Rotary, lifestyle and travel - Rotary Down Under magazine now has it all

The July issue of Rotary Down Under magazine heralds a new era for the magazine.

Rotary Down Under magazines from the July 2012 issue will include two exciting additional sections – a lifestyle section plus a travel section. 

These will also be viewable on-line at www.rotarydownunder.org as separate publications.  Yet again Rotary Down Under is leading the way with innovation and progressive thinking!

District 9920 celebrates

Rotary International the greatest change organisation in the world, renews and refreshes itself every year with leadership changing at club, District and International levels.

530 Rotary District Governors worldwide are part of this transition. Sunday 1 July at the Howick Club the largest maritime Rotary District, with 49 clubs in Auckland and 7 other pacific island nations District 9920 celebrated the transition of District Governor from Alan Eyes of the Rotary Club of Pukeokohe to Ron Seeto of  the Rotary Club of Newmarket.

This annual changeover also includes a theme for the year to focus humanitarian efforts for Rotarians in the new Rotary Year. This theme is set by the Rotary International President. For 2012-2013 Rotary International President from Japan, Sakuji Tanaka’s theme is Peace Through Service.

District Governor  Ron Seeto in his address asked Rotarians in District 9920 to work together to Unleash Your Potential building Peace Through Service.

The 250 Rotary attendees included family and guests of District Governors Alan & Ron.
 
Among the friends there to help Sharon Seeto celebrate Ron’s inauguration were Bronagh and Prime Minister John Key. John is an honorary Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Kumeu in District 9910 and a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club of Newmarket.

District 9920  covers a geographical area encompassing east and south Auckland with 29 clubs and 20 clubs scattered through Fiji, Western Samoa. American Samoa, Tonga, Rarotonga, Kiribati and French Polynesia.

I went to Rotary with Daddy

Usually every Monday night, I am home with my little sister Izzy & Mummy, as this is Daddy’s Rotary night. But this week, I was able to go along with Daddy as his club (Botany East Tamaki) were having a family night. We were all meant to go, but Izzy had a cold, so stayed home, so it was just me & Daddy. I felt so grown up, even if the youngest there. (I’m 4, just so you know).

Like all old people, they talked & talked, so President Dave asked me to call the meeting to order by hitting the gong. Very cool, as it stopped everyone talking immediately. We all then sat down & everyone that brought a guest was introduced. Daddy explained I was a 4th generation Rotarian & a 3rd generation PDG, whether I like it or not. Everyone seemed to think that was funny, but I really don’t know why. I then made them laugh when Daddy said I went to daycare & asked me what I had learned today. The obvious answer was, “spinning on my head!”

We then all had dinner & I got to go home & tell Mummy all about my night with Daddy. As Izzy is so small, she gets to go with Mummy to her morning Rotary meetings, which I used to go to, so I guess Rotary is in our blood.

Brayden Jaggs (4 years)
Son of PDG Leanne & Mike Jaggs

Saying "well done" is also a part of service

The Rotary Club of Alfriston, Auckland, NZ held an “Appreciation meeting” recently to bring together all those individuals and companies who have donated goods, money and goodwill throughout the last year and the organisations and individuals who have benefitted from the club’s activities.  This was the second year the club has run the event using a power point presentation which gave graphic displays of all the fundraising events, the donors for each event plus the recipients of moneys raised where appropriate.  All the Club’s other activities were also included in the presentation.

Over 28 visitors were present plus the 15 members and partners.

Neither the donors nor recipients appreciated just how much the club has done in the community and were staggered to learn how much the Club has raised (including grants from various Rotary Trusts) which was returned mostly to their local community.  Nearly $100,000 in the last three years.

President Ray Parkes presented cheques to Totara Hospice in memory of past member John East, a cheque to the South Auckland Health Foundation for equipment that will be used for research into child cancers and a TV monitor for Manurewa East School library.  Many other smaller donations had been made throughout the year including to Sean Pyke who represented New Zealand at the Asia Junior Wrestling Championships in which he won a silver medal.  The most emotional presentation of the evening was that of a specially imported Triton therapeutic wheelchair for 13 year old Bailey who suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy.  His parents were very appreciative and there weren’t too many dry eyes in the audience!

Also in attendance were two students from Manurewa High School who had attended the Rotary National Science & Technology Forum together with the school Deputy Principal
11 Certificates of Appreciation were presented to donors and several indicated they would like to consider more seriously the opportunity to join the Club.

Another highlight was the presentation of a PHF to Sherrin White by District Governor Alan Eyes for the many years of wonderful service she has given to the Club as the wife of member Colin White..

It was an exciting evening with a lot of fun and well worth the effort of getting everyone together.  All the donors present guaranteed their continued participation with the Club.

Growing in more ways than one

Three years ago the Rotary Club of New Lynn built a series of raised vegetable gardens in the grounds of New Lynn Primary school to enhance the children’s learning.  The on-going benefits have been of immense value to the school community.

