Monthly Update from our President - January 2009
The past month can best be described as a ‘domestic’ one with the focus being very much on administrative tasks and planning for the next few months. Where visits to clubs were undertaken they were within my own Region.
December started with a visit to the Federation Office in Stockport, this provided a welcome opportunity for me to meet with the team there. It is amazing how much can be achieved in a relatively short time when dealing with issues on a face to face basis. Despite advances in technology it still is the most effective way to deal with certain matters.
The following weekend tested the patience of one of my friends. There cannot be many people who invite someone for the weekend only to have them sit and write Christmas cards wherever there was a spare minute!
This is an appropriate point to thank you all for your greetings and good wishes for the year ahead, I really did appreciate them. It makes you realise the truly international nature of our Organisation as messages arrive from literally the four corners of the earth.
The second week saw me make a quick dash from Abergavenny across South Wales in order to join my own Club members for Christmas dinner at The Mariners in Haverfordwest – and to deliver their Christmas cards in person. It was a really enjoyable evening and it was good to see everyone again. It was a great shame that I had to leave early in order to return to Cardiff that evening (I was due in London by 10.00 the following morning with my work).
I was back in Pembrokeshire at the weekend to attend SI Milford Haven’s International Night. The Club has traditionally held such an event as close to 10 December as possible. They go to tremendous effort to garner as many representatives from different countries, service and voluntary organisations as they can from within the local community eg this year the Phillipines was represented by one of the local priests from the Roman Catholic Church in the town. It is very moving as the candles are lit one by one and it was my privilege to light the one for Soroptimist International.
The start of the third week took me from the most western club in my Region to the most easterly – SI Newport and District. One of their members hosted a wonderful Chinese meal at her home, I managed to pick up some ‘handy hints’ including how to do Sally’s nine minute soup, even the culinary challenged like myself could cope with that recipe!
The highlight of the evening for me was to induct a new member into the Club. I have to admit for me it was a case of ‘putting the optimism back into Soroptimism’, it is great seeing a Club recruiting and more importantly retaining their members.
Two days later and I was with SI Barry for Christmas dinner at The Mount Sorrel. Before you ask yes the waistline is suffering. It was a great evening at which the local Salvation Army Band came and played a medley of Christmas music and needless to say being Welsh we all sang a series of carols with gusto. It was made all the more interesting by the bandleader forgetting to bring the carol sheets with him so we ‘winged it’ to remarkably good effect, though I daresay some of the words were not those intended by the authors!
The spare time was spent dealing with correspondence, invitations, screeding pieces for our magazine, the international magazine (TIS)………and preparing for the meeting of the Federation Management Board – my first Board meeting is looming.
It has also been a month of booster doses and visa applications as I prepare to travel to West Africa – sorry but you will have to wait until next month’s instalment for details of my exploits.
For now may I wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2009.
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