickets were sold, with over 125 people in attendance. The evening consisted of a salmon dinner with turkey as the alternative, a live auction with Bev Folkins as auctioneer, and a silent auction. Entertainment was provided by Magician Don Mockler, the Magic Man. The local and surrounding community supported the Club with over $9,000.00 in donated gifts for the auctions, and the Club realized over $10,000.00 to support its community Rotary projects.
The Committee was comprised of Robert E. Kimball Jr. as chair, Barb Crowe as Prize captain, Rhoda Wilson as ticket captain, Robert J. Kimball as wine tree captain, and committee members Andrew Palmer, Wendy Osborne, Lou McNamara, Kim Pearson, Donna Gilchrist, Bruce Northrup, Mayor Ralph Carr, and JC Robert Lockhart. During the evening of the dinner, Rotarians Robert Kimball Jr. & Bruce Northrup were pleased to welcome the help of their spouses Melissa and Kim in selling tickets and delivering prizes for the live auction.
Top Row Photos
Left photo: Seen in left background are Mayor Ralph Carr, Wendy Osborne, Glenn Wood; front Carolyn Lockhart, Carl Rioux of the Yellow Pages Group, and Judy Wood, all viewing and discussing the silent auction items.
Center photo: MC Lou McNamara wetting his vocal cords before the start up, and Chairman Robert Kimball doing last minute check ups.
Right photo: Our attendees who we are very grateful for their financial support! At front right table are seated Assistant District Governor Kevin Tupper and Club President Frank Derrah.
Bottom Row
Left photo: Rotary Fundraising Dinner & Auction Chairman Robert Kimball Jr. delivers a prize to a winner.
Center photo: Don Mockler, the Magician Man, views the audience while he prepares for a magocal moment.
Right photo: Bev Folkins, the auctioneer for the live auction, reaches out to the attendees looking for that last dollar to help the rotary Club meet their financial target for the evening.
On April 12, 2010, the Club had a surprise visit by Premier Shawn Graham. Premier Graham was at the All Season in meetings next door to our meeting, and dropped in to extend best wishes to the members, and to do a little campaigning. Harley Geldart took the opportunity to talk to the Premier about the financial shortfall at the Fundy Community Center while President Frank Derrah looked on.
Premier Graham arrvied back after lunch with a report for Harley & the Club that more money should hopefully be coming, and that he would talk to Rob Moore, MP, as well. Rotarian Rhoda Wilson is to the left standing in front of an aide to the Premier.
On April 12, 2010 Bill Wanamaker, Fire Chief for the Sussex Fire Department was the guest speaker. Bill is a third generation fireman- his father was involved with the fire department and his son is now a member. There is a 40 member force. They are paid when they are called out and all other hours are volunteer. Last year they had a total of 3550 volunteer hours and 2200 of these hours were spent in training. There is one paid fire fighter at the station. They had approximately 199 calls last year (2009).
They hold recruitment each spring. They hold their training for level one during the months of January to March. There is a total of 220 hours of training for a new fire fighter. They are called out to assist with floods, medical, hazardous materials and smells in buildings. They do tours for Guides, Scouts and daycares. They hold fire drills at senior's complex approximately twice per year. There is a fire program in the schools for K to 3. All their gear is tested regularly. Each call they receive has to be documented and the information is sent to the Fire Marshall's office.
They are still planning on building a training tower in the Industrial Park. This facility will be used by other fire departments in the area as well. The life expectancy of a fire truck is 25 years.
Bob K. Introduced our Mar. 22, 2010 guest speaker Eric Cunningham, Mayor of Sussex Corner. Population: 1400. Eric surprisingly let us now that we were his first group ever in 12 years that he has spoken for and was very happy to do so. The first thing he said to us as a group was his appreciation for Rotary in his village.
He gave some history on the Village of Sussex Corner. It started in the mid 1700 when the Loyalist came to settle. Many people don't realize that Sussex Corner was here before Sussex Vail which we now call Sussex. There is still evidence of the beginning of Sussex Corner there. For example, Cougle Rd is named after Capt. John Cougle, a Loyalist from the USA & Leonard Drive after Dr. Leonard their first MLA. The Ice Cream cone was invented in Sussex Corner.
They still have pancake suppers with many events at the old rink. They became incorporated in 1966 with a $500 budget and just cleared their 2010 budget for $1,000,000. The town has 5 full time and several seasonal and summer student employees. His passion is population growth in Sussex Corner, newcomers residential and business alike. He said that there is room for tourism with the Bluff which is in Sussex Corner. He is also very proud of the volunteers, church suppers and variety shows that they have every year.
