November magazine an inspiring read

 

 

The November issue of the Rotary Down Under magazine is due to subscribers letter boxes shortly but never fear ... you can read this on-line (PC, Tablet, Smartphone) at www.rotarydownunder.org

 

 

 

ARTICLES FROM OR FEATURING NZ AND SW PACIFIC IN NOVEMBER 2012

RDU: (Page 7) The time has come
(8) Leadership training delivers outstanding results
(12) Garden project grows membership
(16) Container Crisis
(21) NZ gets dirty: Naki Run Amuck
(21) NZ gets dirty: Bergen Tough Guy ‘n Girl Challenge
(24 & 38) Cromwell Rotary Home Hosted Tours
(24) Rotary Employment Partnership Program
(25) Beds from Broken Hill
(32) Global Grants
(37) Paul Harris Fellows
Life & Leisure: (45) Yours guide to what’s happening this month: The Hobbit Premier, NZ
Traveller: (Cover & 59) Gallipoli – 2015
(56) Norfolk Island
(58) NZ Luxury Coach Tours
(58) Let NZ bowl you over!

Getting to know you - a project to draw the community together

WOW, what a fantastic day. The theme was "Getting to Know You" - pulling the school, the community, business's and Rotary together and this was a stunning success ... just what you would expect from St Johns Rotary members of course!

Full article at:

http://stjohnsrotary.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/bringing-new-school-and-new-community.html

Tots kept car-safe

Rotary Club of Drury recently donated two infants capsules/car seats to the new Papakura Plunket centre on Orchard Rise. The capsules were paid for out of the Sunshine Fund, a fund made up of fines exacted members. Members are fined each week for such things as birthdays, not wearing their name badge, being late, supporting a losing rugby team. So over time the Fund builds up to a reasonable amount that can then be invested in something worthwhile in the local community.

Drury Rotary Club President, Owen Pringle fastens a young child into one of the donated car seats.

An early Christmas in October?

 

 

 

Members of the Rotary Club of Alfriston, Auckland,  members spent 2 hours packaging 110 New World bags with products that were donated by generous businesses which gave a variety of goods for each bag.  These ranged from tinned food, chocolates ,bottled water, bread, teabags and many more goodies. 

 

 

On Saturday 6th October Members and the Pensioner Flat Manager for the council distributed these bags to the residents.  We were greeted with delight and many said it was an early Christmas for them.  All said how appreciative they were of this gesture by the Rotary Club of Alfriston and for some this was a welcome treat in hard times.

Celebrating 50 years of Outward Bound in New Zealand with a Rotary Sponsored Course

Rotary in NZ established Outward Bound at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds, helping to raise over £100,000 to get it started, and the historic first intake was on October 20, 1962.  Since then more than 50,000 New Zealanders - over 30,000 sponsored by Rotary Clubs - have experienced Outward Bound.

Rotary clubs have continued to support Outward Bound by sponsoring participants and by making financial contributions.  Many purchased bricks laid on the Outward Bound Foundation Pathway helping students on their journey of personal development and self-discovery.

Rotarians have also been involved with governance over the years, particularly Sir David Levene from the Rotary Club of Auckland, a donor since 1962, past Trust Director, Outward Bound Foundation Trustee and now Trust Patron.

September 2012 saw 50 years of Outward Bound ‘unlocking Kiwi potential’ in NZ, and to recognise this, Rotary clubs around the country pitched in to financially assist around 60 young people to attend the 50th anniversary course from August 26 to September 15. Of the eight watches of 12 participants, five were made up almost entirely of Rotary sponsored students.

On September 13, I arrived at the Outward Bound School to share in the last few days of their course. Friday was ‘OB Marathon Day’ – at 7.00 am they lined up at the start of the 21 km half marathon along the shores of the sound.   I joined them and managed 14kms – I need to do some more hill training if I am going to finish the OB Alumni Run in November when many alumni are expected to celebrate the 50th anniversary by running the half marathon along the Queen Charlotte trail.

That evening I spent an hour with the Rotary students talking about Rotary and what it achieves both here and internationally, why Rotary supports Outward Bound, its focus on youth and the opportunities Rotary has for them, encouraging them to remain in the Rotary family so that they might be able to benefit from these opportunities.

I encouraged them to visit their club to share their experience with members.  I talked about how they can contribute to Rotary whether they decide to join (now or in the future) or not, saying that they are a great resource for clubs looking for young minds or help for a project or event. One of their course objectives is community service, so they are primed and ready to make a difference in their communities.

