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The Four-Way Test Of the things we think, say or do;

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

By email to all members of

Swindon

President Rtn,

Paul Parfrey

President Elect

P.P. Peter Collis

PHF Sapphire

President Nominee

Rtn, David Coe

Secretary;

P.P. John Flanagan

Treasurer;

Rtn, Steve Weisinger

The Rotary Club of

Swindon Phoenix District 1100 England

Bulletin (aptly named)

‘’The Birdy’ Issue number 38 Volume number 2 Number 16 of this Rotary Year

Control + click on these hyper

Editor; Past President Peter Goldsworthy. P.H.F. Sapphire Editor; Past President Peter Goldsworthy. P.H.F. Sapphire Editor; Past President Peter Goldsworthy. P.H.F. Sapphire

Winner of District 1100 Bulletin of the Year in a previous Rotary lifeWinner of District 1100 Bulletin of the Year in a previous Rotary lifeWinner of District 1100 Bulletin of the Year in a previous Rotary life

Not one, but three

Presidents of 2012 pic-

tured at the Swindon

Phoenix Past Presi-

dents ‘bit of a do!’

Of course following custom and

practice there is no report of the

occasion, nor is there ever likely

to be! ‘cos what happens at the

P.P. do —- stays at the P.P. do!

NOTE ALL Members: Meeting this week, Council

- then Business and Fellowship

Be sure to be there to find out our plans etc!

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There have been stories of an outbreak in China in 2012 affecting over 120 people, caused by seepage from one of the endem-ic countries. The Chinese Government however quickly arranged a programme of vaccination in that state and successfully killed the outbreak.

Peter urged the club to support the project and hoped that he could give the accolade "Naaho Nubo" the Ugandan dialect for "They did all that they could"

Host Tony Horn proposed the vote of thanks and

Club Meeting 14th November 2012

Our speaker on 14th November was Past President Peter Wells from the Ro-tary Club of Swindon who is the District 1100 Polio Eradication Officer who came to give us an update on the End Polio Campaign.

Peter brings a unique perspective to the effects of Polio as he himself con-tracted Polio in 1955 as a small boy in London. He told us that when initially contracting Polio he could not walk but he did recover fully other than losing feeling in his right arm and some loss of movement in his right shoulder.

Rotary started the campaign in 1985 and at that time Polio was indigenous in 125 countries and there were 100 new cases every last. Over the years Polio has been eradicated in every country bar four - Nigeria, Pakistan, Af-ghanistan and India. India have poured resources into providing an immun-isation programme to every child. Each child has to be immunised a number of times but the support has been successful. In 2010 there were 42 new cases reported in India, 1 in 2011 and there have been no new outbreaks in India for the last eighteen months.

The key message is that Rotary together with the World Health Organisation and the United Nations has eradicated 99% of polio cases and that we are that close to achieving our goal. However because of the support from the Gates Foundation many Rotarians think this is not a key programme any more but there is still a need to carry out activities to raise $1000 (£650) a year towards the campaign. We have seen incentives like the Tea Caddy and the Tomato Sauce but clubs are asked to undertake their own activities in February.

Peter also told us about his first hand experiences in Uganda which was cer-tainly an endemic country about fifteen years ago. He tells the story of Boni-face who when he first knew of him could only crawl around his house and would not go out. A charity gave him his crutches and callipers and enabled him to go out into the world. Although he looks much older than his nine-teen years Boniface is now a reporter for his school and looking for a career in journalism.

The three current endemic countries are rife with political issues and not least the most urgent need is to get sanitation sorted in Karachi. Unfortu-nately Karachi remains an incubator for the disease and They need to follow India's lead in forming the vaccination programme and also improving sani-tation. The current situation is untenable in that 27 million tons of sewage enters the system every day harbouring the polio virus.

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indicated he would be putting forward a proposal to fund our contributions.

There were the normal announcements which no doubt are covered elsewhere in the Birdy but the key issues were:

Heart FM running a series of trailers for the Santa Run all this week

Congratulations to Darren & Ceri Crannis on the birth of their son: Joshua Darren Maximus Crannis.

