The Last Week Before Christmas

As I write this final BLOG for the year I am reminded of the tragedy in Samoa and Fiji and suffering that people are going through.  I ask clubs to please support the aid effort there and want to recognise the great efforts that our District puts in through the provisions of ERKs and Shelterboxes.

For Christine and I it has been a very pleasurable week attending a number of Rotary Christmas functions.  On Wednesday I had the pleasure of being the guest of Honor at the annual Eastern Hutt Old Folks Christmas Function.  This luncheon is put on for Older Folk in the Hutt area by Eastern Hutt Rotary and we were treated to a great meal, entertainment and some Christmas Carols. 

We also attended Christmas functions at Upper Hutt, Heretaunga, and Otaki clubs where a number of PHFs were awarded.  The Otaki function had Roman theme and it was a fitting way to end our year.



We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and New Year and we look forward to a great year ahead in 2013.

Chris and Graeme 

Update from Shelterbox on the Samoa Cyclone

A ShelterBox Response Team from New Zealand consisting of Walter van der Kley from Ashburton and Lyndon Tamblyn from Bulls is on its way to Apia to assess the need in Samoa following the devastation of Cyclone Evan. ShelterBox also stands ready to respond to Fiji if needed, with ShelterBoxes pre-positioned in Samoa and Fiji to allow for rapid responses in both nations.

ShelterBox is an international not-for-profit organisation that provides emergency accommodation and other survival essentials to disaster victims. ShelterBox aid is delivered in pre-packaged kits - the 'ShelterBox' – that are designed to help an extended family to survive the aftermath of a disaster for at least six months. The kits contain a disaster relief tent for an extended family, stove, blankets and water filtration system, and other tools for survival.

“ShelterBox is very concerned by media reports of loss of life and destruction in Samoa and are similarly concerned by the imminent touchdown of the cyclone in Fiji,” said ShelterBox NZ’s Communications Director, Mike Cahill. “We are well prepared to respond to both island nations, however, and will be doing everything we can to deploy ShelterBoxes quickly and effectively.”

Walter van der Kley was deployed to Samoa by ShelterBox following the tsunami in 2009 when 80 ShelterBoxes were sent from pre-positioned stock in Melbourne, Australia and delivered to Samoa with the help of the New Zealand authorities.

Donations can be made through “Givealittle”, the Telecom Foundation free online fundraising tool. It’s fast, safe and easy to use and where 100% of every donation is given to the charity.

Thousands are left without shelter following Cyclone Evan which has struck

with ferocity across the Pacific.

To make a Donation:

At any branch of the National Bank: Account No: 06 0939 007 1143 02

Cheque Donations: “ShelterBox New Zealand”, PO Box 306, MOSGIEL 9053

Or, via our DONATION HOTLINE: www.givealittle.co.nz/org/ShelterBox/donate

Regards

Warren Irving

Rotary District 9940 'ShelterBox' Coordinator

ERKs in Samoa and Fiji

The following report has been received from Stuart Batty, RNZWCS

Following Cyclone Evan, Rotary’s Emergency Response Kits  have been distributed in Samoa and Fiji. In Fiji, the western division of Viti Levu seems to have suffered the worst effects of the wind in the regions from Rakiraki through Ba, Lautoka, Nadi and Sigatoka.

Rotarians from Suva headed to the Western Region at 6.30am on Tuesday the day following the Cyclone causing havoc to assist the Rotary volunteers in the west.

The team of 7 vehicles with 30 Rotarians also included Peter Lund from the NZ Head of Mission in Suva together with the Australian High Commissioner in Fiji and a US diplomat currently in the country.

Many recipients of the kits have said that it was the first tangible assistance they had received. Rotary’s rapid response is assisted by many community volunteers and businesses who supply logistical support including trucks and 4 WD vehicles to enable the most isolated to be visited.

Rotary in Samoa is already turning its attention to the next most immediate need which is “safer” water. With typhoid cases being reported affirmative action is needed and Rotary is consulting with government agencies to address the issue.

Fijians are very resilient people and there is a flurry of activity as they repair their damaged homes which many some 24 hours later able to move back in. The ferocity of Cyclone Evan has stretched budgets and many will need assistance with building materials.

Ben Lummis - Speaker at 9940/20 Conference

District 9920/40 Gala Dinner

STARRY STARRY NIGHT

Saturday night is party night at the Conference.

STARRY STARRY NIGHT is the theme, so dress up as your favourite STAR, or as your favourite impressionist painter, or as if you are attending the Oscars or even as Don McLean!

Maybe your club could find a theme within this theme for dressing up.

The sky is the limit for your imagination, so go wild and join in the fun.

A Busy Week With A Little Over One Week to Christmas

District Training Committee

The past week has been a busy week as we head into Christmas.  Last weekend we attended a District Training Committee Meeting.  PDG Dexter Bamberry is the Chair of this committee and currently the committee is focusing on preparing for SP PETS.  This is for all PEs and is a great opportunity for PEs to get together with their fellow PEs across New Zealand, and prepare for their year ahead.   It was also an opportunity to consider workshops on membership and building strong clubs that will be run as part of our Multi District Conference  in April 2013 and District Assembly.

District GSE Committee

Following this we attended a GSE Inwards Committee Meeting headed by Andy Watson.  We are now preparing and looking forward to the Canadian Inwards GSE team visit which is due in our District in late March.



It has also been great to attend a number of Club Christmas parties including our own Club, Plimmerton's party, at which a PHF Sapphire pin was awarded to Brian Greaves for his work as District Administrator of the Foundation Grants programme as we have transitioned into the Future Vision Pilot.  


It was also great to attend Eastern Hutt, Western Hutt and Terrace End functions where again a number of well deserved PHF presentations were made to club members and members in the community.

