TE AWA SCHOOL; History of Hawke’s Bay garden / blessing the apple trees
After the trees had been planted it was time for Ahuriri Sunrise member Rev Nigel Kynoch to conduct a blessing of the trees.
As the apple grove is a part of the garden that symbolises the European horticultural contribution to Hawke’s Bay history, a blessing of the apple trees (such as this) would be exactly what would have happened when the original trees were planted in The Bay and thus, appropriate for the Te Awa School trees as well.
After all, in the good old days both the planting and harvesting would have been similarly blessed.
he trees were blessed by Nigel, water was gently dripped onto them by the students, and thus our happy occasion ended.
Rotary Ahuriri Sunrise thanks all concerned for making this apple tree grove planting day such a memorable occasion…
Te Awa School Principal Greta Van Zyl and the pupils who planted the trees
Past DG Grant Spackman for obtaining the trees
Marty and Kelli Cooke for donating the trees
Tree Planters President Adrienne Williams and members Carol Pipe, Peter Edmead, Lynne & Tony Trafford, and Rev Nigel Kynoch for his blessing
Stephanie A. Urchick, of the Rotary Club of McMurray, Pennsylvania, USA, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2024-25, a decision that would make her only the second woman to hold that position.
She will be declared the president-nominee on 15 September if no challenging candidates have been suggested.
With the world facing incredible challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, disasters driven by climate change, and conflict in many regions, Urchick says Rotary’s leaders can offer a vision and a plan for overcoming these challenges.
“Measures taken by Rotary leadership to survive and end critical challenges often make our organization stronger and more resilient for future events,” Urchick says. “This kind of essential leadership also creates new levels of cooperation, even among rivals, when Rotarians pull together as people of action to serve and solve a crisis.”
Making regionalization a priority is crucial, says Urchick. “Because Rotary operates in more than 200 countries and regions, it is vital to recognize that the organization has the potential to become more efficient and effective by understanding and reacting to how regional differences affect the way Rotarians work together to address providing service, promoting integrity, and advancing world understanding, goodwill, & peace,”
The Town Hall is booked from 14th April to 21st April inclusive for our sale. It has been agreed that we won't accept CDs, DVDs, vinyl, etc as per last year but we will accept old postcards, stamps and coins.
Sorting will start again in September as we already have new donations plus one and a half pallets of books kept from last year.
An advert will be placed in Cambridge News at the start of September advising the public how they can donate books, etc. This will be followed up with Facebook posts, etc.
Our guest speaker took sick so we asked for stories from the meeting.
Our second up and from the floor, was David Peploe, son of our Brian, and Security Chief for Rocket Lab.
He sort of filled in the Sergeant’s spot and told us about this company.
They have 2000 staff (US & NZ). While a US company they got the Mahia site as a cheaper launch option than the US. (Christchurch had been considered but some snails got in the way!)
He described the launch pads, 3D printed engines, smaller than the US ones, but can reach London in 48 minutes. He told us of the recently achieved engine recovery – which can save millions. It costs around $18 million to do a launch. (Money “rocketed from our pockets into the Sergeant’s box.)
Polio eradication is nearly here! But….the last bit is the hardest, and most expensive. To ensure every Rotarian has the opportunity to be part of this final push, the Rotary Foundation created the PolioPlus Society.
Deb Jamieson is the latest New Member to the Rotary Club of Tauranga Te Papa.
Deb is the Bank Manager of Westpac Tauranga Crossing and Katikati branches and has been with Westpac for 7 years. Deb was an Outward Bounds recipient when she was an 18-year-old and has enjoyed several interactions over the years with various Rotary projects.
Deb is already very active in the Community with Youth Lives Matter, the Westpac Chopper annual appeal and hangar open days, and regularly presents Scam and Fraud presentations to local community groups.
Gordon Paterson gave us an inspiring presentation on his family’s involvement with schools in South Africa.
His great, great grandfather John Paterson was recruited from Scotland to teach at the secondary school level in the Cape Colony, South Africa. He opened a Senior Free Government School at Port Elizabeth in 1841 and served that town for 38 years. In 1925 Paterson had a school in Schauderville, Port Elizabeth, named after him. The school educates a roll of 1,100 pupils.
Daz Burns is our guest speaker on 3 August. Daz is a member of the Microsoft SMB Council, along with Co. of Women, SheEO and Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose. She is a member of Soda Inc. and Sport Waikato Leadership Alumni and received a Callaghan Innovation Getting Started Grant for R&D. Daz holds a Bachelor of Teaching and a Diploma of Sport in Recreation. Being a Director of Burns Construction, The Good Day Matrix and Life55, along with founding Know No Bounds Charitable Trust, she has epic life experience and skills to help other people shine!
Daz will talk to us about The Good Day Matrix, an organisation whose mission is sharing authentic stories to connect, challenge perspectives, raise awareness and inspire curiosity to build sustainable and thriving wellbeing, everyday in Aotearoa!
Guest Speaker: Mary owner of Puketapu Pub was to share their story of recovery from the cyclone event, sadly Mary was unable to be with us, thank you to Jodie who shared Mary’s story on her behalf.
How the cyclone affected the Puketapu Hote
On the 14 February 2023, our beautiful community changed forever. After the banks broke, the water came up the road & into the pub with great force. Fridges, freezers, glassware and all sorts of equipment was floating around the pub. The Puketapu Road was waist deep and all the houses there were destroyed.
Our little village was totally cut off and had no idea what was going on up the Dartmoor Road and elsewhere. We had no coms, no bridge and felt totally isolated. The helicopters then started flying in and dropping off 40 terrified RSE workers. After that other families from up Dartmoor Road were also dropped off as the houses at the top of the hill were full of people. We managed to house the RSE workers in the school hall and others stayed in the houses that were not damaged. BBQ’s were set up and people fed, a great way to use the food from our freezers.
Over the next few days people started arriving with help. The school and the restaurant were set up as a hub and food clothing, MSD, lawyers, social workers arrived to help our community. MPT Concreting were amazing. They got petrol from the army, found us generators, cleared roads and so much more.
I am writing to express my gratitude for the incredible support shown by the Rotary Club of Havelock North during Taskforce Kiwi’s disaster relief operations in response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay.
By our count you have supplied our volunteers with over 1,000 packed lunches since we launched cyclone relief operations in February.
Like many organisations in the early 20th century, Rotary initially restricted its membership to men.
Although there was a strong and growing movement from clubs in all parts of the world to change Rotary's all-male position, the organisation fiercely resisted the admission of women.
This came to a head in 1987 when the first three women were inducted into the Rotary Club of Duarte (California). Rotary's international Board of Directors officially acted to revoke the club's charter. The Duarte club then sue Rotary claiming discrimination based on gender. Rotary resisted every judicial appeal, until the case landed in the US Supreme Court. In 1987, the US Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, ruled against Rotary
President Kelvin acknowledged this monthly theme by asking John Mackintosh from the Membership Committee to speak to the group.
John emphasised that this was an opportune occasion being ‘Membership’ month in the Rotary calendar. He said that from the surveys completed in the focus groups earlier in the year, the main points to come out were:
Who are we?
Is our club attractive? Out of this came ‘Blueprint 2024’. We had no new members in the 2022- 2023 Rotary year in fact we lost members, and in 2023-2024 we need to reverse that trend.
Tonight’s Speakerswas enthusiastically introduced by Gus Thomson who obviously has been a ‘frequent flyer’ at the Currie’s renowned establishment Rush Munro Ice Cream Gardens.
The story begins in 1926, when our English-born founder, Frederick Charles Rush Munro arrived in Hawkes Bay New Zealand. Having learnt the confectionary trade from his Father in England and armed with just 10 pounds in his pocket, he set up shop with his wife Catherine, on 26th May in central Hastings.
They rented a small shop, hired a coke-fired stove, and began to make sweets. They opened with seven varieties of toffee and candy for sale –by that evening they had sold the lot.
Marie Witzel is now safely here in Cambridge. Thanks to LesleyAnn, Bev Maul-Rogers, and John Tarbutt who went to Auckland Airport and met her on her long flight.
Marie is from Austria and here arriving after no sleep for 48hrs. Marie is a lovely young woman and was very excited and happy to be in New Zealand and is looking forward to her time in Cambridge.
She had many questions and is keen to start at Cambridge High School. She will stay with Counselor LesleyAnn for a few days before joining her first host family – Shona and Julian Devoy.
We now look forward to Marie resting up from her long-haul flight, settling into Cambridge life, and meeting her very soon.
Rotarians in District 9930, Days for Girls team members and supporters.
Just a reminder notice that Days for Girls founder Celeste Mergens is producing the story of this amazing organisation in a book which is now available for pre-order with copies due towards the end of this year.
Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered a copy with me – Celeste truly appreciates your support.
As yet I still can’t confirm the final price but it will be significantly less than the NZ$80 price tag to purchase as a stand-alone copy due to the fact that we will be buying it at a bulk rate and undertaking a single shipment.
One of the often unknown gems of Rotary is Rotary Friendship Exchange. From time to time you have received an email that has been sent to all members in D9930 promoting an upcoming exchange and how often have you pressed delete before even reading it. Maybe if you knew a little more about what happens on an exchange, your interest may cause you to pause and consider.
The guest Speaker was Jon Barrett from the Menzshed, which can be found at 125 Latham Street near the YMCA.
John said he is in his 10th year at the shed and that throughout NZ there are also six “She Sheds” and two “Sheila Shacks”. It’s a sort of “hangout” for retired blokes who are looking for something to do.
