Cholmondeley Children's Home Receives Welcome Gift

Recently it came to the attention of members of the Bishopdale/Burnside Rotary Club in Christchurch, that Cholmondeley Children's Home, based at Governors Bay, had received structural problems with their building during the February earthquake and had to relocate all their children to Living Springs.

Added to this dilemma was the need to urgently replace one of the vans they use on a daily basis to transport children into Christchurch City for medical care and activities.

When this situation became known to members of the Bishopdale/Burnside Rotary Club, a unanimous decision was made to proceed with the purchase of a suitable vehicle for Cholmondeley.

At their meeting this week Keith de Dulin, President of the Rotary club, presented Shane Murdoch General Manager and Edwina Poynton of Cholmondeley Home with the keys for the van.

Murdoch said the gift of the van was greatly appreciated and would make a big difference to the comfort level of the children being transported to and from the city on a regular basis.

Cholmondeley has been providing care and education to children from families struggling in the Canterbury community, for over eighty five years, and since the recent earthquakes the demand for their services had increased even further.   

President Keith said "this is a very satisfying project for our club and we are pleased to be in a position to support this very worthy organisation in this way.”

The van proudly displays the Rotary Wheel logo as “it’s important that Rotary is visual in the community as we are always seeking new members” he said.

Submitted by Keith Walker, District 9970

THE ROTARY CLUB OF AUCKLAND 90th

President Don Bendall with youngest member Regan Hall

 receiving RI Presidential certificate

honouring RCA 90 years of service.

The Rotary Club of Auckland celebrated its ninetieth birthday on the 13^th June with a Cocktail Party for 140 members and guests at the Stamford Plaza Hotel. Exactly 90 years before, the Club had held its first meeting with 55 Charter Members in Prior’s Restaurant in the basement of the Strand Arcade. The Honourable George Fowlds was there elected the first President of the RCA.

During the Party former RI President Bill Boyd entertained the audience with a talk on the events leading to the founding by JW Davidson and JL Ralston of the first four Australasian Rotary Clubs in 1921. These Clubs were Melbourne, Sydney, Wellington and, lastly, Auckland.

To prepare for the Club’s birthday a booklet reviewing the RCA’s history, with a focus on the past 15 years, had been prepared by Club Historian Brian Barraclough and Past President Jim Johnston. The format was similar to that of the booklets written for the RCA’s 25^th, 50^th, 60^th and 75^th birthdays. RCA President Don Bendall, after welcoming everyone and thanking them for attending, formally launched the booklet. Secondly he invited the Club’s youngest member, Regan Hall to accept on behalf of the RCA an RI Presidential Certificate honouring the Club’s 90 years service to the community. Regan represented the many new young members who have refreshed the Club.

Members in conversation reflected on the notable philanthropic achievements of the RCA over 90 years. Fund raising, a fundamental preceding philanthropy, prompted memories of the Ellerslie Flower Show the largest and most profitable enterprise in the Club’s history producing from the nine shows, 1994-2003, some $1.1M for charity. Other real but less tangible benefits were the enhancement of the Club’s reputation and the fellowship enjoyed by members working together with a common purpose.

Presidents of the RCA include many notable Aucklanders, six have been knighted. From the Rotarian’s point of view it is Harold Thomas, RCA President 1937-38 and Honorary President 1984-92 who is outstanding because of his Presidency of RI 1959-60, the first New Zealander to be so honoured.

Website for the Rotary Club of Auckland:  http://www.rotary.co.nz/

90 years of Rotary – the Rotary Club of Wellington

On 2 June members of the Rotary Club of Wellington and their partners celebrated 90 years of Rotary at Government House, Wellington, as guests of the Governor General the Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Susan Satyanand.

The President, Colleen Singleton, presented Paul Harris Fellowships to Club members for their community service.

Kenneth Fink-Jensen, who has played a key role with the Skilled Migrants programme, run in conjunction with the Victoria University of Wellington.  This Club keynote programme has had an 85% success rate in skilled migrants being employed in a position where they can use the education and skills developed in their home country.

