3rd July 2014 - visit to the offices of John Deere, Langar
Chris Meacock, Sales Manager of John Deere was our host for this visit.
John Deere generously provided a buffet in their staff restaurant.
Chris began with a brief history of the Company, which started in America in 1837, with John Deere, a blacksmith and
inventor, who had an idea that would help farmers with an efficient plough.
This invention changed the face of agriculture, and formed a world leading company, in Agriculture, Forestry, Civil
Engineering and Grass Management. Anything connected with the land!
Chris said the Company’s values were originally and still are integrity, quality, commitment and innovation
The Company strives to maximise equipment performance to reduce client operating costs, minimizing environmental
effects.
Concern for a high customer satisfaction was demonstrated in a number of ways. For example John Deere Parts open
7 days a week to serve customer needs. Maintenance staff have a rigorous training and development programme, so
that equipment will operate at peak performance. Development of equipment, that will for example harvest crops
using satellite navigation.
There is a strong Company belief of the importance of developing and investing in its staff.
Chris then showed us the Technician Training workshop, followed by
the opportunity to climb on board, tractors, and combine harvesters,
and to talk about brake horse power and torque.
An interesting and impressive talk.
TR
10 July 2014- Visit of our very own DG Steve Lawes
This week saw the return of the conquering hero – well ….Steve Lawes – in his official capacity as District 1220
Governor, accompanied by Jan. He received a warm welcome from the club members, and was clearly touched by his
reception. His formal presentation included an introduction to Rotary International President Gary C K Huang’s theme
- “Light up Rotary” and he went on to develop his own aspirations for his District – the necessary changes needed to
reverse the ageing demographic of Rotary and to increase membership, illustrated by use of the 1220 Club Visioning
initiative and exploring Business Partnerships like the NHS & Wildlife Trust. In his message he 1.encouraged a
receptiveness to change and 2. a need to look forward,3.Don’t forget “End Polio” or Rotary’s own charity, Foundation.
4. Step back & think about the perception our Club offers visitors and whilst being proud of what this club has
achieved, continue the fun and fellowship, which is such a special part of being a Vale Rotarian.
On a more personal level he recounted his ‘Rotary Moment’ on the Christmas Float and
encouraged members to think of a similar moment which encapsulated what Rotary
means, the easier to communicate what we do to the wider public
SC
17 July 2014 – Boules Evening
The Annual Club Boules Championship was held on July 17 at The Haven
After the regular debate about Rules, Technique and whether the contest should be held
on the gravel in the Car Park, 22 Eager Belvoirs took part in 4 heats, and thence to a Final.
Notable features were Jane's "Boules Dance", the left-handed Stathern toss, and Denis' Bacon's claimed bad back
(which meant that someone else had to pick up his boules)
Despite his physical limitations Denis Bacon went on to qualify and then to triumph in the Final - AGAIN!!
AF
24 July 2014 - Heraldry and Belvoir Castle
John Daybell
John Daybell, who is a guide at Belvoir Castle, gave us an illustrated talk describing the history and development
Heraldry and how the Heraldic embalms adopted by the incumbents of Belvoir Castle depict the fortunes of the
families in residence.
John explained that Heraldry was first used as a means of identifying people on the field of combat who were wearing
armour and could not be recognised. Later Coats of Arms became useful to the many that could not read or write to
be depicted in a pictorial manner on seals on documents.
The discipline of Heraldry became highly developed in the Middle Ages and survives to this day. Anybody can have a
Coat of Arms produced with the approval of the Earl Marshall of England who is the Duke of Norfolk. Many public
bodies, companies and individuals adopt a Coat of Arms for their pictorial identification.
John then went on to show us various Coats of Arms adopted by successive occupants of Belvoir Castle and explained
the significance of the amendments to the designs.
The Coats of Arms can be seen on tombs and memorials in Bottesford Church and members of the Friends of
Bottesford Church have been engaged in interpreting the designs.
