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I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Doug

Several years ago when I was working in a fairly stressful job I used to look at a picture to “destress.”   It was a photo of a dock going out into a very placid lake with mountains in the background.   I would look at it for 5 or 10 minutes and be able to refocus on the job at hand without the stress I had before taking that trip to the lake.

While in England I have been able to visit that lake and the spot where that photo was taken.   The old dock has been replaced with a larger more modern dock, but it’s the same place.  Although I don’t have the stressful job anymore I still enjoy that picture, and now it has even more meaning, since I’ve been there.

It was a great experience, and I am extremely grateful to my hosts, Henry and Margaret, who drove me to the Lake District and made a dream come true.  Without their enthusiastic support it would not have happened.

Doug with Margaret (2010-2011 District 1050 Governor) and her husband Henry

It is strange that we have been in England for an entire week, having arrived on Monday morning, May 17 (17 May in real English) because it seems like much less. During that time we have all seen an amazing number of people, places and things. We have quickly become good friends with so many Rotarians and their families in the area who have extended their warm hospitality to us.
I’d like to share one of so many highlights. That is the British Magistrate Court system that I visited on my vocational day in Macclesfield, England. I was fortunate enough to be hosted by a Chief Magistrate who was on an off day and not sitting on the bench. Our system in the States is, of course, based on the English legal system, but the day to day operation in the courts is fundamentally different.
The Magistrate Courts handle 95% of the criminal cases that go through their system. The amazing thing to me is that the tribunal of magistrates, consisting of one Chief Magistrate and two “side” magistrates are all part-time lay volunteers. They are not required to have any formal legal education, i.e., law degrees, legal areas of expertise, etc., but they do have training. There is a legal advisor who is a barrister (lawyer) in the court who can advise on legal matters, but he/she cannot influence the decision reached by the consensus of the three magistrates.
And even more amazing to me was the fact that they are all volunteers! They are not employed by the Crown to perform what is arguably one of the most important jobs in maintaining order and justice in England. If they decided they’d rather sleep in than go to court the legal system in England would fall apart. That doesn’t happen of course because the people appointed to hold those positions are extremely responsible and dependable. Simply amazing to me.
There are a number of other significant differences between the English court system and the American court system, but the volunteer magistrates and no formal academic education that takes many years in the States were the ones that stood out to me. Obviously, the English system has its benefits because there is no comparison to the amount of crime, particularly violent crime, between England and the U.S.A.

Without the guidance, planning and hard work of the two District GSE Chairs, Gary Moore from 6910 and Alec Johnston from 1050, neither of the GSE Teams would have been able to make the trips they have made. For that we are all grateful and appreciative of all the long hours and difficult tasks you persevered. Your combined efforts have allowed both GSE Teams to make bonds and friendships that we will always cherish. And we’re sharing ideas that are mutually helpful.

I cannot fail to mention another person behind the scenes of the 6910 Team. Chris Stallworth is a member of South Gwinnett Rotray Club and was chosen to be the alternate Team Leader in the event I could not make the trip for unforeseen reasons. Chris has worked diligently throughout the last seven months to support the team by building websites that can maximize communication platforms, setting up FaceBook, U-Tube and e-mail accounts for us to use, and many other things that are too numerous to mention. He has been our support and been with us throughout the entire process.

Thank you Gary, Alec and Chris. We would not be here without you.

GSE Team with President Peter, DG Chris, and GSE Chair Alec

We had the honor of visiting the Wilmslow Dean Rotary Club this evening (May 18) which was attended by Rotarians throughout the 1050 District. Most clubs in the district were represented and many host families were there. Some 120 or more were in the audience.

Wilmslow Dean Club President Peter Friend was the perfect host for the event, and District Governor Chris was as charming as ever, in spite of the challenge he made to the entire district membership to catch me in a photo with disheveled hair. I hope there is a substantial Rotary Foundation donation offered by DG Chris if anyone makes good on that challenge.

According to many of our listeners (biased of course) we were a smashing success (I’m picking up on the language as you can see.). We all had a good time making the presentation, and the audience seemed to enjoy it as well.
It was a wonderful dinner, and it made us all feel very welcomed.

District 6910 had their 2009-2010 Conference on Jekyll Island, and it was the first opportunity for many of our Rotarians to meet the English GSE Team from District 1050.  The group represents their district exceptionally well, and each of them brings a unique perspective from northwest England.  They are all great people.  Our team from 6910 had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with each of them during the conference.  We quickly became good friends and kindred spirits on similar quests.

As a group and individually our team plans to see the team from District 1050 many times during their travels through our district and learn as much from them about their experiences as we can.  Seeing ourselves through their eyes should be both entertaining and enlightening.