by John Hutchison | Mar 10, 2022 | Foundation - International, News, Paul Harris Fellow
Our colleague, Past-President Ken Johnston has been made a Paul Harris Fellow recognising his service in Rotary, where he has done various jobs, particularly in community service and publicity. Keeping the members connected through Covid was of crucial importance and this he did, more or less single-handedly, maintaining members’ morale.
Ken and Kath Johnston are well known in the community. Ken as former Divisional Planning Manager with Highland Council and more recently supporting the Upper Achintore Recreation Group project, currently underway. For many years Kath has recycled Christmas cards into gift tags, to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.
Commenting on the award, Ken said; “I’m proud to have received this award from Rotary. The weekly newsletter was a collaborative effort. I enjoyed collating and editing all the articles and photographs contributed by our members and others with an interest in Rotary over the eighteen months of lockdown. The feedback and general response was good and encouraging. Many thanks to everyone and in particular to our Press & Publicity Convener John Hutchison for his continuing support.
President Simon Hardiman, said; “At a time when we were unable to meet in person, Ken maintained the spirit of our existence by producing 75 weekly updates which made one and all feel less isolated and part of the family that is Rotary.”
by John Hutchison | Feb 23, 2022 | News, Youth Activities
The Rotary Young Photographer Competition went ahead this year as normal. Heats take place in Rotary Districts across the UK and Lochaber’s winners go forward to the West of Scotland heat.
Ellis John MacConnachie has won the Senior competition (14 – 17) with Cheryl C Macintyre the runner up, both from Ardnamurchan High School.
The Intermediate competition (11 – 14) was won by Fraser Sneddon from Lochaber High and the runner up Lexi Duncan from Ardnamurchan High School.
Winning entries are shown above: Ellis John’s to the left and Fraser’s on the right.
Organising Rotarian Mike MacGruer congratulated the winners and expressed his thanks to High School teachers Katie Cockerill from Ardnamurchan and Vicky Barclay from Lochaber for the encouragement given.
When presenting certificates and vouchers to the winners and runners up Rotary President, Simon Hardiman, added; “Rotary much appreciates the advice and experience of Iain Ferguson in acting as judge.”
by John Hutchison | Feb 17, 2022 | News, Youth Activities
We have again been running the annual Young Writer Competition which this year generated entries from Lochaber High School, all of which were in the Intermediate age group of 11 to 13.
Winning this year’s competition was Sìne Grant from Faichemard, Invergarry. The Competition is run across the UK and Ireland and Sìne’s entry will go forward to the West of Scotland District heat and hopefully beyond.
When told about her success, Sìne said; ”I was happy to be able to participate in the competition and very surprised to have won”.
Rotary President, Simon Hardiman, said; “We always find it so encouraging to see talented young folk coming forward, particularly on this year’s theme of the Environment. We wish Sìne well in the next heats and for the future.”
For those interested in future, entries will be through schools and age groups are Junior (7 to 10), Intermediate (11 to 13) and Senior (14 to 17).
We appreciated The Lochaber Times printing Sìne’s winning entry in full; it follows below.
Environment – the last one
The year 2981
This will be my final entry
As the last sun set upon the last day, the people knew what they had done.I watched as the last wild animals cried, heart-wrenching shrieks, as they keeled over and fell, never to rise again.
I saw the last plants wither and die, acid and nuclear chemicals running down like miniature rivers into the creases in the stems, poisoning their very essence. The other people stood around the last tree, watching it fall. They looked at the charred grey stumps, and felt the tight, uncomfortable press of their suits – the only things keeping them alive. The oxygen tanks on their backs were bolted on tight, so as to stop others from stealing them for their own survival.
The rain from the sky was acidic, as the carbon emissions had dissolved into the oceans, and then risen again. It was the last rain that would ever come. The air was intolerably hot, penetrated with a smell like burning, charring, rotting flesh.
The city skylines were crumbling, as if the last will of the planet was to destroy the things that had obliterated it. The mechanical marvels, the last spaceship, that had been meant to leave, had no air, no fuel, no potential.
The last robots had rusted and broken, their artificial minds grinding to a halt, only to explode seconds after stopping. The last dogs crawled, hairless, eyeless, mindless, searching desperately for more air, more food, more life, but it was not to be. The sky heaved and thundered as the earth seemed to take its last breath. Cockroaches, the only creatures other than humans to survive, were slowly dying too, and would be gone very soon.
The sky rained acid as the universe seemed to mourn the death of the beloved planet, the cities washing away in rivers of pain. The buildings crumbled, and the dry hollows that had once been the ocean filled with liquid misery. The rubble crawled forwards, consuming the decaying plants, the ash-coloured sky shaking.
All the mountains were crumpled, left in heaps on the floor like discarded clothing. Without a stable atmosphere, meteor after meteor struck the ground, leaving blemishes and indents wherever they hit. Some of the larger ones left craters, turning the once lush landscape into a barren, moon like place.
The hot, hard, grey, unnatural skin of the other humans was invisible under their masks, suits, nets, any way we could find to cover our bodies and protect ourselves from the poisons, fumes, and unwanted chemicals that we had brought here. EVD made our sweat glands cry for mercy. Our cracked grey hands were hidden under thick gloves. Our yellow, dark eyes could just be seen under the goggles that covered them. Our hairless, rough heads were stones under the moss of our headwear. And we knew it was all our fault.
As the last oxygen slowly depleted, the last people fell, one by one. All their families and loved ones were long gone, and they knew what they had done as they ran out of breathable air. The people all knew.
As I, with the last oxygen, saw the last creatures and the last plants in a dead decaying pile, and my last two thoughts were ‘I wish we’d saved the environment when we had a chance’ and ‘The human race finally got what they deserved’.
by John Hutchison | Oct 31, 2021 | News, Youth Activities
Last year’s Intermediate winner from Megan Park, Ardnamurchan High School
Despite Covid, the Rotary Young Photographer Competition is going ahead this year as normal. Heats will take place in Rotary Districts across the UK and Lochaber’s winners will go forward to the West of Scotland heat.
Based on a qualifying date 31 August 2021 the competition categories are for Intermediate (11 to 13) and Senior (14 to 17). Competitors are invited to send entries on the theme, “Colours of Nature”. To accompany the photograph, each entrant must provide a brief sentence describing the relationship of the photograph to the theme.
Lochaber Rotary is grateful for the expertise of Iain Ferguson, Photographer, who will be the principal judge.
Entries should be sent to Iain Ferguson by 3rd December with a view to making a decision before Christmas with winners and runners up being announced in early January.
High School Head Teachers have a copy of the full competition rules but the details can also be downloaded from the Lochaber Rotary website here.
President Simon Hardiman, said; “I encourage High School pupils to take part and hope Lochaber can be as successful as last year when we had an entrant from Ardnamurchan High School in the UK final after winning the District then senior Scottish and North of England heat.”
by John Hutchison | Oct 11, 2021 | Fund Raising, News, Social Activity
Although plans had been well in hand for the Christmas Craft & Food Producers’ Festival and Cairngorm Reindeer Parade scheduled for 27th November, Lochaber Rotary has decided to cancel the event this year.
Traditionally, numbers attending have been high and while the Parade would be straightforward to manage, some elements within the Nevis Centre would ideally need fairly close contact to be successful.
Lochaber Rotary President Simon Hardiman said; “In the interest of community safety, we came to the conclusion that this still doesn’t seem to be the right time to be encouraging families to gather together.”
Santa has been reported as being disappointed but relieved too because he would have had to stay quite distant from the children and said; “I would be quite sad if anyone caught Covid as a result of coming to see me”.