He has been on a recreation council working on a recreation agenda for the past year. Lou asked about the shape of the old rink and any plans to refurbish it. Eric said that due to the rink being in a flood zone, there is many restrictions on rebuilding by-laws and that hey have been considering other locations for some form of new rink in Sussex Corner.
Bruce Northrup thanked Mayor Eric.
Guest Speaker for Mar. 15, 2010 was Bridgett Ryan, Sussex Middle School community coordinator. She is a wife and mother of 2 teenagers who has lived in Sussex for 16 years, 13 of which she worked for RBC. She took her present job as a part time job which eventually turned into full time. She is in her 1st year in her new position following our fellow Rotarian Rhoda Wilson who was the first community coordinator in Sussex.
The Sussex Middle School is open as a venue or location to different groups for meetings and community events and she helps with that as well as many other projects. These include junior achievement, foreign exchange, science and career fairs, etc. She is involved in the breakfast club that feeds breakfast at the school to 40-50 children a day. Another valuable program is the tutoring and mentoring program.
They also hope to launch a program this fall that helps students learn and experience the value in volunteering. Fund raising is required for many of these programs and other programs of which she is involved. She finished with letting us know that the Sussex Middle School & High Schools will represent Sussex at the Provincial Drama Festival from April 28th- May 5th and they have done very well in the past.
On March 8th, 2010 our Guest Speaker was Rochini Kassie, of the N.B. Lung Association. The lung association has been around for over 100 years now and deals with topics you might not even think about such as air quality control.The better the air we breath the better our lungs and health. Rochini spoke mostly about the SIMPLE driver stewardship program where we can all make a difference by changing our driving and vehicle habits.SIMPLE stands for -S, speed limit reduce speed. -I, Idling, turn engine off more -M, match vehicle to need, more fuel efficient vehicles. -P, pressure, check your tires regularily -L, leave your car at home more ie car pooling,busses,walking etc. -E, engine and vehicle maintenance, get regular tune-ups.
On Mar. 1, 2010 our own Harley Geldart was our special guest speaker. Our scheduled speaker couldn't make it, so Harley spoke about his life history.
Born in 1917 he was one of a family of 10 children. The Geldart family was one of 4 families in the Prosser Brook area and his mother was a school teacher. His father farmed and bought the 128 acre farm for $125.00 which included the farm, house and land.
The family moved to Elgin in 1925. Harley left school after grade 10 as he didn't want to spend another year in school just to better his reading and language marks. He tells us he did excel at math subjects.
His first job was driving yard horse for $15 month plus board. He got his drivers license 2 years before he was legally old enough to drive and started driving a truck at the age 16 for $1.00 a day. Thereafter he worked on a bridge crew.
He joined the army in 1939 for .90 cents a day pay and spent the first 3 years in Canadian coastal defense. He went overseas in 1943 and into France in June 1943 in the armored division as a driver. He tells us he once went 9 months without a shower/bath until Christmas of that year when he had some time off.
Upon discharge he got into lumbering, then the bus business and then back into lumbering until poor markets saw the business close. He then worked in the construction industry for many years most recently with Mac Parlee until his retirement in 1996 at age 79.
Harley is one of our original charter members and was recruited by Hazen Hogg who asked him to attend an evening supper meeting over 30 years ago, which was the first meeting of the Rotary Club of Sussex.
As always,some interesting stories from Harley.
On Feb. 15, 2010, Elaine Ingalls Hogg spoke to the Club about her background, having come from Grand Manan as a child to Cape Breton for 32 years and then moving to Sussex, and how she got into writing. She writes an inspirational column for the Kings County Record and has stories included in more than a dozen anthologies, as well as various magazines and newspapers.
Her first book was a short kids book about dealing with loss called Remembering Honey, inspired by her volunteer work in the palliative care unit. She is the author of Historic Grand Manan, When Canada Joined Cape Breton, and was the editir of Christmas in the Maritimes..
Her most recent book is a historical about the Town of Sussex which will be released for publication in May 2010. In Historic Sussex, Elaine has collected over 150 historical mages from Sussex's beginnings up to the Second World War.
Elaine was a very interesting speaker for sure.
Picture (L-R): Rotary Past Presidents Bob Kimball, Kim Pearson, Donna Gilchrist, Elaine, and Rotarian Rhoda Wilson, chair of the weekly speakers bureau..