Finally John invited members to visit the church to view the tombs memorials and hatchments and offer any
comments on the interpretation of the Coats of Arms which is an ongoing project.
ST
31 July 2014 – The Grizzled Skipper butterfly – Bill Bacon
Bill Bacon gave a very interesting talk on the Grizzled Skipper Butterfly which is only the
size of a bee .What was surprising was that it is only found locally and has reduced in
numbers by 46% over the last 20 years .The main area is from Stathern to Plunger where
the old train line is and the butterfly is very dependent on the right habitat, it has to have
certain plants present that are more ground cover. All these correct living conditions have
been implemented with the help of grants and the Woodland Trust Volunteers and is an
on-going project with the help of local farmers.
The Butterfly only produces one sometimes two eggs in April to June so you can imagine that survival is tricky,
especially if both eggs get to the caterpillar stage, the fittest consumes the weakest and so it continues
SB
7August 2014 – The’ Trevor’ Quiz
Always widely anticipated, in dread or excitement, it was time for another quiz from our regular quizmaster. This time,
Trevor was assisted by Maggie, ostensibly as scorer. The meeting was divided into two teams. The event started with
questions open to both teams but, after the first round, the level of ensuing chaos led to a change in procedure with
questions mostly offered to teams in turn. Maggie suggested to Trevor that perhaps we should tell them the
rules….he declined!
A further change saw Maggie take over part of the questioning. A series of rounds re sport, film music, Diana Ross
songs, sport again and charades took us to a final round of singing in which both teams performed lustily, if not
tunefully. The result was that team one won, very much aided by a virtuoso performance in recognising film theme
tunes. A thoroughly enjoyable if chaotic evening. Thanks to Trevor for preparing all the questions and recordings; also
to his able assistant Maggie. On reflection, it appeared from the dual performance by these two and the manipulating
of team captains by members, that perhaps this evening had a secondary theme - ventriloquism.
JS
14 August 2014 Bingham Market– Adrian Henstock
Adrian Henstock, retired Nottinghamshire County
Council archivist gave us a talk on the history of
Bingham market interspersed with various historical
facts. In 2014 Bingham celebrated 700 years since
the town was granted its Market Charter by the King.
No town/village could operate a market back then
without Royal approval.
The Butter Cross in Bingham marketplace, erected in 1861.
(A. Nicholson, 2000).
The Butter Cross as we know it today was rebuilt
in 1861 but previously it would have been a wooden construction and the centre piece of the market. The
name was derived from the fact that people would gather to buy locally produced butter / milk/ eggs/
which was laid out and displayed on circular bases and often covered by a roof to provide shelter.
Overtime the importance of the market became less, especially with the advent of the railways. However
in recent times there has been a revival of Farmers markets with one held each month in Bingham.
In 1710 an apothecary named Peatfield was found guilty of creating 3 fires in the town but was deemed to
be insane – after a short while in prison he was detained in two rooms built in the middle of the market
place where he remained until his death in 1739.
His closing remarks recognised the substantial work which many people had put in to organising the 700th
celebrations.
CN
21August 2014 – Mountaineering – Tony Mills
Tony Mills provided us with an interesting and awe-inspiring talk on his particular interest – not one usually
expected of the owner of a funeral service company – mountaineering. He has been climbing serious peaks
in various locations for some years and exposed us to photographs of a successful attempt on Cho Oyu
(26,905ft) which were both impressive and alarming. The amount of time and effort preparing for, and
getting to the mountains surprised members, with the window for the attempt on the summit being so
limited and weather dependent.
RM
28 August 2014 – Visit to St. Anne’s Allotments
MB-C
4 September 2014 – Business Meeting
See Website for details
11th September 2014 RAF Syerston - Tim O’Brien
Tim, a local artist and author, had previously spoken to us about the
history of RAF Newton.
RAF Syerston was built as part of the bomber expansion in the late
thirties, but did not open until 1 December 1940 and was initially home
to squadrons of Hamden and Wellington bombers largely flown by Polish
and Canadian crews. A concrete runway was later built to support the
larger Lancaster bomber.