Kerry Prendergast, who served on the Wellington City Council for 21 years, 6 years as Deputy Mayor and 9 years as the 33^rd Mayor of Wellington

Francis Wevers who, as the Club’s webmaster, has ensured that most of our Rotary information can be transmitted through the website.  The Club is very proud of its website.

Home hosting needed more than ever for the Rugby World Cup period

With Auckland Hotels advertising their rooms at approx $1500 per night, the Rotary Rugby Home Hosting, is becoming very popular. We have a unique opportunity of hosting Rotarians from all over the world for this wonderful event, showing off our beautiful country, founding new friendships, & most importantly, bringing home the cup…….

The process is simple, log on to www.rotarynzrugbyhosting.org & register as a Host or visitor. We have coordinators throughout the country that will match hosts with visitors, depending on where they will want to stay.

The programme has been designed by Rotarians for Rotarians visiting New Zealand to be hosted by local Rotarians as they follow their teams in the rugby world cup tournament in New Zealand i.e. both visitors and hosts will be part of the worldwide Rotary family. The cost is $NZ150 per night for a Rotarian or Rotarian couple, on a bed and breakfast basis with most funds being donated to The Rotary Foundation Polio Plus campaign. The home hosting programme has no tickets to any of the games and visitors will need to obtain these separately.

Being a host will be a great way for you to participate in the whole aura of the tournament . Even if you are not going to games yourself what better way to be vitally involved than extending your generosity as both a New Zealander and a Rotarian. You will extend your fellowship around the world while at the same time making a valuable contribution to the Polio Plus campaign.

There is a desperate need for home Hosts, so please start thinking about this, as just around the corner.  Great work is also being done by coordinators is each district and to date District 9920 has managed to match all visitor enquiries with hosts but more hosts are needed.

Submitted by PDG Leanne Jaggs - District 9920 Rugby Hosting Coordinator

Ohope Ordeal - the Real Deal

Take a mountain bike, some of the best scenery in New Zealand and a group of passionate Rotarians and what do you get? The revitalisation of the Ohope Ordeal, a mountain bike race over the hills of Ohope Beach that had gained momentum over a four year period, but it was cancelled in 2010 due to burnout of the original committee.

Rotary Club of Whakatane West believed in the Ohope Ordeal and the benefits that this event gives the wider community. Led by a group of enthusiastic Rotarians, Whakatane West saw an opportunity to bring to the table the expertise and manpower to run such an event - an event which would give the Club a higher profile in the Bay of Plenty and add a major annual fundraiser fixture to their calendar.

On June 4, 2011 Whakatane West Rotary relaunched the Ohope Ordeal and it was a  resounding success.  Exhausted riders, buzzing from the challenge and the fact they had completed the Ordeal, were exhilarated:

“Wow awesome ride!!”

“I’m going to be sore for weeks”

“Done it! Fantastic! Who said I was too old?”

With nearly100 bikers ranging in age from early teens to those in their mid seventies, and Ordeal virgins to World Cup racers, all turned up for the two course ordeal of 30km or 15km (for the more relaxed participant). They battled the elements of rain, wind and cold at the reinvented Ohope Ordeal. Top New Zealand rider Karen Hanlen was the overall winner. She was excited to be racing on home turf. Participant Helen Dobbin said the short course was “fantastic, especially the last section flying through the fields above Ohope Beach”. Long course third place getter Donovan Jackson described the course “varied and very challenging, well organised and looking forward to the next one”.

Whakatane West Rotary is already underway organising the next Ohope Ordeal for 2012. Register for March now.  Go to www.whakatane.com under events then sport for further information, and dates will be confirmed on the website.  The Rotarian contact is Alistair Hamilton email alistair.hamilton27@yahoo.co.nz.

Submitted by: Alistair Hamilton, Rotary Club of Whakatane West, District 9930

Tends la Mains -

The Moorea Rotary Club, in partnership with the mayor of Papeete, French Polynesia’s capital city, organized a fine art exposition featuring local and visiting French artists in order raise funds for a charitable association that supports abused children.