On Jan. 18, 2010, our guest speakers were Tanya Warren (right), a civilian member of RCMP and Sarah Smith of the Citizens on Patrol program.
Both Tanya and Sarah told us a bit about the program and how it got started in Sussex & Sussex Corner. It started locally in October 2009 due to a reported increase in vandalism and reports by some citizens of feeling less than safe in our community. This program has been going on successfully in St. Stephen for over 15 years.
It is a volunteer project not funded by tax payers. The members are trained and are organized volunteers who enjoy making a difference in their communities. They are not police officers. They are a valued resource to the local police agency patrolling the community ensuring safe homes and a safe community
They are looking for more members to help with the growth and sustainability of this worthy cause.
On Dec. 21, 2009, twelve of the members of the Sussex Rotary Club and their guests met at the All Season's Inn & Restaurant to enjoy a Christmas lunch, share some stories, and wish each other a joyous festive season.
During the meeting, the Rotarians collected money ($200.00) to be donated to the Salvation Army for their Christmas lunch program. Members also collected and made a donation to the All Season staff who serve their lunches all year.
Left Photo: Special guest Katelyn Lockhart, grand daughter of Robert Lockhart, Rotarians Robert lockhart, Bob Black, April Caissie, Rhoda Wilson, Donna Gilchrist, Harley Geldart, Cindy Coates, guest of Harley, and President Frank Derrah.
Right Photo: Rotarians Barb Crowe, Robert Kimball jr., Bob Kimball, Victoria Craig, Pat McGibbon, wife of Murray, Murray McGibbon, and Bruce Northrup, Rotarian & MLA.
On Nov. 30, 2009, President Frank inducted April Caissie as our newest Rotarian.
April is from and currently resides in Salisbury NB. She is currently the Sussex Manager for the Scotiabank, and has her Personal Financial Planner and Associate of Canadian Bankers and Specialist in Financial Counseling.
April's career with Scotiabank has spanned for 23 1/2 years and in her current position as Manager Scotiabank Sussex for 6 months. She has held numerous positions within Scotiabank with her last position as Investment Sales Coach with East NB and PEI.
She loves to read, run and travel. She is married with 2 children ages 18 and 15.
Other community involvement includes sitting on the board of the Salisbury Boys and Girls Club, and was also previously involved with the Canadian Mental Health Association as a Director on the board and was involved with Southeast United Way.
On Nov. 23, 2009, Rick Rogers, Past District #7810 Governor spoke on the Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus program to our Club.
Rick joined Rotary for the same reason many of us did and that was to give something back to our community .
The foundation provides funding to do worthwhile projects all over the world where Rotary is represented (33,000 clubs in over 200 countries). One of the main sources of funding for the foundation is "the every year every Rotarian" $100.00 US donation program and we all should be doing this as this is our charity and it is truly amazing what Rotary is accomplishing worldwide.
He also spoke about the challenge the Gates Foundation has given Rotary in coming up with another 100 million dollars to complete polio eradication. We have met the challenge before and he asked that our club consider donating to this project.
There were only 1500 cases of polio last year and it is now limited to 4 countries (Nigeria, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan).
Derek Jones, Work Room coordinator for school district #6 was guest speaker on Nov. 9, 2009.
This is a resource center for children and adults alike in the Sussex, Hampton and Belleisle area. It works out an office in each of the area high schools. Derek works 2 days in Belleisle and 3 days weekly in Sussex.
The project is funded jointly by school district #6 and post secondary education department. It has been running now for 1 year in Sussex. They also cover PALS in Sussex and Hampton.
Derek gave us a power point presentation on how the process works in finding out what peoples interests are and trying to match them to careers they are suited to based on a detailed questionnaire. The process seems to make a lot of sense and while it is voluntary on the part of students, it would likely benefit all who take it. A good presentation Derek!
A special presentation was made on Nov. 1, 2009 by the Sussex Rotary Club to the Fundy Civic Center. President Frank Derrah, Honorary member Harley Geldart presented John Robinson of the FCC the Club's donation of $76, 751.38. Rotarian & MLA Bruce Northrup joined in for the happy occassion.
Rotary has supported the local PALS class for some years in one manner or another. This year, the Club presented PALS with $500 for their Thanksgiving Dinner at Kings Landing.
Pictured are Rotarians Rhoda Wilson and Wendy Osborne presenting the check, and student Natasha Dalton and teacher Harold Dalling accepting the check.