The site has passed through many uses including bomb crew training and
Bombing and Gunnery Defence training. After the war it became part of Transport Command and then Flying
Training School for both propeller and jet training and Police Dog training. The unit was disbanded in 1970 but in
1975 opened at the Gliding Training School which is still largely in place today.
The site is still being developed for various non-combatant sections of RAF including Officer Training and some new
building developments have recently been incorporated as the site continues to evolve.
It is maybe infamous for one incident in 1958 when a prototype Vulcan on an engine performance sortie was
diverted to take part in the Battle of Britain event being held at Syerston. It appears the pilot may have attempted a
manoeuvre which resulted in a wing collapsing as the engines were too powerful for the airframe and the plane
crashed killing its crew and four people on the ground. The air show just carries on!
Time complemented these facts with a number of about the characters who had worked at their site, including some
four-legged friends, the most memorable of which was a pilot’s indestructible dog who went on all the sorties with
his master. When the plane was eventually lost over Germany, the dog was later repatriated with the base.
DB
18 September 2014 - Street Pastors Linda & Ian
We learnt of the excellent work being carried out on behalf of the local churches around Nottingham with
trained volunteers acting as Street Pastors working with the public between the hours of 10pm and 3pm in at risk
areas where there are late night revellers or drug and gang culture
Linda and Ian gave a compelling presentation about their involvement and the fact that this began in 2003 in London
before coming north to Nottingham in 2010 .The whole ethos is that Street pastors are out on the streets to support
and help anyone in trouble. This could be by handing out widgets to stop drinks being spiked or blankets to cover
vulnerable people to keep overnight in their “Safe Place” or get them a taxi home .During the four years it has been in
Nottingham Street pastors has been run very professionally supporting the Police in a very humane and caring way
Most of the above work is financed by donations or takings from the churches trust cafe bar on St James Street the
MALT CROSS. The building is at present undergoing restoration as a grade two listed building .Once completed
please support this good cause by using it
SB
25 September 2014 – HS1 – St. Pancras to the Channel Tunnel –David Leggett
David gave a very detailed talk on HS1 St. Pancras to
Channel Tunnel. He told us that he’d been privileged to ride
in the cab on one journey and he had a series of photographs
of the route. When
he’d “completed his journey” he gave
us an equally detailed description of the renovation work at St
Pancreas. So detailed was his talk that there was no time for
questions.
MM
2 October 2014 – Mental Toughness – John Dabrowski
John Dabrowski gave a presentation to club on “Mental Toughness – Success and
Strategies for Tough Times”.
John opened by telling us a little of his childhood and important markers in his
adult life which made him the man he is today.
Married twice and about to enter a third.
Professional basketball player and played for England – scored 98 points in one
match (but then the other team showed up)
The need to be full of your own self-importance. He talked about the five pillars
of Mental Toughness: Commitment; Motivation; Self Belief; Control; Focus
He showed a number of video clips and used Dame Kelly Holmes as an example of someone who went through very
difficult times but gained two gold medals through her mental toughness.
His excellent working knowledge of sales, marketing & the advertising world and lectures such groups on mental
toughness, confidence building, advanced communications, time management, sales techniques, body language and
human relationships to name but a few of his vast and awe inspiring skills.
He is also willing to help ailing golfers improve their golfing skills and has even wowed guests at the Doncaster
Business Growth Dinner.
Duncan G
9 October 2014 – A Way of Beeing – Alison Knox
The Club received a presentation on Urban BEE Keeping from a very enthusiastic, apiarist
Alison Knox.
Alison has been Bee Keeping for just 6 years but has built up a wealth of experience in
how to keep her fury friends happy and contented, with the result of lots of honey.
She explained that bees are hairy dinosaurs and that 2/3 of what we take for granted
eating would NOT be available if there were no bees!
She mentioned “swarming bees” & catching them in a skep [basket of ryegrass], trucking
bees around in the USA where it is big business and the main problem impacting on bees
are ‘humans’!