I also talked with the instructors of the Rotary watches and without exception they were impressed with the calibre of students that the Rotary clubs selected.  They were well prepared, got stuck in, worked well in their watches and gave it their best.  One instructor told me that the Rotary watch was the best watch of students she had ever had, so well done Rotary!  Don’t underestimate the influence that Outward Bound has on the lives of young people. In sponsoring them, you have changed their futures and influenced many more lives, and just as Outward Bound is the beginning of a journey for them, their connection with Rotary could also be the beginning of a journey.

Thank you to those clubs who financially supported a participant in the 50th anniversary course.  Please make contact with them, make use of them, make them part of your Rotary family, and maybe you will make them into a Rotarian one day!

- Raewyn Kirkman, IPDG, District 9930, and Outward Bound Alumni

Moving forward in Christchurch - Poolz in Schools

Last Wednesday morning, half a dozen Rotary Club of Bishopdale-Burnside Rotarians helped Sport Canterbury and the Christchurch City Council erect a portable pool at Queenspark School.   

Thanks you to Wayne, Keith W, John W, Neale, Bill, Rev and Lindsay for turning out to what became an enjoyable and fulfilling mornings work – everything planned and we didn’t have to think too much about what we had to do – good morning tea too!

So what is Poolz in Schools?

The Feb 22 EQ effectively destroyed learn to swim facilities for 32 schools in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch. This included the major loss of QEII pools which many schools used. Sport Canterbury has organized temporary facilities, in the form of three portable pools, funded instructors and transport to the pools, and generally organized a great program.

The three pools were located at Kaiapoi, Queenspark and Linwood.

Rotary was one of three funding benefactors and contributed $85,000.

Rotary also helped to erect the pools last year when became available.

Christchurch City Council looks after the operations of the pools (filtration equipment, etc).

Thank you very much the manpower from Bishopdale Burnside Rotary for the install of the Queenspark Pool. We are very proud to facilitate the delivery of swimming and water safety to the young people of Christchurch. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.
Kind regards
Julie Reynolds HOLIDAY AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMMES MANAGER


from RC Bishopdale-Burnside club bulletin

It is the stories that motivate people to join Rotary



The NZ-wide Rotary radio advertising that commenced on Monday 1 October is a stunning opportunity for all clubs to build their membership, and hopefully your club will receive referrals as a result of this.  Information about these radio clips is at www.radio2012.rotarysouthpacific.org where you can also listen to them.   

  

These clips direct listeners to:

 

• 0800 4 ROTARY – they will then be referred to club Presidents – are you ready to welcome these prospective members?

•  www.rotarysouthpacific.org – is your club website a good reflection of your club?

 

Importantly, people interested in Rotary will want to know what Rotary actually does, and in particular what we do locally, so this is why the attached newsletter is so valuable to you because it summarises our stories from NZ and the SW Pacific that you can use to illustrate the value of Rotary to the community and show the sorts of activities that Rotarians get involved in. 

 

Prospective and new members want to learn about Rotary as an organisation so they can be involved, and the simplest way to achieve this is by referring them to October Rotary Down Under magazine as a simple, comprehensive introduction to Rotary.

 

Most clubs send some information to prospective members, and the following is an extract from what our club sends immediately following the first contact with a prospective member:

 

[extract starts]

To find out more about Rotary, please visit: 
Rotary NZ & Pacific Islands’ website www.rotarysouthpacific.org 
Rotary success stories blog www.rotarystories-nzandpacific.blogspot.co.nz 
Rotary International website www.rotary.org  
Rotary Down Under, Life & Leisure, and Traveller regional magazines are available online at www.rotarydownunder.org    

[extract ends]

 

Give all visitors and guest speakers a copy of the current Rotary Down Under magazine on their first visit.  Also by including questions about interesting aspects of Rotary taken from RDU magazines in your Sergeant’s sessions, you do more than just help educate members and extract coins - you also talk about Rotary activities they would probably not have been aware of and thereby increase their interest in hopefully joining.

 

A friendly reminder: Please let up-and-coming leaders in your club and district know about the special opportunity to grow their leadership skills in Rotary, business and life on 15 October by directing them to www.futureleaders2012.rotarysouthpacific.org.     



