PR: 33 years in Inner Wheel major part of your life, do you think there has been change in , if yes what?
TD: In 33 years as a member of Inner Wheel GB&I the most significant change was at our Convention in Istanbul when Proposal 17 got the green light, this meant ladies with no connection to Rotary could join Inner Wheel with the permission of the club, however, for me this needs to be re thought so there is no need for club permission and all like minded women can join, my own club don’t use this ruling, we love new members.
PR. When you became Club President what service activities did your club do? What is it now?
TD: When I was Club President our service activity was sending goods and Christmas boxes to Satu Marie a small town in Romania, my late husband Iain and I visited Satu Marie we took luxury food items along with toys for an orphanage we were visiting. On my return I was able to send via Blyswood a Christian organisation here in Scotland, 1,000 pairs of shoes, boots and wellingtons, these were gifted by all the schools in my hometown of Montrose.
This year our Club President has asked Montrose Inner Wheel to support Guide Dogs for the blind.
PR: How many members does your club have
TD: Our Montrose Club has 42 members.
PR: Why Inner Wheel? For you?
TD: Why Inner Wheel for me? Like most wives with a Rotarian husband I was asked to join Inner Wheel, I went along not knowing what to expect but found that they were a happy friendly group of women who made me very welcome, I was very happy to join.
PR: You were involved with Chernobyl Children’s lifeline, what did it do, and what did you do through that association. Please tell our readers.
TD: Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline was an organisation that came to our Inner Wheel Club here in Montrose, they were looking for host families. My first husband Jim died as a direct result of the acid rain travelling over St. Bees in Cumbria as he played golf. However, this did not come to the fore until 5 years later when we had been in The George Hotel for 14 months. It was a brain tumour with a primary kidney cancer. Unfortunately Jim died in September 1991.
I’m a great believer in one door closes another opens! I joined Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline and through this organisation I brought children into Montrose for a month in July and a month at Christmas. I was involved for fourteen years, unfortunately, my second husband Iain was diagnosed with Parkinson’s so my role changed, I took the translator not the children. Due to Sepsis Iain sadly died in 2013.
PR: Shine a light is your theme for the year What does it mean?
TD: ‘Shine A Light’, to be honest it took me quite sometime to decide on our IIW theme for our Centennial Year. I wished to have a theme that would follow on from our PIIW President Zeny’s ‘Work Wonders’, for the past year around the world clubs and districts have worked wonders now we need to ‘Shine A Light’ on all that we have achieved and will achieve this coming year. So! ‘Shine A Light’ for mewas absolutely the perfect theme.
PR: Being a centenary year President! Wow! Did you ever think, say 15 years back you would have this opportunity?
TD: Having been an MOC on the Governing Body of GB&I a position became vacant on The Executive for an Association Overseas Chairman (we didn’t change the name to International until some years later) I was persuaded to put my name forward by three wonderful Inner Wheel friends, Zena, Ann and Thelma.
I absolutely loved doing this job, I had 29 wonderful District Overseas girls who totally committed themselves to the challenges ahead. Our first year we supported 500 miles, our second year it was School in a bag and our third year we supported Sightsavers, dealing with River Blindness and Trachoma. With Sightsavers I travelled to Uganda to observe all the fantastic work they do in schools and clinics, an unforgettable experience. Looking forward I hadn’t even thought I would be the IIW President in our Centennial Year, I am grateful to have been given this wonderful opportunity to ‘Shine A Light’ along with all our Inner Wheel Members my grateful thanks to all.
PR: When you think of our Founder Margarette Golding and other founding members what thoughts come to your mind?
TD: When I think of Margarette Golding and her 27 members who formed the Manchester Club, I feel tremendous pride that they were able through the permission of the Manchester Rotary to form the club. These were all the wives of Rotarians, some, like Margarette Golding were professional women in their own right, having said that in 1924 it was not possible for them to be a member of Inner Wheel without a Rotarian husband, it took our Convention in Istanbul in ……to change this!
PR: As a centenary year International Inner Wheel President what do you wish to convey to the outside world today through this Global magazine WomenShine
TD: Like this magazine WomenShine, we too are global. We would like that we need to make sure that our work reaches beyond our Inner Wheel Members, this article should encourage like minded women to join this wonderful organisation We have been the best kept secret in the world! We shall not be anymore
PR: “Brighten lives for the future” is a goal you have given to members. Please could you enlighten us about this?
TD: ‘Brighten Lives for the future’ The world is experiencing unprecedented natural catastrophes, wild fires, global warming, floods and typhoons. We know the issues are huge and the impacts are widespread. If unchecked and unreversed, the next generation will have to fight for survival. Today, many communities suffer from the lack of clean air and clean drinking water; flimsy protection against the cold and the heat, and the loss of home and refuge. The future of the world looks dire.
PR: How can we brighten lives and give hope for the future?
TD: Inner Wheels objectives of encouraging personal service means that members are volunteers at the grassroots to offer selfless service. Inner Wheel clubs have all along worked individually and should continue to do so for their own small projects. In the last decades, as issues became more widespread and made known through the internet, there have been concerted efforts by several Inner Wheel Clubs, Districts and National Governing Bodies, who have implemented projects for whole communities or regions. When Inner Wheel members have more of these synergies, the light shines even brighter – this is good and is the way forward.
