By Brenda Gibson
Admit it – you picture Rotarians as a bunch of fuddy-duddy old farts sitting around having sleepy conversations that are as thrilling as watching paint peel.
If that’s your vision, then you most definitely have never visited the Semiahmoo club. First off, this club’s Thursday morning breakfast meetings are always rambunctious affairs, full of good-natured tomfoolery, heckling and spirited conversation. And, the food is excellent.
Secondly, this gang knows how to party! Take, for instance, the annual president’s induction, held last month at Blue Frog Studios.
To begin with, there’s no disputing that the venue is cool. Yes, there were a few speeches, some solemn pledges and a pinning or two, but after the pomp and ceremony, the place rocked thanks in large part to incoming president Mary Brunet’s son-in-law’s band Damn Fools.
If you’ll pardon my language for a moment, this Vancouver-based band is damn good! They played a jam-packed set of thumping tracks – mostly their own well-crafted and immediately winning works such as Miss Saigon, Shame and Revolution, lightly seasoned with a few well-loved covers such as Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered.
They tantalized with tracks from their upcoming album, set to be released in the fall.
Needless to say, there was hardly a still soul in the room, and more than once the impromptu dance floor was jammed – and, believe it or not, not one thrown-out hip to be had!
Rotarians also know how to organize great golf events, for young and old. On June 8, the Semiahmoo Rotary Club hosted the Pat Dooley Memorial Golf Tournament at Hazelmere Golf and Country Club, in conjunction with the rotary club’s own tournament. This junior tournament hosted 42 players from nine high schools from Delta, Surrey and Langley.
Congratulations to all those who snapped up awards in the various divisions.
• Team Low Net: Lord Tweedsmuir; Brody VanDeBon, Tanvir Kahlon, Noah Kerins and Jake Gallacher
• Team Low Gross: L.A. Matheson; Vinny Reddy, Breanna Croxen, Mat Miki and Spencer Krautz
• Junior Player Low Net: Ryan Rapske (Lord Tweedsmuir)
• Junior Player Low Gross: Tanvir Kahlon (Lord Tweedsmuir)
• Coach Low Net: Jeff Swaddling (Clayton Heights)
• Coach Low Gross: Rob McAll (Southpoint Academy)
• Women Low Net: Breanna Croxen (L.A. Matheson)
The Semiahmoo Rotary Club has been running their golf tournament for 27 years and has raised over $1.3 million for the Peace Arch Hospital. This year’s tournament added another $55,000 to the pot.
And finally, Rotarians know how to shred. Okay, maybe not on the guitar, but after the huge success of the South Surrey Rotary Club’s June Shredathon, you’ll want to mark your calendar and save your papers for the next shredding event, which will be held Sept. 17 at Ocean Park Safeway from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
So if you think Rotary is too stale and ho-hum for you, I encourage you to think again. Sample a few of the local clubs – you might just find a place you feel at home, and like many of our members, be looking back some 20-30 years from now saying, “I stopped by for breakfast and I never left!”
Brenda Gibson writes monthly on behalf of the Semiahmoo Peninsula’s five Rotary Clubs – brenda_gibson@shaw.ca