Rotary spreads knowledge to island children

 

Waiheke Rotary President Greg Davenport and member Sherryl El Bakary visited both the Te Huruhi and Waiheke Promart schools to present to their Year 4 students their personal copy of the Usborne Pictorial Dictionary.  All 113 students were delighted to receive these as part of the club's on-going commitment to the youth of Waiheke Island.

 

For more information: www.waihekeisland.rotarysouthpacific.org 

 

For more understanding about this project view this video via YouTube:

 

Want a new house - Rotorua Sunrise Rotary have an auction for you

7 December with proceeds going to the Rotary Rotorua Sunrise Charitable Trust for distribution to the community.

Go to www.mcdowell.co.nz - then ID#PRT12405 for more information.

That’s the night of the big game!

What do you do when, four months out, you discover that the only booking available for your fundraiser on August 16 clashes with a major Rugby Championship 2014 game between the New Zealand All Blacks and Australia’s Wallabies? 

Well you create a themed supporting event too good to be missed, invite Rotarians and members of the public, and promise to get everyone home in time for the live TV broadcast from ANZ Stadium in Sydney.  That was the Rotary Club of Pakuranga’s solution to the problem, and it resulted in their trivia quiz and auction evening being a huge success. The event was noisy, loud and colourful in a room filled with laughter and happy banter.

With Variety, the Children’s Charity as their chosen charity partner, the Rotary club had secured a wide range of auction items, ranging from working a Ports of Auckland straddle crane to a Gold Coast apartment holiday. Eighty five percent of the 250 tickets sold were to non-Rotarians, with the tables of 10 asked to dress in a theme. There were sporting teams, pirates, trollops, tramps, biker gangs, road workers, election parties and many more.

Television celebrity Shane Cortese shares a moment with Philippa and her mum Denise Loseby.

Several television celebrities joined in with actor, comedian, entertainer and raconteur Mark Wright, who was dressed as former rugby union footballer and coach Alex "Grizz" Wyllie, officiating as both quiz master and auctioneer. His first task was to auction actor Shane Cortese, who is known for his television roles in Shortland Street, Outrageous Fortune and Nothing Trivial, and his dancing prowess on Dancing With the Stars (NZ), to join a table to assist with a quiz round. With a whistle, yellow cards, stock whip and smoking hand gun, Mark kept the fans in order while he extracted valuable dollars for a local decile one school (that is in the 10 per cent of schools with the highest proportion of students from low socio-economic communities) and other youth initiatives in the area.  A profit of over $20,000 was made, with many tables asking to be contacted for next year’s event.

So, don’t let a clash with another function put you off.  You know the old saying… “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

Wharf2Wharf

 

Rotary Club of Waiheke Island, NZ, members are immersed in preparing for the 24^th annual Fullers Waiheke Wharf2Wharf fun run & walking event on Saturday January 17, 2015.   There’s still time before the start gun to get into training for this infamous hilly course across Waiheke Island and join with hundreds of others on a fun filled day for the entire family.  

New events have been added, courtesy of Sport Auckland, to allow even the youngest athletes to participate at Matiatia including: a Kid’s Dash for 6 to 8 year olds; a Family Bear Hunt for 3 to 9 year olds who have to take Mum or Dad along to help solve the clues;  and a Fun Fair Playground to help young children develop balance and cognitive skills.  Chairperson of the organising committee Marcus Mackenzie says that children should expect to see Bobby Banana having fun on the cooling water slide, or a paw paw mascot sharing water and fruit at the finish line, provided by new sponsor Dole NZ.   Every finisher will get to take home a pineapple too.

Also new this year is the switch from a 7 km to a 5 km race, starting at Surfdale beach which will allow the young guns to get in a good sprint with Mum or Dad working hard to keep up with them on the flat start to the course.  The hilly 13 km from Orapiu to Onetangi and the slightly flatter 12 km from Onetangi to Matiatia offer enough challenge for the majority, and may be the perfect opportunity to fundraise for one of the two official charities associated with the event.  The Fred Hollows Foundation is well known to Rotarians for the work they perform in the Pacific region restoring sight.  Locally based charity, the Jassy Dean Trust, is perhaps better known for its annual Garden Safari in November. This year their efforts are focussed on supporting Melana House which provides services to differently-abled children and their families.