Top photo- Rotarian Wendy Osborne selling tickets on a GPS to raise the funds to purchase a ShelterBox.
Left Photo- 23 Atlantic Canada Rotary Club representatives who presented Tom Henderson (standing on far left) with ShelterBox funding.
Right Photo- Sussex Rotarian Roger Albert presenting Sussex's $1200.00 contribution for a ShelterBox.
That's what ShelterBox Charity, a Rotary Club International project and brainchild of a real live hero, have accomplished in nine short years.
That's the life-and-death story Rotary Club of Moncton West and Riverview members heard the night Oct. 16th, 2009 at a fund-raising dinner to buy more shelter boxes for disaster relief worldwide. The real live hero, Tom Henderson of Helston, U.K., was the star of the dinner held at Moncton's Crowne Plaza Hotel. Henderson, who has won international recognition for his humanitarian work, recalled how the idea first began and the road traveled to help millions in need each time there is a major landslide, flood, earthquake, tsunami or tornado across the globe.
The shelter boxes which contain a tent for 10 people, stove and cooking implements, water purification, blankets and other necessities offer "shelter, comfort and dignity" to the people homeless in a disaster, he told the 100-plus Rotarians from Greater Moncton and other clubs in the Atlantic Region.
With shelter boxes used in 63 countries, "it's the best aid package in the world," he said with pride.
Henderson was in Moncton at the invitation of Moncton West and Riverview club president Mike Walsh who met the founder of ShelterBox Charity in England and was immediately sold. Moncton is one of 10 stops Henderson made while crossing Canada to promote the project and raise money.
During the evening, 23 boxes each costing about $1,200 were pledged from different Rotary clubs in the region (bottom left photo). At the event representing the Sussex Rotary Club was Rotarian Roger Albert (bottom right photo), who presented our Club's check from funds raised during the 2009 Balloon Festival (top photo) where tickets were sold on a GPS unit supplied by the PotashCorp New Brunswick. Pictured selling tickets is Rotarian Wendy Oborne with the ShelterBox tent directly behind her and the PotashCorp Fossil tent to the left.
Henderson, a longtime Rotarian in England, said the idea of distributing these packages to disaster victims came to him one night when watching a television account showing a relief effort where workers tossed bread onto the ground for disaster victims to scoop up. He said he was upset at the indignity and vowed to do something about it.
What he saw was tens of thousands of these boxes distributed the world around and immediately set to work making it happen beginning with his "1.2 million (Rotarian) friends."
Other organizations, schools, groups and individuals have since come on board to help, raising $50 million to date. But more needs to be done, he said.
A total of 122 boxes were purchased in Canada three years ago. Last year, there were 736 and the push is on for more clubs getting involved buying more boxes. Three boxes previously purchased by the Moncton West and Riverview club ended up in Africa to help people there.
Walsh pointed to the account of Bangladesh woman giving birth shortly after receiving one of the tents. She would have been forced to give birth in an open field devoid of shelter and dignity, said Walsh. "That's payback" for the rotary club effort, he added.
On Oct. 19, 2009, Sherry Dumont from Canadian Cancer Society was guest speaker. Sheri has been with the organization for 14 years. She lives in Hampton with her family and has been involved with the 12 hour Relay For Life event since it's inception in NB 9 years ago.
She has attended a good many of the 31 Relays in NB. The Relay is now the single biggest fund raising event for the Cancer society. All the relays while different have similarities including the survivors victory lap and the luminaries event. The Sussex relay is set for June 11, 2010 and she is looking for volunteers for various committees. The average team raises $2,300.
Sheri also spoke about the various support and prevention programs that Canadian Cancer Society provides and was informative in this regard. She would like to see the Rotary Club put in a team in 2010. She provided information and hand outs including team logs for fund raising should we put a team in.
Sherri was introduced by Roger Albert and thanked by Bob Black.
Greg Russell from Rothesay-Kings Rotary Club visted our Club on Oct. 5, 2009 Greg gave us a presentation on the upcoming Rotary International Convention in Montreal June 20-23rd, 2010. This is probably the closest an RI convention will ever get to us, so the push is on to get as many from District #7810 to the convention as possible. This is also the 100th anniversary of Rotary in Canada. Last time it was in Canada was 1996 in Calgary. This is a great chance for some of us to get a much broader perspective of Rotary and what it does worldwide. 20,000 participants are expected.
