• Married to my wonderful wife Wanda for 49 years. We have two beautiful daughters Erin and Megan that both work for Atlantic Lotto in Moncton. We are blessed to have 4 amazing grandchildren from the ages of 6 to 16 years old, and we enjoy lots of family time.

• Fishing
• Downhill Skiing
• Reading
• Swimming 
• Travelling
• Golf

• 33 years
• One of the most interesting and rewarding experiences Wanda and I enjoyed as Rotarians was to participate in the FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGES to South Africa in 2001 and India 2007. 

• The best part about being a Rotarian is the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the community while building lasting friendships with fellow members. 
• It's incredibly rewarding to serve alongside people who share a passion for doing good.

RotaryMWR Club History 

Article submitted by Rotarian David Close

Ham and Potato Scallop Dinner

One of the first fundraising and service projects of our club, the Ham and Potato Scallop Dinner began in the mid-1970s and continued for about 25 years, wrapping up around 2000. Held at the Lions Seniors Center on St. George Street—now the City Homeless Shelter—the event combined community service with camaraderie.

Club members worked together in the kitchen to prepare and serve meals for 200–300 guests. The event was open to the public, with tickets sold by Rotarians. Ed Pitre arranged for a Codiac bus to bring seniors from People’s Park Tower, and others from nearby joined as well.

A highlight of the evening was the dessert contest. Each member brought a dessert, often baked by their spouses, and entries were judged to determine the best. It was a fun and social way to build fellowship while raising funds. When Paul Vautour joined the club, he took on the role of chief cook.

Paint the Town

Organized by Mel Kennah, “Paint the Town” was a hands-on community service project that aimed to assist families—often on social assistance—whose homes needed exterior painting and minor repairs. Paint was donated, and on a designated Saturday, about 20 club members would gather to complete the work.

Over the years, the team painted close to 10 houses. When the outdoor initiative ended, the focus shifted to interior painting projects at Edith Cavell School. This impactful project ran for approximately 15 years.

Newspaper Ad Supplement

For nearly a decade, club members coordinated a successful advertising initiative. Members sold ad space to local businesses, and each participating business had a professional group photo taken with their staff.

The photos were featured in quarter-, half-, or full-page formats depending on the ad size purchased. Initially published as a supplement to the Moncton newspaper, it later appeared in the Greater Moncton Real Estate Guide. This initiative combined local business promotion with club fundraising.

Salmon Sale Fundraising Event

Launched by Gary Cook, the Salmon Sale became one of the club's most profitable fundraisers, running for about 10 years. Whole, cleaned Atlantic salmon—each weighing 7–9 lbs—were purchased from a salmon farm in St. Andrews.

Club members pre-sold a portion, with the remainder sold to the public at the Moncton Market on a Saturday in the fall. A Midland refrigerated trailer stored the salmon, which were packed in Styrofoam boxes with ice. The event typically featured around 500 salmon and was a major annual undertaking.

Wedding Announcement 

Congratulations to Nicholas O'Toole and Jachinma Acholonu on your upcoming wedding on July 19, 2025!

 Nicholas and Jachinma wishing you a lifetime filled with love, laughter, and endless happiness. May your bond deepen with each passing day, and may your journey together be blessed with joy and growth.

June 27, 2025, Meeting Update

New Member David Corkum welcomed by RotaryMWR members.

David Corkum is a fourth-generation photographer, born and raised in Moncton, New Brunswick. He graduated from the Applied Photography program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Following his studies, David began his career at Atlantic Studios in Riverview, where he worked for five years, before joining Hawk Communications for 14 years.

In the spring of 2005, David took a leap of faith and launched his own commercial photography studio, Corkum Photographics. With four decades of experience in commercial, industrial, and food photography, he is known for his exceptional client service and has earned multiple regional and national photography awards. David has also contributed to the industry through board service with the Professional Photographers of Canada – Atlantic Region and participation in a business roundtable group.

David and his wife, Shelley, have been married for 38 years and have two grown children. Their son, Andrew, lives in Riverview with his wife, Samantha, and their two daughters, Ari and Lillianna. Andrew is a seasoned Construction Superintendent and Civil Engineering Technologist with Modern Construction, while Samantha is an internationally acclaimed fiddle player.

