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The meeting was called to order by President Elmer at 1pm
Invocation: PP Adam Darville gave the blessing on the gathering and the food.
Visiting Rotarians: There were none – Sergeant Brian said it was because they knew it was his turn at the podium.
Several Rotarians brought guests including Jacques, PP Peter and JP.
Announcements:
P Elmer noted that the Bahamas National Sailing School was hosting a fund-raiser at the NYC on May 16th.
PP Elmer also reminded members of the upcoming Club Forum at the NYC on May 20th at 6:00 p.m. Editor’s note: this is your chance to have a say on the future of the Club, all members but particularly newer members are encouraged to attend.
PP Adam reminded us of the upcoming fishing tournament and in particular the awards party, always a good time, at the Green Parrott on June 12th – cost is only $20.
Amol reminded us of the upcoming eye project at the end of May and encouraged members to volunteer for this very worthy cause. A few years ago we had a very poor turnout for a similar project, so let’s all step up to the plate when Amol makes the request.
Sergeant: PP Brian was in “fine” form, fining JP as fellowship chair since the fellowship table was not manned, there was no sign-in sheet, and JP’s guest arrived before he did. In the true spirit of the 4-Way test, Brian fined himself for slightly excessive advertising of his company at the Golf Tournament.
Awards: JP was recognized for his continued efforts in bringing in new members to RCEN – he will soon catch PP and PDG John.
MEMBER BIRTHDAYS: Unfortunately the secretary was enjoying himself in Jamaica and therefore there was no birthday list. Brian did inform that his birthday is May 19th, and he contributed 3 x his age to the East Nassau Foundation – good job.
Guest Speakers: there was no guest speaker today, instead we had About Me talks by John Joseph, Lee McCoy, Mike Lightbourn, J.R. Boisclair, and Ian Reid.
John gave an interesting description of his childhood, noting that he had a good childhood even though now he can look back and realize some of the struggles that his family had. He first became interested in Rotary after joining Interact in high school (which he joined with ulterior motives) and spent some time with Tony Wallas, a member of the Rotary Club of Nassau. Tony inspired John to improve himself and aspire to help others, which is why he was happy to join RCEN. After putting himself through technical school, John eventually became an IT specialist and is now IT Manager at an offshore bank, which has afforded him the opportunity to travel and become fluent in Italian. John also joined Rotary to be hands-on, and has embraced that through his active leadership in the Fox Hill Run. John has a wife and one son, and though he does not have a lot of hobbies, his main hobby is quite interesting.
Lee McCoy (AKA the Rocket Scientist) first learned of Rotary through his involvement with the Bahamas Sailing Association, as well as from some of his friends who are members including PE (and brother-in-law) Jason. Lee graduated from Virginia Tech and now runs TMC Engineering, which constructs steel buildings. Lee is also involved with timing for athletic events and has put on several 242 Colour Runs in The Bahamas, which have benefitted RCEN, the Rotary Club of Abaco and East Nassau Rotaract. Lee is married to Chrystonia, son of PP and PDG John, and they are expecting their first child later this year.
Mike Lightbourn was born in Nassau “quite a few years ago” and schooled in Nassau, the UK and the US (Georgia Tech). Mike entered the real estate profession upon his return home in 1966, and has been involved in that profession ever since. Mike had always wanted to join Rotary and did so after a discussion with PP Lindsey in Starbucks. Mike’s hobbies include tennis and Golden Oldies Rugby, which has led him to many exotic places. He is also a pilot and flies to Abaco most weekends. Mike served 10 years as a Member of Parliament, during which he managed to greatly anger many of the Government leaders, but he retired because he had to get a “real job” to provide for his 3 children, two of whom are also in real estate and one of whom is a film-maker.
J.R. Boisclair started by thanking the members for their support following the recent passing of his wife after a struggle with cancer. J.R. has been spending time between Nassau and Minnesota, where his three children are in school and spending time with their grandparents, and we are glad to have him visit whenever he is able. He is looking forward to having his kids return full-time in June. J.R. worked for Starbucks for many years but since then has been involved with start-ups and turnarounds. Currently J.R. is focusing primarily on FlashCash and Mango but has also been involved with a stem-cell banking facility and a Cuban cigar distributorship.
Last but not least was Ian Reid, originally from the Australian capital of Canberra. Ian is one of five siblings and in school focused more of his attention on athletics than academics. After accepting a position in the public sector like his parents, Ian was diagnosed with cancer and told he did not have long to live. Having survived, however, Ian switched careers and began working in kitchens. After obtaining a culinary degree, Ian worked as a chef in several hotels around the world. Ian eventually graduated out of the kitchen into Food & Beverage management and has been at Atlantis for 15 years.
PP Elmer thanked our members for sharing their stories and encouraged us all to get to know each other better, then closed the meeting with a toast to Rotary Around the World!
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