He joked that the men are dropped off at Menzshed by their wives to attend ‘Daddy Daycare’, but they achieve a lot of work while they are present.
Our heartfelt thanks to all the individuals and Rotary Clubs who made donations to ROMAC during the FY22-23 year. They exceeded the previous year by a large amount, for which we are very grateful. Your support enables us to continue to support children who need medical aid.
On a sad note, I am sorry to tell you of the deaths of two ROMAC alumni volunteers in the past month. Carol Bourne, Past Operations Manager and Director, passed away on 14 June 2023, after a long illness. Past District Governor Lloyd Roever also passed away on 22 June 2023, aged 81 years. Read their obituaries below.
Report to District 9930 Club Presidents and Asst Governors as at 30 June 2023 Committee DG Kevin Forgeson, IPDG Ross Pinkham, PDG Grant Spackman, D9930 Foundation Chair Ken Smith, D9930 Treasurer Keith Ardern, President and Past ADG Ray Kitchen, ADG Aaron Kearney, D9930 Foundation Committee Member Russell Kilpatrick, ADG Pat Taylor,
Background The D9930 Foundation Grants Subcommittee was tasked with administrating a USD25000 Disaster Response Grant from TRF.
Another donation that was made possible by the hard work of everyone in the club was the donation of $1000 for the benefit of one of the horses which are kept out at Waihou.
Brett and Carl went out there recently and presented them with the cheque for $1000.
RDA improves health and wellbeing outcomes for people experiencing disability, or who have specific challenges or needs. Each year, we provide life-changing opportunities for more than 3,000 children and adults in local communities throughout New Zealand.
Pictured above is from left---Rotarian Carl Wolfe, local RDA President Viv Matchett, Rotary President Brett Smyth with sponsored horse Rangi
The ClubRunner Mobile App is your key to connecting to your club and district on the go!
Completely, free to download and use, this app will let you access the key info you need while you're on the go.
Password protected just like your website, the ClubRunner Mobile app allows you to view your member directory, contact your members and executives, read the latest articles posted to your website, learn more about your upcoming events and speakers, view your meeting details, track your attendance statistics and receive push notifications with important announcements from club admins, right from your smartphone or tablet!
To download the app from the Apple App Store or from Google Play, simply type in 'ClubRunner' in the search bar.
Our mobile app is compatible with all versions of the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch sets that have iOS 8.0 or later and with versions of Anrdoids that are 4.0.3 or better.
The ClubRunner Mobile App is your key to connect to your club and district on the go! Completely, free to download and use, this app will let you access the key info you need while you're on the go. Password protected just like your website, the ClubRunner Mobile app allows you to to view your member directory, contact your members and executives, read the latest articles posted to your website, learn more about your upcoming events and speakers, view your meeting details, track your attendance statistics and receive push notifications with important announcements from club admins, right from your smartphone or tablet!
During COVID lockdowns in 2020-21, Glenys Parton from D9930 created a quilt titled “Mending Hearts” and donated it to Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) to raffle.
With the continued disruption of COVID, the sale of the tickets was extended into the 2022-23 Rotary year.
Tickets were largely distributed and promoted by Glenys in D9930 and by Sue Smith, the partner of the District Governor of 9920.
David Cotter, winner of the ROMAC Quilt raffle, with Glenys Parton D9930.
Since the Zone 8 Regionalisation Pilot project received financial support from the Rotary International Board in April 2023 a large amount of work has been happening behind the scenes.
Club presidents and secretaries and members of the pilot reference group have received regular monthly updates since then with information as it comes to hand.
One of the key pieces of feedback received from Rotary and Rotaract members is that information is hard to find.
This email is to give you a “heads-up” to save the date for The Rotary Foundation Recognition Dinner being held in Auckland on Saturday evening the 4th of November 2023 at the Cordis Hotel.
The Chair of the Rotary Foundation Trustees Barry Rassin will be attending this event to present recognition awards to those members who have made either Major Donor or Bequest contributions in the 2022-2023 years.
There were 110 Rotarians from throughout the District there to say farewell to Kevin Forgeson (Te Kuiti) as the District Governor for the past year, and welcome Bill Robinson (Cambridge) for his year as District Governor.
110 was at capacity for the venue, tasty menu, good company and speeches.
Bill introduced his theme of Create Hope in the World – a theme that International President Gordon McInally is proud to support following his experience helping out at the 2004 Phuket tsunami, and also including a focus on mental health
The Rotary Club of Ahuriri Sunrise Theatre HB fundraising event for 2023 is COMPANY.
Money from our premier nights usually goes to the ‘big’ Rotary projects; Polio+, Interplast, Give Every Child a Future, and if there is enough money, an Emergency Response Kit.
Company is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The original 1970 production was nominated for a record-setting 14 Tony Awards, winning six.
Lyndal introduced Emma, Isabella and Zoe from the Sacred Heart Interact Club to speak of their recent fundraising initiatives, including a very successful quiz night to raise funds for the Bay View Flood Relief fund.
Other initiatives include a “Jammies in June” where pyjamas are donated to help kids in need keep warm in winter; A “Fun Run” in summer also involving Napier Boys and Napier Girls High Schools; Child Cancer fundraising; A Biodiversity tree planting project.
Norm Bruning is a most genuine Rotarian and a most genuine member of the Western Bay Of Plenty community who only seeks to work for the benefit and betterment of all.
This has been an absolute lifelong commitment that he shares with his wife Maureen – here tonight - his three sons and now their families.
Norm has not only held the office of President of the Rotary Club of Otumoetai in 1994 – 1995 but he has over the years taken on very many other roles and importantly offered and spent time mentoring other members into the various roles they have volunteered to undertake.
Norm not only freely gives of his time he is a store of invaluable knowledge which he is happy to share.
Formerly RDA, have sent a thank you along with photos of the ponies that EquiSucceed purchased with the help of a $5k donation from Rotorua North.
Rotary Raz (named on honour of the Rotorua North donation) is the wee grey one that is used for the smaller riders, apparently he is ‘full of character’
The other pony is named River, he was funded partially from Rotorua North and partially from another donation.
The invitation has been extended for the club or individual members to head out and meet the 2 new additions to the EquiSucceed team.
Taylor Randall has been a participant in Interact, Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotex (Rotary Youth Exchange alumni) and the National Youth Science Forum, founded by Rotarians in Australia.
She is the fourth generation of her family to be involved in Rotary, as her great grandfather was the charter president of the Rotary Club of Nerang, Queensland, Australia.
Cyclone Gabrielle, the most significant weather event in a generation threw New Zealand into a national state of emergency, amid this unprecedented weather event there are amazing stories of bravery and generosity.
Health workers in Pakistan go door to door administering the polio vaccine.
Volunteers in Zambia perform a dramatic skit showing how malaria spreads. These efforts may seem very different, but they're deeply connected.
A global partnership has mobilized millions of workers, reached underserved populations, and gathered unprecedented amounts of health information in the fight to end polio.
That work by Rotary and its partners is also proving crucial in the battle against malaria. Learn more for World Malaria Day, 25 April. And read a blog post from Eric Liswaniso, program manager for Malaria Partners Zambia, who lost his parents to malaria when he was young.
How Rotary's Polio Effort is Helping Battle Malaria
Women make up two-thirds of Pakistan’s polio workforce.
Their work is crucial for us to meet our goal of interrupting the transmission of wild poliovirus this year, but the importance of their efforts goes far beyond polio eradication.
This photo essay from Rotary magazine’s April issue illustrates the work of female vaccinators and highlights five of the women who are working to end polio in Pakistan. Learn more
A seasoned runner might take water and protein bars on a long training run, but girls and women in Afghanistan consider other equipment more essential: knuckle dusters or pepper spray, so that when anybody comes close, they can demonstrate they have something to defend themselves.
It’s one of the startling details in a 2019 documentary about female runners in the deeply conservative nation.
If you're attending the Rotary Convention, be sure to visit us in the House of Friendship. Peggy Carlaw, ShelterBox New Zealand Director and Trustee, will be there from noon to 3 on Tuesday and Wednesday and would love to say kia ora, show you around the ShelterBox display and answer questions about our Rotary partnership.
SMALL BUT MIGHTY – the Rotary Club of Otumoetai, Tauranga
The Rotary Club of Otumoetai in Tauranga has started the year with seventeen members but in the past two months has punched a powerful punch well above its weight. Over $2,000 has been collected for the erection of two new seats for the city’s Kopurererua valley known locally as the K-valley project and will mean that locals and visitors alike can sit and enjoy what is projected to become the largest area of native planting within the confines of a New Zealand city. On the 15 July club members joined a raft of other city organisations to plant a further substantial number of native trees and plants.
At last weeks Rotary Ahuriri Sunrise meeting, new(er) member Andy Pearce introduced himself and discussed the possibility of another global financial crisis.
Andy spoke briefly about himself and gave an interesting insight on the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 and why we are not facing down the barrel of another GFC despite the recent banking upheavals in the US and Switzerland.
Andy grew up in Hawkes bay and studied geology at the University of Canterbury followed by a PHD at Magill University in Montreal where his subject was Geomorphology - the evolution of landforms.
He worked as a scientist in New Zealand and became the first CEO of Landcare Research.
In 2008 he was appointed a Director of the Bank of New Zealand because, if you believe what he says, he knew absolutely nothing about banking. His appointment apparently did not cause the GFC which followed shortly thereafter.
