On Saturday 29th October 2016 I accepted an invitation to visit the Great Hall at Bradford University to meet and listen to the Rotary Peace Fellows.

To be honest I don’t know where to start, I could write a 1000 words on each of the scholars and still not do justice to their presentations!  Unfortunately two of them could not be there in person, one through illness and the other, Yuko Maeno who only gave birth to a baby one month ago, could only join us from Japan via Skype with her ‘babe in arms’; a surprising and wonderful moment for her peace scholar friends in the hall.

These individuals are such remarkable people and I am in awe of their achievements.  Their optimism and commitment to the oppressed, displaced and ‘the forgotten’ is remarkable.

I was humbled as the District Governor Elect and as a human being.  As a Rotarian I was enlightened and reinvigorated.  I could not help but wonder in admiration at the foresight of our Rotary forefathers.

Rtn Brian Stoyel reminded us in his address that at the 1917 Atlanta Convention, Rtn Arch Klump, the visionary who instigated Rotary Foundation, suggested an endowment fund

“for the purpose of doing good in the world”

There can be no greater tribute to Rtn Arch Klump and his legacy :-

The Rotary Peace Fellows, Class XIV
University of Bradford.