After a rip-snorting start to my year as Rotary District 5550's 2018-2019 Governor – which included Canada Day fireworks in Dryden, helping sort meals for and meeting the 16 young adults from around the world taking part in the two-week International Canoe trip in Sioux Lookout and then a multi-camp trip on Lake of the Woods in a Poker Derby organized by the Kenora Rotary Club, we finally arrived back in Winnipeg from our RV trip to the RI Convention in Toronto.
This was followed by visits to 16 Rotary clubs in Manitoba (including Flin Flon and The Pas) with a brief break to celebrate a 50th Wedding Anniversary with relatives and friends from near and far on August 10th. Northern Saskatchewan Rotary clubs were in our RV headlights next. Picking blueberries in Nipawin with PDG Pat, and an irresistible crop of high bush cranberries in a Melfort campground provided activities (and jam!) after the business and fellowship of Rotary club meetings were done. And then Saskatoon Nutana Rotary Club and its 4-Way Test song happened! Its melody permanently etched the entire 4 way test into my brain with absolutely NO stumbling on the words of the last two tests, which were now neatly supported by an extra line contributed by club member James Gillis “When we pay it forward, it will be returned.” The Montreal Zones Conference provided a mid-September break from club visits as we moved activities to Regina and southern Saskatchewan. I was pleased to be able to share the 4-Way Test song/jewel with Rotarians from three clubs that met in Moose Jaw on October 1st.
While all this was happening “on the road”, the conference committee back in Winnipeg, primarily members of the RC of Winnipeg Charleswood, continued organizing the 2019 District Conference, which turned out to be a crowd-pleaser with its speakers, events and project. My thanks to Conference Chair Jim Forestell and his hard-working committee.
Those were the high points. The low points were the inability to meet in person with members of three of our District’s clubs – Yorkton, Thompson and the newly chartered (Nov 2017) E-Club of Steinbach. Eventually, online Zoom meetings were held with the Yorkton and Thompson clubs, but any kind of meeting with the E-club of Steinbach remains elusive.
A sad note - on May 20th, Don Evans, one of our conference keynote speakers, died of a heart attack while visiting Peru.
To my successors – Fred, Gail-Marie and Dan – thank you for your support. Enjoy!