Edinburgh Inner Wheel
President: Anne Havard
One of the attractions of living in Edinburgh is that it is easy to escape. It is not that I underestimate the pleasures of living in the city. With its festivals to celebrate almost every conceivable cultural activity, and some of dubious cultural value too with museums and art galleries; with its good sports facilities and beautifuI gardens; it would be difficult to find another city in the world with as much to offer. All one needs to enjoy these things is a plentiful supply of warm clothes and good wind-proofing! Visually, too, we have amazing skylines and architecture large areas representing different historical periods, with many buildings having associations with famous figures from the past.
In the last few years, too, we have seen interesting new developments in the city centre, notably the Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street, the new buildings near the west end of Princes Street, and the Scotsman Office and Dynamic Earth Exhibition Centre down towards Holyrood Palace Meanwhile in that same area we await developments for the famous "hole in the ground"; the controversy surrounding the new Parliament building certainly adds spice to life! All this, both young and old, is within reasonable walking distance and gives the impression of a very compact city.
Climb Arthur's Seat and you get a wonderful view of the Forth, which provides a natural city boundary to the north. However, from the top of Arthur's Seat, you can also see fingers of urban sprawl and there are, of course, areas of the city which can only be described as ugly. Some of the buildings which went up in the aftermath of the Second World War have become ghettos for the people who live in them, although fortunately some of their problems are now being tackled. One of the consequences of the way Edinburgh has developed over the centuries is the shortage of socially mixed areas in which to live. This has a knock-on effect on the schools and even the local shops. As a result it is possible to find yourself living in a comfortable cocoon, so that from time to time you feel the need to burst out and stretch your wings. At such times you appreciate the ease with which you can escape the city!
Anne Havard
The current Inner Wheel Year started on 1st July 2006 which was also a very important date in the history of our club.
On Thursday 6th July we had a very pleasant start to the year with a lunch to celebrate our 60th birthday. Held in the dining room at Overseas House, Princes Street, Edinburgh, the setting was lovely, the round tables were beautifully set and the table arrangements by member Margaret Semple much admired. The speaker was Past District Chairman Chris Goll who spoke about her personal experiences and memories of Inner Wheel. As you can imagine they were many and varied as Chris has been a valued member of our Club and Inner Wheel for over forty years. Anne Havard must be congratulated on guiding us through the proceedings especially as it was her first duty as our President.
Fred Lawson, the President of the Rotary Club of Edinburgh, started off the year in August speaking about Ladies in Rotary. September brought us Teresa Gourlay and her talk, Museum Guides. A very enthusiastic guide at The Royal Museum of Scotland, Teresa had us so enthralled that many of us enjoyed a follow up visit to the museum. Monica Cameron joined us in October with a talk entitled ‘Do Girls Need Boys?’ which was about education and whether pupils perform better in single or mixed sex classes and schools. November’s subject, ‘Church Recording’ had many puzzled, but speaker Kate Gill soon had the attention of all as she described how detailed records are made of the contents of church buildings. This is important work as so many churches do not have written records of the contents and buildings. We finished in December with our choir under the guidance of choir mistress Margaret Scherrer giving a concert of seasonal music and recitations. This is always a happy meeting and we are pleased to be joined by members from other clubs with a special mention for those who sing in the choir. Our syllabus read well and indeed the variety of speakers and their subjects have proved very interesting.
Joint ventures with the Rotary Club of Edinburgh have included a Bridge Drive, an Antiques Roadshow and a street collection all in aid of charity.
The Discussion Group enjoys visits to exhibitions, theatre productions, films and reading a book each month with discussions following. Monthly lunches continue for the Gourmet Group and it is enjoyable to try new restaurants as well as revisiting old favourites.
On a happy note I will finish with the news that Margaret Ruthven, a Past President of our club has received a Bletchley Park Veteran’s Badge which she very kindly sent along to a meeting for us all to see.
With best wishes to the District Executive and all the other clubs in District 2 for continued success during the remainder of the year.
JEAN MCMILLAN CLUB CORRESPONDENT
2004/05 President: Judith Hutton
December's Tsunami made us wonder whether a speaker would be available from the International Rescue Corps that month. However director Willie McMartin came in Paul Baxter's stead with an interesting film about the work of this most worthwhile organisation. Judith was very pleased to present him with a safety helmet as our Inner Wheel Day gift. Inner Wheel Day itself was celebrated with an ecumenical service in the Robin Chapel at the Thistle Foundation.
A cold wet January afternoon saw us well entertained in the Dominion Cinema at a charity presentation of the film 'Vanity Fair', an event which filled the theatre and was enjoyed by everyone. After District Chairman Elinor Small addressed the Club in February, and after our business meeting in March, we listened in April to an informative talk from Catherine Ascott, a medical herbalist and in May to Alan Mackay, news reporter for BBC Scotland. Following our AGM in June, some members enjoyed a summer outing to Broughton for lunch, a walk and a visit to the John Buchan centre.
Our collection of banners has been freshened up and ironed this year so that a selection can be displayed at our meetings from time to time. Our 'clubs within the club' have gone from strength to strength. The Discussion Group has closed down for the summer after a most enjoyable season and will reconvene in the late autumn. The Gourmet group has sampled the cuisines of Scotland, France, Italy and China. The Craft Group has learned the arts of quilting, embossing and card making and there are plans to start a group for board and card games. The Evening Group have enjoyed a wide range of activities from their summer walk in the Pentlands followed by a barbecue, to a weekend in Paris particularly appreciated by President Judith.
Judith handed over her badge and collar with the thanks and congratulations of the Club to May, whom we look forward to welcoming as our President after our summer break
Susan Simpson
Club Correspondent
He who never made a mistake
Never made a discovery
| Edna Glass, a past member of the Edinburgh Club celebrated her
100th birthday on Wednesday 28th July 2004. Her Special Birthday Party
was held in Lorimer House Nursing Home where Edna is well looked after.
She suffered a stroke some years ago and can no longer look after herself.
Edna joined Inner Wheel when she lived in Manchester and was a member
of the famous Club where Inner Wheel began. She and her husband moved
to Edinburgh when Harry retired and Edna joined our Club then. Edna
was an active Member for several years but when Currie Balerno Club
was formed she transferred there as her home was in Currie. Among the
many tributes she received was her telegram from the Queen which had
a lovely recent photograph of Her Majesty on the front and 'Congratulations
and Best Wishes' inside. Because of the Inner Wheel connection I gave
her a floral arrangement in the form of our blue and gold Inner Wheel
Badge. It was indeed a pleasure to renew my acquaintance with Edna's
family and to meet the newest member, her three months old great-grandson.
It was indeed a very special day enjoyed by everyone present.' As Editor I can add a little more to the above story by Jean. I stayed next door to Edna when we moved to Currie in 1987 and it was Edna who 'persuaded' me to join Currie Balerno Inner Wheel Club. I have never regretted the decision to join Inner Wheel. Edna was most upset when the Club disbanded in 1991 and although I tried to persuade her to come to Musselburgh with me she decided that she was getting a bit too old for more changes. Further on in the Bulletin there is a photograph of Edna at her Special
Birthday Party which was sent to me by her daughter-in-law, Liz. |
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