The object of this page is to keep members up to date with the Speakers, meetings and social events and the aim is to update the page every month.

The highlight of the month of April was the annual international visit to another Rotary Club, this year to Antwerp International Club in Antwerp.

Antwerp is the second largest city in Belgium and owes its existence and prosperity to its Port - the second largest in Europe - and its previous colonies in Africa - the Belgium Congo. Ships from Antwerp bought back important minerals from the Congo including Diamonds, so the city is full of shops selling jewellery and workshops for cutting, polishing and setting diamonds. As a race the Jews are expert in this work and the City has about 12,000 orthodox Jews who, with their distinctive hats and face hair, are very much in evidence. Our Hotel was near the main railway station and was the district where most of them lived, as they liked to be near the station so they did not have far to travel if they carried valuable diamonds. We also visited Brussels and were amazed at the numerous and expensive office sky scrapers housing the politicians of the European Parliament.

The host Rotary club members were young and had equal numbers of men and women. They were very pleased to see us even though due to a breakdown of communication we were not expected. The meetings was about the men and vehicles used in the Paris-Dakar rally. We were pleased to see the cars were prepared in Sandbach, Cheshire.

We also had our Charter Night (Birthday Party) at Stockport Golf Club. I was away but I believe it was an excellent eveningsand our thanks are due to Stockport Golf Club for a super meal, and Jack Turnbull for what I hear was a very entertaining speech.

We have now moved house and hold our meetings in Disley Golf Club on the usual Thursday dinnertime. We hope this move will be mutually beneficial. One meeting we look forward to is on May 15th when Mike Yates will tell us about his efforts leading a team which has been distributing the Polio vaccine among poor villagers in India. All Rotarians are proud of the achievements of Rotary in trying to eliminate this horrible disease from the Planet altogether and we do seem to be winning the battle.