Chatterbox 0612 - Rotary Club of Belper

Meeting - 21st May
A Night like no Other!
This was a well attended guest evening and David Ashley introduced Chie and
Jade our present ambassadorial scholars. David explained that Jade and Chie had
kindly come along to help him towards his aim of presenting each club president in
the district with a ‘peace crane’ during his Governorship.
The origami cranes have become a symbol of peace as a result of the
poignant story of a young girl from Hiroshima who dreamed of becoming a P.E.
teacher but who was cruelly struck down by radiation-induced leukaemia as a result
of the bomb that ended the Second World War. While she was undergoing treatment
in hospital she was shown how to make these folded paper birds and introduced
to the Japanese folk tale which promised a wish that would be granted after
1,000 such cranes had been created. She did not wish for a cure for herself but that
there should be world peace-“I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all
over the world” She was helped to fulfil the task and there is now a monument to
her in the Hiroshima Peace Park.
David felt that his somewhat smaller objective would fit in well with next
year’s Rotary International Theme-’Peace through Service’
Chie comes from Hiroshima and is an excellent ‘crane tutor’ so agreed to
come along and give tuition to a group who were willing but sometimes not
altogether dexterous. Chie and Jade gave a demonstration with a very large piece
of paper and it was discovered that there were already some crane makers scattered
throughout the tables (had they been planted?) and even some ‘made earlier’
examples for us to aspire to.
There followed half an hour of joy, frustration, exaltation and completion,
not necessarily in that order. Chie and Jade moved like ministering angels among
the toiling throng, never losing patience or their sense of humor.
The result? Forty three little folded birds, very nearly enough to send with
our Governor on his circuit. I am sure that the Governor’s Chief Assistant and
Helpmate will supply the final, perfect few and we hope to have a travel gallery of
Dave and his Cranes at the end of the year. David has written to the Rotary
International President to tell him of his project and has received back a letter of
support.
There was another result at the end of the evening; we all discovered what
fun it can be to do something completely new - and succeed!
Sheilagh Harnan
There are some photographs of the evening on page 2. President Martin also
took the opportunity to present a cheque to Julie Hawes who is going to Brazil in
September under the auspices of the Bobby Moore Trust Fund to help build a new
school.
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