Keith Rawlings did the 5 minute slot on Wednesday 16th about service organizations, such as Lions, Rotary, Round Table etc. Each rural exception club in each organization seems to follow a set pattern, in that there must be folk who fulfil a particular role. For instance, each club has to have a Doubting Thomas who does not believe anything said by the hierarchy. A slightly different task then that given to the Cynic, who simply refuses to believe that anything will work. There is always the Waffler, who will say something irrelevant or something that has already been said, and they say it again. Then again. And of course, we have the Little Hitlers. Nuff said.

However, such organisations perform a vital function both nationally and internationally. Just taking one organisation, and just one activity, in 20 years Lions Clubs International have been responsible for 7.5 million cataract operations, 131 million procedures for river blindness, and initiate over 300,000 eye centres in Africa. And it all starts with a bunch of folk getting together for a meal and a chat.

The ten minutes was splendid. Toni Forestiero, proprietor of Barringtons and our host produced an Avacado in strawberry vinaigrette in approximately 4 seconds. Which is less time than it took Steve Baker to inform us that the avocado is not a pear; it’s a fig. Get yourself down to Barringtons for one of them figs.

Keith Rawlings, Rawlings Structural Design Ltd