She presented a pot of her honey to one lucky raffle winner Stan Taylor and a pot of Bees
Wax lip salver to Chris Netherwood. We look forward to Chris shining and waxing lyrical
at the next meeting.
Doug Downing
14 October 2014: Club Visit to RAF Cranwell & RAF Coningsby
For Special Report see Latest News on our Web site
AR
16October2014: Hearing Dogs for Deaf People - Donald Sharpe
Donald Sharpe, who worked in the music business and suffers from hearing degradation due
to the sounds he was exposed to during his working life, came along with his dog Mr
Mitchell to tell us about the work of the national charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People was launched at Crufts in 1982 following a visit to the USA by
vet Dr Bruce Fogle who had learnt about dogs assisting deaf people. Bruce Fogle made
contact with Lady Elizabeth Wright who was vice president of the Royal National Institute
for the Deaf and together they launched the charity.
The charity trains dogs to alert deaf people to select sounds and danger signals in the home,
work place and public areas. This allows people who are deaf to regain independence
through the support that the dog gives in alerting them to sounds that they would
otherwise not hear.
Don explained that just walking the streets is dangerous to deaf people with the need to
hear oncoming traffic, staying in a hotel alone presents danger when fire alarms cannot be
heard. Not hearing the telephone or doorbell increases a sense of isolation and contributes
to people with deafness withdrawing from society and leading a normal lifestyle.
Trained Dogs are placed with deaf people who are also trained to interpret the dog’s signals.
Recipients care for the dogs on a day to day basis but the dogs are supported by the charity
throughout their working lives.
It was quite moving to hear directly from recipients of dogs about the life changing support receiving a hearing dog
has brought Hearing Dogs for Deaf People placed its first dog with a deaf person in 1983 and now have over 800
hundred dogs placed with deaf people. The charity has established a breeding programme to produce the most
suitable puppies for training and places over 200 puppies in its training scheme each year.
Dogs are retired after 11yrs so there is a constant need to train replacement dogs and there is a growing demand for
dog placement.
It costs around £40,000 to train a dog and support it through its working life so the charity is in constant need of
financial support and the support of volunteers to maintain its services.
ST
rd
23 October 2014 –Social evening
Tonight we had an informal club meeting. President Steve wanted us all to be able to set up the PA system so Dave V
and Duncan gave us a demonstration of how to set up the system. It was not a presentation without flaws, but
perhaps that was intended to ensure we remembered it!
After the dynamic presentation by the two D’s we were “treated” to another “Clever Trevor Quiz”. Of course Trevor
ensured that the quiz rules were carefully explained to us all and then proceeded to ignore them himself, but it
wouldn’t be a CTQ if all went well. After 5 minutes or so the usual chaos ensued and with much hilarity it was declared
that a tie-breaker was required. The question was asked and the final result declared. One half of the room had won
and the other half had lost.
Well that’s fair isn’t it?
MM
30th October 2014 - Visit from Buddha Maitreya
The talk was entitled – My Japanese Garden at North Clifton Newark
– but reality was that Maitreya concentrated on his enlightenment
which led to his life work being one of Meditation and sharing those
experiences with others. He was a Zen monk and through meditation
he achieved the very rare experience of finding the truth of the
Universe. He explained that everything was shining and he achieved
a very pure experience. He started teaching meditation in India
some 45 years ago and now has a Meditation centre at North Clifton
where he built his Japanese garden.
It was originally a 2 acre flat field and in 1980, despite no knowledge of Japanese gardening, began to create a
magnificent Japanese vista. It is a place of peace and tranquillity. We were entertained to several DVDs covering the
Garden and two original songs from Maitreya [performed this year at the Edinburgh Fringe, no less!]. The Garden
has won awards, is open to the public and more info can be found on his website www.buddhamaitreya.co.uk . All
in all an evening we shall not forget.