The District has already secured some special pricing on Via Rail, West Jet, and an Optimum charter bus coach out of Suusex. Convention information is available at the following websites: https://rotary2010.com www.rotary.org/convention and https://resweb.passkey.com/go/ri2010 (official housing link) .
Grant Obermier, part owner Rainbow Printing of Sussex was Rotary's guest speaker on Sept. 21, 2009. Grant was a former auditor with the Irving group for 11 years prior to joining the family business. Rainbow Printing was started by his father in 1985 in Fredericton and moved to the family home location of Midland in 1988 and eventually to the more central Sussex location approximately 15 years ago. It gradually expanded from a mom and pop business to employ 12-15 people as it is now. It is one of a very few of family owned full color printing press businesses today.
Their business has grown significantly outside of Sussex and N.B. and they presently do considerable volumes in the eastern and southern USA. A lot of this growth is attributed to the security paper products such as cheque printing, secure prescription pads, bus passes etc.
The company is focusing on becoming Greener with new processes such as chemistry free process. An interesting presentation with a good question and answer period. Bob Kimball thanked Grant on club's behalf.
On Aug. 27, 2009, District Governor Gordon Dempsey visited our Club to meet with the executive and to deliver his annual message for his year as our Governor.
DG Gord said "he would like to enlist our help in my top three priorities this year. The first is to grow our membership by a net of 10% per club. This is necessary if we are to continue to provide and increase our district support to the clubs. I would like to suggest that growth in membership will also solve many of the challenges in our clubs. The second is to encourage an increase in donations to your charity, The Rotary Foundation, through EREY and club donations. The third is to take every opportunity to promote your club and the work you do in your communities.
In closing, I would like to thank everyone for giving me the honor of representing you as District Governor. Like each of you, I am looking forward to a rewarding year and making a difference in our community and in the world."
Pictured above is DG Gord presenting President Frank with this years RI banner.
Pictured above is PP Kim Pearson giving some loving care to our flower wheel in McConnell Park on one beautiful day in August, 2009. With her is her nephew Taylor Pearson.
On June 29, 2009, the Sussex Rotary Club had the change over of Executive for the new Rotary year commencing on July 1. Pictured above is President Donna performing her last task as President presenting incoming President Frank Darrah with his President's pin.
President Donna thanked the Club and members for their support and hard working during her two years as President. She said she approached the job with apprehension, but as she looks back, it was a very rewarding experience and one she was very pleased she accepted.
During the change-ever meeting, President Donna inducted Rotary's newest member, Victoria Craig, the General Manager of the Kings County Record.
Victoria was raised in St. Andrews where her parents still reside and she loves to get back to visit. She went to university and took psychology first and then moved onto business and marketing. She has been with Brunswick News (owners of the KCR) for about 2.5 years in various roles of increasing responsibility, and before that she worked in various other forms of media (radio, outdoor advertising) and was the Executive Director for the SPCA.
For hobbies, she has no time for anything else than her work and her involvement in dog agility- she is completely addicted. She competes nearly every weekend from March until November all over the Maritimes and trains during the winter months. She and her dogs came to Sussex last year for the Nationals in dog agility and had a great time. Sussex did a great job as the host venue, she says.
Victoria looks forward to being in Sussex and getting to know more people and becoming a part of the community. We are pleased she chose to join our Rotary Club.
Each year the Sussex Rotary Club creates a Rotary Wheel in the entrance to O'Connell Park in the Town of Sussex, and plants a large flower box as you leave Four Corners coming into Sussex. Rotary members undertake these projects under the Avenue of Community Service.
On June 15, President Donna presented two Youth Merit Award certificates and checks for $100.00 each to Hannah Barrett and Mila McMackin.
Hannah attends Sussex Regional High School where she has been actively involved on student life. She is a member of the Varsity Girls Field Hockey team for the past four years; the school's key club; the newspaper committee and the prom committee. She is a part time employee at Canadian Tire; is a volunteer at Trinity Anglican Church; and sits on the Town of Sussex Youth Advisory Committee, representing the youth of her community.
Mila attends Petitcodiac Regional High School where she is a member of the school's Honor Society and currently ranks 1st in her graduation class with an average in excess of 95%. Mila was chosen by her peers in grade 9 to serve the school as a Peer Counselor, a position she has held ever since. She is the Advertising Manager of the Orion 2009, the school's yearbook, a position which takes a tremendous amount of time and patience to complete. Mila went to France in 2008 for a month through Rotary International, and in May will fly to Ottawa to take part in Rotary's Adventure in Citizenship.