Earlier this month Rotary Club of Kawerau recognised all that Mavis Keightley has given of Service above Herself to our community by awarding her with a Paul Harris Fellowship.
A very informative session from guest speakers Dion and Carly at the Greenmeadows club, both are audiologists and partners in the company - Hearing & Balance located in Greenmeadows.
High in the Andes, an indigenous community had been waiting more than a decade for clean drinking water. Although they had worked with a regional water agency on a plan, they didn't have the funding to put it into effect – until they met a new Rotary club willing to apply for its first global grant. Small in size, the club delivered a big impact. Now 133 families have access to safe drinking water piped from a mountain catchment down to their homes. Read More
Rotary Provides Clean Drinking Water for Village in Ecuador
Lake Taupō Rotary Club has been fundraising for national causes recently in a bid to make life a bit brighter for Kiwis facing mental health struggles.
Within Taupō, the Rotary Club is perhaps best known for its community-based work, such as running the Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge, loaning out the Rotary Van and organising the annual charity golf tournament at Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary.
However, the Rotary Club also makes the time to fundraise for national causes.
Taupō is one of a network of 50 New Zealand Rotary Clubs in the region spanning from Hamilton to Gisborne which elects a new district governor every year.
As you can see from the content in this newsletter, ROMAC is very much back in business after the hiatus we had with COVID.
We currently have 5 patients either here in Australia or about to arrive for treatment and we are looking at possibly another 20 plus children before the end of the year.
Our systems and processes have had to be quickly reviewed and systematically updated so we can cope with the influx of patients. Life has been hectic but at the same time extremely enjoyable and personally rewarding for all those involved on the National and Regional ROMAC Committees.
It has been a big weekend for everyone involved with the RFE visit.
The group flew out of Napier to Auckland early Monday afternoon, then travelled by road to Maketu.
Their time in Havelock North and Hawkes Bay was a spectacular success and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Highlights were the dinners with hosts and collectively at Namaskar, the trip to the Gannets, the Art Deco tour, wine tasting and lunch at the Mission and of course the RFE dinner on Saturday night.
St Johns Ambulance visit – Eric Balvert and Annette Lovich.
Eric thanked Rotary for the invitation to talk to us. He briefly outlined the history of St Johns Association having started in NZ in 1850. Nowadays it is found in nearly every town in NZ and is 80% staffed by volunteers. Annually it cost about 350 million to run across all of NZ and this cost is met by donations and subscriptions as well as 80% funding from the government.
Leymah Gbowee won the Nobel Peace Prize In 2011 along with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Yemeni peace activist Tawakkol Karman, nominated for their “non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work.”
Gbowee, who had lived in a refugee camp, worked as a counselor for child soldiers and led a nonviolent peace movement that played a pivotal role in ending a bloody 14-year period of Liberia’s civil war.
McInally's Scottish heritage is apparent in his office, where a brightly colored landscape painting by the Scottish artist John Lowrie Morrison adorns a wall. Scotland isn't always as dreary as it is typically depicted, he notes. "Sometimes it's a very bright place." In fact, there are a lot of stereotypes about Scotland that McInally is looking to move past. "The tartan, the plaid, it's very traditional, very stereotypical," he says. His presidential tie, instead, was inspired by the bright colors used by Morrison, his favorite artist, along with the colors in a seashell from Thailand that helped inspire his presidential theme. Among other colorful curiosities in McInally's office is a giant cardboard rendition of his head, which he received after a Rotary institute in Minneapolis. Visitors are keen to hold it up for social media selfies. "I think they get more sense out of the head than they do out of me," he says with a laugh.
McInally joined the South Queensferry club when he was 26 years old. He and his wife, Heather, had recently gotten married and wanted to put down roots in the community outside of Edinburgh. A farmer they had met invited them to a Rotary social event and then to a couple of Rotary meetings, and before McInally knew it, he was on the road to Rotary membership. (Heather McInally is also a Rotarian, belonging to the Borderlands satellite club of the Rotary Club of Selkirk.) "I couldn't see how a dentist working in isolation in Edinburgh could make a huge difference in the world," he recalls. "But I very quickly realized that by being part of Rotary, I could, and I did."
Whether you’re posting on social media, inviting community members to volunteer with you, or speaking at an event, you’ll get more people to take action by using precise words and clear examples. Our Communication Guide, inspired by Rotary’s Action Plan, offers advice for clear and effective messaging, such as:
Be specific: Inviting community members to “serve meals to hungry children” is more accurate and compelling than asking them to “defeat hunger.”
Be inclusive: It’s easier for people to imagine themselves getting involved with Rotary when you refer to “members and participants” rather than to “Rotarians.”
For additional guidance and more concrete examples of powerful communications, read our Communication Guide and be inspired!
This guide will help you create communications that effectively promote your club’s good work, attract new participants and partners, inspire donors, and motivate volunteers.
The tips and examples will help your club and Rotary be stronger and more influential as we:
• Increase our impact
• Expand our reach
• Enhance participant engagement
• Increase our ability to adapt Whenever you communicate with people
— whether you’re posting on social media, inviting community members to join you in a service project, or speaking at an event — you have an opportunity to increase awareness of Rotary and what we do
Kaileen Casey, partner of Immediate Past District Governor Jeff Egan, adopted SolarBuddy as her partner project throughout 2021-22.
SolarBuddy is an Australian charity uniting a global community with a big dream to gift six million solar lights to children living in energy poverty by 2030, to help them study after dusk and improve their education outcomes.
The initiative is the brainchild of Queenslander Simon Doble, who invented a renewable energy-powered light that became a solution in refugee camps across the world. Simon realised the enormity of light deprivation – each night, 789 million people are plunged into complete darkness as they don’t have equal access to clean energy. So, he started raising global awareness and designing solar light solutions for the most at risk communities.
Past District Governor Grant Spackman introduced Mark as a highly skilled at engaging and influencing decision maker, both internationally and within Australia.
He has a reputation for leading and delivering successful sales initiatives at state, national and international level. Mark is Member of the Rotary Club of Beecroft and Rotary District Membership Chair 2012-13. Beecroft has come from a club of fifteen to a club in the forties and growing with engaged members that represent their community and its needs, matching the 6 avenues of service to the communities need and being a place for great fellowship and meaningful engagement in projects.
Diversity is key and having clubs aligned to projects, business, families and traditional needs can be good way of achieving this. Mark has a copy of guide to Rotary form the 1930s he found when moving from buildings. What was true then is still true now, a place for fellowship and business acquaintances doing good in our communities.
Mark shared many ideas and we will review these to use and likely implement. Doug Syme thanked Mark for this thoroughly engaging talk his leadership and insights into his club had evolved to match what its community needed and wanted and how its new resources had continued to grow the club and help Rotary to be its best. Mark was presented with a local bottle of wine and thank you card by our own artist Joan Hay.
Mark Anderson, Senior Coordinator, International Fund Development at Rotary International
This event is scheduled for the Thursday 23rd March and we have had 250 tickets printed and are starting to sell tickets. Next week at Rotary President John will start his big sales pitch. Our partner organisations are Days for Girls, Cambridge Community House, Cambridge Cricket Club and the Rotary Club of Cambridge.
Please get behind and support this event. A post has been released on the Rotary Club of Cambridge Facebook page so if you can please share this with any groups you have access to.
Tickets can be purchased through any of our partner organisations or through President John Bishop or David Partis.
This event is scheduled for the Thursday 23rd March and we have had 250 tickets printed and are starting to sell tickets. Next week at Rotary President John will start his big sales pitch. Our partner organisations are Days for Girls, Cambridge Community House, Cambridge Cricket Club and the Rotary Club of Cambridge.
Please get behind and support this event. A post has been released on the Rotary Club of Cambridge Facebook page so if you can please share this with any groups you have access to.
Tickets can be purchased through any of our partner organisations or through President John Bishop or David Partis.
An international bestseller, inspirational speaker and award-winning advocate Juliana became a member of our Papamoa Rotary on the 1st of December 2022.
How lucky we are, here in Papamoa. After becoming a paraplegic at 19 caused by a mysterious illness, Juliana began her journey as a spokeswoman for the inclusion movement, championing her way from South America to here in Papamoa.
After a 7yr battle with NZ Immigration Juliana has recently been granted her residency.
She doesn’t let anything hold her back. Juliana has succeeded locally and internationally, creating and directing TV show Make A Difference, short film If The Eyes Cannot See, The Legs Cannot Feel, as well as winning the award for Best True Story in Marie Claire Magazine and making her autobiography “In my chair or yours?”. I suggest you all go onto her website and read what you really “can do”. www.juliana.co.nz
Seems Like I am Introducing a “Rotary Keynote Speaker Here”
Opening Thought --- Susie Your Perspective is not My Reality, but Mine is ---
A famous book writer sat in his study and began to write a few points on the year that had passed:
• Had surgery to remove my gallstones.
• Turned 60, Retired, quit a company I loved and left a job I had been doing for 35 years.
• I was abandoned by my beloved mother who passed away.
• My son failed his final medical exam because of a car accident. The cost ofrepairs marked the peak of a truly miserable year.
The writer’s wife entered the room and saw her husband sad and pensive. From behind she could see her husband’s writing. Slowly she backed away.
Fifteen minutes later she returned and place a piece of paper on the desk in front of her husband. It read:
• Last year my husband finally managed to get rid of the gallstones that were causing him so much pain for years.
• I am grateful that he was able to retire in a healthy and happy state of mind and body. I thank God that he was given the opportunity to work and earn for 35 years to support our family.
• Now my husband can spend time writing which has always been his passion.
