Serendipity Saves a Young Life

Tarabou and her father.

Dr John Wright a paediatric cardiologist from Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital, was one of 24 members of a cardiac surgical team who with support from the Friends of Fiji and the Rotary Club of New Lynn, NZ, had been in Lautoka Hospital for ten days, performing heart surgery on twelve children. On September 12 he was urgently summoned to attend an emergency situation at Nadi Airport where a child from Kiribati had arrived cyanosed and unconscious.

Seven year-old Tarabou Raubane was one of six children with heart problems, all from Kiribati, on route to India for open heart surgery, accompanied by a nurse and their parents. With Tarabou in no condition to travel further, the group resumed their journey, leaving Tarabou and her father at Nadi.

With no medical documentation, or diagnosis other than the reported “heart murmur”, Dr John administered oxygen and then drove Tarabou to Lautoka Hospital to revive her and stabilise her condition. An ultrasound showed that Tarabou had Tetralogy of Fallot (a congenital heart malformation that affects the route the blood takes around the heart) and was in need of urgent surgical help.

There was concern that the facilities in Fiji were insufficient to undertake the necessary complex surgery, and Tarabou was of course in no position to travel onward to India. The Starship medical team also felt it impossible ethically to leave the child in Lautoka when they had already been obliged to start medical treatment.

An urgent request was made to Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children NZ for acceptance of Tarabou as an emergency ROMAC patient, and to underwrite travel and medical costs for emergency treatment at Starship Children’s Hospital.

The Rotary network acted fast to approve this unusual case with Board acceptance within three days. Just one week later after visas and flights had been arranged, Tarabou and her father arrived in Auckland, to be met by the ROMAC NZ team, and members of the host Rotary Club of New Lynn.

Open heart surgery was performed by Dr Kirsten Finicure just three days later, and very quickly Tarabou was sufficiently recovered to be walking, laughing and smiling for a photograph.  

Fate also smiled when it put Tarabou, a NZ paediatric cardiology team, and ROMAC together to save a young life!

Tarabou now has opportunity to share her beautiful smile and live a full life as she grows up in Kiribati.

This story can only encourage us to put a hand on our own healthy heart, and know the life-saving difference we make as Rotarians, supporting the ROMAC programme.

Saving Lives

Opera singer Dame Malvina Major has her blood pressure taken by a St John Ambulance officer, accompanied by Diane Whitehead of the Rotary Club of Fairfield.

“It can be hard to make the time for something as simple as a blood pressure check, or we just don’t think about it, and yet, it could end up saving our lives.  So many people with high blood pressure probably don’t even know they have it, so these free checks are invaluable” - Rotary Club of Fairfield President Mike Cahill’s comments encapsulate why the national Blood Pressure Awareness campaign held on Saturday October 4 was so important, considering that there is a very strong association between high blood pressure and strokes, with strokes being the third largest killer in New Zealand and a major cause of disability. 

For the sixth consecutive year, Rotarians throughout the country teamed up with The Stroke Foundation of New Zealand, St John Ambulance, Wellington Free Ambulance and Foodstuffs supermarkets to raise awareness about blood pressure, its relationship to strokes, and the importance of having regular blood pressure checks.

Rotarians assisted over a four hour period at 187 sites, mostly at Foodstuffs’ New World and Pak‘nSave  supermarkets, encouraging shoppers to have their blood pressures taken, handing out information packs, gathering data, and ensuring its return to the Stroke Foundation for evaluation. They were also responsible for securing promotion coverage of the campaign by contacting local community newspapers and community radio stations. In some areas, Rotary clubs gained the support of celebrities to raise the profile of the campaign, such as in Hamilton where opera singer Dame Malvina Major kindly agreed to front their local campaign. 

In last year’s campaign, it was found that 47% of the 22,000 shoppers tested had raised blood pressure readings, with 4% of participants falling into the severe hypertension range, resulting in 13% being specifically referred to a GP or nurse for further medical advice and treatment. In follow up phone calls, 40% of respondents said that they were taking action as a result of their blood pressure reading or due to information received on Down With Blood Pressure campaign day.

The results of this year’s campaign are still being collated, and should be available to clubs by the end of the year.  It was another successful campaign, reaching more New Zealanders than ever before.  

As Rotary Club of Keikeri President Bruce Mathieson said, “If today’s exercise prevents just one premature death, it will have been four hours well spent”.

Rotary Club of Taieri President Peter Williams encourages shoppers to have their blood pressure tested.

 

 

Rotary Tauranga tackles literacy parity amongst preschoolers.