View the video and write up at: http://web.me.com/pstahiti/Rotary_Club_Art_Exposition/Overview.html

9 years olds receive dictionaries

To encourage literacy in the home the Kerikeri Rotary club purchased 248 Usbourne Illustrated Dictionaries and is currently distributing these personalised gifts to Year 4 pupils attending Oruaiti, Okaihau, Riverview and Kerikeri Primary schools. These hard covered books are especially designed to be attractive and useful for 9 year olds. ‘This wonderful programme allows us to reach over 200 pupils in our schools, but also allows us to reach parents, teachers and other children at home with a good quality product’ said Kerikeri club president John Toms.

Rotarians handing out the books to the children enjoy their delight at receiving such a neat book to take home, after having first used it in the classroom to complete a quiz. All correct answers to the quiz have gone into a draw for an instant camera gifted to each school by McFadzien’s pharmacy.

To be part of this programme next year please contact your local Rotary club via http://www.rotarysouthpacific.org/

Pictured: Kerikeri Primary school year 4 pupils with their new dictionaries

New girl's dorm for Bucalevu Secondary School

The Bucalevu Secondary School in Taveuni Island has now opened its new dormitory for girl's.  This was a much needed new facility for 40 girl's that will make a very substantial and positive contribution to the education of students from throughout the island, many of whom have in the past had to spend many hours each week travelling to attend school.  The $150,000 project was a joint initiative between the Rotary Clubs of Taveuni Island (Fiji) and Knox (District 9810, Victoria, Australia).

Important Notice for Club Secretaries

As a part of Rotary Down Under's on-going service improvements, Rotary Down Under subscriptions are going online!

Clubs will now have the opportunity to view and update their subscriber listing online by logging in to our new online facility. You will now be able to add, delete and make changes to both club and member data.

This online facility will have several advantages;

-          prompt updating, ensuring the database is an accurate record of club subscribers

-          accurate invoicing of subscription quantities

-          readily available access allowing clubs to view a full listing of current subscribers and their details at all times

-          time and cost savings for the club as there will be less need to contact our office to check or amend subscriptions

All club and subscriber data will be accessible, after login in and password, by the club secretary or designated officer, and will be presented in an easy to use format. The data will be used by Rotary Down Under to provide the monthly Rotary Down Under magazine to subscribers, and to facilitate our mailings to the club.

In order to commence using this service we need to provide clubs with a login and password and ask all club secretary's to provide their email address and club name to subscriptions@rotarydownunder.com.au - we will then forward to you your login id and password (to be updated by the club upon receipt).

We look forward to many clubs taking up this opportunity and should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us at (61) 2 96334888.

Yours faithfully,

Frances Campbell

Administration Manager

PS: This online service should not be confused with any data you are required to provide Rotary International and is for Rotary Down Under subscription purposes.

Both Rotary Down Under and RI require separate notification of club data information.

Art calendar highly prized

Rotary clubs’ coffers have been boosted by $120,000 in the past eight years through the sale of calendars featuring New Zealand art.

The brainchild of Greg Molye and his partner Kristen Flannery, this project has involved producing New Zealand Art Calendars for the country’s 268 Rotary clubs to buy at cost and sell for a profit of around $5 each. As a founding director of NZ Financial Planning, Greg was able to secure their backing for the project. 

Past President of the Rotary Club of Downtown Auckland Greg says the project has given him the opportunity to combine two passions - art and Rotary.  He first joined Rotary in 1988, but his interest in art goes back much further.

June 2011 Rotary Down Under magazine

Read on-line at
www.rotarydownunder.org

Rotary has dozens of recreational and vocational 'Fellowships' that Rotarians, and often their families, can join to add value to their membership outside their club (look at http://www.rotaryfellowships.org/ ).  The Cover story in June features one of the iconic images of Australia - the annual running of the "Henley-On-Todd Regatta with the 50th to be held this August and they are seeking participants from all over Australia and New Zealand in what they describe as an opportunity to show that Service Above Self can be lots of fun (http://www.henleyontodd.com.au/ ).