President Malcolm, AG Carol, DG Graeme, and DGNN Simon

The Western Hutt meeting was their last formal meeting as they prepare to wind up the club at the end of this Rotary year.  The club had a great turn out and high tributes were given to the club for the work they have done in the community over the past 37 years.

Western Hutt Club

On a sadder note we and several other PDGs and Rotarians attended PDG Stuart Macaskill's funeral and heard of his great work for Rotary and the Community.

We are looking forward to a number of visits this coming week as we head toward Christmas.

Bidding Farewell to Vocational Scholar Jenny

All the best for the coming week.

Graeme

Cyclone Evan has struck Samoa causing havoc and destruction.

Cyclone Evan has struck Samoa causing havoc and destruction.

Emergency Response Kits prepositioned in Apia are being distributed to those most affected and back up supplies are being shipped from Fiji.

Cyclone Evan will hit Tonga and Fiji in the coming days and reportedly is intensifying.

We have prepositioned ERKs in Fiji and Rotarians and their supporters are on standby.

Rotary is working with Disaster Management Agencies in all three countries and we anticipate that as well as ERKs, food, water and clothing will be needed.

RNZWCS will advance funds to enable these supplies to be purchased and distributed immediately.

We are therefore asking clubs to support us and have launched an immediate appeal. We are also working with the New Zealand Government through MFAT and the NGO Disaster Relief Forum NDRF.

Please refer to our website www.rnzwcs.org for alternate ways to donate or

send cheques to 

PO Box 20309, 

Christchurch 8543 

or through internet banking 03 1702 0192208 01

Stokes Valley Christmas Parade and Solomon Island Ambulance

On Saturday Christine and I had the pleasure to attend the Stokes Valley Christmas Parade.  This was held under a clear sky and it was great to see a big turn out by the local community.  This annual event is organised by the Hutt River Valley Rotary and it was good to see a big turn out of club members supported by other clubs in the area.  We had the pleasure of riding in an old Dodge in the event.

A shelter box was on show as was the ambulance that has been organised by the Rotary Club of Petone and is destined to be shipped up to the Solomon Islands by the New Zealand Navy in June.  Over the next few weeks the ambulance will be sign written with Rotary on the side.  It will be available over the next few months around District for fund raising events.  This is a great initiative by Petone Rotary.


A great day enjoyed by all.

A Relaxing Week As We Head Into Christmas

Our week began by attending the ROZCOM meeting a Wellington Airport on Sunday morning.  Here representatives from each Districts PR Committees came together to discuss Rotary PR across New Zealand and proposals for 2013/14.  Considerable time was spent discussing Social Media and how we can best use of this to connect with the younger generation and attract new members.  It is great to see a coordinated approach to PR across New Zealand and see the great work that our own PDG Howard Tong is doing.

Later in the afternoon we attended a wild food BBQ put on by Plimmerton Inner Wheel.  This was a great chance to taste some local rabbit, pork, venison, trout and salmon - a great way to finish the day.





It was good to be able to attend a book launch by one of the members of Plimmerton Rotary, David Pine and attend one of our clubs regular club nights which was followed by our final conference committee meeting of the year.  The conference is well on track with the programme now finalised and all speakers in place.  Please remember to visit the conference website at http://www.rotaryconf2013.co.nz and look to register for this even.

On Thursday we attended Wellington North Christmas function, a great night with much fun and laughter.  A highlight of the night was a presentation to PDG Tony Fryer with a PHF Sapphire pin in recognition of his work in District in implementing the Future Vision Pilot.  During his time we have seen Foundation giving increase by 30% in our District.  In addition Tony is also Chair of International RYLA.


We hope you all have a great week as we head in towards Christmas.

Swimarathon - 23 February 2013

Saturday 23^rd February 2013 – be part of the world’s biggest 1 day swim!

On 25^th February 2012, at events organized by more than 100 Rotary, Rotaract, Interact and Sports clubs in 23 countries and 15 time zones, 4546 participants took part in the first Rotary Global Swimarathon. They all swam between 1200 and 1300 GMT and broke the Guinness World Record for the  most swimmers completing 100 metres in the same hour.

Most importantly, more than US$100,000 was raised for the Rotary International End Polio Now Campaign, enabling the immunization of hundreds of thousands of children against this crippling disease.

We simply cannot stop until Polio is finally eradicated from this earth and so on Rotary Day, Saturday 23^rd February 2013, we will once again invite the entire world to take part in what we firmly believe will be the world’s biggest ever 1 day swim. 

As local organizers can choose the time of day and duration of their events during that 24 hours, for 2013 we are targeting over 50,000 swimmers, more than 1000 clubs, raising more than $1million!

As an added incentive, very special prizes will be awarded at the Rotary International Conference in Lisbon in June 2013 for the most money raised for End Polio Now, the most swimmers at any one event and for the District which has the most clubs participating.

Please visit our website http://rotaryglobalswimarathon.org,   
find us on our Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/rotaryglobalswimarathon 
or follow us on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/rotaryglobeswim 
for further details. 
Alternatively you can e-mail rotaryglobalswimarathon@gmail.com or contact event chair Rotarian Roger Graves from The Rotary Club of Grantham directly at chairrgs@gmail.com

Register by 15 December for best price on Lisbon Convention

Register by 15 December for best price on Lisbon Convention

Register for the 2013 RI Convention by 15 December to save up to $100 off the onsite registration fee. Why attend? Deborah Bowen, of the Rotary Club of Top of the Lake-Mooresville, shares her reasons. Bowen attended her first convention in Chicago in 2005 as a centennial club president. “When I saw the flags from all the Rotary countries, I felt a lump in my throat. You had me at the flag ceremony!" Register by 15 December and save Learn more about why you should attend Learn about Lisbon’s attractions and nightlife