FFA Program on Hunger in our Community

The Newport Rotary program on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 6:30 pm is a Community Meeting by the FFA, Future Farmer of America of West Carteret High School. They will do a presentation on "Hunger in our Community". Wil Baxley, FFA Advisor at West Carteret will accompany the group. The meeting will take place at the Newport Rotary Club Building on Howard Blvd.

Ahoy, Rotarians Enjoy District Conference

Newport Rotarians Bevin & Pam Wall attended the District 7730 Conference during the weekend of April 26-27, 2013. They joined PDG Mark Lynch and wife Denise from Fayetteville NC on the Pirate themed Dinner Cruise Friday night.

PDG Bevin, who serves as District Secretary performed his duties during the business meeting on Saturday morning.

GSE Team Presentations, including the outbound team led by PDG Bevin, occurred on Saturday afternoon! Fun was had by all.

UK GSE Team Enjoys Newport Rotary Hospitality

An excerpt from GSE Team Leader Steve Davies and his team's Blog Post.

"We all enjoyed a superb reception with Pam and Bevin Wall this evening. I'm sure that many of you will remember Bevin as the team leader for the team from D7730 when they visited us in Feb/Mar. We met with members of his club, the Rotary Club of Newport and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening with them all."

See the pictures here.

Follow the UK GSE Team during their travels at http://www.d1100gse2013.blogspot.co.uk/

Newport Rotarians Welcome GSE Team on Arrival in Wilmington

Hi Ya'll - Welcome to NC

Rotarians Bevin & Pam Wall joined the District Governor and other Rotarians who greeted the Group Study Exchange (GSE) Team from the U.K. (Southwest England & Wales) on their arrival at the Wilmington Airport on Sunday night, April 7, 2013. The greeters included District Governor Don Adkins, GSE Team District Coordinator Dave Baggett and PDG Magda Baggett, Assistant Governor Jeff Newman and the initial host families for the from the Wilmington area.

The UK Team is led by Rotarian Steve Davies from Evesham, and consists of Hannah Newrick, Ben Mottram, Grace Rollason, and Sarah Salter.

The Rotary Foundation’s GSE program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for business people and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.

Newport Rotary "Picks" a Good Project

Newport Rotarians are Pickin' and Grinnin'
at the Newport Pig Cooking

Newport Rotarians supported Newport's premier civic event Saturday, April 6, 2013, as they turned out in force to help at the Newport Pig Cooking.

Newport Rotarians led the 10:00am to close shift, "picking" the barbeque between the de-boning and chopping phases, the phase that ensures the high quality of the pork barbeque being served. With 80 pigs, that's a lot of picking!

In the accompanying photo, Newport Rotarians are seen hard at work and wearing their Rotary gear (from left to right) Rotary President Steve Blizzard, Secretary Joe Garner, PDG Bevin Wall, Pam Wall and Treasurer Winston Reese. Rotary PDG Derryl Garner, Mayor of Newport, was busy serving in his official capacity.

A good time was had by all.

This service project serves as the weekly meeting for Newport Rotary for the week of April 8, 2013, and there will be no meeting Monday night. Our next meeting will be Monday April 15, 2013 when we are hosting the GSE Team. More detail will follow.

Rotary Club Pig Cooking Schedule

Rotarians will work the Newport Pig Cooking from 10am-11:30am on Saturday morning, April 6, 2013. Please wear your Rotary shirts and hats. Some type of headgear is mandatory.

Newport Rotary will use the grant proceeds from the Pig Cooking to fund the 2013-14 Dictionary Project with local schools.

Charles Hill Tells of Old Newport

Town Resident Charles M. Hill 

The Guest Speaker at  the Newport Rotary Club on April 1, 2013 was 88 year old town resident Charles Hill, the former proprietor of C.M. Hill Hardware in Newport. His topic was "Newport- Street by Street". PDG Derryl Garner arranged for the program.

"Mr. Charles", as many of us know him, went on to outline three eras that profoundly affected the landscape and the psyche of the town: the Great Depression, World War II, and the Vietnam War. Each era brought its own challenges, but resulted in the town developing the character it has displayed through the years, and becoming "the Town with Old Fashioned Courtesy", as borne on the town motto.

While residents didn't have much during the 1930s and 1940s, they were grateful for what they did have, and shared in with their neighbors. As a boy growing up during that time, he commented that he was glad for the wide open spaces to run, and the never-ending supply of other playmates. The River Swamp leading into Newport from the east and the old train trestle were two of the favorite play places.

As the 1940's loomed, the youth of the town were seemingly unaffected by the far off sounds of war. He regaled us with stories of the Soda Shops and other businesses in town, that over those years exceeded 60, including hotels, apartments, groceries, ice vendors, mechanics, and many other endeavors. People in Newport worked hard and played hard. There was a social scene on Saturday nights, many times surrounding that "good-looking" Clarence Millis at the Soda Shop. Single lady teachers from the Teacherage would regularly attend. There were also regular fights one of the Diner's in particular, that were good for discussion as churchgoers passed by on Sunday afternoon.

The attack on Pearl Harbor changed all that and made the war their own. Many Newport boys went off to war and were killed or wounded. Those that stayed remember the rationing and the burning tankers off shore. Newport parents protected their children against German submarines by not letting them go on summer trips up the Neuse River. Newport housed many servicemen and other working at Cunningham Field (later to become Cherry Point MCAS).  

While World War II united the town against a common threat, the Vietnam war greatly divided the community and again took young lives far too soon.

Mr. Charles still has that unique ability to paint a picture with his words and insights. He has committed many of his remembrances to writing, and continues to do so aided by his wife Ann, who accompanied him to the meeting.