For the serious runners, the signature 25 km will see fast and furious pace being set in the men’s race.  Race Director Ann Brown expects that there will be strong competition for that coveted first place cash prize.  Ann is also looking forward to a fast paced ladies race this year, led by Ironman and Marathon runner, Lesley Turner Hall.  With 37 marathons and 7 Ironman events completed in the past 12 years, Lesley will be using the Wharf2Wharf course as a training outing for her 2015 ambitions.

Every distance offers walk options, and 2015 sees the return of cousins Ken and Steve Leitch in 2015 competing once more for champion bragging rights against nephew Sven.  Whether or not your aim is to be in to win, walking the courses showcase superb views of Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf and it is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy Waiheke Island at its summertime best.

Keeping the race affordable is a priority for the organisers, with discounted ferry fares, low cost junior entry fees and early bird deals for those who like to save a few dollars.  No matter when you sign up, know that your dollars help the Rotary Club of Waiheke Island continue its support of invaluable community groups and projects and the Dolphins Netball club sustain its programmes.  Both organisations invest a lot of time and effort in offering the event, so that what goes around comes around, in true Waiheke spirit.

For more information or to enter visit www.wharf2wharf.co.nz.  

Community supports Rotary’s fun event

A milestone of 12 years fund raising for the community from the one event has so far raised a grand total of $349,000. 

The Brightwater Wine and Food Festival (BWFF) run by the Rotary Club of Richmond, New Zealand, is a successful event enabling the club to return the profits back to the community.  This year another $29,000 was given to recipients including, Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust, St John Ambulance, Brightwater Rural Fire Force and many more.  At the presentation of donations to this year’s recipients, Chairman of the BWFF Committee Peter Glue announced,  “Thanks to the encouragement of sponsors, the fair will be continuing for another year on Sunday February 15”. 

BWFF is successful because it is a fun day for all the community, bringing a variety of food, wine and beer for enjoyment, while the beat of splendid local music sets the mood in the vineyard venue.  Rotarians use their management skills bringing it all together, even providing buses or the option of Taste Nelson Cycle Trail to get to the venue.

Peter highlighted the ongoing success of the fair and said, “The committee is intending not to expand to any great degree, but to simply tweak the existing event to make it a better, brighter and happier festival in 2015.  Landscaping is taking place, and the emphasis will be more children orientated.  Effort will also be put into expanding cycling to the event”. 

Rotorua cyclists ride to rid the world of polio

A Rotary Club of Rotorua, NZ, cycling team has completed a gruelling ride to raise $2000 to help the worldwide campaign to eradicate polio.

 

Six Kwik Kiwis riding 210 kilometres only had one puncture. Josh Pederson fixing Janine Speedy’s puncture

The six-member “Kwik Kiwis” team, led by president Russell Dale, competed in the 210 kilometre Round the Bay cycling event in Melbourne on Sunday October 19 in the run-up to World Polio Day on October 24.

The Kwik Kiwis team consisted of Russell Dale, his daughters Jodi and Anna Dale, son-in-law Josh Pederson, and friends David Russell and Janine Speedy.

The team finished Australia’s largest cycling event in nine hours, and team members and sponsors raised the $2000 contribution that, with 2:1 matching funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is enough to vaccinate 10,000 children in the last few countries where polio still exists.

Rotary around the world began a campaign, called Polio Plus, in 1985 to try and eradicate the disease. Rotarians have raised more than $300 million since then and have also joined vaccination teams to fight the disease. The World Health Organisation, UNICEF, Centres for Disease Control, many countries and private funders such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have joined the campaign as partners.

