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Graeme Guilford near the school in the Papua New Guinea jungle |
Rotary Club of Matamata, New Zealand Vice President Graeme Guilford experienced firsthand the scope of Rotary in the world.
Graeme, an avid tramper and outdoorsman, completed the famous Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea this last April. Part-way through the trek, in the middle of the Papua New Guinea jungle, Graeme’s party came upon a small village.
The villagers were very keen to show the trampers their village school which consisted of a few buildings, pretty primitive by western standards, Graeme explained. But it was when Graeme went inside that he found what was to become one of the highlights of the trip for him.
“Over the door between two of the classrooms was the Rotary wheel,” Graeme said. When he questioned the people in the village further, he discovered that the school has been funded and built by Rotarians and the Rotary Foundation. “That was a huge buzz for me, making me proud to be a Rotarian. If anyone wants proof that the money they donate to Foundation is well spent, then they need look no further,” Graeme emphasised.
By David Hulme, District 9930 Newsletter Editor, www.9930.rotarysouthpacific.org
