to this week's meeting ofThe Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning August 3, 2026
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to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning
August 3, 2026
Scroll down to enjoy the content!
Complete the form for a make-up!
The Rotary theme for 2025-26 -
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Greeter this week
Rotarian and club president, Patrick
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Inspirational moment
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Canadiana
The Principality of Outer Baldonia
...contributed by Rotarian Neil
The Principality of Outer Baldonia is a defunct micronation that claimed sovereignty over approximately 4 acres (16,000 m2) of Outer Bald Tusket Island, the southernmost of the Tusket Islands off the southern tip of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Founded in 1949 by American businessman Russell Arundel, the principality had a charter, a flag, currency,[4] passports, and an organized military. Its membership consisted of 69 fishermen.[5] All citizens of the principality who caught a Bluefin tuna and paid a $50 fee were accorded the rank of prince. Its government officials included Prince of Princes Russell Arundel, Chancellor Elson Boudreau, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Ron Wallace. The text of the Charter of Outer Baldonia is preserved in the Yarmouth County Museum.
Flag of Outer Baldonia
After the Soviet state publication Literaturnaya Gazeta published a critique of the charter of Outer Baldonia, Outer Baldonia declared war on the Soviet Union on March 9, 1953. The Soviets issued a series of condemnations through their various press outlets, and press coverage exposed the principality as a humorous half-truth.
Founded in 1949 by American businessman Russell Arundel, the principality had a charter, a flag, currency,[4] passports, and an organized military. Its membership consisted of 69 fishermen.[5] All citizens of the principality who caught a Bluefin tuna and paid a $50 fee were accorded the rank of prince. Its government officials included Prince of Princes Russell Arundel, Chancellor Elson Boudreau, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Ron Wallace. The text of the Charter of Outer Baldonia is preserved in the Yarmouth County Museum.
In 1973, Outer Bald Tusket Island was sold by Russell Arundel for the price of one Canadian dollar to the Nova Scotia Bird Society. The island was designated the Earle E. Arundel Breeding Bird Sanctuary. In 2015, the Nova Scotia Bird Society partnered with the Nova Scotia Nature Trust to donate the Bald Islands as conservation lands.
This excerpt has been taken from Wikipedia. To read and learn more, click here.
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Input from our guests and members
Members and guests attending our weekly meetings are very important to us. Based on your comments we are able to produce many more educational, inspiring, and entertaining weekly meetings.
Would you please send us your comments?
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Musical Interlude - in memory of Glen Hansard
Rotarian Cynthia writes -
On July 29, 2026 the Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard died at the age of 56 in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Dublin.
I fell in love with his music after seeing the movie “Once.”
The Irish are mourning the death of this talented artist whose days busking on the streets of Dublin led him to become an activist in the battle against homelessness.
I fell in love with his music after seeing the movie “Once.”
The Irish are mourning the death of this talented artist whose days busking on the streets of Dublin led him to become an activist in the battle against homelessness.
This song, which Hansard wrote with Markéta Irglová, and which they sang in the movie “Once,” won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2008.
A life gone too soon.
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My Challenge to you.
The Institute for Economics and Peace has identified eight Pillars of Positive Peace: well-functioning government, a sound business environment, equitable distribution of resources, acceptance of the rights of others, good relations with neighbours, free flow of information, high levels of human capital, and low levels of corruption.
These pillars describe the conditions that make lasting peace possible.
And when I look at them carefully, I see enormous potential for Rotary. Not because our work automatically advances peace, but because it can when we are deliberate about it.
That is the key word: deliberate.
A water project does not build peace on its own. But a water project designed with the Pillars of Positive Peace in mind – one that asks how equitable access to resources strengthens community trust – can begin to lay that foundation. A vocational training program does not guarantee reconciliation. But one that intentionally brings divided communities together around shared economic opportunity can start to build it. The project does not change. The intention does.
In Colombia, Rotary’s Pathways to Peace and Prosperity program shows us what this looks like in practice. Working in communities shaped by decades of armed conflict and displacement, the program combines economic empowerment with conflict resolution training and community-led reconciliation. Peace was not a hoped-for side effect. It was central to the design. That is the standard I am calling all of us to follow.
As you plan your next project, whatever the focus area, I want you to pause and ask one question: How does this create the conditions for peace? Consult the Pillars of Positive Peace. Find where your work connects. Then, make that connection intentional. Share what you discover with your club, your district, and your community. The more we talk about peace as a practice rather than a destination, the more naturally it will shape everything we do.