Mark Witt, owner of True You was Rotary's guest speaker on June 15, 2009.
Mark started this new business November 2008 after training courses in Arizona. Its main areas are hair removal and skin pigmentation therapy through laser treatment. He set up business in Hair Solutions building on Main Street, Sussex. This is Mark's second business venture after a convenience store in Sussex Corner. His main source of business comes from word of mouth and his customers who refer him business receive discount coupons.
Mark was thanked by Barbara Crowe (right) pictured with President Donna (left).
District Youth Merit Award winner Brad Harding pictured with District Chair Kim Pearson at the District Conference in St. Andrews.
Brad is a graduate from St. Sault High School and was sponsored by the Grand Falls Rotary Club. He was awarded a $1000 scholarship.
GUEST SPEAKER June 8- Doug Bailey, Operations Manager for Corridor Resources was introduced by Bob Black. Doug has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Alberta and has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of design, construction and operation of oil and gas facilities and pipelines. He has worked for Gulf Canada, Niven Seville Engineering and the ATCO group before joining Corridor Resources.
They presently have 26 wells producing at 11 pads and a gas processing plant, having started production in June 2007. They have a staff of 9 currently, mostly all returning from western Canada. He gave us an interesting overview of the process. The cost of the project to date is $300 million. 75% of the $7.5 million annual operating budget is spent in N.B. of which 50% is spent in Sussex area. $75,000 in annual gifts and donations to the local area. They have added 3 new wells in 2009 (cost $500,000 a well) However the capital expenditure budget has been reduced because of the low gas prices.
On June 1st, 2009, Dr. Meddars, a Paul Harris Fellow, was the guest of Sussex Rotary when the Club said thanks to him for all he has contributed to the community, the Bible College, and the Fundy Civic Center during his time in Sussex
Dr. Meddars gave a farewell speech to Rotary as he would be leaving his role as President of Bethany Bible College this month and moving to Orlando, Florida to work for the organization that looks after the accreditation of Bible colleges. Although primarily a Wesleyan college, Dr. Medders explained that the College draws from many denominations from both Canada and United States. Bethany Bible College has an economic impact on the community of Sussex, both in providing employment and by bringing in students who become a part of the community. Bethany's main role is to provide men and women for ministry and graduates are now serving all over the world.
Dr. Meddars was thanked by Wendy Osborne (right), and wished him well on his new endeavours on behalf of the Club.
During the month of May 2009, the Sussex Rotarians did the bi-annual clean up of the highway for five kilometers heading out of Sussex toward Saint John.
Pictured in the above photos are President Donna Gilchrist left, and incoming President Frank Darrah leading the club in the clean up.
On April 20th, 2009 Rotary heard from Mark Thorne, Chairman of the Board of the Kings County Solid Waste Commission, a postion he has held since May.. Mark is also Deputy Mayor of the Town of Sussex and has been a councillor for eleven years.
The Kings County Solid Waste Commission is associated with the Westmoreland/Albert Solid Waste Commission which is considered a leader in recycling. Mark was rightfully so very proud of the fact this area is achieving almost 90% compliance with the green/blue bag content policy.
Two free nights per year will continue where you can dispose of a half ton load of garbage free. The next one will be this fall. Because of our good recycling efforts our tipping fees are only $ 87.89 per tone which is considerably lower than other areas.
Household battery collection with sponsorship by local schools and Canadian Tire has also been successful.
Mark was introduced by Rhoda Wilson, pictured seated to Mark's left, and thanked by Robert Lockhart.
Kim Keith, co-owner of Optimum Ride was Rotary's guest speaker on April 6th, 2009. Kim and her husband Jonathan started the bus company in April 2000 with the belief that group travel should be an affordable option for teams and groups. With the rising fuel costs and the need to safeguard our environment it is simply more practical to travel by bus. They are dedicated to providing personalized service.
Their goal is to make your charter experience hassle free, while maximizing the value of your time and money. and have had steady growth every year. They started with one bus, and now have six touring motorcoaches. Four are 47 passenger motorcoaches and also have two 55 passenger motorcoaches.
Kim looks after the bookings and runs the office while her husband often acts as the bus tour driver and looks after the fleet.
During the month of March, four new Rotarians were inducted into the Club. Pictured above are PP & membership chair person Kim Pearson, President Donna Gilchrist, and newly inducted Rotarians Barbara Crowe of RBC Bank, Robert Kimball of Pearsons Insurance, and Rhoda Wilson of the local school district. Missing from the photo is new inductee Wendy Osborne of Trainor Surveys.
