Posted by Peter Masson on Aug 07, 2017
Chair: President Mike Mushet
Anthem: Arthur Retnakaran
Grace: Jacqueline Smith
 
Attendance: 16 including guests
Karon Zaragiannis, Prof. Gaspar Collet Powerbazas (Brazil Rotarian) and speaker Consul General for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
 
Announcements:
  •         Jacqueline reminded us of the commitment we have made as one of the five Scarborough clubs sponsoring and hosting the Home Hospitality for many out of town registrants at the June 2018 International convention being held in Toronto.
  •         We are expected to contribute $5,000 toward that event to be held at the new refurbished Guild Inn.  This together with the other clubs will underwrite the hospitality including reception, transportation to and from the event for thousands of visiting Rotarians and their spouses. The date (to be confirmed) is June 25th.
  •         Peter Masson reminded all pleasant that the Scarborough Ribfest begins Friday Aug 4th and continues to Monday August 7th.  It will be held at Birchmount Park (entrance off Brimley near Lawrence).  Our duties will include collecting donations (in lieu of parking fees) for the work of Rotary.  But the funds thus raised this year will help underwrite the cost of the 2018 Home Hospitality program, Basil Dias will be your contact and will co-ordinate the volunteers.                     MORE   VOLUNTEERS   ARE   NEEDED.
  •         Peter also reminded all present of the Al McDougal memorial event to be held Thursday Aug 3rd at the Scarboro Golf & Country club beginning at 2:00 pm.
  •         Alan advised us that Steve Rutledge will be our guest speaker next week and he will be giving us a report on the use of our funding toward his Laos clean water project
  •         Roland has recently returned from a visit to the Bahamas and remarked on the great beaches and the cost of
  •         Finally, President Mike announced the club’s next Board Meeting will be held at 6:30 pm August 10th at the Baton Rouge .  It will be open to all members as an opportunity for all to better understand how the decisions made by the board are discussed and decided on.
 
Marbelous Draw:
Gerd invited Jacquline to pick the winning ticket. (She was sitting right beside Arthur). Guess what? Arthur’s ticket was drawn and by some fluke he pulled out the mutant marble! Gerd was the witness but no one knew how much the winnings might be except we all remembered that this is the 3rd time that Arthur has hit a grand slam home run in this ball park.
 
 
Guest Speaker:
 
David Seemungal introduced our guest speaker Dorial Fitzgerald “Fitz” Huggins who is Council General for St. Vincent and the Grenadines to tell us more about these lovely islands in the sun.
 
The islands have suffered from  major hurricanes over the years which have caused much damage.  “Matthew” last September killed at least one resident of St. Vincent and sent many into shelters.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We were all provided with a lavish tourist brochure that invites us to come to these five islands to enjoy their beaches (black on St. Vincent; white sand on all the other islands in the chain).  In February of 2017 the first international airport was opened on St. Vincent and they have also built airports on each of the other five islands that are occupied as well as the ongoing ferry service between the islands. The financing of this multi-million dollar airport was unique but it did result in a 1% addition to their 15% VAT.
 
Here are some excerpts from the weather advisor for these islands:
 
December through April is prime time in St. Vincent & The Grenadines, and consequentially, hotel rates are at their highest. To ensure availability, you'll want to book your room several months in advance. Keep an eye out for vibrant events taking place at this time of year, such as Mustique's annual Blues Festival.
 
May through June is a sweet spot between hurricane season in the summer and high tourism season in the winter. Temperatures stay in the mid-80s during the day, dipping just a few degrees lower at night. To ensure the best hotel rates—particularly if you're planning to come during the 12-day Vincy Mas Carnival—book your room several months in advance.
 
Fitz went on to cover a number of topics including his own background and how he was appointed as the Concil General by his Prime Minister. He told us that every country in the Carribean has wanted to acquire the Grenadines. But the residents of these islands are very jealous of these beautiful islands. St. Vincent is more agriculturally based but tourism is at the top of the list for future economic growth.
 
The Rotary Club President in St. Vincent has indicated that test strips for diabetes patients at the hospital in St. Vincent are needed. Our International Service group will put this suggestion under consideration.
 
Fitz covered many other issues that relate to the economy of these islands which can be found by listening to the recorded presentation below.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mq9jf28pxhevmen/Huggins%20St.%20Vincent%20%26%20Grenadines.MP3?dl=0
 
Joke of the day.
A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer. ‘This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it you.’ The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, ‘Which do you want, son?’ The boy takes the quarters and leaves. ‘What did I tell you?’ said the barber. ‘That kid never learns!’ Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. ‘Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?’ The boy licked his cone and replied, ‘Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!’


 
Sponsors