Paul Harris Award - Winston writes..
Like my ‘fellow’ Fellow, Barbara Hall, I was totally surprised but equally delighted on Charter Night to learn that I had been nominated for a Paul Harris award.Since I have been functioning only on the fringes of Rotary in recent years, my first feeling was that it was undeserved; but was cheered by several colleagues who observed ‘It’s not for what you’ve done now; it’s what you’ve done in the past for the club and the town’.
So as I looked back . . . yes, I have served on most committees over the past 30 years, chaired a number and had the honour of being president in the club’s 25th year. In my more energetic and enthusiastic days I was involved in the club’s youth exchange scheme, and Pauline and I much enjoyed having youngsters to stay with us from Italy and Corsica.
Then there were the fun evenings we organised . . . World Bread-and-Butter pudding championships . . . Pavlova and Spotted Dick competitions . . . an Italian evening where the family made mounds of spaghetti . . . and less exotic pie-and-peas evenings. Great times.
On the wider town front, yes - as was mentioned - during my time as editor of the Driffield Times I was an enthusiastic member of the swimming pool committee (still can’t swim), the Gala Days (we managed to persuade the young singer Helen Shapiro to come to Driffield and the comedians Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd - in exchange for a case of whisky!) and the Driffield Arts Festival (remember Max Jaffa ?). Somehow I found time to serve for several years on the then Urban District Council and was its Chairman for a year. Then there was my ‘brain child’ – the Driffield Leader.
Like Barbara, I’ve never looked for any reward. But now I have this special one; so thank you to those who nominated me and for making it such a complete surprise.
Winston