CN
6th November 2014 -The First World War and connecting with New Generation
Our guest speaker, Chris Henley, Assistant Head Teacher of South Wigston High School, Leicester set the
scene by making comparisons with the 1st & 2nd World Wars. He lightened the subject by talking through a
meeting of the Triumverate, consisting of members of the Home Guard & others….suggesting that Dad’s
Army might be closer to the truth than we might imagine!
However, after relating a few numbers about the First World War at Ypres:





25 men lost for every metre gained
55000 won the Menin Gate
400 cemeteries
12 500 men in Tynecot[largest cemetery]
35 000 un named
He gave a very moving account of their recent school journey to the battlefields in Belgium. The students
visited cemeteries, trenches and Menin Gate. They also took part in a ceremony that takes place each
evening to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives 100 years ago. The students researched seven of
the soldiers from South Wigston, who had lost their lives in Ypres and are now used at the school as House
names. The students were tasked to write poems, which were encapsulated in laminate folders, and were
placed on the appropriate graves.
We found Chris's presentation very emotional and fitting as remembrance Services would take place this
coming Sunday.
NH
20th November 2014 The Grantham Canal Society Rosie Clifton & Terry Jackson
Rosie joined the Society in 2009, after retiring from her
Primary school teaching role & felt it was like another
world.
Manmade waterways have been around many years, the
ancient Egyptians, Chinese & the Romans all used water
systems of some design.
The Grantham canal was planned by William Jessop of
Newark.
There was not enough wood for heating, so Grantham needed coal, hence the canal to transport it from The Duke of
Devonshire’s mines. It was constructed between 1793 & 1797, hand crafted by cutters and Navvies, 33 miles from
Grantham to Nottingham.
They outlined some of the history, with pictures of the bridges, Old Granary in the Grantham basin, which was
demolished in 1929 following the provision of a sewer system in Nottingham which meant that the “night soil” was
no longer available to transport along the canal to the Vales farmers. Following the expansion of the railways, the
canal systems declined and the Grantham canal finally closed in 1936.
In 1969 proposals were discussed to fill in the canal and so the Society was formed. It is a neglected waterway, but
has the potential to be one of Britain’s beautiful canals. Volunteer activity has already resulted in several million
pounds worth of work being completed, as they strive to restore it to the navigable, sustainable gem of the English
countryside that it deserves to be.
Currently they have about 40 volunteers [including canal Rangers, like Terry], 300 members and a number of
sponsors
It is a valuable leisure amenity, preserving an important wildlife habitat, with the potential to create jobs and
business opportunities. It’s of benefit to: Anglers & birdwatchers; Walkers & cyclists, boaters & naturalists;
photographers & educationalists.
They have acquired work boats, weed boats and a leisure boat called ‘The Three Shires’, which is a major source of
income to the Society.
AR for GO
27 November 2014 3D Laser Mapping – Dr Graham Hunter
Graham founded the company 15 years ago & operates out of their
Bingham Office, but also have offices in Australia, S.Africa & USA, as Mining
is one of their most lucrative markets, which ties in with his background
training as a mining engineer with the NCB at The University of Nottingham
and Hucknall Colliery.
He gave us a fascinating presentation, suggesting that their geospatial
business intelligence operation was a simple 3D tape measure, quantifying
information based on millions of points & their relative distances. As well
as monitoring slope movement & stockpile volumes, they also do street
mapping, buildings
As a small company they develop innovative
solutions in this competitive market and Zeb
1[shown right in the hands of Dave Barton
{Vote of Thanks}] is such an example. Hand
held on a spring device [hence the name, after
Zebedee] which can be used in all sort of
building applications. This was clearly
illustrated in a video clip where the Tower of
Pisa was Laser mapped in one hour, as the
operative walked around & up the Tower.
Further videos showed applications
power line monitoring, rail mapping in
France, airborne scanning of coastal
erosion, thermal mapping of buildings.
Dave was somewhat blown away by
the technology as he had always
struggled, even with the first black &
white simple maps, but thanked
Graham in the usual way for his
technological & informative
presentation.
Thermal imaging
slope monitoring
AR for DB