John Flanagan apologised unreservedly for bringing up the sleigh comments at the previous week's meeting.

28th November will be a partner's evening, please try to attend as it will the last meeting other than the Xmas event prior to January.

Mike Slipper with hamper gift from Poland

TH 16.11.12

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The ‘Not been President Yet’ night

pictured right is a self portrait of organiser

Andy Gleed and I think the pictures of the oth-

er revellers speak for themselves!

I understand the

camera was

passed around

the table and I

have not used

the more blurred

shots that were

probably taken

as the evening

went on—but it

appears every-

one enjoyed

themselves—

especially the

two blokes!

Someone needs to keep their finger out of

the way otherwise a happy pic of Peggy G

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Our grateful thanks to reporter

Emma Dunn and the team at

the Swindon Advertiser for the-

piece above of great PR for our

‘happy start to the Christmas

Season’

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HELP! Length Counters Wanted see President Paul ASAP

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Pictured here are two of the prototype Dragons pro-

duced and painted by our very own Potty (sorry I

mean Potter) Dianne Fisher these will be mounted on

a polished base (thank you in advance P. P. Kevin!) and

presented to the teams that take 1st 2nd & 3rd places

in the Dragon Boat Race next June and I join with all

the club to thank Dianne for this initiative and all the

work that she has out into it.

I have to admit that my photos really don't do them

justice, they need to be seen in the flesh (so to speak)

I understand that there may even be a larger one later

that will be the Clubs main trophy and will have win-

ning teams names on the plinth for posterity and that

the club will retain it to keep it safe

Dragon update

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I contacted proud father Darren due to the arrival of the first baby since our charter and here is a few more details for you all- Hi Golds, Thanks for you message earlier, Joshua would love to be in the Birdy and is very excited to be the first Swin-don Phoenix baby! Joshua Darren Maximus Crannis was born at 9.27pm on Tuesday 13th November weighing 7lb 9.5 oz. He was born at the White Horse Birthing Centre in GWH. Ceri & Joshua are both doing well. Joshua Facts: Eye Colour : Blue Favourite Colour : Red Favourite Food : Milk Favourite bedtime reading : The Birdy! Star sign : Scorpio First Toy : Screwdriver (from his dad) What else happens on his Birthday: What happened on this day : Diwali Festival Number 1 in charts : Candy by Robbie Williams Number 1 in album : Take the crown Robbie Williams Number 1 in video / film release : Men in black 3 Number 1 at box office : James Bond, Skyfall Month of Movember : Men grow moustaches for charity to raise money for prostate cancer Shared birthday with : Gerard Butler Hope this is OK for the Birdy! Best wishes, Darren & Ceri (or Daddy & Mummy)

A bit of advanced warning! Mark these dates

22 November Girls Night Out @ The Woodman LADIES ONLY! 25 November support ‘the Swimathon’ to raise funds at David Lloyd Leisure Wed 28th November 2012 Partners Evening Sunday 2nd December The Santa Run at Lydiard Park Wed 12th December The Swindon Phoenix Christ-mas Meal & Party @ The Pear Tree Purton Fri 1st March 2013 - Sun 3rd March 2013 District 1100

Annual Conference Torquay

5-8th April Phoenix Weekend in Ireland organisers President Paul & Lynn Parfrey 20th April Know your Blood Pressure Day Brunel Shopping Centre Saturday 15th June 2013 is the date for the Presi-

dent's end of year bash. Details to follow over the coming

months as our Club Administrator

organises it

Sunday 30th June THE Dragon Boat

Race at Coate Water Country Park.

This list is by no means all that is planned keep checking both the Birdy and the Website for up-dates.

