By Margaret Sheard …..
The very first event of the new Rotary Club of Kyrenia Cosmopolitan was held at Jessic’s Bar and Restaurant in Karşiyaka on Sunday 22nd January
The event was an auction with a BBQ meal and there was also a raffle with many prizes to be won. It was decided to hold the auction inside as this time of the year is very unpredictable. Jessic’s staff were busily preparing the BBQ outside and soon plates were being brought in with an assortment of meats, salad, coleslaw, humus and pitta bread, and it was very good and very substantial. From each meal Jessic’s would be donating 5TL to Rotary Cosmopolitan. The waiters were in and out all afternoon and into the evening serving the food as and when people decided to eat.
The auction started at around 3pm, there were 77 lots to be auctioned and this was conducted by the well-known auctioneer Karl Rugg who did a brilliant job of getting as much money as possible for the items on offer. With the amount of items, the auction was fairly lengthy but very enjoyable as bidders were getting more and more excited. I had my eye on one item but sadly the limit I had decided on was outbid so I was unlucky on this occasion.
There was a large crowd of people who had come along to support Rotary Cosmopolitan and the raffle tickets were going like hot-cakes, so much so that it was necessary to acquire a further book to keep up with demand.
Following the auction we were entertained by Peter Dawson “Peter Swings”, he looked very suave in his dress suit and dicky bow and he sang some very easy listening songs. Both Chris and I thought we had met him before and on checking our website we remembered being invited to his mother’s 90th birthday party, also at Jessic’s, and we enjoyed listening to him sing on that occasion as well.
There was a short Irish Bingo session. We had never come across this before so didn’t join in but I wish we had as it was quite amusing. Everyone with a bingo slip stands up and as the numbers are called they sit down if the number is on their slip, until there is only one person left standing who on this occasion won 100TL. We will know for another time!
Then came the raffle, again with many prizes to be won and this time our tickets were lucky ones and we went home with 2 bottles of wine. All of the auction items and raffle prizes had been donated and we were so pleased to hear the following day that the total raised at the event was 8,251TL. Malcolm Mitcheson, the President of Rotary Club of Kyrenia Cosmopolitan said he was completely bowled over and would like to thank everyone who had a part in the event for their generosity.
