The Rotary Gala aftermath dominated much of the morning chatter, with members recovering from a roaringly successful evening that apparently featured packed dance floors, overflowing auction tables, questionable Visa-machine technique, and at least one attempt to shut down the bar.

Judy
Judy shared heartbreaking family news, having lost both a niece and a cousin within days of one another after battles with illness. Amid the sadness, she also celebrated finally moving back into her fully renovated home, complete with restored floors, rediscovered belongings, and plans for some new décor. She also revealed that Lindsay, the delighted 50/50 winner, politely suggested returning the winnings — a suggestion Judy firmly declined.

Debbie Murphy
Debbie had a busy week that included accidentally filming something on her phone she didn’t intend to, though thankfully Bill came to the rescue with tech support. She also proudly reported that her regatta team captured bronze medal honours while enjoying what she described as “oceanfront property” from their waterfront tent.

Kal
Kal was thrilled that the balloon game sponsorship was a hit at the Gala and assured everyone the game was definitely not rigged despite Rotarians seemingly winning everything. He also proudly modelled the Dallas Stars jersey he won — though photographic evidence apparently made it resemble more of a crop top than sportswear.

Elena
Elena celebrated recruiting a potential new Rotary member from the Gala guest table before heading off at 6:30 a.m. the next morning to the District Conference in Harrison Hot Springs. Her Rotary World Help booth became a magnet for children after she wisely stocked it with chocolates.

Jeannette
Jeannette thanked fellow Rotarians for helping her sister navigate airline booking chaos. She also celebrated the success of the Gala and noted that three new membership applications are now in progress. She’s also preparing for an important nurses’ union job-action vote while somehow still finding time to make pancakes for children earlier in the week.

Chuck Norris
Recovering from recent shoulder surgery, Chuck Norris admitted pretending everything was fine at Rotary setup duties was getting increasingly difficult. Still, he’s easing back into activity, reconnecting with his BNI group, and spending quality time with his son before he heads back to the Philippines.

Maryam
Maryam’s field trip to the Shore with her class proved slightly too ambitious for her still-recovering knee. After walking more than 2.5 kilometres, she found herself needing her mother to pick her up from work “like a student,” despite being the teacher. Ever resourceful, she now has students proudly volunteering to carry her chair and backpack at track meet day.

Sam
Sam thanked everyone involved with both the Gala and Abilitys, while also casually mentioning he may have saved a family of ducks crossing the road that morning by flashing his lights to warn oncoming traffic.

Garth
Not to be outdone, Garth questioned exactly how many lives Sam had saved before sharing his own experience singing in the magnificent “Big Roar” hall at the Museum of Anthropology during a concert weekend with his choir.

Patricia
Patricia reported a whirlwind of birthday celebrations, bridge games, Tea and Trumpets gatherings, and social outings. She also gently teased Debbie about her accidentally recorded video and reminded everyone to RSVP and send e-transfers for the next event.

Sandra
Sandra enjoyed a sunny family barbecue for Riley’s birthday and said the warm weather made it feel like summer had officially arrived. Mother’s Day preparations are now underway.

Melinda
Melinda loved seeing everyone dressed up for the Roaring Twenties Gala and is currently enjoying baseball season through the eyes of Willow, whose enthusiasm far outweighs her understanding of the game. She’s also excited to attend a Mel Robbins event on Mother’s Day weekend.

Bobby
Bobby reflected on the Gala’s chaotic fun, including happily selling the winning Golden Ticket to Sanjeev moments before closing ticket sales. He also described finally shutting down the bar after discovering one especially enthusiastic table still going strong late into the evening. Bobby’s week also included gardening, worrying about his wife and daughter’s upcoming European shopping spree, and contemplating whether cancelling his daughter’s credit card might be a reasonable parenting decision.

Brian
Brian returned from Montreal with a gold medal after his wheelchair rugby team won Canada’s first-ever women’s national wheelchair rugby championship. He also praised the Gala team effort and loved watching Rotarians quietly solve countless behind-the-scenes problems throughout the evening.

Lawrence
Lawrence shared his own duck-crossing rescue story before explaining how his son hijacked the Gala Spotify playlist mid-event, resulting in the NeverEnding Story theme song and even a random Christmas tune suddenly appearing during the elegant swing playlist. He also told a remarkable story about his wife randomly meeting the creative director of the opera Lava after deciding to play its music at her clinic reception desk. Lawrence wrapped up by promoting the upcoming “Comedy Cares” improv fundraiser supporting Pathways.

Kristy (or Possibly Chuck Norris?)
Kristy announced she’ll miss next Thursday’s meeting because she’s continuing a family tradition by taking her now-13-year-old grandchildren on a four-day cruise.

Christine M.
Christine thoroughly enjoyed attending the Gala purely as a guest this year instead of helping organize it. She went home with eight auction items, including a beloved tea basket from Kal. But nothing compared to the joy of spending hours cuddling her brand-new grandson, who officially turned one week old that day.

Mary Lou
Mary Lou survived her very first dragon boat outing alongside the Debbies, then somehow followed it up with six straight hours of bridge fundraising and a golf outing. She described the entire week as exhausting but wonderful.

Chrissie P.
Chrissie delivered one of the morning’s standout stories, sharing how her boyfriend’s daughter performed CPR on a man suffering a heart attack beside Highway 401. The next day, a police officer tracked her down at breakfast to tell her the man survived because of her actions. Chrissie also entertained everyone with a photo of Maddie holding an absolutely enormous salami won at the auction — apparently large enough to feed all of Abilitys.

Debbie S.
Debbie said one of her favourite parts of the Gala was watching her extremely enthusiastic business partner Donna experience the live auction like it was a competitive sporting event. Debbie herself somehow came home with not one, but two brand-new vacuums, leaving John understandably confused about why any household could possibly need that many.

Debbie T.
Debbie admitted she sacrificed Drew’s car while attempting to help protect the now-famous duck family crossing the road. She also celebrated another successful regatta weekend, praised the Gala dance crowd for partying long after she left, and announced she’ll be driving the Curtis Green family car in the Coquitlam May Day parade — mainly because she’s one of the few people who still knows how to drive standard transmission.

Another classic Rotary morning: heartfelt moments, hilarious stories, ducks narrowly avoiding disaster, surprise Spotify sabotage, heroic CPR saves, shoulder surgeries, dragon boats, and one truly legendary salami.