Wednesday 3rd July Handover

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Hi Birdy 'ED' Just wanted to share this ! The Swindon Epilepsy Group Inbox received an email this morning from Martin Ben-tham, the Principal at Far-leigh FE College in Swindon. They have a Student who has recently been diag-nosed and having Epileptic seizures. Martin was asking for support in training to help the staff to look after him. I passed him onto Helen who runs the Bristol Sup-port Group and she is also an Epilepsy Sapphire Nurse in Bristol Frenchay. As it happened Helen is able to design and provide a training package for Martin to help his staff.... Helen and Martin are now in contact and dealing with each other..... How good is that? Paul President Rotary Club of Swindon Phoenix Here’s something to make you think

Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers...

When things in your life seem almost too much to

handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough,

remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a

very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceed-ed to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between

the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the

jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.. 'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided,

'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your fami-

ly, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was

lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car..

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small

stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children.

Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents.

Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand.

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One of the students raised her hand and in-

quired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you

asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a

couple of Beers with a friend. Please share this with someone. I JUST DID!

Thank you Cilla for these pearls of wisdom

Looks like Florida has a sheriff like Arizonahas . . Polk County Florida Sheriff - "You kill a policeman it means no arrest...no Miranda rights...no negotia-tions...nothing but as many bullets as we can shoot into you...PERIOD."

POLK COUNTY FLORIDA SHERIFF, GRADY JUDD An illegal alien, in Polk County, Florida, who got pulled over in a routine traffic stop, ended up "executing" the deputy who stopped him. The depu-ty was shot eight times, including once behind his right ear at close range. Another deputy was wounded and a police dog killed. A state-wide manhunt ensued.

The murderer was found hiding in a wooded area. As soon as he took a shot at the SWAT team, offic-ers opened fire on him. They hit the guy 68 times.

Naturally, the liberal media went nuts and asked why they had to shoot the poor, undocumented immigrant 68 times. Sheriff Grady Judd told the Orlando Sentinel: "Because that's all the ammunition we had." Now, is that just about the all-time greatest answer or what!

The Coroner also reported that the illegal alien died of natural causes.

When asked by a reporter how that could be, since there were 68 bullet wounds in his body, he simply replied: (BEST QUOTE ever) . . ..."When you are shot 68 times you are naturally gonna die."

I met a fairy today who said she would grant me one wish.

" I'd like to live forever," I said. "Sorry," said the fairy, "I'm not allowed to grant anyone that wish, but ask for any-thing else and your wish is my command."

"OK," I said, "I'd be happy just to live 'til England win the World Cup." "You crafty b**tard !" said the fairy.

A young woman, tired of having to work, de-

cides to marry a rich husband in his 70's. On their honeymoon night, they go to their bed-rooms and as the bride is undressing, she hears a knock on the door. She opens it, and there is her husband, obviously "ready to go." He enters, they make passionate love for about 20 minutes, and then he kisses her and leaves. About 15 minutes later, as she is lying in bed, reading a maga-zine, she hears a knock on the door. She goes to open it, and there is her new husband, looking at her, and she can tell he's "ready to go." They make passionate love for about 30 minutes, he then ten-derly kisses her cheek, and departs. As the new bride is starting to doze off, she hears a knock on the door. Looking at the clock she see's only 1/2 an hour has gone by. She opens the door, and there is her husband. He grabs her hand, kisses her and they make passionate love. As they finish, she whispers in his ear "Wow Honey, you are one Tiger! I know men in their 20's that have problems making it once or twice, let alone three times!" With a quizzical look, he says "What? Do you mean I've al-ready been here?"

"When I were a lad, me mother would send me down t’ t 'corner shop wi' a shilling.

An I'd come back wi' five pounds o' taties, two loaves o' bread, three pints o' milk, a turkey, a pound o' cheese, a pack-et o' tea, an' 'alf a dozen eggs.

Yer wouldn’t get that now........Too many bloody security cameras."

Jokes

‘on the w

ing’

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Rotary International Theme 2012/13

That’s all Folks !- but remember, we are t he Rotary Club of

the 21st Century

Other Websites Swindon Phoenix supports & recommends to our readers

http://www.stanleystravels.co.uk ………. http://www.swindonepilepsy.org.uk

Take it from me, this picture was taken at the beginning

of the evening at the Past Presidents Dinner

Everything else is shrouded in secrecy!