In carrying out our projects, Inner Wheel’s main focus is on women. This year Inner Wheel will continue to campaign for Strong Women Stronger World.
* climate-smart agriculture in aid of women in farming and improving income in “green value”
* entrepreneurs of climate-change. To empower women, to be the agents of change rather than just the consumer of change such as engaging in promotion, education, clean-up campaigns, tree planting.
* women as agents of change in the home, the neighbourhood, the village, and their workplace by spearheading activities to adopt renewable energy possibilities, good recycling practices, community gardening and greening their environment.
* alleviating energy poverty of women. Statistics record that many women in remote areas run households without electricity and efficient fuel for cooking.
* 27% of clothes women buy are never worn, after wearing a garment 10 times this is discarded! 30% of clothes manufactured are not sold, globally this equates to 92 million tons of textile waste is created EVERY YEAR, this goes to landfill or burnt, more toxic fumes, only 20% of textiles are collected for reuse or recycling globally!
PR: Why have you asked members to work for mental wellness?
TD: Mental Wellness Brightens Lives
The unprecedented worldwide pandemic, with its many restrictions caused increased mental illnesses, stress and trauma among our youth and across the board leaving the elderly also vulnerable. Mental illnesses are disorders ranging from mild to severe, that affects a persons thinking, mood and behaviour. Nearly one in five adults live with mental illness. Eating disorders(including Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorders and Bulimia) involve extreme attitudes and behaviour involving weight and food.
Anorexia usually begins in the teen years or young adulthood, anorexia affects all gender identities. Without treatment up to 20% of all eating disorder cases result in death through heart failure or multiple organ failure. A full recovery is absolutely possible.
In GB&I we have a charity called B.E.A.T (beat eating disorders) I have two close friends with grandchildren who have suffered and are suffering from Anorexia, at Convention this is the charity I am supporting. Mental Wellness Brightens Lives, under this umbrella clubs and districts can choose their own Mental Wellness Project. Many Inner Wheel Clubs worldwide have been actively supporting to uplift and brightening the lives of those who are hurt and in pain. More can be done, for the work is unfinished.
PR: TEAMWORK you believe in, please give your views on how IW members work as a team at District National and IIW levels even though elected from different clubs , towns and countries . Is it difficult to manage such a team?
TD: I lead from the front, yet firmly believe in TeamWork, which works equally well in Inner Wheel as in business. Since September 1991 I had been running the hotel along with my Team headed up
at that time by the then Manager Audrey Lackie, now as most of you know it’s the indispensable Tracy who is the Hotel Manager.Teamwork began with District 1, 23 years ago! I was very much welcomed onto ‘The Team’ by our then District Chairman Linda Moyes, who sadly died very recently. Linda was a friendly vibrant girl and made everyone round her feel part of the District Committee Team, when I became The Association President of GB&I I couldn’t have asked for a better Governing Body Team, which consisted of The Executive and 29 Members of Council, teamwork at its very best. I’ve been a Board Director twice, both very different experiences, one physical, one virtual, I have made great friendships from both groups, which are still ‘on going’. Last year I was welcomed onto the IIW Committee as Vice President, for my part Teamwork came first with the Executive, Alan and Elaine then with 14 Board Directors (two absent with illness) Prabha, our Media/Manager, in the background, when needed our webmaster, Yeo San it was for me great Teamwork, obviously everyone has their opinion and these rightly should be ‘aired’, everyone must have ‘A Voice’ that’s TEAMWORK.
PR: You have been Managing profession, Home, Inner Wheel for a long time; and we have young women who say they cannot join IW because they are professionals, what is your advice?
TD: When I look back at my working life, home life, and my Inner Wheel life I seem to have had so many balls in the air at the same time! I’m probably what’s called a workaholic! Each and everyone of us are different, challenges come along in everyone’s every day life but I believe I’m very much a positive person, I’m not good at all with negativity! Coming out of University all those years ago with my life in front of me, I’m grateful that I’ve been strong enough to come through the sad times and been able to help where I can, to me, becoming a bereavement councillor after my beloved husband Jim died in 1991 was also healing for me and I felt I helped others deal with their own bereavement. Being given happiness again with Iain, helping with his ministry in our two church parishes Montrose and Farnell for many years, isn’t it so much better to be positive and happy, than negative? Advise for those who feel they are too busy with their professional lives to join Inner Wheel, to be honest there is no advise I can offer, but what an opportunity they have missed by not joining this wonderful organisation called INNER WHEEL.
Quick take
Mountains or beaches for a holiday?
Both
If not Trish, whom would you like to be?
Cleopatra
What quality/qualities do you admire in a person
Integrity
Something in your life, when you think back it is with gratitude
My Parents
What do you like doing in your spare time
Walking my Bassett hounds, seeing family and friends
What would you like remembered about you
That I was a caring person
Are you a morning person or a night one
Definitely a morning person
Favourite type of Ice cream
Salted Caramel
Whom do you take advice from
My son James
You dance I know, you sing too, what other talents do we not know yet?
I’m told that my cooking is great!
Best/favourite possession
It’s memories and family photographs
Shared By : Prabha Raghunandan
