Rotary Club of Felicity/Charlieville pleased with ‘successful’ charity golf

DAVID SCARLETT

SECRETARY of the Rotary Club of Felicity/Charlieville Lisa Francis has deemed Sunday’s Charity Golf Tournament a “big success” following a dramatic four-hour contest at the Millennium Lakes Golf and Country Club in Trinity.

The east-based Rotary club hosted its first golf competition on Sunday to raise funds for the purchase of wheelchairs to assist people in need.

In an interview with Newsday, on Sunday, Francis said, “With this being our first ever golf tournament, this was a new experience for us. It was quite successful in terms of the support we got from corporate Trinidad and Tobago, and the general public.”

She continued, “We were able to host a sufficient amount of teams – 25 in total – and we were lucky that the weather held up. Everyone (on the committee) thought that we would’ve been washed out but, luckily, the players had the opportunity to successfully play all 18 holes.”

Francis added that, if the tournament is profitable, it will be the “first of many” and the Club will host the event again next year.

Medical Associates were winners of the competition with a score of 45 points. The team consisting of Neville Mohammed and Dr Aroon Narayansingh were awarded two 43-inch Samsung TVs. In second place was Shipco Transport Limited represented by Haroon Ramkissoon and Dr Solaiman Juman with 44 points; Aden and Daniel Ali led AA Laquis to third scoring 42CB.

On the Club’s efforts to assist the disabled through charity, Francis expressed, “One hundred per cent of the money goes to charity; every cent goes back to the community as we seek to do good for the country.”

“Our aim is to import a container of wheelchairs – about 250 of them.

“A wheelchair is something many people cannot afford and they may not be able to source one from the Government or health care system. So, such persons depend on us to provide wheelchairs and we weren’t able to do so over the past two years due to the inability to raise funds during the (covid19) pandemic.”

“We usually generate income (for wheelchairs) through a party (fete) in Woodford Cafe so this (golf tournament) was fresh for everyone. We hope that this tournament can supplement the party (rather than replace it) in future years, and we will be able to provide even more wheelchairs to those in need.”

“Apart from this, we also conduct literacy and read-aloud sessions with young people to help them transition into the world of work. Additionally, we host a medical and legal clinic every year, as well as other initiatives to assist the community.”

Francis believes the Rotary’s competition can help increase interest in golf across the country as they not only target corporate and veteran golfers but junior golfers as well. She said if the youth are given opportunities to play golf for free for attractive prizes, they will be more involved in the sport and help it to grow.

She said the club’s new initiative also promotes a healthier lifestyle.

“One of the main areas that Rotary focuses on is health”, she said, “and things like this promote exercise and a positive lifestyle. We target obesity and diabetes, and this competition will combat that as golf is a challenging sport, especially with the amount of walking required.”

Full results:

Medical Associates (Neville Mohammed and Dr Aroon Narayansingh) – 45

Shipco Transport Limited (Haroon Ramkissoon and Dr. Solaiman Juman) – 44

A.A. Laquis (Aden Ali and Daniel Ali) – 42CB

Self-Sponsored (Christian Khan and Jesse Khan) - 42CB

Rotary Club F/C (Fatimah Emamalie and Clint Hodge) - 42CB

Contech Limited (Nanda Ramhit and Rocky Lall) – 42CB

Qualitech (Heeraman Baldeo and Ramdeen Deosingh) – 41

Rotary Club CMSJ (Jalim Ramnarine and Adam Furlonge) - 40CB

Product Marketing Co. Limited (Curtis Moses and Jerome Ali) - 40CB

S Khanhai Wholesale & Retail (Vijai Ragoonanan and Garvin Seemungal) - 40CB

Tanksalot (Gail Rajack and Dr. Gail Hasaranth) - 40CB