Tuesday 7th June, Olivia Giles on 500 Miles Charity

One of the most inspiration Speakers we have had in recent years visited us this week. Olivia Giles whose Charity 500 Miles by-line is “getting people moving” certainly moved her assembled audience. Olivia recounted her story of how she was working as a lawyer in 2002 when she caught meningococcal septicaemia and ... More

Tuesday 31st May, Kenny Smith Editor of the Ayrshire Post

The Rotary Club of Ayr had the pleasure of being entertained by our speaker Kenny Smith, the Editor of the Ayrshire Post at their recent meeting. He provided a chronological career development from his time as a copy boy, through time writing for the Daily Record & Daily Mirror, to his new role as Editor. And then to ... More

Tuesday 24th May Alex Blair on the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal

Past District 1230 Governor, Alex Blair gave us an insight into the Glasgow, Paisley and Ardrossan Canal which was first proposed by Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton in 1791. Hugh wanted to connect the booming industrial towns of Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone to his new deep sea port at Ardrossan and his ... More

Tuesday 3rd May Ian McMurdo Author of Knockshinnoch The Greatest Mines Rescue in History

Author Ian McMurdo delivered a detailed presentation on the Knockshinnoch disaster, tantalisingly, up to the point of rescue. Time limitations and a humorous request to buy his book, was Ian’s rationale. He began by explaining that the disaster was an event which gripped the Ayrshire village of New Cumnock for three ... More

Tuesday 26th April, Bob Shields, My Life in the Newspaper Industry

The erudite journalist Bob Shields, was the speaker at the Ayr Rotary Tuesday evening meeting. Without notes, he captivated his audience, by taking them on a journey of his career from the early days of being a paperboy earning 4 old pence a week to his present role as an uncompromising columnist for the Ayrshire ... More

Alan Hodgkinson on Portencross Castle – Tuesday 12th April 2016

Alan Hodgkinson, a renowned gemologist, gave a fascinating talk to the club on the subject of Portencross Castle and the Hunterston Brooch. Alan, who has lived in the area since the early 1990’s was one of a number of locals who formed the “Friends of Portencross Castle” and attempted to seek grant funding to ... More

Tuesday 22nd March, Alister Firth on Photography for Press, PR and Business

With microphone in hand, Alister treated his large audience of Ayr Rotarians to a personal library of stunning photographs. He explained the rationale behind each one and the techniques used to capture that special shot. For example, at last year’s highly successful Air Show, he was the official photographer ... More

Tuesday 15th March, Trains of My Youth, Graham McLachlan

Graham McLachlan attended the Club on 15th March 2016 and gave a fascinating talk on his lifelong interest in trains and railways. The Club were very impressed when he mentioned meeting the Duchess of Atholl and Lady Patricia, although these were not titled ladies but instead the names of two of the many thousands ... More

Tuesday 8th March, David Healy on Scientific Experiences

David Healy joined Giltech in 1988 to develop water soluble compounds and methods for their manufacture for use as controlled delivery and temporary structural applications in medical device implants, tissue engineering substrates and a variety of industrial applications. Has a BSc in Biochemistry, Physiology and ... More

Tuesday 23rd February Graham McLachlan on flight 4590 – 25th July 2000

An expert on aviation, Graham took us on a memorable and frightening journey, leading to a disaster. It is an indelible image, heavy with symbolism: the photograph taken on 25 July at the moment Concorde became a technological Icarus. The great white bird reared up over runway 26 at Charles de Gaulle, immediately after ... More