The Rotary Club of Sussex has purchased two Shelter Boxes through local corporate donations and Club fund raising.
The cost of a complete Shelter Box is $1200 CAD.
In times of disaster, many thousands of people are often left homeless and without basic shelter and survival equipment. Shelterbox Canada stands at the ready to provide aid to those in need anywhere in the world. Each Shelter Box provides a dry shelter, warm bed, light and heat, clean water, cooking aids and tools for 10 people.
The Shelter Box Trust was established by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard, England. Boxes are pre-packed and warehoused in the UK ready for shipping.
The Shelterbox Canada project was founded within the Rotary Club of Ladysmith, British Columbia, and is promoted and administered by Rotarians from across Canada. It is distributed through Aid Agencies and Rotary Clubs closest to the disaster areas. Most of the funding comes as donations from Rotary Clubs around the world, as well as other organizations and individuals who have given great support to the project. But continuity is the key for the future and funding is constantly being sought. You can donate through The Rotary Club of Sussex now.
The boxes and new equipment are purchased as donations are received. All amounts are welcome and are used to purchase items toward a complete box. Best value is achieved by working closely with leading manufacturers, all items being obtained at less than trade prices!
Each ShelterBox is a large, rugged, green plastic container that holds a 10-person tent and a range of other equipment.
In general, typical box contents could include:
• Thermal blankets and insulated ground sheets
• Waterproof ponchos and bin bags
• A multi-fuel stove that can burn anything from diesel to old paint!
• Cooking pans, utensils, bowls and mugs
• Collapsible water containers and water purification tablets
• A basic tool kit – hammer, axe, saw, pliers, hoe head, trenching shovel, rope etc
• A small, children’s pack containing drawing books, crayons, pens etc.
However, a range of equipment is kept in stock. This allows ShelterBox to be flexible and adjust the contents of the box according to local conditions and what is most urgently needed.
We also have sleeping bags that can be used in particularly cold conditions.
Sometimes – particularly if other resources are available locally and the overwhelming need is for shelter – we will just send tents and pack two in each box.
Once assembled, boxes will be banded and sealed ready for transit. They are also individually numbered so each box can be tracked and donors can know its final destination.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS!
http://www.shelterbox.ca/
On Feb. 9, 2009 Kim Houlahan, Celebrate Co-ordinator for School District #6 talked to our Club to bring it up todate on the success of the "Celebrate" program implemented a few years earlier. The program has now been implemented into our local School District # 8 and is proving to be effective in improving students emotional and social health.
Key Concepts include:
-Believe it and you will see it.
-Recognize abundance.
-Look for possibilities.
-Unleash your energy to fix what is wrong.
-Ride the changes.
-Take yourself to the edge.
-Be your best for the world.
Joining Kim from our local Middle School were Pam Drury, Celebrate champion Sussex middle school, Barb Crowe, and Wendy Osborne.
Kim does this on a part time basis for the school district and the rest of her work week is dedicated to her job as a marketing communications consultant.
She presented 10 minutes of a video done by a national geographic photographer.
All can view the entire video at www.celebratetraining.com.
On Feb. 2, 2009, Sussex Rotary was invited to visit the Kiwanis Nursing home by Keri Walker, Home Administrator and fellow Rotary. Lunch was served, and Keri gave an excellent history of the home, the changes for the residents over the last few years both within the home and from a government funding stand point.
The Home was built by the Kiwanis Club in 1979, and since then has had a couple of expansions . It has over a $4.0 million dollar annual budget, and employs over 100 full & part time and casual emplyees.
Pictured left to right are Roger Albert, Andrew Palmer, Harley Geldart, Keri Walker, Kim Pearson, Frank Derrah, Bruce Northrup, MLA, and Rhoda Wilson. Missing from the photo is Robert Lockhart who was behind the camera.
On Jan. 26, 2008, Mitchell Long (standing) of Sussex Select Funeral Home was Sussex Rotary's guest speaker. Mitchell was introduced by Rotarian Lou McNamara (sitting).
"When we launched the Sussex Select™ Community Funeral Home in January of 1999 we set out to build a family business on a foundation of quality compassionate service to our friends and neighbours in the Sussex area", Mitchell said.
In the fall of 1998 Mitchell Long was just completing his funeral service training and apprenticeship at about the same time that Jim Makepeace made a decision to move on and was seeking a new funeral director to take on the family-owned funeral home that he had opened three years earlier in Sussex.
