of eight defibrillators in the town. Funding for the first five of these defibrillators was provided by the club over a year ago, and a match funded District Grant of £1,000 was secured in the current year to part finance three further units which were installed this year.


Outreach was the chosen project for this


year’s President Lionel Elton. The club has worked collaboratively with the Bridges Community Centre in the last twelve months in developing a Befriending scheme sup- porting isolated and lonely people in Aber- gavenny and the surrounding area. Outreach has several club members involved either as ‘drivers’ or befriending volunteers and we are hopeful these numbers will increase in the coming year. The Lottery Fund funding for the Befriending Scheme is coming to an end in October 2018 and the club is working with the Bridges Centre to identify new sources of funding and also working with the local Town Council to find ways of providing continuing financial support. President Lionel Elton said “I am delighted that we have been able to make some significant progress with this new venture for the club this year and for Rotarians to be able to devote their time not just in fund raising, but to providing a service to people in need of support”.


ABERTILLERY & BLAINA Abertillery and Blaina club have been busy


since October.We held our Junior School quiz at the Swyffryd school, six schools took part. First prize of £50 was donated by Rtn Bob Hall and his wife Christine. The club attended the remembrance services at all the local cenotaphs Abertillery, Blaina, Bournville and Llanhilleth. We took part in the district quiz travelling to Buillth Wells for the last round.


Our Xmas carol concert was a casualty of the bad weather but we managed to arrange a Xmas lunch for fifteen locals who may not have had one, well done to Chris and Jo Wilkins for organising it and getting the food donated, also to everyone who helped out on the day. Well done to Rotarians Bob Hall, John Hale, President Stephen David and Sharon and Steve Harford and Richard Bevan and Nurses Amanda and Louise for helping out at Abertillery Tesco.


ABERYSTWYTH The club along with Inner Wheel staged the


usual summer pig roast. The club’s share of £470 went towards the purchase of a Shelter Box. Members were involved in the steward- ing of the lantern procession at the Christmas lights switch-on and ran a stall selling the Club’s Christmas cards, calendars and crocus corms.


The Christmas collection at the supermarkets and on the main street raised £3,200. Carol singing by Cor Meibion Aberystwyth added to the occasion. Six local charities as well as Kids Out, benefitted from the generosity of the public. The Lionel White fund gives financial support to young people up to the age of 25 wishing to travel abroad for humanitarian work and experience-widening purposes. This year three excellent candidates will work for several weeks with organisations in Sri Lanka, Dar es Salaam and Fiji . The Youth Services committee has ar- ranged mock interviews, KidsOut and RYLA. In addition a local round of Young Musician was held in the Autumn and the area compe- tition took place at Penglais School in January. The club will reach its 75th Anniversary in 2023 so an appropriate programme of activity should be in place at least one year in advance. The club’s 70th Charter Night was


the Tenovus Closer to Home Appeal. Congratulating them at the end of their run, President Jill Osborne thanked Lisa and Bailey for representing the club and for supporting this very important appeal. They raised an amazing £255!!


Left to Right: Rtn Ian Blackhouse, President Jill Osborne, Lisa Harrhy and her son Bailey.


Heavy snow at the beginning of March meant that Barry’s tree planting ceremony had to be postponed.


It finally took place in the Knap Gardens in Barry on a chilly Saturday in March and was followed by hot drinks and fellowship in Romilly’s cafe!


BRECON A Paul Harris Fellowship was presented


to PP Mike Evans Club dinner by current President Owen Hughes. A recent speaker to grace the club was Roy Garnell, who sells all manner of ironmongery in Brecon market.


celebrated in March where the guest speak- er was the MP for Ceredigion, Ben Lake. Adverse weather conditions prevented our District Governor from attending. Pictured, from left, Russell Jones (Probus Chair), Ben Lake, Ceredigion MP, President Martin Davies, Aberystwyth Rotary and Hon Member, Lord Elystan Morgan.


BARRY


Associate Member Lisa Harrhy and her 10 year old son Bailey represented Barry Rotary and ran one mile as part of the Rotary Cente- nary Mile Event where clubs in South Wales were invited to obtain sponsorship for cover- ing one mile to celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Wales and to raise awareness and funds for


In 1965 Roy signed on as a boy soldier. Three years later he joined the special investi- gation branch of the Royal Military Police. In no time at all he was posted to Londonderry at the height of the IRA’s concentrated attacks in that city. One of the highlights of his tour of duty there was to discover a cache of ar- maments which had evaded searches by other forces. His trick had been to drain a series of reservoirs, thereby exposing the guns as well as the account book that laid the blame at the IRA’s door.


Roy interspersed time in Northern Ireland with Germany, where he discovered booby traps. The one he showed us would normally have been left under the driver’s seat of a Land Rover with devastating effect. He was in Berlin in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down, and was sorry that he had never visited the east of the city while it was in Russian hands. There was mention of Donna Maguire, whom Roy described as a demon, and it was she who was held responsible by the German authorities for laying traps for the British forc- es, and was eventually extradited to Germany to be sentenced.


In 1985 Roy was awarded the BEM and


later, in 1991, a bar to put above it. He spent the last ten years of his working life with the South Wales Police.


Continuing our support of other local


Our Stroke Awareness day was a great suc- cess we managed to get quite a few residents to get their blood pressure checked, perhaps President Stephen’s blood should have been checked after posing with the nurses (above).


20


organisations, we helped steward at both the Nikki Grist and Harry Flatters Rallies, despite the less than inviting weather on the Eppynt (above right). Later in the month we joined with Brecon Lions for an evening of Pub Games, with the Lions winning back the Cecil Armitage Cup; and the following week with Crickhowell Rotary Club for a petanque


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