• In the same year my 95-year-old mother-in-law, without any pain, returned to God in peace.
• The same year God protected our son from harm in a terrible accident. The car was seriously damaged but our son survived without any injuries.
• Last year was full of extraordinary blessings for which we are grateful.
We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.
Text Generated by Artificial Intelligence not a Rotarian...
2023-02-01 11:00:00Z
0
From a Rotary Student Exchange, then Around the World, and then Sharing in a Nobel Peace Prize
Exchanges are often a seedbed for cultivating peace one student or volunteer at a time.
Peacebuilding usually manifests in small ways, such as a thoughtful conversation between people of different cultures that results in better understanding and open-mindedness.
But sometimes a single seed of peace grows into something more far-reaching, with direct impact on multitudes.
From a Rotary Student Exchange, then Around the World, and then Sharing in a Nobel Peace Prize
2023-01-28 11:00:00Z
0
Why Rotary needs to Expand our Reach
Katey Halliday, a member of the Rotary Club of Adelaide Light, Australia, is a charter member of the Rotaract Club of Adelaide City. Halliday serves on Rotary's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.
Recently, she took time to answer a few questions about the meaning of Rotary’s Action Plan pillar, Expand our Reach. Read her answers, and view her blog post about why DEI is the right thing for Rotary
You can experience new cultures, expand your global understanding, and immerse yourself in travel and service opportunities while building lifelong friendships through Rotary Friendship Exchange.
Every year, we offer the Rotary Friendship Exchange Photo Award as an opportunity for participants to share images from their recent experiences with the program. This year’s theme was reimagining Rotary Friendship Exchange.
Congratulations to Districts 9210 (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Northern Mozambique) and 7010 (Ontario, Canada) for being selected as the winners. If you’re interested in participating, learn how to get started with Friendship Exchange.
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle or just plain Santa.
You might know that the idea of Santa Claus dates back to Saint Nicholas who was bishop of Myra in Turkey in the 4th century, but that is only a small part of the story.
It is far more complicated than you think! Here goes:
By Alejandra Rueda, 2008-10 Rotary Peace Fellow, University of Berkeley
When I became a Rotary Peace Fellow in 2008, the presidential theme was Make Dreams Real. My dream was to support the Colombian countryside by improving the quality of life of farmers and, in turn, to achieve a more responsible use of nature and the ecosystem services it provides. I also wanted to help resolve the social conflict that Colombia has experienced. Or at the very least, to contribute to the development of projects that would spur economic and social recovery in areas that sorely needed it.
The speaker on Thursday evening was Geoff Mathis who gave a presentation on the Kondiki Dairy Project in Tanzania which he has been driving for the last 10 years.
He talked about the progress in milk volumes and milk quality through improved processing capabilities and then with better transport systems now in place getting products to market in a timely way.
One of our club members has admitted to going to Rotorua to pick up chicks !!!
Is this really Kaye Wishart, heavily disguised in Rotorua? Seriously, Past Pres. Kaye transported three lively kiwi chicks from Rotorua to Hawkes Bay, with the charges sounding like they were about to break out and pandemonium break loose in Kaye’s car!
But the charges settled as the pace picked up and the gentle hum of the road quieted them. Well done, Kaye!
3-Minute Talk: Ashley was in the property market for 33 yrs and out for the last 6 yrs.
They bought their first house in Grundy St in 1982 for $47,000 and struggled to sell it 9 yrs later – was bought by Housing Corp. They bought in Harris Street in 1992 and sold that for $104,000 (It sold last year for $955,000). They then bought in Grant Road in 2000 for $175,00, sold in 2016 for 345,000 and four years later it sold for $841,000.
Being out of the property market is not good. Initially, their rental was $350 pw and now is $580 but they did shift to a better property.
Vancouver Rotarians plugged into their local connections to spotlight End Polio Now in British Columbia.
Three landmarks — BC Place Stadium, the geodesic dome of Science World, and the City Hall clock tower — were set aglow for World Polio Day in 2021.
Ron Suzuki, a member of the Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise and a retired city recreation director, used his connections to line up support from city leaders, including Mayor Kennedy Stewart, who recognized the day by proclamation.
The Interact club at Honesdale High School in Pennsylvania held its Purple Pinkie Project in February to spread the word about polio eradication.
Club members went live on the radio, canvassed local businesses for contributions, and solicited dollar donations in exchange for coloring pinkies purple during school lunch breaks and basketball games.
The club raised $1,000, and members of the Rotary Club of Honesdale added $500 for the cause.
Rotary Interact Club Held its Purple Pinkie Project in February
A well-constructed social media profile can boost awareness of your club and of Rotary, as well as build connections in your community and beyond.
But what’s the best way to develop your social media presence? Our social media team’s “Kick-start your club’s social media presence” post in Rotary Voices offers some tips.
Social media makes expanding your club’s reach easier than ever, but how? There are tips, tricks, and tools for creating content for social platforms, and the goal is simple: connection.
Read about some inspiring student experiences, what it’s like to host exchange students, and how some exchanges have helped transform students into leaders in their communities.
If you want to see the direct impact of Rotary Youth exchange on both participants and adult volunteers, or if you’ve been searching for a glimpse of the program to show to others, this page is for you.
Rotary International President Jennifer Jones appeared on the main stage at the star-studded Global Citizen Festival on 24 September to highlight Rotary’s commitment to eradicating polio and announce an additional US$150 million pledge toward that end.
Jones, who spoke in front of 60,000 people in New York City and tens of thousands more online and on TV, noted the state of emergency that the governor of New York state recently declared to combat a resurgence of polio in the region.
Rotary Pledges Another US $150 Million Toward Polio Eradication
2022-10-10 11:00:00Z
0
Poland Rotarians Create a Safe Home for Ukrainian Refugees
In March, shortly after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, refugees began arriving at a home in Wojciechów, a town about 20 miles from the city of Lublin in eastern Poland.
Janusz Milanowski, a member of the Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska, and his wife, Katarzyna Szmygin-Milanowska, had purchased the house in 2021 with the intention of turning it into a center for teenagers struggling with addiction.
with thousands of refugees from Ukraine needing a place to stay, the couple decided to open the home to them instead.
In mid-2017, two groups of 15 strangers lived together for 28 days each in a ring of shipping containers assembled in the parking lot of Antwerp University Hospital in Belgium.
They had access to books and movies, a small courtyard for barbecues, a common kitchen and dining room, and a fitness room — all of it behind secure interlocking doors and under the watch of personnel in protective gowns.
What sounds like a reality TV or sci-fi scenario was, in fact, a remarkable clinical trial of the latest weapon in the battle to eradicate polio — a re-engineered vaccine called the novel oral polio vaccine type 2, or nOPV2.
Mandy Kimber introduced Eve Casadranda to the Club, advising that Eve was born in Germany, moved to Alberta when she was 4 years old and then moved to Wellington, New Zealand in 1986, and then moved to Havelock North in 2017, with her husband Don.
Her career included Real Estate, both selling and property management, and Director of Client Services for On Arrival, a company that she and Don established in 1999. She has belonged to several organisations including Beta Sigma Sorority (in Canada), Lionesses, Tawa Community Theatre, Porirua Little Theatre, Porirua Rotary, St Lukes, and Keirunga Creative Arts Society.
Sadly, PDG Mike Smith passed away suddenly on Tuesday evening 13 September, surrounded by friends.
Mike joined Rotary in 1980 and became a member of the Ahuriri (Napier) Club in 1984. He was the District Governor of District 9930 from 2015-2016. Mike was a regular attendee at our District Advisory Council Meetings. Mike was a Paul Harris recipient with 5 sapphires. Mike was also a Paul Harris Society member.
PDG Mike Smith’s funeral is to be held at 2 pm Monday 19 September at the Napier War Memorial Centre, Marine Parade.
Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
The Rotary Club of Otumoetai in Tauranga has started the year with seventeen members but in the past two months has punched a powerful punch well above its weight.
Over $2,000 has been collected for the erection of two new seats for the city’s Kopurererua valley known locally as the K-valley project which will mean that locals and visitors alike can sit and enjoy what is projected to become the largest area of native planting within the confines of a New Zealand city. On 15 July club members joined a raft of other city organisations to plant a further substantial number of native trees and plants.
One of RI President Jennifer Jones' initiatives is to focus on the comfort and care of our members, and Membership Month is the perfect time to make sure that your club provides a welcoming experience.
Members are more likely to stay if we listen to them and understand what they want out of Rotary. Here are a few ideas for helping people feel valued and involved:
Take the Best Practices for Engaging Members course to develop strategies for engaging people at all stages of membership, or the Creating an Inclusive Club Culture course to discover ways to become more inclusive, diverse, and equitable.
Our members join Rotary to make a difference through service and to build lifelong friendships. Rotary offers many opportunities to do this, such as by carrying out effective projects and connecting with our global community. Here are some ways to start.
Do you have an idea or project that you want to share with your Rotary family? Breakout sessions can inspire attendees, help them polish their leadership skills and give them new ideas for Interact, RYLA, youth programs and more!
Help us build an inclusive breakout program that celebrates Rotary’s diversity, projects, and achievements! Submit your proposal online by Friday, 30 September 2022.
For a second year, Rotary International, Kiwanis International, Lions Clubs International, and Optimist International are working together to celebrate and give back to our communities with a weeklong service event, 11-17 September. This is a great time for your club to partner with local Kiwanis, Lions, and Optimist clubs on a project that will have a long-term impact on your community.