On-line magazine at www.rotarydowunder.org

 

 

ARTICLES FROM OR FEATURING NZ AND SW PACIFIC IN THE OCTOBER 2012 ROTARY DOWN UNDER MAGAZINE

RDU: (Page 9) Call to action
(13) Bikes for the Solomons
(17) The best little Rotary club around
(19) Small comforts no mean feet
(20) Pippa’s passion was rewarded tenfold
(21) Hospital beds donated to Fiji Ministry of Health
(23) Top End school gets growing
(24) World First for Rotary
(24) Asylum for neglected children in Samoa
(25) Group Study Exchange benefits 2,900 in the Philippines
(39) Paul Harris Fellows; Called to Higher Service; and Changes
Life & Leisure: (46-47) Your guide to what’s happening this month
Traveller: (58-59) Here comes the sun
(60) There’s more to Norfolk Island
(62) South Pacific gem soon to be Rotary Island

Children's House for Hope in Apia

Each year District 9920 holds a PR Award with monthly submissions and the monthly winners being entered for consideration for the annual recognition.

This was the submission for August 2012 and describes both the project and the Rotary PR that accompanied this:


Club:  Rotary Club of Apia, Samoa in matching-grant partnership with donor Rotary Clubs from the Surfers Paradise area in Queensland, Australia.

Contact:  Rotary Apia: Project lead Maraea Slade and President Douglas Creevey

Project: 

The Children’s House of Hope (for SVSG: Samoa Victim Support Group) is a childrens' refuge that has been built to accommodate young children under-12 who are either been made homeless or taken away from abusive parents. Some of the children are kept in the care of the SVSG while their abusive parents or guardians are awaiting court trial.

Outcome:

The Rotary Club of Surfers Sunrise from Queensland had helped rebuild a preschool facility after the Tsunami in 2009 then searched for another project in the Pacific. Rotary Apia Club member Maraea Slade diligently pursued and convinced them of the idea of a Childrens refuge centre in Samoa for abused and abandoned children. After 2 years of correspondence, planning, matching grants applications, design and eventually shipment - the project was underway in July and voluntary Rotary members of several Clubs in the Gold Coast area travelled over in 1 week shifts and with local support of the Rotary Club of Apia and local volunteers the construction of the pre-fabricated facilty was erected and opened

Public Image Coverage:

Rotary Signage on the Building Front, Flags, internal Living Room signage

Articles in local media included:

http://www.talamua.com/a-house-of-hope-for-the-abused-children/
http://www.talamua.com/justice-vui-wont-tolerate-indecency-against-children/
http://www.samoaobserver.ws/local-news/projects/544-pm-opens-house-of-hope

Rotary Club of Apia Facebook Page: 
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.338891482868298.77277.256088727815241&type=1 - this has a number of pictures of the project.

Full Local Television coverage of Opening Day and Tour of the House of Hope.

Rotary is saying “Give Peace a Chance”

The Rotary theme for 2012-13 is “Peace through Service” – as advocated by Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka.

On 17 September 2012 the Harbourside club hosted a Peace forum lecture at the Auckland University to mark the significance of the theme and initiative. The key note speaker was Professor Kevin Clements Founding Chair of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies from Otago University. Kevin provided some great insights on his experience of conflict resolution, observations of the embroiled countries in the Middle East and how peace keeping troops are important in maintaining an element of calm. He ended with a quote from Martin Luther King which highlighted a poverty of spirit: Mankind needs to live with each other creatively and non violently.

In attendance was the Rotary District 9920 Governor Ron Seeto who acknowledged the influential studies and work that Professor Clement’s department were undertaking. The forum was attended by over forty Rotarians and younger Rotoract members who were keen to hear the professor’s views especially as New Zealand deploys troops in key areas like Afghanistan.

Each year Rotary promotes and funds World Peace Fellowships for Master’s level degree studies in international affairs, peace studies and conflict resolution in five countries worldwide including Sweden and Argentina.

Big Kiwi Breakfast - Nelson Intermediate School

From the Rotary Club of Whakatu Inc blog: http://whakaturotary.blogspot.co.nz/ 

On Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th of September 2012, club members arrived at the Nelson Intermediate School at 6am to produce a full cooked breakfast for the Mum and Daughter plus the Dad and Sons big Breakfast's.. Hundreds of full cooked breaky's prepared and served by the club before 9am !! Thanks and well done for all those involved !!



..............................

This is an excellent example of using media beyond just a few pictures from a club that is very active in their community.  With video cameras on most phones and cameras it is so easy.  The same principles as for pictures applies - close up, action oriented and keep short.

Keep in mind RDU Merchandise has items that help promote Rotary such as Rotary aprons and wall / table banners.