Rotary Club of Portsmouth Ushered in the new Rotary Year at its Investiture 2021

The Rotary Club of Portsmouth ushered in the new Rotary year at its investiture service among members, partners and friends on Sunday, July 4 th , 2021 at Cabrits Resort and Spa, Kempinski. Empowered by the Rotary International theme for 2021-22 of “Serve to Change Lives”, members recommitted to change lives
by helping others through service locally and globally.

At this significant event for the Club, a new Board of Directors were installed coupled with an insightful presentation by Dr. Lennox Honychurch, and presentation of awards to sponsors and a valuable community influencer.

The Club President, Lise van de Kamp was reinstalled for a second year. In her address to the attendees, she highlighted some of the wins and special projects undertaken by the club in the recent year to include the building and establishment of a container library at the Savanne Paille Primary School which will be completed during the 2021
year as well as a Bee Keeping project executed in collaboration with IsraAID and the Rotary Club of Canada to strengthen the livelihoods and opportunities for Beekeepers in Dominica.

The other Board of Directors installed at the Investiture were:

Vice-President – McMarara Joseph
President Elect – Kenneth O’Brian
Secretary – Sari Prosper
Treasurer – Hans Schilders
Administration Chair – Marianne Wijnands
Membership Chair – Sammy Wyke
Public Relations Chair – Lizra Fabien
Project Chair – McMarara Joseph
Foundation Chair – Anne Winn

Assistant District Governor Cecil Shillingford presented the District 7030 Certificate to the Club for its 4-Star Award received at the recent District Award Ceremony. This award is in recognition of the outstanding contribution and successful fulfillment of many of the criteria established by the District.

Dr. Lennox Honychurch shared on The History of Healthcare in Cabrits and Portsmouth. He noted the contribution of various individuals to the advancement of healthcare in the north which started with the Military, followed by the healthcare provided through the plantations, then with the support of Rotary and Ross University, greater assistance provided to improve the health conditions of the people of the Portsmouth area.

Furthermore, he shared about the evolution of the administration of healthcare in Dominica from two distinct administrations in the North and South to one central coordination administered by the Government due to the connection of the roads to Roseau on the West and East sides of the island.

At the Investiture, the Paul Harris Fellow recognition award was bestowed on Rotarian Board Members: Anne, Sammy, Sari, Hans PHF+2, Lise PHF+2 and Members Rotarian Trish Edwards, Kev Smith and Matilda Carty as outstanding Rotarians in appreciation for their tangible and noteworthy contributions given to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary
International through the club.

Special awards were presented to the Sponsors of the Club: Secret Bay, ICAD Solutions, and Rudolph Thomas and Sons for their valuable contribution to the club and community. A special award was presented to Ms. Emerline Anselm of Emo News for her valuable contribution to the media industry and wider community of Dominica.

The members concluded with a recommitment to increase their impact based on the theme, “Serve to Change Lives” and the four-way test: “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”