Polio cases have been reduced by 99 per cent and total eradication now depends on eliminating the disease from the last three countries where it is endemic - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria - where there have been 182 new cases in 2014, up until 24 September. A further 19 cases in seven countries have been caused by “imported” virus strains from the endemic areas.

“From an estimated 387,000 polio cases in 1985 when Polio Plus began, the world is now so close to being polio-free,” Russell said. “The Kwik Kiwis’ contribution and donations from many others will help to eliminate the last one per cent of cases and ensure no child anywhere will be disabled by this crippling disease.”

World Polio Day information: www.endpolio.org

Rotary offers options



Getting stuck in. Kerikeri Rotarians including (from left) John Graham, Pete Roffey, Owen Smith (on roof), John Toms, Dale Simkin and Mel Messenger built the public barbecues in the town’s Stone Store Basin. The Rotary Club of Kerikeri’s new website gives non-members the chance to suggest other projects or volunteer their services.

The Rotary Club of Kerikeri is pulling out all the stops to engage with the local community. It has launched a new website outlining its work, encouraging membership enquiries and creating new ways for people to get involved without needing to become members.

Residents of the town can use www.kerikerirotaryclub.org either to suggest community projects for Rotary to get involved with or to volunteer their own services for Rotary initiatives.

“Rather than dream up random community projects on our own, we thought it would be good to seek suggestions from the community,” said Bruce Mathieson, the club’s President. “And because we suspect there are quite a few people out there who would like to become involved in community projects, but don’t want to become formally involved with Rotary, we’re making it easy for them to do so.”  

Bruce (36) is the youngest President of the club to date. He promised a year of change with a focus on local projects. Bruce said the 37-strong club was one of the most active and healthy in the region, but he wanted to encourage more professionals and parents of young families to join its ranks. For this to happen the club would need to evolve and adapt.

“We’re looking at a heap of new membership options,” Bruce said, “from introducing ‘couples’ membership through to adding breakfast or lunch gatherings to our existing meetings format. Rotary is an important part of the fabric of our community, but for this to continue, we need to remain relevant to, and in touch with, all parts of our community. Our new website is the first step towards this goal.”

A double celebration

Rotary Club of Whakatane Sunrise Charter President Tony Bonne, Rotary Whakatane West President Kevin Richardson, and District 9930 Governor Paul Wright handing over the Charter

 

A great example of Lighting Up Rotary was celebrated on October 11 when a Rotary Club and an Interact Club were chartered together at the same time, which is a first for New Zealand. This means one more Rotary club to complement the two already in Whakatane, the Rotary Club of Whakatane West and the Rotary Club of Whakatane, plus another Interact Club to complement the Trident High School Interact Club.

It started with a vision. Sunrise clubs are increasing in popularity and meeting a need for people who want to join Rotary, but for whom evenings and lunchtimes are unsuitable. In the 1990s, Whakatane had two Rotary Clubs, and both still met in the evenings.

In 2011 Tony Bonne was President of the Rotary Club of Whakatane West and he, along with District 9930 then Governor Raewyn Kirkman, re-visited the sunrise idea. On October 11 this year, their vision became a reality when the Rotary Club of Whakatane Sunrise was chartered alongside the Interact Club of Whakatane High School.

The 2014 journey for both new clubs has been swift, professional, and managed efficiently by their sponsoring club, the Rotary Club of Whakatane West, with five very experienced Rotarians as the core of the new Rotary club: Tony Bonne, Linda Bonne, Roger Angell, Douglas McLean all previously from the Rotary Club of Whakatane West, and Peter Watt a very sound Rotarian who has recently retired to Ohope Beach. Whilst these experienced Rotarians, who have well over one hundred years of Rotary service between them and two Paul Harris Fellows, have taken the lead role in the Board for the first year, they will all stand aside in the 2015-2016 year to mentor new Board members taking on leadership roles.

The charter dinner was the culmination of many hours work, searching for merchandise, asking for donations that were willingly given after a wedding-type register sent to clubs to help supply what was needed, getting the constitution correct, and most importantly, attracting suitable members. 33 people became charter members of the Rotary club, plus more are eager to join.

