Rotary in Preston

Tonight, Amanda and I went down to Paington, to visit the Preston-Torbay Rotary Club. We rode down with Peter Lowless, a local Rotarian at the Exeter Southernhay club. Also riding down with us were Julia (whose last name I dare not try to spell) and Sangmi Li (no promises that I transliterated that correctly) and her husband, Choi. Anne-Katrin Luther, the fourth Rotary scholar in the district, met us there. Anne has her own car, and was able to drive the roughly 25 minutes from Dartington herself. At the meeting, we had a lovely dinner (regular price £13.50 per plate) and heard the District Governor speak. Also, we saw the induction of three new members, including the club's first female member. After dinner, the Sergeant-at-Arms issued numerous "fines" to club members and visitors for "infractions" of various types. In similar fashion, the Exeter Southernhay club has a "Good News Box" which members put money into to celebrate good news. Speaking of which, my host counsellor's husband recently got a promotion. Admiral Stanhope will be taking over as First Sea Lord next year, which means he will be the overall commander of the Royal Navy. The position of First Sea Lord can be traced back to 1795 (then known as Admiral of the Fleet, which later became a rank), and was called "First Naval Lord" for a number of years before being renamed First Sea Lord in 1904. Interestingly, the holder of the office need not be a lord, despite the title. I suppose that's enough of a history lesson for one night . . . also, it's very late, and I have a busy day tomorrow!