Their daughter, Amy Lee, lives in Los Angeles, California, where she is fulfilling her dream as the fifth-generation photographer in the family, working as a studio producer for a prominent fashion photographer.

When he's not behind the lens, David enjoys camping and four-wheeling with family and friends.

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Long-Term Student Bension Shares His Incredible Canadian Experience

RYE Long-Term Exchange student Bension, dressed proudly in traditional clothing from his Ugandan tribe, delivered a heartfelt and engaging final presentation to the RotaryMWR members, sharing highlights of his unforgettable year in Canada.

Just imagine traveling all the way from Uganda’s District 9213 to be warmly welcomed by Canadians! Bension expressed deep gratitude to his wonderful Kerpan host family in Moncton for opening their home to him during his stay, as well as to John Patterson and Nancy Black for hosting him during a short-term stay.

Bension shared that he learned so much from each host family and embraced Canadian traditions with enthusiasm. Some of his favorite memories included celebrating Remembrance Day, the Ukrainian Festival, Santa Claus Parade, Christmas, and Easter. He was especially thrilled to see a Christmas tree for the first time and enjoyed decorating it with the Kerpan host family.

Throughout his exchange, Bension tried many new activities such as ice skating, hockey, sledding, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, flying in a small plane, collecting maple syrup, and beekeeping. He humorously admitted that sledding and skiing were terrifying, but he was fascinated by how calm and "respectful" the bees were—just like Canadians—since he wasn’t stung once! Benison confirmed he is taking home some maple syrup. The highlight, he shared, was the airplane ride, which, despite being a little scary, confirmed his dream of becoming a pilot.

Attending a Canadian school was also a unique experience for Bension, as he is homeschooled back in Uganda. He loved making new friends and participating in school hikes, field trips, quinzhee (snow hut) building, snowshoeing, and more ice skating.

He also cherished his time during Rotary Peace Weekends with fellow RYE students in Moncton and Halifax, along with attending Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and the Rotary 2025 Halifax District Conference.

Throughout the year, Bension grew personally and gained confidence, open-mindedness, time management skills, and an understanding of planning and the importance of consent. He stepped out of his comfort zone and made lifelong friendships.

He concluded his presentation with a beautiful traditional thank-you dance from Uganda and these powerful words:

“Canada is a big country with a big heart, and it taught me that the beauty of constellations is in the connections we make with each other.”

Bension will be greatly missed by all the RotaryMWR members. He was reminded that he will always be part of the RotaryMWR family, and we look forward to seeing him again—hopefully in the cockpit of a future flight after he completes his pilot training!

A Special Thank You 

Forest Glen Breakfast Program

Tremendous thank you to Chair John Wishart and the following team of volunteers who assisted with the Forest Glen Breakfast Program.

• Chair John Wishart
• Bryan MacDonald 
• Julianna Mutch
• Richard Jardine
• Michael Thiel
• Sue Murray
• Sherry Mourant
• Roberto Palma
• David Close
• Sherry Trenholm
• Maria Mutch
• Lisa Gallagher
• Kehinde Balogun
• Darrell Nameth

Congratulations and huge thank you to Eileen Lewis, Forest Glen School Educational Assistant (EA) for her 37 years of service. (shown in the photo below)

Edith Cavell School Lunch
& Snack Program

Huge thank you and congratulations to Chair Karla McLean and following team of volunteers who assisted with the Edith Cavell School Lunch & Snack Program.

• Chair Karla McLean/ John Aguiar
• Sue Murray/Don Botten
• Peter McIntyre 
• Les Elliot 
• Darrell Nameth
• Richard Jardine/ Carolyn Jardine
• Doug Baker 
• Alex Aguiar
• Dave Maynard & Family
• Noel/Karen Eustace
• Sherry Mourant/ Eric Mourant
• Nigel Bayliss
• Stu Musgrave 
• David Close 
• Jamie Smith
• Susy Campos/ Jeremy Hoyt
• Lisa Gallagher/ Reid MacDiarmid
• Catherine Black & family
• Mark Estey & family
• Allan MacLellan/Wanda MacLellan
• Ian Franklin/ JoAnn Franklin
• Sharon Niles/ Dave Niles