We had a robust discussion on district grants, as we are applying for $5,000 to match the other four clubs working on the Hauraki Rail Trail shelters.
The project is for 16 shelters (requested by HRT) and we are now completing the sixth.
So the present round of funding is for a further five shelters then we shall address the issue of funding the final five when ten are erected (update – we put an application in on Tuesday 30th, well inside the 31st deadline!!!).
Blue Light --- Training for Youth for Leadership ---
Marjean introduced the team and thanked Rotary for the opportunity to come and speak.
Sidney then joined everyone together in a game around the table ---- a race with all passing the electric shock down the line. Then they told us about Blue Light and the partnership between the Police and the Armed Forces to assist young people to develop and mature and to get them off the streets.
GUEST SPEAKER: Karen Denyer, National Wetland Trust.
To purchase Karen’s book ($65) please pay ASB 12 3171 00176 60 00. Please put BOOK and your name in the reference field for the records. All proceeds from the launch sales to the National Wetland Trust.
Karen said how good it was to work with our Rotary club. She is a trained ecologist and has written a book called Life in the Shallows, copies of which she brought along for Rotarians to purchase. The National Wetlands Trust was born around the turn of the century – a Millenium project.
Taveuni Visit - Dave, followed by Mark and then Barney each gave an overview of the recent diplomatic junket on behalf of the club with their wives to view the new kindergarten block that was supported to the tune of $26,000 by the Club and the NZ High Commissioner based in Suva. Highlights included:
Opened by the High Commissioner on 29 May 2023
A day was put on for the group where the gifts and a plaque were presented (belatedly) noting it was a – “Joint project NZ High Commission and Wh250akatane Rotary”.
The children spend a year at the Kindy before they move across the grounds to start their schooling at the Holy Cross Catholic Church school with 1200 primary and secondary students.
In 1865 brothers Phillip and Richard Dolbel purchased Springfield and Redclyffe Stations, part of which later became the 18ha Dolbel Reserve.
Over the years several developers subdivided parts of the Dolbel farmland for housing development. One of these was Carter Holt who bought the Dolbel Reserve.
Unlike the tree planting on Marine Parade back in May, the 10 – 12 members of Greenmeadows were not matched by a similar number from the other clubs in Napier this time at Awatoto.
Nevertheless, our hearty gardiners rose to the occasion, even when they had to dig their own holes this time.
It took some time and some were said to be out of breath but they certainly enhanced the shelter that our club erected on the site some time back.
Guest Speaker: Tony Walker. Tony’s background consists of working for 17 years as an Aeronautical Engineer and personal coach in the British Royal Air Force, with a further 8 years in Banking and Finance in New Zealand, during which he was involved in a Coaching role for team building and development.
Living and working in Hawkes Bay for the last 25 years has given Tony an understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist for business people in city, urban and rural areas, whether they be small or large organizations.
Tony concentrates on the dynamics within a team, acknowledging that when team members change the dynamic changes with them.
His coaching is based on meeting the 4 basic emotional human needs, which can also be applied to everyday life:
Harold Sherson presented a comprehensive collection of his memories as a Rotary member for the past 46 years.
Harold joined Morrinsville Rotary in 1976, introduced by Milton Mundell. Over his years as a Rotarian, Rotary has moved its meeting place from the Oddfellows Hall, the St John’s Hall, the Events Centre for a short stay, and then to the Old Boys Rugby Clubrooms and finally to our present home in the Rotary Centre.
Rotary has changed over the years, but much remains the same- especially the desire to work in the community for the betterment of its occupants. Less formal than the collar and tie days, the singing of grace, the Rotary songbook, and formal changeover events, Rotary still retains the fellowship and care of its members and its desire to serve a better world for all.
Harold has kept the Club attendance book for 30 years we won the District attendance award twice in that time. He also held Office as Youth director, President-Elect, President, and Past President.
Viv Leonard from Arkwrights Antiques in Paeroa shared with us her experiences, hot items that are popular, and the items that are out of vogue at present.
Viv is a Paeroa Rotarian and in November this year she would have been running Arkwright Antiques for 30 years and only this week has decided to sell it after 30 years in business.
When Bob Rogers and Greg Owen, End Polio Now coordinators in their respective Rotary Zones, wanted to create a mechanism to encourage members to give to the PolioPlus Fund.
They looked into a giving program that had been launched in District 5110 (Oregon, California, USA) several years prior.
A PolioPlus Society asks members to give a minimum of $100 a year through a recurring payment program.
Tauranga’s Rotary clubs are celebrating diversity, with a fresh set of female presidents taking over in 2022.
The presidents are Carmen Goodwin of the Otūmoetai Rotary Club, Sue Boyne of the Tauranga Rotary Club, Vanessa Dodunski of the Tauranga Te Papa Rotary Club, and Lynda Burch of the Tauranga Sunrise Rotary Club.
Tauranga Rotary assistant governor Pat Taylorsays the coincidental move coincides with the first international Rotary female president being elected this year.
Lynda Burch, left, Carmen Goodwin, and Sue Boyne. Photo: John Borren
August is Membership and New Club Development Month, a time for Rotary leaders to focus on the most important part of our organization, our members.
This year, Jennifer Jones is emphasizing comfort and care for our membership as one of her four presidential initiatives.
Throughout the month of August, read inspiring stories of how districts and clubs are creating a nurturing environment and a welcoming culture that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. And find a variety of resources that will help you build and strengthen your membership.
Jessie Bell, accredited Brainfit Coach Jessie gave a wonderful presentation on our memory or lack of as we age.
The Memory Foundation was established in 2008 by Dr. Allison Lamont and Gillian Eadie. Inspired by their mother’s fight with Alzheimer’s disease, both Allison and Gillian wanted to find effective ways to preserve and improve memory.
In her Ph.D. research, Allison identified the six types of memory skills that are critical for productivity and independent living into older age. Using her skills as a teacher, Gillian has developed this ground-breaking work into this proven memory improvement system -
Jessie trained and began teaching the Brainfit for Life course in 2014.
Well, this is a bit different, we usually only have one guest speaker. Tonight, we have one and a half!!!
Gail is our first volunteer for our Moanatairi school project. She started today on her commitment to giving six hours of service each week. Today she sorted out the books into fiction and nonfiction in the library and will run the school library from 9 until 12 every Monday and Tuesday morning.
Gail is really only a half guest as Gail is also our Rotary club's first “Associate member”. Monika and Greg have got that scheme up and running, with nine people having completed associate membership forms. Thanks, Monika and Greg.
Bailey Tunui and Sidney Waiari spoke at the club meeting on behalf of the junior and senior prefects.
The Rotary Club sponsored 12 Tarawera High School students to attend the annual G.R.I.P (Generosity, Responsibility, Integrity, People) conference in Rotorua, and speaking at the meeting was a way of thanking the Club for this experience.
The conference is designed to improve students' leadership skills, seek ideas from everyone, and develop support for each other.
For the past three years a group of Rotarians and Rotaractors have been working on a pilot project to consider how we can enhance Rotary and Rotaract and ensure we remain relevant for the future while also addressing some of the challenges we have been facing for a while.
In February 2022, the Rotary International (RI) Board gave its approval in principle to proceed with the pilot, subject to approval by clubs. A second green light was the Council on Legislation approval for changes of governance in April 2022. We are now one of just two regional pilots in the Rotary world looking to explore, develop and test new ways of operating.
What are we seeking to achieve through regionalisation? We want to ensure the best support possible to Rotary clubs and Rotaract clubs.
Through a less layered and more devolved contemporary approach members can continue to do what they do best – projects and connections/fellowship.
This is the first time I have assisted in this program and I was very impressed with all the presentations.
The program was held over two days at McLean Park, Napier, allowing 4 schools to participate, two on each day.
At the introductory meeting the year 12 students were divided into 4 groups, each assisted by a teacher and a Rotarian , there were 5 activities to complete during the day with a morning tea and lunch break.
Rotary International Director Jessie Harman and Rotary Zone 8 Foundation Director Peter Garnett recently visited Hawke's Bay.
At a dinner for Past District Governors and Major Donors, much fun and conviviality ensued.
Past District Governor Ross Pinkham mentioned the Polar Bear Swim in the ocean off Ahuriri, Napier. Cheeky Max Patmoy pledged $200 if RI Director Jessie took the plunge and immersed herself in the icy waters. Jessie laughed and politely refused. Well, push came to shove and other participants at the dinner pledged more and more for a Jessie Harman plunge.
Thank you for your dedication to changing futures The Rotarians and Clubs of District 9930, and the District itself, are highly valued long-term supporters of Interplast.
Interplast is grateful to have this further opportunity to work with District 9930, on a proposed volunteer surgical program for the Solomon Islands, to take place in 2023.
Your support will allow our volunteer medical team to provide life-changing surgery and post-operative care to patients in desperate need, at the same time providing an opportunity for local medical staff to receive invaluable hands-on training provided by the Interplast anaesthetist/s, surgeons, and nurses.
Yesterday I handed over the District Governor's role to Kevin Forgeson from Te Kuiti.
The past year has been filled with enjoyment, pleasure, and entertainment - visiting many Rotary Clubs throughout the central North Island.
The changeover event was a celebration of the past Rotary year - a chance to recognise and honour those Rotarians who went to the extra effort in making their Club and communities a better place.
Thank you Rotarians in District 9930 for a fun-filled year.
Rotary helping an Afghani Evacuee family settle in Hamilton, NZ “It’s quieter than gunfire!”
