Week 13 - Back to Taranaki

This week we returned to Taranaki to complete our club visits in this area. Our first visit was to the Rotary Club of Hawera.  As a bit of a keen ship model builder we had the opportunity to visit Del Flannery and see some of his great models, a master model boat builder.  Hawera Club has some great initiatives to attract people to work on club projects and become involved with club activities.  These include Associate Members and Student Members from the local college.  These talented students entertained us with some great singing and saxophone playing.   It is great to see this club thinking outside the box and to see the great work they are doing in the community.

Tuesday we headed to Inglewood where we spent the afternoon visiting a local timber company specializing in making door cores and scaffold planking,   a local milking shed, and an amazing small private zoo.  Our thanks to the members for showing us around the local area.  Attending the meeting in the Clubs new premises followed this.    This used to be the Old Folks Centre and Rotary has just taken it over – it will be a great resource for the club.   It was a great night with much fun and laughter. They also have a great fundraising/fellowship project – growing the best producing potato !!!

Wednesday we headed to the Rotary Club of Waitara north of New Plymouth.  Again this is a small club but they have been thinking outside the box and running a variety of meetings during each month.  They are a club that works very closely together, combining their Rotary activities and social activities.

On Thursday we had 2 visits starting with Pukekura Breakfast.  A small club with some great community projects including their Youth Artist Night.  This club is also the home of our VTT Team Leader Jan Lockett-Kay and we were fortunate to speak with her later in the day on her return to New Zealand from the VTT visit to Canada – more on this in a later BLOG.  In the evening we visited the Rotary Club of Stratford, a small club of 9 but putting a huge amount of effort into the community, particularly on youth projects.  We had a fun night presenting awards to 4 long standing members and a community PHF to Ernie Burrows who has been supporting the local Stock Car Track for many years.

It was then back home to Wellington after a great week.