DONAGHADEE ROTARIAN HONOURED  

On Thursday 13.10.05 Donaghadee Rotarians and their family members arrived at the Stables Groomsport for a Family Evening. Club President Peter Irwin had arranged for Alan Couser to give a talk on Cruising in Alaska. The members were somewhat surprised yet pleased to find last years District Governor Crawford Wilson and his wife Ruth also present. During the meeting it became obvious as to why they were there.  

Crawford Wilson announced that during his year in office every Rotary club in district 1160 had been asked to nominate a Rotarian for a Commitment to Service Award. From all the entries five Rotarians had been chosen to receive the award. One of the recipients was from Donaghadee Rotary Club.  

Last years President Norwood Steele then announced that Les Jones had been awarded the Commitment to Service Award. Norwood then outlined the main reasons why Les had been granted this prestigious award.  

Les a Rotarian with 38 years service was a member of Newtownards Rotary Club from 1967 to 1994 and a member of Donaghadee Rotary Club since 1994 to date. For many of these years Les had a 100% attendance record, any missed meeting being inevitably made up by visits to other clubs or community service. In Donaghadee he has been a prime mover in building up the collection of bannerettes from other clubs visited. Les was President of Newtownards Rotary Club in 1978 and afterwards continued to serve on many club committees. At district level he served as Chairman of the District Community and Vocational Committee. He has always been enthusiastic about Probus and while he was Probus Liaison Officer in Newtownards in 1967 he formed the first probus club in Donaghadee, The Donaghadee Men’s Probus Club.

Since he transferred to Donaghadee Rotary Club he has established four more Probus Clubs, Donaghadee Shoreline 1994, Donaghadee Ladies 1997, Cloughey Ladies 2003, and Copeland Ladies 2005.Les is a Past President of Donaghadee Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

He has been a keen cricketer all his life, and apart from playing for Newtownards Cricket Club for many years, he continues to be involved in coaching youth teams in the club. Les has lived for Rotary for the past 38 years and no one is better suited to a Commitment to Service Award.  

After the presentation and Les Jones acceptance speech, Alan Couser then gave an entertaining talk accompanied by a video presentation on Cruising In Alaska.

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