Literacy problems with pre-school children have been publicly recognised as an ongoing national problem this year. The Rotary Club of Tauranga was determined to do something about it by providing resources for local educators working with pre-school children. The club had become aware that given the resources, the educators, could make a measurable impact on these children’s literacy awareness. By teaming up with local preschool educators, Rotary clubs throughout New Zealand and Australia can make a significant impact in helping needy children get off to a good start with their education.

With the desire to assist in tackling literacy challenges facing some pockets within our local community, the Rotary Club of Tauranga provided a grant to Nga Reanga e Toru- 3 Generations Trust for their teaching and learning resources. The resources are used by the educators and children that the Trust works with. Currently the Trust works in an early education centre in one of the lowest socio-economic areas in Tauranga. The education trust runs two programmes in the centre. ‘Twos and Threes’ for children aged 2 – 3 years, and ‘School Transition’ a year-long programme for 4 year olds.

Rachel Peacocke, co-founder and chairperson of the Trust says to succeed academically with children from low-literacy families they need to start working with them from the earliest available opportunity:

“The Trust’s relationship with Rotary Tauranga and the support they have provided has been instrumental in our ability to not only teach children in the centre but send home items of educational value that might otherwise be cost prohibitive to the child’s family.”

To this effect Rotary have approved the purchase of resources for the home such as books, pencils, games, cards, and educational toys, most notably a Leapfrog fridge phonics toy for every child in the centre.

Rachel says the impact these resources can have in families is far-reaching and goes beyond anything the Trust can measure. For example, the 60 Leapfrog phonics toys Rotary purchased means that   children will now be able to develop an understanding from within the home around a letter having a name, and a sound. For some of the children, prior to this educational toy being provided, there's been little or no literacy learning-taking place in the home.

“In the past I’ve worked with 4-year-old children who had no concept of what a letter was or that it had a purpose. These resources can also serve to educate younger siblings. There have been anecdotes from parents who have told us that when a four-year-old is engaged with one of their learning toys, then the younger sibling or siblings are often right there beside them wanting to learn too.”

The ‘Nga Reanga e Toru – 3 Generations Trust’ vision of literacy parity in the Bay of Plenty region within three generations is admirable. A recent visit from a few Rotarians to the Centre that the Trust operates out of was encouraging and crystalised the value of the Rotary Club of Tauranga providing the educational resources for the pre-schoolers.

Dr Richard Speed, President of the Rotary Club of Tauranga also recognises the challenges facing children in low socio-economic areas and encourages Rotary Clubs to look at ways where they can be involved in tackling the challenges:   

“Literacy is the foundation of learning. Being properly prepared for primary schooling is essential and this program goes a long way towards achieving this in a low decile population. While it is too early to measure outcomes already we are seeing the preschoolers and their Whanau engaging enthusiastically.

I strongly encourage other Rotary clubs to get alongside in tackling the challenges facing the preschoolers in their areas.”

By - Rachel Peacocke, Nga Reanga e Toru – 3 Generations Trust’

Third Stonefields Community Fair Best Yet!

Despite showery weather the third Stonefields Community Fair held on Saturday 18 October 2014 was agreed to be the best yet!  The event is held each year as a joint venture between St Johns Rotary and Stonefields School to raise funds for the school and general youth projects in the district.

The Fair was opened by local MP Simon O’Connor, School Principal Sarah Martin and Rotary President Anil Nathoo.

Categories of stalls included hot food, cold food, kids crafts and games, home baking, preserves, books for adults and children, kids entertainment, Rotary raffle wheel and silent auctions, throwing stalls including crockery throw, coconut shy, wet sponge, kids fishing, community and commercial groups, static and active sports and more!

A significant number of the stalls, games and events were provided by the school pupils themselves growing in numbers each year as the school increases in size.  “These activities provide the children experience in learning which activities work best in sales results, and become real life lessons” said Principal Sarah.

Active kid’s equipment included two bouncy castles, spring-less trampolines, mini tennis, netball and rugby tackling.

Visits by a Community Police vehicle and a local fire engine were also popular.

A highlight was the entertainment stage which saw accomplished performances by the Stonefields School Kapa Haka group, Stonefields Community Choir, JP the French Clown (who is indeed funny) and other talented performers.

Generous sponsorships and prizes were provided by local businesses in the Rotary Club and School area.

“We are always thrilled to see the support we get from our community for this very popular event on our club calendar” said President Anil.



Photos: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/brucesimages/14945967934/in/set-72157648427670579

   

Unique award for Rotary Leader

In what is believed to be unique in New Zealand Rotary, John Bethwaite of the Whakatu Rotary Club has been honoured with Kaumātua status.