The teachers at this low decile school integrate the lessons learned through the gardens into many aspects of the children’s learning.  The young students are introduced to vegetables they may not have come across at home, teaching them good nutrition as well as life skills gained around the planting, tending and harvesting of the veges.  Cooking the vegetables, making soups, pestos, muffins etc extends maths skills and basic money management is introduced through the selling of baked goods and produce, to finance the next crop!

In May, on a chilly, somewhat foggy Saturday, Rotary New Lynn were back!  The gardens were extended with the construction of additional beds for potatoes and flowers (to attract bees for pollination), the building of a manuka fence around the gardens, and the installation of a garden shed.

Working party at completion of the project with added support from ‘Harold’ the gregarious giraffe from Life Education Trust.

Rotary New Lynn pulled in assistance from their members, friends of the Club, and supporters in the local community. 

Holes were dug for fences, timber was cut and assembled to create the planters, The shed arrived and was lifted into place.

‘Friends of Rotary’ helping out included four Miss World NZ contestants who demonstrated in a practical fashion the ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ message of 2012’s pageant.  They proved to be handy with hammer and power tools!

Rotary Club of New Lynn has a commitment to work with local schools to assist with the creation of gardens for their school communities.  This is an on-going project and fits well with the Club’s aims of supporting and empowering young people in our community.

Three in One

Need an inspiration boost?

Rotary Leadership Institute starts in District 9970

District 9970 is the last of the New Zealand Rotary District to embrace the Rotary Leadership Institute Training programme.  The inaugural training, one day programme opened in Nelson on the 10th of June 2012 at the Te Tari Maori Studies rooms at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology at 8.45am on a chilly Sunday morning.

As a start up group, ten participants from the seven of the Rotary Clubs in the greater Nelson area attended.  Facilitators DGN John Rickard from Ashburton Club, IPDG Margaret Reeve, and AG Valda Cordes from the Riccarton club, in Christchurch, travelled up to join with local PDG Rex Morris, from Nelson, for the training.

Part one of the syllabus was completed in Nelson and another Part one is programmed for Ashburton on the 15th of July. Timings for future training and the Part two and Part three aspects are yet to be arranged but they will probably follow the regional set up, with additions to include Rotarians in Christchurch, The West Coast and the Marlborough area.
The training promotes Rotary knowledge for Rotarians, and covers the subjects of Leadership characteristics and team building, Rotary beyond the club, Service projects, Membership retention, and The Rotary Foundation.

District 9970 is building on the success of the other Rotary Districts in New Zealand and Australia and also the other 141 Districts throughout the world that have adopted this grassroots Rotary development programme for Rotarians by Rotarians.

One participant observed, after the training, that he had learnt how little he knew about the workings of Rotary, leadership, management and the history of Rotary, and that he had now become very interested in Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation.

Rotary Leadership Institute - the Rotarian development forum www.rli.rotarysouthpacific.org

Radios for safety

The Rotary Club of East Coast Bays has had a long association with The Sir Peter Blake MERC at Long Bay on Auckland’s North Shore. Opened in 1990, The Sir Peter Blake MERC is the country’s leading provider of marine education, recreation and conservation programs for schools and corporate groups. They offer a range of instructional programmes designed to hone skills in outdoor, marine, environmental, team building, leadership, sports and cultural education whilst also supporting disadvantaged and special needs students. They cater for over 12,000 visitors each year.  

Last year the Club funded the re-equipment of fifteen hand-held marine VHF radios vital to the safe running of programmes. This year the Club funded the purchase of high-tech ActiView Document cameras to support The Sir Peter Blake MERC education programs

Rotarians take leading role in community clean up

Overnight rain failed to dim the enthusiasm of a group of dedicated Rotarians and residents to clean up a substantial build-up of Autumn leaves that had become quite a problem on Flatbush Road in South Auckland, NZ.  

Rotarian Pat Taylor and residents cleaning up the Autumn leaf drop on Flatbush Road

Concerned residents raised the issue with the former Manukau City Council, and more recently with the Otara-Papatoetoe Board, because leaves were building up faster than they could cope with. Removal of the Pin Oak trees had initially been sought, but a more environmentally acceptable solution of pruning and street sweeping was put in place. Whilst it was a great improvement, it didn't address all of the issues.  Local resident Shirley emphasised, "The leaves had become a bit of a safety issue for the elderly and children when using the footpath."  

Having worked closely for a number of years collaborating on the Rongomai Pathway project, the Council’s Local and Sports Parks Department approached the Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki to work out a solution.  With the Council providing the necessary equipment, Rotarian Mike Lowe with the assistance of seven colleagues and a number of local residents had the problem leaves cleaned up within a few hours.  The gathered leaves were then delivered to some delighted gardeners at the Charntay Vegetable Gardens to be used for mulch and compost.  According to Mike, it was project well worth doing and "a win-win all round" for the residents, gardeners, the Council and Rotary. 

Members of the Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki and residents with a trailer load of Autumn leaves cleaned up on Flatbush Road

Club website: www.botany.rotarysouthpacific.org