Sunday, June 21

Yeah, I know it's not Sunday, June 21. I've been reduced to using an ancient technique for recording information known as a "notebook". You have to be here and be a techie kind of person to understand my plight. I have only shared, expensive access to a mobile Internet dongle at my B & B that doesn't let me onto nearly 10% of the Internet, including this blog site, because my age can't be verified by my credit card number. At the convention, there are several computer stations in the House of Friendship, each with a 30-minute lineup to use the computers. In the conference's business center, where you pay a pound for 10 minutes of use (by far the most expensive option) there's still a lineup! So, I've just been recording my experiences over the last few days in a notebook and I'll share them now...

Okay, Sunday. This was the conference opening. We started our day early in Birmingham. Since we're staying in Coventry and breakfast started at 7:30 AM, no trains ran early enough to get us there on time. Luckily, Al and Shirley Bergsma were staying at at B & B down the road from us. We shared a cab, and I got a chance to talk to yet another one of our club's Past Presidents about the keys to a successful year and his passions for Rotary.

Breakfast wasn't just any meal. This was the Northern Lights breakfast - specifically for Zone 22/24 Rotarians, from clubs in Canada, part of the US, France (St. Pierre and Miquelon) and eastern Russia. This was a special Northern Lights breakfast, too. This will be the last one. RI's zone configuration is changing next year and next year's breakfast will become the Breakfast Beyond Borders - encompassing many more US and Russian Rotarians.

About 240 people from zone 22/24 were treated to a full English breakfast and greetings from a number of RI's senior leaders including President D.K. Lee, President-Elect John Kenny, and Vice-President Monty Audenart (from Red Deer!). The Alberta connection didn't stop there, either. PDG Elly Contreras, in charge of Marketing and Promotion for the 2010 RI Convention in Montreal, spoke to promote the convention and the upcoming Zone Institute in Edmonton in September. She dragged Governor Ross Tyson and Governor-Elect Terry Drader up on stage with her to help the promotion. DG Ross enticed the Canadians in the room to sing a few bars of "Alberta Bound" to promote the institute. We'll see if that helps or hinders... :)

In the afternoon, Krista and I attended the second seating of the first plenary session - the conference opening. RI Secretary General Ed Futa introduced a speech by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Secretary General Moon had given in person in the first seating. He spoke about the courage Rotarians show in their fight against polio, and took special time to remember the three Rotarians killed last year while immunizing children in Afghanistan. He urged Rotary to continue its important work to eliminate the disease completely. Polio is indemic in only four of the world's countries, now: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Secretary General Moon assurred us he has been in contact with the political and religious leaders of those nations to help pave the way for complete eradication efforts.

The speech was very compelling, and I was wishing afterwards that we had elbowed our way into the first seating to hear it live. I was pleasantly surprised, then, to see Secretary General Moon take the stage to receive the Polio Plus Champion award presented by RI President D.K. Lee. He reiterated some of his remarks about the unique, strong partnership RI has with the UN and inspired us to work hard to wipe out polio and look forward to new opportunties this global partnership will tackle in the future.

On Sunday evening, we went to Warwick Castle for dinner and a "medieval spectacular". There, Krista and I met Visa and Hannale, a Rotarian couple from Akaa, Finland. Visa is the headmaster of an elementary school and Hannale teaches there, too. Visa has been a Rotarian for ten years and he was just wrapping up his year as club president.

Visa had joined Rotary after receiving a phone call on his second day at work as the school's headmaster. The Rotarian on the phone asked him to come to a meeting. Visa loved it and made up his mind to join immediately. On his third day of work, when the Lions called, Visa declined the offer.

After enjoying dinner and a glass of wine with Visa and Hannale, we toured the castle. Now owned by the Tussauds Group, and filled with was mannequins from the same, Warwick is THE quintessential English castle. When I get a chance, I'll post pictures of the joust and a video of the firing of the trebuchet!

For now, the lineup behind me at this computer is growing. In the interest of being fair to all concerned, I'm going to have to give up my spot. Stay tuned for pics, videos, and what happened on Monday when I post again tonight or tomorrow. Cheers!