Articles featuring New Zealand and the SW Pacific in the June 2011 issue of Rotary Down Under magazine include (page numbers in brackets):

• Looking back before the dust settles (page 5)
• A new Editor of RDU from 1 July (6)
• Editorial contributions (6)
• Those fellows keep rolling on (8)
• Vanuatu Action Group established (8)
• Feeling like tracking gorillas? (12)
• Yachties: Oldest & largest! (13)
• You can't retire at 50! (14)
• The Canterbury Crusaders:
•       Christchurch: The 'new normal' (18)
•       People's needs are many (19)
•       How the people of Christchurch are coping (19)
• Replenishing the Pacific supplies (18)
• $34k raised in pre-tee (21)
• PNG kids on-line and mobile (25)
• Showcase of Rotary service (30 - 31)

New Services from Rotary Down Under:

Page 26 displays the Rotary 2011-2012 Theme Merchandise - cl;ubs and districts are reminded to order their Changeover requirements early to ensure timely delivery.  Also that Paul Harris Fellow recognitions are obtained from The Rotary Foundation (not RDU).

Innovative Promotional Idea

District Governor Margaret Reeve, Peter Fletcher, Keith Walker and Peter’s dog in front of the ‘mobile billboard’.

Public Relations Director for District 9970 in New Zealand, Keith Walker, was recently offered an innovative way to promote Rotary by turning a truck into a mobile billboard.

Peter Fletcher, fellow Rotarian and currently an Assistant Governor for 9970, owns a transport company and was due to replace the side curtains on one of his trucks.

Peter decided that instead of the curtains being blank as normal he would offer the space to promote Rotary which Keith welcomed with both arms.

Indeed given the lack of infrastructure in Christchurch after the February earthquake, there are few places available to display billboards, so Peter’s offer was a god send!

The message displayed on both sides runs parallel with the international message promoting Rotary membership, being “Want to Play a Part?”

Given the 7 – 8 year shelf life of the curtains, the NZ$5,000 price tag to produce, sign write and fit the curtains is very cost effective.

Peter’s truck was displayed at the recent training day for District 9970 and gained wide spread approval.

“The truck is already being noticed around Christchurch and will hopefully play its part in drawing future members into our clubs” says Keith.

VIP (Visually Impaired Persons) Camp

From the Rotary Club of Remuera Inc's club bulletin:

The VIP Camp was held at the YMCA’s Camp Adair, Hunua from the evening of 8th April until Sunday 10th April. David Willmott read excerpts from a number of letters he had received from participants and their supporters of which the following comments are a small selection. The letter from the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind said the camp was an outstanding experience. Other comments referred to how relaxed and confident the students were; the have ago attitude of the participants; how much the students loved the confidence course including the mud; what a great social occasion it was and the pleasure of meeting other students with similar disabilities; and of course the food was great and mentioned several times. The comment that summed up the overall feel of the event was the one regarding starting “early” on Friday next time to extend the wonderful experience.

Picture perfect

Ian Mcleod of the Probus Club of Morrinsville Combined was presented with a recognition as Runner-Up in the 2010 Active Photo Competition.  His picture was of a local fisherman in Vietnam, taken during a trip there. Details about the 2011 competition are in the June issue of Active magazine - also go to www.activemagazine.co.nz



The audience was a lively group!
(a picture cannot convey this)

 Probus of course is Rotary's program for senior citizens and is extremely popular throughout New Zealand (and the world).  This particular club has over 117 members and the meeting heard reports from the various interest groups within the club (such as History, Gardening, Travel and Luncheon) and about their recent bus trip to Auckland where they enjoyed a number of activities including visits to the Zoo and Motat.  The meeting included a personal profile from a member and a Guest Speaker (about  the projects of a local construction company).