Recently, as we helped an Afghani Evacuee family settle into their new home in Hamilton, I stood on the front deck with two Afghani community members, who had come to New Zealand some years ago.
I commented on the noisy road, and said, ‘You’ll soon get used to that noise’.
The response came back – ‘It’s quieter than gunfire!’
As our clubs approach the end of the Rotary year 2021-2 as your membership chair, I encourage all Presidents and Membership Chairs to check their membership records on Club Runner.
Would club officers please make sure your club records are correct, so we get an accurate end-of-rotary-year membership total for District 9930.
Your club will be charged for its members on the 1st of July figures.
Early bird tickets are now available for all Rotaractors and Rotarians in Australia, New Zealand, and across the Pacific to attend the Zone 8 Better Together Conference in Canberra from October 28-30.
The conference will be held at the National Convention Centre Canberra and the Saturday night dinner at Old Parliament House.
Border closures and additional pressure on the New Zealand Health system have resulted in severe restrictions in bringing children to New Zealand for life-saving treatment in the last two years.
In the last year, we have had a single patient Penny from Tonga, for treatment at Starship Children’s Hospital. Penny arrived May 19, 2021, during a window when borders opened, spent two weeks in MIQ followed by pre-op admission, completed on June 4.
Earlier this year the District 9930 Foundation committee agreed to commit US$5,000 of our District Designated Funds to the Rotary Te Tai Tokerau Tamariki Mental Wellbeing Project in Northland. Our contribution to this Global Grant will enable Rotary District 9910 to proceed with the delivery of school presentations, classroom resources and teacher education to 9,000 children in the Far North. If successful it is then hoped that this mental health programme will extend to schools in the Central North Island.
Please find attached their promotion flyer which if you think is suitable for the District Newsletter, could be preceded by my comments above.
The Rail Trail Project has been discussed over the years and due to the enthusiasm for rail trails, our local one in the Coromandel and Piako areas has been started and is going ahead now with the help of the dollar for dollar subsidy from the District.
This is the crew who erected the first one up between Kopu and Miranda.
There has since been another one completed at an old cowshed between Matamata and Te Aroha. They are just waiting for the bases to be finished so this one can be lifted and shifted to the site.
Waiariki Women’s Refuge has a Santa sack full of simple gifts for women and children in need this summer, thanks to a project run by the Rotary Club of Rotorua Passport.
One hundred gift packs, containing basic hygiene items, were delivered to the Refuge Manager, Martina Wineera, this week, to bring a small amount of comfort to those in need.
Earlier this year, I made my first trip ever to Pakistan to learn more about the country’s incredible efforts to wipe out polio. Their energy and enthusiasm reminded me of what I saw in India and Nigeria when those countries were traveling the final mile to eliminate polio within their borders.
Across Europe, Rotaract members are using digital tools to share information and coordinate efforts to help people affected by the war in Ukraine.
By routing communications through the European Rotaract Information Centre (also known as Rotaract Europe), a multidistrict information organization that serves clubs in more than 40 countries, these young members are using the power of Rotary’s global network to direct aid where it’s needed most.
RYPEN (Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment) held another very successful weekend at Lakewood Lodge, Rangiriri last weekend.
RYPEN is a fun residential weekend where the participants participate in a range of outdoor activities designed to build their self-worth.
The programme is aimed at year 10 students, who have shown qualities of decency, courage, persistence, sincerity, leadership and application in everyday life, and who deserve further development and guidance.
This year Waikato had 34 students from 14 schools sponsored by 10 Rotary Clubs. Rotorua had 39 at theirs but Hawkes Bay and Bay Plenty schools cancelled theirs because of Covid.
Does your club sponsor a school for this very worthwhile programme?
Rotarians and guests from all over Napier and Hastings filled the Reading Theatrette for the opening night of Downton Abbey ~ A new Era.
Over $1,500 will be donated to The Rotary Foundation in the name of the Combined Rotary Clubs of Hawke's Bay. The money goes towards the elimination of Polio worldwide.
Critics Consensus: With its excellent cast and resplendent period trappings, Downton Abbey continues to weave a bewitching, ingratiating spell. Downton Abbey transcends its plot with witty dialogue, lavish costumes and sets, and an outstanding cast.
The Rotary Club of Taradale has celebrated 100 Years of Rotary
in New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific.
Rotary Club of Taradale celebrated and acknowledged 100 Years of Rotary in New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific.
As part of their Rotary Forests of Peace and Remembrance Project, Taradale Rotarians and community volunteers planted shrubs and trees to positively impact the environment at the Dolbel Reserve, in Taradale.
This week’s guest speaker was Merryn Jones, a clinical nurse specialist as well a transplant coordinator at the DHB.
She explained that Organ donation is only possible in a small proportion of all deaths in New Zealand. However, when donation can occur, one donor has the potential to help up to ten people through the donation of organs and tissues.
If there were more donors, many more people could benefit from life-saving transplants.
The driver's license records an indication of your wishes only, it is not an organ donor register and does not automatically mean that organs or tissues will be donated in the event of death.
From the Combined Rotary Clubs of Napier Environment Committee
What is Happening with our Clubs?
‘The Gap’ Lynne Trafford from Sunrise has organised for the Sacred Heart College Interact Club to be allocated a section at ‘The Gap’ (The Esplanade, Westshore) where Biodiversity HB has initiated a project to get rid of the weeds and restore the area with the indigenous plants that were (and some still are) originally there.
ShelterBox has begun distributions of aid in Ukraine. With help from our partner, People in Need, we are delivering mattresses to Lviv where people seeking shelter and safety are sleeping on the cold floors in collective centers like schools and sports arenas.
Working with our NZ partner, Relief Aid, we are providing shelter kits and other essential items to help people across Ukraine survive in damaged buildings. The kits contain tarpaulins, tools and rope, thermal blankets, solar lights, buckets, and water carriers as well as hygiene items like soap, washing powder, and toothpaste.
ShelterBox, Rotary's partner in disaster relief, has begun distributions of aid in Ukraine.
With help from our distribution partner, People in Need, we are delivering mattresses to Lviv where people seeking shelter and safety are sleeping on the cold floor in collective centers like schools and sports arenas.
Working with our NZ partner, Relief Aid, we are providing shelter kits and other essential items to help people across Ukraine survive in damaged buildings. The kits contain tarpaulins, tools, and rope to seal out the cold. We're also providing thermal blankets, solar lights, buckets, and water carriers as well as hygiene items like soap, washing powder, and toothpaste.
It is with pleasure that I advise the appointment of Nick Dangerfield as District 9930 Governor for the Rotary year 2024-25
Nick is a Past President of the Tauranga Te Papa Rotary Club and is currently the District’s Training and Rotary Learning & Information (RLI) Chairman & Coordinator.
I pass on my congratulations to Nick (& Maria) on his appointment on behalf of the District’s Board.
His current role until 1 July 2022 will be District Governor Nominee Designate and then assume the title of District Governor Nominee from that date.
He joins the District Governor Team of Kevin Forgeson (Te Kuiti) DG 2022/23, and Bill Robinson (Cambridge) DG 2023/24)
Congratulations Nick. The District looks forward to your year as District Governor 2024-25.
This was an Evening for honoring John Willis for what he has done for the Rotary Club of Morrinsville, the community of Morrinsville, and its surrounding districts.
John was honoured to have family members, District Governor Ross Pinkham, Assistant District Governor Tom Stephenson, and his wife Corolyn, Representatives from Waikato Referees Assn., Port Waikato Camp Trust Board, David Street Primary School, Senior Citizens Assn., The Morrinsville Rugby Sub-union and Rotarians from Te Aroha and Paeroa Rotary Clubs are in attendance.
Peter E welcomed our guest speaker Past District Governor, and Rotary Ahuriri member, Mike Smith.
Mike spoke about his recent holiday in the Chatham Islands.
Mike enjoyed the experience immensely and came away with some great impressions of the terrain, vegetation, the people, wildlife, and businesses on the Islands … he also visited Pitt Island.
Highlights included the statue of Tommy Solomon believed to be the last full-blood Moriori, the butterfly garden, and fabulous seafood meals.
As he was on a tour he traveled over many of the 187km of metal roads and saw petrel nesting sites, perhaps he didn’t have time to do any fishing.
Mike described in detail a young man who has established a very successful seafood industry.
Join Rotary to promote the power of vaccines to protect children and save lives.
During World Immunization Week, 24-30 April, let’s advocate for polio eradication and the importance of vaccines to the health and well-being of our communities.
Vaccines are one of the greatest advances in modern medicine. They’re safe, effective, and save millions of lives each year. Our progress in the fight to end polio is proof that vaccines work.
The National Wetland Trust is leading a major wetland restoration and education center project at Lake Serpentine/ Rotopiko near Te Awamutu.
The Wetland Trust is collaborating with Te Awamutu Rotary Club (District 9930), as we have provided voluntary support at Lake Rotopiko during the year to support the restoration plan.
This has included the provision of a range of environmental activities including pest surveillance; native planting and the construction of sampling tables and viewing benches for visitors to the site.
The beautiful meal was followed by Chris Whittington being inducted into our club.
His acceptance speech was a detailed account of his occupation as an engineer (he is a charted Bio-medical engineer) and his experience in the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum.
He couldn’t speak highly enough of this forum which concentrates on empowering people to provide humanitarian answers to human problems in undeveloped countries, e.g. using thermal water heating for houses, slow cooking with a focussed sun reflector, vaccinating in poorer countries. In other words, helping poorer countries increase their standard of living without compromising the environment.
