Vaccine talk for Rotarians
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The Rotary Club of Inverurie held their first meeting of 2021 on Tuesday.
As member Jim McColl explained: "Once again, we had an excellent attendance for this meeting conducted on Zoom with members keen to catch-up and exchange greetings.
"With president Kay Diack in charge we were soon under way.
"What little business there was would be dealt with after our guest speaker had finished and that was to be that well-known and popular north east figure, the wee mannie himsel - Robbie Shepherd, linking in from his home in Aberdeen.
"His topic? 'Is Doric a language or a dialect?'
"Sadly, it didnae happen as the gubbins 'wis oan the blink'.
"Needless to say, the air of disappointment was palpable in Aberdeen and in Inverurie.
"Suffice to say, Robbie was on the phone later to apologise, no need really it was not his fault but importantly, he offered to try again and we will certainly hold him to that because it is actually quite an important topic.
"Still an 'incomer', after fifty years, I can understand Doric but regrettably, I can't speak it.
"On a national scale, there is concern that the Gaelic language is not given it's proper place in society, does the same argument apply to The Doric? "We hope to return to the subject in due course."
He continued: ""On to the business then?
"Well, yes and no - one element of business came from Ken Duguid in the form of his comments on a talk on Covid-19 which he had attended the day before, given by Dr David Hood.
"To cut a long story short as they say, while the business of the evening continued, Joe McDowall phoned the Doc who agreed to join our meeting there and then.
"What followed was a short but excellent presentation centred on the vaccines currently being administered to combat the coronavirus, followed by a question and answer session.
"Much of it covered the broadcast statements by politicians and medical specialists.
"Here are a couple:will either of the vaccines have any side effects?
"Ans. - nothing serious, sore arm for a couple of days.
"Question – I have a nightcap, usually whisky, will I need to stop before and /or after having the vaccine?
"Ans – No, to which there seemed to be a corporate sigh of relief all round!
John Nicol was nominated to propose the vote of thanks which he did in his usual style, coping admirably with the changed subject/recipient.
"The good news stories of the evening included 'thank you' letters from organisations (like the Brownies) and individuals who had received Christmas gifts from the Club.
"To top that came the announcement that a sum in excess of £20,000 had been handed over to Charlie House – the proceeds of the modified Christmas Car Raffle organised by the Rotary Clubs in our district.
"The draw was made on Christmas Eve and the first prize of a £2,500 Bon Accord Bundle was won with a ticket sold by Rotary Club of St Nicholas.
"Thanks go to all who supported this crucially important project, by buying tickets. It is what we are all about – making a difference."
