Keith Owens takes over the chain of office

Well, we’ soon will be into a new Rotary year with a few clubs having already celebrated their annual changeover of office bearers and many more scheduled over the next few weeks.

For my part, I attended 2 early changeover functions last week and it was very pleasing to see a member in each of the clubs was recognised with a Paul Harris Fellow award for their contributions to their communities, through being active Rotarians.

Swiss man Peter Canziana from Turangi was recognised by his fellow club members for his positive ‘can do’ attitude and willingness to get involved in everything.

Then there was Dave Woodhouse from Tauranga Sunrise who has been the driving force in his clubs ‘Save a life’ capsule project. This has a strong health-related focus and is proving to be an excellent source of fundraising which is then recycled back into supporting other community initiatives.

The above are just two examples of very deserving Rotarians who were very modest in receiving their awards. I have no doubt I will have the pleasure of witnessing many more PHF awards over the coming year as your District Governor. In mentioning District Governors, our District changeover happens in Tauranga on Sunday 26 June and that will be an opportunity to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of Mike Smith over the last year and to sincerely thank him as he commences a well- deserved break.

It is an honour to be Governor for the next year of our great District. We are fortunate that as an organisation Rotary places a lot of emphasis on preparing people for their roles. In addition to the formal training to be District Governor, preparation involves being a member of the District board and this meets quarterly so current and future Governors are very aware of matters relating to the District. The value of learning from the experiences of recent District Governors can also not be under estimated.

On the global scene, our incoming Rotary International president is John Germ and his theme is ‘Rotary Serving Humanity’ for the next year. This theme is very clear and concise. It also captures the reasons we are Rotarians. At the end of the day we all want to contribute to doing good in the world and this can usually best be achieved collectively rather than individually.
Every Rotary year is special, some more so than others. Our new Rotary year will be the opportunity to celebrate 100 years of the Rotary Foundation. From small beginnings way back in 1917 it has grown into the highly respected charity arm of Rotary that we all know today. From discussions, we are aware some Rotarians may not really have a good understanding of what the Rotary Foundation is. Our easy fix is a planned series of seminars on an Area basis early next year. You will hear more about this in the coming months.

The next year could well be a two-fold special year. In addition to the centenary celebrations for the Rotary Foundation, it could well mark the final eradication of the wild poliovirus from the world. Rotary has been committed to achieving this objective for over 30 years and to get there would be a significant milestone and certainly a cause for celebrating and telling the world what the power of Rotary can achieve.

As we move into a new Rotary year, Elaine joins me in wishing you every success in the endeavours of your club to show ‘Rotary Serving Humanity’
Regards

Keith Owens
Governor 2016/17
Rotary District 9930