Mitchell's dad George Long had recently retired and sold his busy service station / restaurant operation. It had been about thirty years since he had arrived in Sussex as a young funeral director himself. George was ready for a break but the opportunity to watch Mitchell launch his career was tempting. A partnership with Brenan's Funeral Homes of Saint John and the growing Select™ Network of Independent Community Funeral Homes made the package complete.
So it was that the Long's launched the Sussex Select™ Community Funeral Home in January of 1999.
As George and Mitchell settled into their new environment each had his own reasons to be happy with their situation. "I'm pleased to have an opportunity to work here at home and, of course, to work with my dad," noted Mitchell. His father, looking back over his career in the Sussex area was happy to return to Funeral Service. I always found it very satisfying to help people who were going through a difficult time. I'm grateful for the chance to do so once again, particularly in a family business."
The Sussex Select™ Community Funeral Home has quickly established itself in the community drawing on the deep roots and long standing tradition of service that the Longs are known for. Sussex Select™ Community Funeral Home offers a full range of services from traditional at-need to preplanning, cremation and grief support from their modern dignified facility which includes three comfortable parlors and a 160 seat on-site chapel.
www.SussexFH.com
On Jan. 12, 2009, Phil Sellars, owner of Jonah Place, was the Club's guest speaker. Phil took ownership of Jonah Place bed and breakfast in April 2008, having moved here with his wife from Calgary where he lived for 25 years.Orginally from Ontario, they decided they wanted the slower, friendly pace of the Maritimes and eventually settled on the Sussex business.
Both he and his wife worked in the financial industry previously. Jonah Place was originally built in 1884 by the Stockton's. It opened as a B & B in 1997. It was recently designated as a historical property. They have some plans for modest expansion and renovating the old carriage house.
Jonah Place has beautiful Victorian splender and is located on two acres of quiet, secluded grounds which make your stay unforgettable.
Phil has quickly become involved in the community as a director for Sussex Chamber of Commerce and Kings County Tourism Association as well as coaching a hockey team.
www.jonahplace.com
On Dec. 15, 2008, our guest speaker was project manager Gerald Pearson of Vic Progressive Drilling. Victor Fournier started working in Sussex area some 25 years ago and formed this company in 1987 starting off very small with 1 old drilling machine. In the 1990's they started manufacturing there own drills and high pressure grout pumps. In 1998 the company got involved with PCS.
They build there own drilling rigs and pumps right here in Sussex at their plant. In 2007 they constructed an above ground grout plant on PCS site.
They continued to expand, operating in B.C., Ont., and PQ in addition to NB and also became international in scope working in projects in USA, Ireland and Chile. They now operate 14 drilling rigs, have multi- million dollar annual sales with employees reaching as high as 150. They are good corporate citizens supporting our local schools and sporting teams in numerous events.
A very interesting presentation about a local success.
On Nov. 7, 2008 over fifty Rotarians and friends gathered at the Timberland Hotel to recognize 31 years of community service of the Rotary Club of Sussex at the Clubs annual Charter Night and Paul Harris Recognition evening.
The master of ceremonies for the evening was Rotarian Bob Kimball, and the guest speaker was District Governor Rick Rogers of St. Stephen who brought greetings from Rotary International.
The highlight for the evening was when Chairman Bob and President Donna Gilchrist bestowed Paul Harris Fellowships to (pictured R-L) Dr. David Medders, PP Kim Pearson, and Rotarian JC Robert Lockhart for their outstanding contributions to the community and Rotary.
At the beginning of the evening, PP & PHF Harley Geldart (left) took advantage of the evening to announce to those in attendance about the Club's new fund raising project to collect coins in water bottles within the community for the Fundy Community Center, and he passed the bottle around from table to table. Pictured at right is chairman Bob Kimball, while Rotarian Kevin Simpson and his wife look on.
During the evening, presentations were made by DG Rick, and to him. DG Rick ( left picture) presented Secretary Bob Black and President Donna with a district citation banner. In the right picture, President Donna presented DG Rick with a check for $1207.00 as the Club's annual contribution to the Rotary Foundation.
At the end of the evening, those PHF's present were gathered for a group photo.
Standing: Bob Black, Founding President Hazen Hogg, Bob Kimball, Robert Lockhart, Dr. David Medders
Seated: Kim Pearson, Charter member Harley Geldart, Keri Walker
