Our club has a very special relationship with St Quentin – in fact the relationship goes back to just after the Second World War, before St Quentin even had a Rotary Club. The town had suffered from the war and there was considerable hardship. Basic supplies (such as cornflakes!) were in short supply, and we were able to help. Against the background of this existing relationship it was natural, under the presidency of John Thompson (our immediate Past President Stephen Thompson’s grandfather), that a formal relationship should be established between the two clubs when the St Quentin Rotary Club was chartered in 1947. Our get-together was therefore not formally part of Pentangular, marking instead our longstanding friendship.
On the first evening of the trip the visitors enjoyed a relaxing dinner and chat with their hosts. The following day, the 19th, the visitors got a chance to travel to the city of Laon – and had an opportunity to visit its amazing Cathedral and tour its underground limestone caves (described as “really interesting” by one of the visitors).
The joint evening dinner opened with a greeting from Leuven’s President Veronique Loeuillet. Our President also had a moment to give greetings on behalf of our Members.
Sunday was a “free” morning followed by a joint lunch – and then a return home on the shuttle train. “It was a great chance to re-acquaint ourselves with our Pentangular friends and continue our long friendship as we hadn’t been able to do so because of Covid-19,” said Tony; meanwhile wife Jane simply said: “it was so lovely to be there; it’s the spirit of Rotary!”
Picture: Laon Cathedral (Library picture). Picture credit: Eveline de Bruin from Pixabay.