This is not about doing different work. It is about doing our work differently, with greater awareness, greater purpose, and a clearer vision of the world we are trying to build.
That is the key word: deliberate.
A water project does not build peace on its own. But a water project designed with the Pillars of Positive Peace in mind – one that asks how equitable access to resources strengthens community trust – can begin to lay that foundation. A vocational training program does not guarantee reconciliation. But one that intentionally brings divided communities together around shared economic opportunity can start to build it. The project does not change. The intention does.
In Colombia, Rotary’s Pathways to Peace and Prosperity program shows us what this looks like in practice. Working in communities shaped by decades of armed conflict and displacement, the program combines economic empowerment with conflict resolution training and community-led reconciliation. Peace was not a hoped-for side effect. It was central to the design. That is the standard I am calling all of us to follow.
As you plan your next project, whatever the focus area, I want you to pause and ask one question: How does this create the conditions for peace? Consult the Pillars of Positive Peace. Find where your work connects. Then, make that connection intentional. Share what you discover with your club, your district, and your community. The more we talk about peace as a practice rather than a destination, the more naturally it will shape everything we do.
This is not about doing different work. It is about doing our work differently, with greater awareness, greater purpose, and a clearer vision of the world we are trying to build.
Every Rotary project carries potential. Our task is to unlock it, not by chance but by choice.
Olayinka “Yinka” Hakeem Babalola
President, Rotary International
(2026-2027)i
*** To get you moving *** Health |
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ROTARIAN CODE OF CONDUCT
As a Rotarian, I will:
***1. Act with integrity and high ethical standards in my personal and professional life
2. Deal fairly with others and treat them and their occupations with respect
3. Use my professional skills through Rotary to mentor young people, help those with special needs, and improve people’s quality of life in my community and in the world
4. Avoid behaviour that reflects adversely on Rotary or other Rotarians
5. Help maintain a harassment-free environment in Rotary meetings, events, and activities; report any suspected harassment; and help ensure non-retaliation to those individuals that report harassment
Rotary’s Code of Conduct provides a simple but powerful guide for ethical behaviour, emphasizing honesty, accountability, and respect for others. Along with the Four-Way Test, it encourages thoughtful reflection on how we live and interact, helping us become better citizens and better human beings.
Hand Up Project Committee – District 6330
The Rotary Project That Never Walked Away
Rotary Hand Up – District 6330
Most Rotary projects end when the grant closes. This one became a 30-year partnership.
What would it take for a Rotary Project to Last 30 Years?
This approach offers a practical model that other Rotary clubs and districts could adapt to their own international partnerships.
Three decades of trusted partnership have produced
The Rotary Project That Never Walked Away
Rotary Hand Up – District 6330
Most Rotary clubs launch an international project, celebrate its success, and move on to the next challenge. Rotary Hand Up, a volunteer committee in District 6330, chose a different path – a very different path. Nearly thirty years later, it is still there.
What would it take for a Rotary Project to Last 30 Years?
Thirty years of commitment. Hand Up has quietly sustained a long-term commitment to international humanitarian service, first in Cameroon, and then—after civil war forced a difficult transition—to Guatemala and the Indigenous communities surrounding Lake Atitlán and Huehuetenango as well, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Guatemala. Hand Up earned something even more valuable than grant funding—the trust of local communities, built through consistency, partnership, and a commitment to stay.
This approach offers a practical model that other Rotary clubs and districts could adapt to their own international partnerships.
Rotary’s 2026-27 theme – Create Lasting Impact – describes exactly what Hand Up has been doing for 30 years!
measurable results:
Each generation of Rotarians has inspired the next to carry the work forward.
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• In communities where as many as 76% of residents experience chronic malnutrition, an agro-ecological program is providing families an opportunity to grow nutrient-rich food, receive both technical and business training, and create marketing opportunities to develop sustainable businesses.
• Children make measurable reading gains in after-school literacy programs.
• Indigenous women are building businesses through Rotary-supported entrepreneurship training.
• Thousands of trees have been planted to help protect Lake Atitlán.
• Household water filters improve access to safe drinking water.
• Rainwater harvesting systems provide dependable water for schools.
The model. With the mentorship, encouragement, ongoing support, and practical experience of the Hand Up Committee, even modest-sized Rotary clubs can confidently take on ambitious international projects.
