Governor Norm Watts Visits

Governor Norm Watts and his wife Marion hauled themselves out of bed bright and early Thursday morning to make their official visit to our Sidney by the Sea Rotary Club. Norm joined Rotary in 1985. He immediately took on responsibilities in the Rotary Club of Wolfville, Nova Scotia and served as President in 1993-94. Within District 7820, Norm was involved as a conference organizer and as a district trainer. With a move to Vancouver Island he has became a member of the Rotary Club of Qualicum Beach, serving as a committee chair, as a director, and as President in 1998-99. In the year 2000 he was appointed Assistant Governor in District 5020. For twenty years Norm worked as a university teacher at Acadia University in Atlantic Canada and previous to that he taught at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia Norm's career focused on education; he has also taught within the public schools as well as worked as a curriculum consultant for the Nova Scotia Department of Education. He was raised on Montreal Lakeshore, Quebec. There he met his wife Marion and married in 1962. Marion, who is also a Rotarian, and Norm reside in Qualicum Beach.

Governor Norm Watts

Norm shared with us his enthusiasm for Rotary and the importance of continuing to bring new members into the fellowship of Rotary. He also touched on the need for vigiliance and staying the course in the long-term goals of Rotary and the Rotary Foundation, citing our organization's on-going commitment to polio eradication as compared to the resurgence of malaria once international funding for an eradication program was cut decades ago.

The boys get pinned: Stuart Lang, John Bruce, Governor Watts, Peter Guerra, Don Bateman, Peter Bradley. (Missing from the photo: John Bardsley — to whom Norm gave the pin off his own lapel!)

During the meeting, Norm presented several members with pins, recognizing their role in sponsoring new members. Pins were also presented to a few stalwart Rotarians who have already met Governor Norm's Challenge. To top off the morning's presentation, Governor Norm presented Hein Moes with his Paul Harris Fellowship.

Hein receives his Paul Harris Fellowship from Governor Watts.

Marion did not sit idly by: she had prepared a brochure that was distributed to members as well, highlighting "ROTARY'S GEMS". These are great Rotary programs, but perhaps ones that are less well known. Highlighted in the brochure were Friendship Exchanges, Rotary Scholarships, Rotary Fellowships and Action Groups, Rotarians for Hearing and Rotary Volunteers—along with contact information or website addresses of sources of further information.