John was instrumental in setting up the Nelson city breakfast club just over 11 years ago and guided the formation of its philosophy and traditions, including that it would not follow the path of traditional Rotary clubs.

“He encouraged us to break all the rules and be different,” fellow charter member, Phil Gully, told the gathering of current and former club members at the special meeting on Friday, 10 October.  “When questions of Rotary protocol and rules came up, he urged us to break them.  Under the system John forged, we continue to grow, do our own thing and, most importantly, have fun.”

Assistant Governor Anna Gully said the idea of making John the club’s Kaumātua, or elder, was to recognise his role in preserving the club’s traditions and knowledge, providing leadership and nurturing new and younger members.

She said John, a retired police officer, had an ingrained ethos of building strong communities and had steered the club’s focus towards helping young people. “His favourite projects include delivering dictionaries to school children, providing books for new-born babies in partnership with the Nelson Public Libraries, teaching young drivers about road safety, and cooking breakfast for Nelson Intermediate’s biennial mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons celebrations,” she said.

The ceremony opened with a mihi and waiata led by club member Hugh Gully, who then handed the proceedings over to local Kaumātua Andy Joseph.  In Te Reo, Matua Andy likened the role of Kaumātua to that of a sheltering rata tree, dedicating one’s life to protecting all people.  A true leader also stood tall as a totara, steadfast as a rock, steering straight and true as a waka, he said.  Your job, he told John, “is to ensure the Club remained strong and its members proud, and that its symbols, icons and status were respected, maintained and enhanced”. He also commented on the appropriateness of the name of the Club, which in addition to being the Māori word for Nelson, also meant to support, construct, or raise up.

He said John Bethwaite had ticked all the boxes of leadership during his many years of contributing to the Nelson community. He said John was worthy of the status of Kaumātua and could now be called Matua John. 

To mark the occasion, Whakatu Rotary Club president Steve Kelso presented John with a taonga in the form of a sapphire pin.

Photos taken by Martin de Ruyter, Nelson Mail.

For further information, please contact:

Anna Gully E: anna.gully@ncc.govt.nz
M: 0275457214
P: 545-7214

SPRING TIME ACTIVITY PROMOTION

SPRING TIME ACTIVITY PROMOTION

• Support Rotary initiatives in the Pacific and elsewhere in the world. Donations are Tax Deductible in New Zealand

1. Sierra Leone - Bo Hospital, established by Rotary – help them build an urgently needed quarantine/isolation ward to stop the spread of Ebola.
Need – Donations to make up $45,000 shortfall

2. Vanuatu – Refurbishment of Schools and Health Centres on Santo and surrounding islands. Tens of thousands of dollars of gear gifted 
Need – Donations for cost of shipment from Christchurch.

3. Pacific Countries – Forthcoming Cyclone season predicted to be one of worst in recent years. Emergency Response Kits are pre positioned for immediate distribution in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands and soon to be Vanuatu. 
Need - Funds at all time low to replenish stock . The cost of an ERK is $600. 

4. Tanzania – Kitefu Medical Centre, one of the busiest in the region needs to expand its premises to provide basic health care especially to women and children. New Zealanders have funded many successful projects in this community for past 14 years. 
Need - $10,000 for centre upgrade.

5. Swaziland - 600 orphaned children in Swaziland in the care of the Salesians’ are provided with clothing, housing, education and clothing and for the older ones vocational training. The food bill is approx NZ$2,000 per month. 
Need - 12 Donors to provide for each month in 2014/2015.

6. Fiji – Forthcoming Cyclone season predicted to be one of worst in recent years. Rotary Fiji distributes food parcels when disaster strikes. 
Need – donations for family food packs now as it takes time to gather funds via appeal following a disaster. $80 will feed a family for a week. 

• Send cheque to PO Box 20309, Christchurch 8543 or donate directly to RNZWCS Limited (Rotary New Zealand) at 03 1702 0192208 01. Use activity number as a Reference. 
Alternatively go to www.rnzwcs.org for further payment options.

 

 

 

Putaruru Rotary organizes its own mini “Taniwha” event

Kara Mann and family at the Lake Karapiro section Little Waipa Reserve  

On Saturday November 22, the Rotary Club of Putaruru, NZ is organizing a new event hosting a biking and walking event on the Waikato River Trails.

Norm Barker toyed with it for a while before he approached the club with the idea: “There are more and more people getting out there doing bike trails, so I thought why not attract these people to our beautiful district?”