Local Rotary clubs annually fund several students for this extremely worthwhile cause.
Matamata Rotarians have reached out to the flood-ravaged city of Ballina in New South Wales with financial assistance after a large portion of the township was destroyed by devastating floodwaters.
A donation of $3000 was made by Rotary Matamata to its sister club Ballina-on-Richmond as the city struggles to recover from the March flood caused in part by a 1.8m king tide on the Richmond River.
Two years ago, Tsagay was mauled by a bear. He lost his nose, was blinded in his left eye, and had a large hole in his face. After the trauma, he received a skin graft on the right-hand side of his face from local surgeons in India.
He knows that he is lucky to be alive, but he has lost his independence and his ability to provide for his family when he returned to his home country of Bhutan. The sight in his remaining right eye was hindered by scarring and he had great difficulty eating. Tsagay was fully dependent upon his family.
These eight zoom meeting etiquette tips will help ensure more cohesive and productive virtual meetings for all.
1. Always be on time,
2. Pay attention to mute One of the most disruptive (and embarrassing) Zoom faux pas is when you forget to mute yourself in a Zoom meeting. Needless to say, background noise is very distracting to other participants. Luckily, there’s a simple fix for this. Pay attention to your meeting settings and the mute function. When you’re not talking, make sure to mute yourself. On the other hand, when it is time for you to speak, take an extra second to check your mute button. We have all made the mistake of speaking before unmuting ourselves, but taking the time to unmute before speaking will save you the embarrassment and hassle of repeating yourself.
GUEST SPEAKER: Stephen Randal, a long-term member of our Club spoke about the leather industry, in which he’d spent his entire career. He advised members that the skin of any animal is its biggest organ. Early man was aware of the value of animal skins for protection from the elements, but no one knows how tanning evolved. It’s conjectured that it may have been accidental with someone observing that a skin discarded in a puddle containing tannin leached from a tree imparted some properties resulting in a basic level of durability. We know that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used leather sandals.
Historically tanning was a dirty, dangerous, difficult, and polluting industry that sometimes used carcinogenic chemicals and unpleasant natural products including human urine and dog poo. However that’s changed now and at least in the developed world, the industry has high standards with regards to staff health and safety and environmental issues – all of which form a significant part of Tanney management.
Stephen briefly explained some of the four main different types of tanning and their development and suitability for different uses. He explained that there have been huge advances in machinery and chemical and process technology over the past approx 150 years, and gave some examples. Although much of the developments have been labor-saving there have also been significant improvements in product quality, usefulness, and environmental aspects.
He explained how when he started his career there was a large tanning industry in NZ largely supported by government protection for the footwear industry, import controls, and export incentives. Now though, in the global economy much of the industry, particularly for finished leather has moved overseas, usually to countries where there are lower labour costs and/or lower environmental requirements and/or proximity to the market for finished leather goods. And these locations are constantly changing.
It’s hard to believe that two years have passed since in-person exchanges were suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, thousands of students have participated in engaging virtual exchanges, and club and district leaders have maintained their commitment to the program. Many districts are now preparing to resume in-person exchanges in 2022-23.
Rotary Cambridge Urban Miners were recently awarded a national accolade at the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards held at Parliament.
Awarded the Community Group Award, this award recognises and honours a not-for-profit community group that contributes to enhancing the environmental and social aspects of their region and shows a strong sense of community spirit.
There were three very strong finalists in this category and it is fantastic that the hard work and commitment from the whole Urban Miners family has been recognised on the National stage
3 Minute Speaker Peter Thompson introduced the Stella Awards – so named after American Stella Liebeck, at the time 79 years old, who was awarded $160,000 in compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages because she spilt a scalding cup of McDonald's coffee on her lap causing third-degree burns.
Just happens that she was in the passenger seat of a car holding the cup between her knees. McDonald's and Liebeck settled out of court but the Stella Awards have since been published annually to the most laughable legal claims such as:
Guest speakers David Trim and Roger Smith were introduced by Jane Clouston.
David has 25 years of experience in management positions, both employed and self-employed, and a wealth of practical experience as a director and shareholder in six local businesses.
Roger comes from a 25-year career in marketing and advertising and in 2008 he established his own consultancy advising and mentoring owners of small to medium-sized businesses.
David and Roger teamed up to develop a mentoring business that creates groups of like-minded people who meet fortnightly to share their ideas and concerns with the aim of helping each other succeed in their businesses. This is a subsidised service supported by the HBDC and CHBDC and meets on Thursdays in Waipukurau.
The Sacred Heart College Interact meeting was held on Tuesday and a presentation was given by Debbie Monahan CEO, and Belinda Sleight Community Liaison, from Biodiversity HB. The focus of the presentation was The Gap at Westshore and the desire to restore it back to how it might once have been.
The Gap is the 10-section wide area at Westshore (The Esplanade) where there are no houses; it is house-free due to it being the approach for the cross runway at Napier airport. The area is one of the only largely unmodified gravel beach areas in Napier and is rare throughout the HB coastline.
In response to questions and concerns raised by members worldwide, we are pleased to announce that the Rotary International Board of Directors has confirmed that the 2022 Rotary International Convention will be an in-person event 4-8 June in Houston, Texas, USA. We are excited to offer a special registration rate of US$575
As an imported case from Pakistan, this detection of type 1 wild poliovirus in Malawidoes not affect the WHO African region’s wild polio-free certification status.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has confirmed a case of type 1 wild poliovirus (WPV1) in a child suffering from paralysis in Malawi. Analysis has shown the virus is genetically linked to WPV1 that had circulated in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
During the first week of January, some 23 Taradale and Greenmeadows Rotarians, together with Camp Kaitawa Trust members, friends and family gathered at Camp Kaitawa, Lake Waikaremoana for the annual repairs and maintenance working bee.
During the morning, jobs were carried out and ticked off, and then during the afternoons and evenings, there was time for swimming, kayaking, reading, resting, games, chatter, fun & laughter.
Join us for an overnight, two-day cycle tour in the Ruapehu District. The plan is to do the Ohakune Old Coach Road ride on Saturday 30th and the Fishers Track on Sunday 1st May.
We would base ourselves in Owhango and stay the Saturday night in the Owhango Hotel or overflow accommodation in the area. Bike shuttles will be arranged for both days.
Accommodation – Owhango Hotel Saturday 30th
Bike transfers to and from for both tracks with Kiwi Mountain Bikes who run out of the Owhango Hotel
Dinner Saturday night and breakfast Sunday morning provided at the Hotel
Package price $205 per person for all of the above.
Salaam alaikum. After the overthrow of the government in August 2021, Afghani interpreters who had an affiliation with the NZ Defence Force were evacuated from Kabul and flown to Auckland where they stayed until homes were found in the cities of their choice; this being Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch.
Homes are sourced by the Government, which also provide hard furnishings. In Hamilton, Waikato Refugee Forum has the contract to settle the evacuees, with Red Cross providing high needs support.
Rotary is involved in providing crockery, cutlery, bed linen, etc.
Ian provided the history of the local helicopter rescue service starting in the late 1960s when the helicopters used were primarily crop sprayers and the patients needed to be strapped into a stretcher mounted on the helicopter skids.
The paramedic would sit in an adjacent seat in the cockpit but communication with the patient was almost impossible given the engine noise and the wind. By 1971 the local agricultural helicopters were attending between 20 and 30 rescues each year.
1984 saw the establishment of the Hawke’s Bay Helicopter Rescue Trust (HBHRT) comprising representatives from the Porangahau Diving Club, Waimarama Surf Club, Police, Civil Defence and others. While originally established primarily for water rescues, in 1989 the service expanded to include patient transfers, police searches, accident recovery and marine emergencies using a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter.
Members of the Rotary Club of East Lansing, Michigan, USA, in District 6360, felt overwhelmed by what they perceived as a complicated process.
With the help of Karen Parkhurst, a member of the District 7120 (New York, USA) resource network, the East Lansing club developed its first global grant.
Peace is fundamental to Rotary's mission. In a time of heightened tensions and uncertainties due to COVID-19 and other factors, it is critically important that we work together to create environments where peace can thrive.
Our members are addressing the underlying causes of conflict every day through service projects and peace fellowships and scholarships.
February is Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month. This month, take advantage of some of the many ways to get involved in peace through Rotary.
In 2020 the Rotary Club of Napier Donated $6000 to Project Prima Volta Trust.
The Trust was formed in Hawkes Bay to train teenagers in the art of Opera. The Director of PPV, Anna Pierard was recognised with a Paul Harris Fellowship in 2020.
In 2021 the club wished to acknowledge the work of Jose Aparicio (Anna’s husband) by recognising him as a Paul Harris Fellow.
The recognition of a Paul Harris Fellow is one of the highest honours that a Rotary Club can bestow upon a person, member or non-member.
It acknowledges and expresses appreciation to individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name of US$1,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Jose’s award was funded by a Napier Rotary Club member.
Guest Speaker/Programme Kath Boyd - “Big Brother, Big Sister”
Kath was introduced by Clive Adams as the programme manager for a key mentoring programme in our community – “Big Brother, Big Sister”
In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter observed more and more boys come through his courtroom.
He recognised that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteer mentors.
At about the same time, the members of a group called Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court.
The first Aotearoa New Zealand Big Brothers Big Sisters programme was established in Dannevirke, where the first mentoring match was made in November 1996.
"I went into the confessional box after many years of being away from the Catholic Church.