The new Rotary Club of Whakatane Sunrise has already had a successful fundraiser, raising $1500 for Whakatane Coastguard.

The establishment of the Sunrise club has had a positive effect on the other Rotary clubs in Whakatane as they have been increasing their memberships too. 

The Whakatane High School Interact Club President Annalees Craig and their Vice President attended the charter dinner. The remaining 25 students received their charter pins at the school assembly for more appropriate recognition amongst their peers. Trident High School and John Paul College in Rotorua had two members each attend the dinner, along with District 9930 Interact Chair Deb Bell. Both schools’ Interact clubs work well together and they have begun fundraising for a Rotary ShelterBox with $800 already in the bank.

 

Enabling learning

 Coolidge Kindy pupils delighted with their new Rotary school desks.

A better learning environment is the outcome for 1200 pupils in rural schools in Vanuatu from a pan-Pacific Rotary initiative that has wide support from Rotary clubs north of Auckland, NZ, and from as far afield as Tasmania, Australia, and Canada. 

The project was initiated by former District Governor Lindsay Ford, Chairman of Vanuatu Projects, and it is one of the first Global Grants to be implemented in Vanuatu, along with the renovation of Lolowai Hospital in Ambae and Napangasale School in Tongoa.

It was considered important for the project to have as wide a benefit as possible, so practical experience to trainees was included through getting the desks manufactured at local tertiary Institutes.   The first school desks are being manufactured in Luganville at Alistair Advent Training Institute, with the first five desks given to the delighted children and staff from Coolidge Kindy at Banban, where Headmistress Rosy thanked Rotary for its ongoing support over the past few years.   Also assisting in the manufacture of the desks is the Vanuatu Institute of Technology in Port Vila, so educational outcomes are involved throughout the process.

Each robust galvanised steel, treated NZ Pine and plywood school desk accommodates two students. 

Achieving a primary school in Nepal

From Rotary District 9930 New Zealand, Rotarians have physically made a difference to the lives of school children in a small village, in the small country of Nepal, in the foot hills of the world’s largest mountains, the Himalayas.

 

School children receiving hygiene kits and stationary packs

by Rotary Club of Dhulikhel

The local Nepalese community and District Education Office established Bhubaneshwori Primary School. The parents of this school were very poor, with their average income of $US2 a week, so they did not have money to contribute to the school.  The chairman of School Management Committee asked Rotary for assistance.

New Zealand Rotarians Ann Owen, Jim Carroll, Vivian Edgar and others visited the school.  With financial support from the Rotary Clubs of Tauranga, Papamoa, Matamata, Tauranga Te Papa and a Rotary 9930 District Grant, the project was commenced to help the school and the children. However only half of the eligible children could be accommodated.

Working alongside members of District 3292 Rotary Club of Dhulikhel, Nepal, and in particular Past President Ashok Kumar Shrestha, they started to build a second school.  The foundations were laid during the New Zealand Rotarians’ visit.  Later the Rotary Club of Tauranga funded a roof and eventually the building was completed. 

No electricity is available for lighting, so the classroom walls needed to be painted. A 9930 District Grant, secured by Tauranga Rotary, provided the paint and the project was completed. 

Following the completion of this international project, the school now has 307 students (124 male and 183 female). With the help of Rotary, the new school building is providing better and quality education.

Following the Rotary International Convention in Sydney, Australia, Past President Ashok Kumar Shrestha visited all of the New Zealand clubs involved and brought expressions of thanks from the school and the Rotary Club of Dhulikhel for supporting education by completion of this very special international cooperation project that fulfils one of The Rotary Foundation six Areas of Focus, Basic Education and Literacy. 

Click on the link to read the report of this project and view more photographs www.rotarysouthpacific.org/_show_doc.cfm?id=4884&doc=A05E2CCA-9D95-4849-9FA5-2DDFA3B1C9BF