Your best member recruitment tool

Each Rotary Down Under magazine in August has the

Rotary Basics

publication included. 

This is a guide to Rotary for all members and is one of the best membership recruitment and retention tools you have. Make sure your members read this and then hand this onto others who may be interested in Rotary or give them to the club for club use.

Also give them a copy of the Rotary Down Under magazine to read - there is nothing so powerful as showing them Rotary at work.

3 magazines in 1

3 magazines in 1 - These three titles can be viewed at www.rotarydownunder.org.  Be amazed as they include a wealth of interesting Rotary, lifestyle and travel information, so give on-line a go …  

DO YOU WANT AN ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION?
You now have the choice of three Rotary Down Under subscription options – posted hard copy, e-subscription, or both … you choose. 
To change how you receive your magazine, ask your club secretary to arrange this for you.
Click here for full details  

Remembering a New Zealand science hero – The Eureka! Symposium

The Rotary Club of Wellington has extended the horizons of science communication by organising the inaugural Eureka! Symposium at which twelve  finalists under 25 competed for the Sir Paul Callaghan Awards for Young Science Orators.

This novel event gave passionate young New Zealanders the opportunity to excite New Zealand's decision makers with science.

Hadleigh Frost & Miyang

The symposium was inspired by the work of physicist and educator, the late Sir Paul Callaghan (GNZM, FRS, FRSNZ).

Sir Paul envisioned a New Zealand focused on learning and innovation - a country which attracts bright young scientists and innovators – inspiring New Zealand students to come back home after gaining experience overseas and providing that “place where talent wants to live”.
He understood that the communication of science is paramount to realising this goal.
Indeed, Sir Paul offered a scientific voice to New Zealand's media. He communicated science to New Zealand in a way everyone could understand. In this spirit, the Rotary Club of Wellington has started the Eureka! Symposium.

To enter the competition over fifty students from many parts of  New Zealand produced brief synopses and made 3 minute videos describing an area of science and its relevance to our economic, environmental and social situation.

These entries were judged by an esteemed panel of businessmen, scientists and communicators. Ultimately, twelve finalists gave their presentations to an audience of executives, academics and politicians in Wellington. The science-packed day was opened by the Prime Minister and the finalists covered a wide range of topics including energy, meat production and reversible male contraception.

The finalists were competing for the Sir Paul Callaghan Premier Award, which recognises excellence in science communication. However, Eureka! offers more to the participants than just awards.

All students spent time talking with the executives and politicians who came to watch them present. This gave the students a valuable insight into the landscape of New Zealand's businesses. For instance, Christchurch Boys High School science student Yanni Cowie gained the valuable opportunity to talk to National Radio Presenter Kim Hill on her highly popular Saturday Morning Show about his passion for biofuels as a result of Eureka!.

Further, as part of their participation, the finalists will take part in a forum arranged by the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor `where they will discuss New Zealand's science issues with senior politicians, government officials and business representatives. This unprecedented exchange between decision makers and young scientists will go a long way towards recognising Sir Paul's dream.

Continued sponsorship will secure Eureka! as an on-going part of New Zealand's economic and science landscape, and the Rotary Club of Wellington is committed to building this event.
Eureka! sends two key messages to two important groups of people. It tells our leaders that science is useful, and it shows them how science will impact New Zealand's future. It also tells our young scientists that their hard work is important and that they are valued by their society. These are messages that need to be heard, and Eureka! is telling them.

As a Bachelor of Science student, I can attest that a university degree doesn't prepare you for the real world. Eureka! is fostering the skills and ambitions of young scientists like myself, preparing us to engage with the world in which we live.

Hadleigh Frost


Written by the winner of the Sir Paul Callaghan
Premier Award for Young Science Orators, Hadleigh Frost
Submitted to RDU by Howard Tong

A night at the Proms

A Night at the Proms was an Event organised by 4 Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 9920  - the Rotary Clubs of Auckland East, Harbourside, City Sunrise and Parnell. It was a happy co-incidence the Event taking place on the same day as the opening of the Olympic Games in London with its British theme and a keynote speech on the Monarchy in New Zealand  from Simon O’Connor MP .

This occasion is a  new initative for District 9920 clubs to receive the official visit from its District Governor Ron Seeto in a multi-Club Cluster Event rather than by a single club. Says Ron,  “There are 11 clusters with 50 clubs in this largest of maritime Rotary Districts spread through central  to east  and south auckland  to 7 other Pacific Island nations….there are 29 clubs in Auckland..such an Event is to be a catalyst for club clusters Working Together on the serious business of Rotary – building Peace Through Service.”

Rotaract is young people active in service in the Pacific

Rotaract is a youth service programme of Rotary for young adults between 18-30 yeras of age.  They have a huge amount of fun together and very frequently make huge contributions to communities through service.  To see something of what they do go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotaract-New-Zealand-and-Pacific-District-9920/136172756464720 and especially have a look at their Tuavo Water Project.

RotaryTrackers for cure kids

Again, an intrepid pair will represent Rotary in the annual $10 Queenstiwn Challenge.  This is a hitch hiking even Auckland to Queenstown.  To support the team and to help cure kids go to

http://www.facebook.com/RotaryTrackers 

or

http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/RotaryTrackers/

For more information about this exciting challenge and cure kids go to www.curekids.org.nz 

Aparima Rotary had a ball at their charter night!

The Rotary Club of Aparima in Riverton, Southland, NZ is the first Rotary club in 19 years to be chartered in District 9980.  It was chartered during their president and officers' changeover on Saturday June 23 at Colac Bay with 25 charter members.  Their ages range from early 30s to 70s, and they include business vocations ranging from a hospice educator and teachers, to a builder and some in real estate. 

This club began as a provisional club 18 months ago, and it has already organised fundraising events, including the Riverton-wide Garage Sale last year (which will be repeated this year on the Sunday of Labour Weekend), and the Tri at the Rocks this year.  It also entered a float in the annual Christmas parade, and sponsored a high school student to a motivational confidence building course, plus their long-term project is rebuilding the Mitchell's Bay bathing shed.

Club webmaster Diane Wilson emphasised that they have ``lots of fun while working together for the benefit of the community''.

The club meets on Wednesdays 5:30pm for 6:00pm at the Senior Citizens Rooms in Princess Street, Riverton.
http://www.aparima.rotarysouthpacific.org/

Getting it right for the cause and Rotary

Here is an example of a well presented promotion for a project - not just produced in PDF and widely circulated but also placed onto the district 9920 website events page, onto the club website and more.  Additionally the project planning includes the collecting of interesting information and the taking of quality action-oriented photos so that the event can be widely reported on in Rotary and community media ... including a submission to Rotary Down Under magazine!  After all, promoting the success of a project is the best way of setting the scene for the success of the next project.

Well done the Rotary Club of Papakura - an example to all of us.