Day 2 - Part B

Our entertainment included a quintet Canadian brass band called, The Canadian Brass. They've played around the world and in front of the Queen for a command performance. She asked them whether they knew the diference between a Command Performane and a Concert.

"A Command Performance is one which we don't pay you."

I don't think their concert today was a command performance...but it was a good story and they were exceptional musicians playing jazz and ragtime songs.

But my favourite was by far the All American Boys Chorus. These boys from California, of all race and religions have beautiful voices and have sung around the world. Some boys were awkward in their movements typical of boys their age but there was one young blonde kid who was a character. He was obviously enjoying himself. He flicked his hair, he raised his eyebrow, he smiled and winked into the camera at the right time. Hehad rhymth, he moved, he grooved and he couldn't have been more than 12. He reminded me of a young version of my husband and imagined that this is what Andrew must have been like in his younger years...

The camera seemed to dwell on this young man a little longer than the others. He was having a ball but don't think he knew that Rotarians were actually watching him on the big screens. If anything, there was a murmur in the audience and we chuckled. We liked this kid. He was an instant hit with us all.

Overall, the entertainment has been top notch and I'm quite impressed of the many skills that so many Rotarians have.

Other than that, I have spoken to many people and was impressed with the Shelterbox stand. I hadnt seen what was in these boxes and the size of the tent that is given to people when disaster strikes. That box has evertyhing in it for a family to survive and live with dignity in harsh environments when they have lost everything. It's a worty project and has generated immense interest from everyone here.

I also saw a stand on the Potential Rotary Leaders Seminar [PRLS] and introduced myself as one member of the team rolling out the same program into our district. They told me that they were going to put the training in a online format which makes sense to me as this is my usual line of work anyway. The time committment to run these courses, plan and organise them was immense and this was a means of doing it efficiently and effectively to target a greater number of people.

For a little gift to Andrew, I have bought him a Rotary Partner pin so he doesn't feel out of place when he comes to our various events....