We wish them all a great stay in New Zealand.
This BLOG will update you on our activities and programme throughout my year as District Governor of District 9940. This will be an exciting and important year in our lives and we are looking forward to sharing it with you. Please join us on this new and exciting journey.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
GSE Team from District 5370 Arrives in Wellington
The GSE Team from Canada flew into Wellington this morning. Pictured from left are NZ GSE Chair Andy Watson, DG Graeme, Team members Shannon, Nathalie, Laura, Team Leader Mary, DG Wife Christine, and NZ GSE Team Member Marilyn.
We wish them all a great stay in New Zealand.
We wish them all a great stay in New Zealand.
Alf Porilo Visits Porirua Sundown.
1 April - The following News Item has been submitted by Porirua Sundown Rotary.
Alf
Porilo
Alf Porilo gave
up his valuable time to address Porirua Sundown with a talk that identified the
current problems with our Rotary Clubs’ diminishing memberships. He believes
that moving away from the past and looking towards our next generations is
costing us (Rotary) our members.
Alf was born at
a very early age in New York, of Italian American lineage, and moved to
Manchester, UK where he received his education in locally approved schools.
Having cemented a career in building, proficiently as a hod-carrier for Lego,
he then transferred his skills to addressing falling memberships in private
gentlemen clubs and turned their downward spiral around. He now believes that
he can also do the same for Rotary.
Alf realises
that the downturn has only taken place since the relaxation of the formalities’
of Rotary. Some clubs have moved away from displaying the Charter and even a
picture of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Rotary Grace has been removed from the weekly meeting
and some of our clubs no longer recite the four-way test.
He believes that
if we want to want to stop the leaking membership then we must all sing God
Save the Queen with gusto and recite the four-way test to bring back our
numbers.
Alf’s vision of
reducing the roles available to women as a way to increase membership was
difficult to comprehend but he argued the facts speak for themselves, do the
math he said.
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| Pictured – Alf Porilo with President Gordon at Porirua Sundown. |
Thursday, March 28, 2013
DG Weekly Update - From Wanganui to the Wairarapa
As we relax over the Easter break writing this is a chance to reflect back on the week where Chris and I had the opportunity to visits clubs in Wanganui and the Wairarapa. In Wanganui we presented a Community PHF award at Wanganui Daybreak to Tony Cowan and at Wanganui Club to Dr Jonathan Hartfield. These Community PHFs and were made to very worthy recipiants working in the entertainment and health sectors in Wanganui. 
On Wednesday we visited the Wairarapa and presented a Community PHF to David Kershaw, a longstanding member of the community who has put a tremendous amount into the local community. This was joint Rotary/Lions meeting held at the beautiful Parehua Country Estate and it was great to see a large turn out from both these organizations. Both organizations work well together in their community especially organising the Martinborough Fair. We gave a presentation on our travels in Antarctica to this joint audience.We are looking forward to welcoming the District 5370 GSE team from Canada when they arrive in Wellington on Monday then attending their welcome function on Tuesday night.
All the best for the coming week.
DG Graeme
THE NEW ZEALAND AND PACIFIC EDITION IS HERE!
THE NEW ZEALAND AND PACIFIC EDITION IS HERE!
From April 2013 there will be a monthly New Zealand and Pacific edition of the Rotary Down Under magazine for all subscribers in NZand the Pacific Islands. This includes both the posted copy and the digital version. The most noticeable change will be a NZ or Pacific Islands cover and feature story. However, this is dependent on magazine quality articles and pictures being submitted, so it is important that clubs and district committees pause for a moment to ensure they are submitting to RDU via berylrobinson@rotarydownunder.co.nz articles and photos for every significant project and event. It is good practice to write an article with a photo for Rotary publicity in any case. The well written article should be up to 300 words about who, what, why, when, where and how. Specifications for pictures are high resolution photos of at least 300 pixels per inch and in jpeg format - set your camera to its finest quality setting or take photos on your smart phone. Pictures should be eye-catching (look at past issues of RDU magazine for examples) and you may need to pose shots. Photos must be separately attached files (not embedded into the article or email message). Submit your article and photos to as many media as you have access to for maximum exposure for your club and district.