After making contact with the Waikato River Trails Trust, it was decided to run with the idea. Initially we had trouble finding a suitable date and kept pushing it back as it seemed to clash with other events. We now selected a date - set in stone - and a project team was formed. Working together with the Waikato River Trails Trust, they are now in charge of organizing the event. The aim of this new event is to attract people to the area, share the superb landscape of the Waikato River and surroundings. The purpose is to attract people in such a way that they want to explore more of the area and come back. We believe sharing the area with people outside our district will attract people and become beneficial to the local economy.

“The Taniwha” event celebrates the endeavours undertaken by the Waikato River Trails Trust over the past 11 years, culminating in around 100 km of top quality trails, most of it on previously inaccessible land along the mighty Waikato River, so there is plenty to explore.

Putaruru Rotary’s leisurely 21 km cycle or the 10.5 km walk start at 9am at the Little Waipa Domain car park on Horahora Road, Tirau. The finish for both events is around 3pm at the same car park.

The trail includes boardwalks, swing bridges and great views of Lake Arapuni. After the event we have a hearty lunch planned to encourage meet and greet between Rotarians alike. 

For more information visit www.waikatorivertrails.com or email info@waikatorivertrails.com.  Bookings need to be made via this email before October 30. 

The Putaruru Rotary contact is Boele de Vries Boele.DeVries@nz.waratah.net / +64 21 506 286.

We have bigger plans for future years, but because we have never organized such an event, we wanted to keep it a small project, learn from it and get the right formula.

Many hands make light work

The Rotary Club of Hawera, NZ had a working bee on the July 16 in conjunction with the Te Rangatapu Trust at the local Ohawe Beach to plant native plants to enhance the Waingongoro River.

The river has a swimming hole which is very popular in the summer while its populations of brown and rainbow trout draw fishermen from around Taranaki.

This area is also considered a key native ecosystem by the Regional Council for its significant indigenous biodiversity.

Teamwork meant that 60 young and not so young helpers from all sectors of the community planted 380 plants. Native plants included Toetoe, Purei, Taupata, Cabbage Tree, Karaka, Corokis, Akeake, Broadleaf and Totara. These plants will help restore the native vegetation cover to a degraded part of this river system and bring back native birds to the area.

The Ohawe Progressive Association and the Te Rangatapu Trust supplied tea, coffee and a sausage sizzle which were greatly appreciated by the volunteers.

Rotary Spring Step Out for the Well Foundation

With all the hype about Auckland’s booming property market in NZ, here’s your chance to stroll past the city’s latest multi-million dollar housing development, with priceless sea views to boot.

The inaugural Spring Step Out event will be held on Sunday October 12 offering an outstanding walking route which begins at Long Bay College at 8:30am and heads through the Long Bay Regional Park, right up to Piripiri Point above the Okura River, then return to Long Bay College, where a sausage sizzle and cold drinks will be waiting.

The full distance to the turnaround point at Piripiri Point and back is 13 km, but other turnaround points give walkers the option of 6km, 8.5km, or 11km distances.

The Spring Step Out will support the Well Foundation to raise funds for an Ultrasound Procedural Training Unit which will become the first national teaching facility of its kind for medical staff. The unit will use mannequins that have life-like anatomy to help specialists train staff in ultrasound guided medical procedures.

Rotary Browns Bay is organising the event and hopes to attract 500 to 1000 people to take part in the walk. From the proceeds of entry fees, they are aiming to raise between $10,000 and $20,000 towards the purchase of the $125,000 unit. Sponsorship from Todd Property Group and Bayleys Real Estate will cover the general running costs to allow proceeds from the event to go towards the unit.

Browns Bay Rotary President, Tony Hooks, is pleased to support the foundation’s fundraising project and at the same time hold an enjoyable event for the entire community.

“The Well Foundation’s objective of boosting health and wellness in Auckland’s north and west aligns well with our goals for the event; to encourage people to lead an active and healthy lifestyle and get out to enjoy the fresh air and outdoors,” explains Tony.  “With beautiful scenery, stunning views and walking distances to suit every fitness level and age, this is a day for everyone to be a part of.”

Well Foundation CEO, Andrew Young, is pleased to be chosen as the recipient charity of the event, particularly because it is family-friendly and will hopefully appeal to the wider community. “We’re thrilled to be the chosen charity for the Rotary Spring Step Out and excited to be working alongside Rotary Browns Bay for this incredibly exciting inaugural event,” says Andrew.

Secure parking will be available in the College grounds for a gold coin donation to the College.  Please note that no dogs are allowed into the regional park.          

To register for the event or more information visit www.rotarybb.kiwi. To keep up with the latest news and updates, follow the event at www.facebook.com/LongBay.StepOut.

Great ways to promote Rotary

Click here to read the newsletter