"Inside I found a fully equipped bar with Guinness on tap. On one wall, there was a row of decanters with fine Irish whiskey and Waterford crystal glasses. "On the other wall was a dazzling array of the finest cigars and chocolates.
Rotary International President-elect Jennifer Jones wants members to imagine the possibilities in the change they can make to transform the world.
Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, revealed the 2022-23 presidential theme, Imagine Rotary, as she urged people to dream big and harness their connections and the power of Rotary to turn those dreams into reality.
“Imagine, a world that deserves our best,” Jones told incoming district governors on 20 January, “where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.”
Now entering its 4th year in the Bay of Plenty RYDA planning for 2022 is well underway with now Six Rotary clubs forming our Rotary Collective.
All actively supporting and funding the delivery of RYDA courses to our Year 12’s, from Paeroa down to Papamoa.
Young people continue to be overrepresented in road deaths and serious injuries. RYDA is the leading and only national road safety education programme for youth in New Zealand, providing young people with the skills and strategies they need to stay safe on the roads.
Guest Speaker Michelle Tanner updating on GECAF and Polio Eradication
Peter T introduced Michelle, but as he said, she has been a member of our club since 2008, President 2016/17, started Interact at Matamata College, been on District Foundation for years and is now Chair, and a firm advocate for GECAF (give every child a future) so we know Michelle!!
Michelle started by giving us some history on Polio, there are images dating it back to 1400BC. What differs it from other viruses is that humans are the only host. Children are at most risk, and whilst it has a very high infection rate 95% of people will not show symptoms.
Kia ora, As you may be aware, ShelterBox’s Emergency Response Team has been closely monitoring the situation in Tonga ever since news of the volcano and tsunami emerged.
After much investigation and consultation with local partners to better understand the situation and scale of unmet need, it has been decided today that ShelterBox will not be responding in Tonga.
Tauranga Sunrise Rotary – A Pair of Socks for Tauranga
– Michele Beaton, Environment Committee – Jan 2022
When asked about the challenges to our oceans, Jacques Cousteau, ocean explorer and scuba-diving pioneer, once said that the biggest was that the air-sea interface was opaque. This hides both the complex marine ecology human beings depend on and the hugely damaging impact of their activities, which include using oceans as a rubbish tip, and retards understanding of the issues. Stormwater runoff is a major source of marine pollutants.
Rotary D9930 support for the Kondiki dairy plant in the community of Mwika has continued to gather strength, amidst the headwinds of COVID-19.
Thanks to improvements in plant and equipment, processing, marketing, and overall business management systems, the Dairy is now processing all its daily purchased raw milk, nearing 5,000 litres.
It's a very anxious and unsettling time right now for anyone with family and links to Tonga.
Here at ShelterBox New Zealand, we continue to send our thoughts and Aroha to the Tongan community, following Saturday's underwater volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami.
The Rotary Club of Kawerau was pleased to welcome Araceli into membership at their Christmas night.
Araceli is originally from the Philippines and has been living in Kawerau for 35 years with her husband and son.
Araceli has a long work history as a Migrant Interpreter for a Finance Company. She is still working but her husband has now retired. Araceli has always been a hard-working community person and has been involved in areas such as the Kawerau Community Board.
She is also very active in tramping, bush walking and harriers.
She has wanted to join Rotary for some time and meeting up with President Lynette at the Covid Jabs Project provided a golden opportunity to discuss it with her and she is very excited to have this chance to continue working for our community.
World Vision released a report last year on the impact of Covid-19, providing the following statistics:
13.6 million more children will suffer from wasting or acute malnutrition by 2022 due to COVID-19 impacts
Children suffering from wasting are 11 times more likely to die from preventable diseases than those that are well-nourished.
The impacts of childhood malnutrition can last a lifetime, harming their ability to learn, earn and reach their full potential as adults, which also has significant economic implications, nationally and globally.
Please could you share this email with all clubs in your District? We’d welcome the opportunity to present to these clubs so that they can learn more about us and how they can have an immediate impact.
Rotary Whakatane's new member, Trudy McKinnon grew up in Opotiki.
After an O.E. in London, she returned home in 1994. She experimented with several careers from fashion, sports massage and lifeguarding.
Moved to Cambridge and this is where her love of real estate began, with Harcourts Cambridge which she loved. In 2010 she decided it was time to come home as her mum is here.
She had a short stint at Rosita’s and then White Island tours. Whilst there she wrote a small book called Peter the Great (The White Island Cat), which has raised approx $2,000 for kids’ cancer over the past few years.
She then decided to give real estate another go and here she is, 10 years later. She lives with a standard poodle called LOLA and 2 ginger cats…. Kevin and Mickey
Rotary Greenmeadow's guest speaker – Lynne Anderson (Ahuriri Rotary Club and chair of the Hawkes Bay Environmental Committee) gave an informative presentation on all matters environmental both locally and internationally. Protecting the Environment is Rotary International’s 7th area of focus.
Rotary International's Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) was set up in Sao Paulo in 2015 to become the voice of Rotary on the environment. It currently has members in 75 countries and in 12 Regional Global Chapters. Oceania comprises Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and totals 1380 Rotary clubs and over 42,000 Rotarians
At this time of year, my thoughts are turning towards New Year’s resolutions.
The festive season is a perfect time to reflect on the year that’s been and make plans for the year ahead. As we approach 2022, I hope you will resolve to do even more to Grow Rotary in our region.
These are the resolutions I hope you will make to help Rotary thrive:
Enhance the member experience – Every member comes to Rotary with needs and expectations. We need to focus on delivering an experience that meets those needs and delivers value to individual members. Commit to creating a more member-centric club.
Two members of the Rotary Club of Greenmeadows – Alan White and Denise Brown were responsible for the major collection and handover of Christmas hampers to five families referred to the club by the Napier Salvation Army.
The final combined handover for the five families (comprising 25 parents and children) was 17 hampers. In addition to the hampers, there were six Christmas bags of personal gifts for each individual in the family.
In addition, one family received a family pass voucher to the Ocean Spa, and nine KMart vouchers were donated totalling $345.
David Higgs faced a challenge when he took over as the president of the Rotary Club of Henderson, Texas, USA.
The club was down to less than 20 members and fewer than a dozen attended weekly meetings.
That’s when he came up with a plan, including encouraging club members to make a big deal of their installation dinner and work together to invite 100 people to the event.
Read about how their efforts helped double the number of members in a blog post for Rotary
How to Double the Size of Your Rotary Club in 60 Minutes.
In his address to the Rotary International Convention in June 2021, Shekhar Mehta urged Rotary members to put improving girls’ futures at the forefront of their work.
Mehta made empowering girls one of his presidential initiatives, and his focus is particularly timely. Women continue to face economic hurdles, declining levels of political participation, and challenges in the workplace, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021.
For the first time in more than three years, nationwide polio immunization campaigns resumed across Afghanistan reaching 8.5 million children, including 2.4 million children who were previously inaccessible.
Campaigns were conducted nationwide in November and December.
The December campaign was synchronized with the campaign in Pakistan to improve cross-border polio eradication efforts.
Maui Hunt's story of his experience at Outward Bound: Anakiwa
It started with an early rise at 6.30 am on the 5th July 2021. I travelled by myself to the Wellington airport to jump onto another plane to Picton. A van ride to Picton ferry, and a calm ferry ride across. I landed in Anakiwa at 10.30 that night.
It was a great experience. The trip was designed to gain life skills, meet people and work with different people from around NZ, and experience the outdoors. Most of what we had to do was quite easy, but to some, it might have been challenging. With my experience jumping off the McLarens falls bridge I didn’t fear the 22m of a cliff into the water. I recognised some needed some help and I encouraged them to jump. It was COLD!
Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta joined the Rotary delegation to the 26th United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on 10 November to explore ways Rotary can work on environmental challenges, including by restoring mangroves, a crucial ecosystem that can mitigate the effects of climate change in coastal areas.
The climate summit, also known as COP26 (short for Conference of the Parties), brought together nearly 100 heads of state and governments over a two-week period to set new targets for fossil fuel emissions. This was Rotary’s first time at the annual conference.
Rotary’s relationship with the Global Partnership for Education is already having an impact, as incoming district governors learned at the International Assembly in January.
“Together we are changing the lives of girls and other vulnerable children in the poorest corners of the world,” said Alice P. Albright, the organization’s chief executive officer, in her remarks about the relationship, formed in April 2020.
“Rotary has a unique voice and standing on the global stage and in virtually every country. You can use that voice to advocate for more resources and then work with government leaders to ensure that they are distributed equitably.”
On Wednesday 17 November, a defibrillator was installed at East Pier.
This gift was funded by the Rotary Club of Ahuriri Sunrise and partly paid for by a grant from the Rotary District 9930 Foundation Grants Committee.
With East Pier being the ‘home’ of Rotary Ahuriri Sunrise and not having a defibrillator, this gift was seen as a worthy contribution to both East Pier and Ahuriri.
Thank you John and Graeme for the installation and thank you to everyone who helped pay for it.
Photo: John Pickering and Sunrise President Graeme Dickey.
Stephen went to Australia because of a shortage of jobs in the NZ small plane industry, caused by few routes needing small plane transport, an example being Great Barrier Island.
He was first based in Kununnura, Western Australia, home of the famous Bungle Bungles. He worked as an instructor at Newcastle Waters Station (30,000 square kilometres), teaching farmers and station personnel to fly.
He was next employed for 14 months as a charter plane pilot on the Gove Peninsula, home to many Aboriginal people.