Currently, four global grants (one just closed) are operating simultaneously in Guatemala—something that has become the norm—with two or three more already being planned for 2027.
The bigger story. This is more than the story of successful projects. It is the story of how Rotary Hand Up has been Creating Lasting Impact.
Behind the projects and the long-term successes are remarkable people:
• Two Canadian Rotarians whose vision began the journey.
• A succession of dedicated volunteers who quietly carried it forward for nearly three decades.
• Rotary club partners - Lake Atitlan, Guatemala La Reforma, plus local Guatemalan partners who have shaped each initiative from within their own communities.
• Mayan women whose lives continue to change because Rotary never walked away
As Rotary embraces its 2026–27 presidential message, Create Lasting Impact, Hand Up poses a compelling question for every Rotary club:
What would it take for your project to still be changing lives 30 years from now?
View a recent Hand Up video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h931xO5Sd4
View a longer version of the Hand Up History – Click here.
View a longer version of the Hand Up History – Click here.
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Material Suggestions and Greeter Messages Always Needed!
Please feel free to forward an approx. 150 - 200 word message or any material suggestions in an e-mail, or in a Word document, along with a JPeg picture or two, to E-Club Administration Chair, Kitty Bucsko.
We'd love to hear from you!
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Just so you're aware -
Our Club's Ongoing Projects -
We provide ongoing support for the following projects:
Click the links below to find out more about each project!
And we're doing great!
Ask for more information if you'd like to be involved!
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Real-time meetings
Once a month - Fellowship Assembly. Each 3rd Thursday of the month is our Fellowship Assembly, and we often invite interesting speakers or Rotary Leaders for this entertaining, educational fun event. Plan to join us.
The time is 9:00 a.m. (Mountain Time) in lieu of the weekly Coffee Chat except for July and August when there are no FA’s. Here is the zoom link:
Everyone is welcome to attend and we encourage your participation.
Please click our Event Calendar for details and access Link.
For further inquiries or suggestions please contact: info@rotaryeclubcanada.ca
All our videos can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
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How do you support our club?
- The Paypal button on our ClubRunner Home Page
- The donation button on the attendance form, or
- Make an Interac transfer to rotaryeclubcanada1@gmail.com
- Send a cheque to:
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
14008 101 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5N 0K3
(780) 267 4547
Environment
Humour
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Rotary minute
The 2027 International Convention in Barcelona
Originally planned for Dubai, the 2027 Rotary International Convention will finally be held in Barcelona from June 26 to 30.
This strategic decision was taken due to the current geopolitical context in the Gulf region, in order to guarantee participants a peaceful, accessible and secure event.
This change illustrates Rotary’s ability to adapt to international challenges, while preserving the essentials: bringing together thousands of members from around the world around common values of service, friendship and peace.
The Convention remains a key moment in Rotary life: inspiring conferences, intercultural exchanges, discoveries of humanitarian projects and celebration of collective impact.
In 2027, the Rotary community will therefore meet in Spain to continue its mission: to serve first and strengthen ties between peoples.
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Rotary Members
Rotary Jukebox
For a small donation, your favorite musician will be featured on one of our next e-meetings for everyone to enjoy.
Click Here to send your request.
THIS WEEK - Celtic Thunder
...contributed by Rotarian Neil
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The Four-way Test
To close the meeting, Rotarian Gillian recites the Four-Way Test of the things that Rotarians think, say, or do.
Thank you for joining us. We appreciate your feedback and hope you will return and invite a guest.
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Invite friends to Like our page and enjoy our posts. Also, please take the time to Share our posts on your Facebook Page.
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Archived Meetings
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Donate For the Meeting You Have Attended.
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We thank you very much!
Program Donations
Our E-Club is a dynamic club comprised of ordinary working and retired people who acknowledge that Rotarians are people who are generous with their time and their resources.
Our club and the program you have just enjoyed, either as a member or a visitor, is funded only by donations.
We are developing ideas for fundraising with our members who are scattered across Canada, USA, Central America, and Europe, but we do need your help.
As you have not had to buy lunch or travel to attend this program, please make a donation of a minimum of $10.00, considering you're saving in time and cost in appreciation for the experience you have enjoyed.
Interested in providing Rotary Service? Unable to attend terra club meetings?
Contact our membership chair for information or
or HERE to learn about Associate Membership