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Saturday, March 23, 2013
DG Weekly Update - The Reality of Aging
Last weekend was a
chance to catch up with friends and family to help celebrate a rather
significant birthday with a big zero attached! It was relaxing weekend and was great to have our son and
his wife present and receive a video from our daughter in London. I was surprised to wake up in a new decade
and still feel the same as the day before – but they do tell me that 60 is the
new 40!
On Tuesday we visited
the Rotary Club of Hutt River Valley to make two Community PHF presentations
and present a talk on Deformation as a result of the Canterbury
Earthquakes. Again we were
reminded of the unsung heroes in our community and the great work that they
carry out.
Later in the week I
was able to attend the joint Wellington 1 and 2 Presidents cluster
meeting. This was a great
opportunity to catch up with the clubs in the Wellington area and hear of all
the projects and work that is being carried out. Following this we attending a conference committee
meeting. The Auckland and
Wellington teams have everything well in hand and we are all ready for a great
and exciting conference. Remember,
if you have not yet registered there is still time to do it.
On Saturday we were pleased to be able to assist our Rotary Club, Plimmerton, with their annual book fair. There was a great turn out including a special appearance by Harold, the Life Education Trust mascot, much to the delight of the children present. It was also good to see Inner Wheel assisting and raising funds by providing morning team and refreshments. Some of the funds raised through the book fair go to the Life Education Trust, a very worthy cause.
In the coming week we will be visiting clubs in Wanganui and Wairarapa. We look forward to catching up soon.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Emergency Response Kits - Update March 22
EMERGENCY RESPONSE KIT STOCKS NEED URGENT REPLENISHMENT
Rotary New Zealand World Community Service would really appreciate any early support with Emergency Response Kit (ERK) Donations from Club’s, Corporates & Individuals to help replenish approx 1500 pre-positioned ERK’s that were distributed during 2012 by local Rotarians after major disasters late January & late March in Fiji then again mid December 2012 in both Fiji & Samoa.
District Governor Graeme Blick – July 7, 2012. “One of the key tools to enable us to respond to disasters in the Pacific is through the Emergency Response Kit (ERK) Programme. In the spirit of “Peace Through Service” I am supporting this very worthy progamme & wish to see continued the great efforts that have been achieved by Dist. 9940 over the past 2 years”
Let’s keep “Pushing Boundaries”-“Making Change Real” in the spirit of “Peace Through Service”
Cure Kids
For further information see http://rotarystories-nzandpacific.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/helping-kids-like-taylor-helping-to.html
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Te Omanga Hospice Benefits from the Rotary Club of Eastern Hutt Charity Golf Tournament
Te Omanga Hospice Chief Executive Biddy Harford received a cheque of $10,000 from President Paul Giles last Friday. Eastern Hutt raised a total of $12,000. The extra amount raised is also to be donated to Te Omanga Hospice. Around 140 players and 36 teams and their entry fees were added to by generous sponsorships from individuals and businesses. The Rotary Club of Eastern Hutt has raised over $70,000 for the same cause in the past 8 years.
The event took place at Boulcott's Farm Heritage Golf Club and was very well attended. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and were pleased to receive their prizes in the different categories. The auction went very well as well as the raffle.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Three New Rotary Billboards Go Up
The first set of 3 Rotary Billboards are now up. These billboards have a strong clear message and strong call for action.
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0021002
State Highway 54 - Manawatu
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Update from President Gordon of Porirua Sundown Club
Graeme
Photos from joint meeting Paul Bryan-Tatham President of Johnsonville with Gordon Beattie President of Porirua Sundown and Her Excellency, Mrs Vicki Treadwell, the British High Commissioner to New Zealand.
Vincent recognized a new centurion in Jeanette Pettit (Porirua Sundown) and Johnsonville provided Sarah Thomson (Porirua Sundown) with a bouquet of flowers for the hard work and effort in setting up a website that their club can be proud of.
An engaging and memorable speech was provided by Her Excellency, Mrs Vicki Treadwell, the British High Commissioner to New Zealand..
Another great night enjoyed by all - thanks Paul (President Johnsonville).
Regards
Gordon
Thursday, March 14, 2013
DG Travels - Travelling the Length of the Country.
The past week has seen Chris and I
traveling up to Auckland where we caught up with our fellow DGs on Waiheke
Island.
This was a time to
relax and an opportunity to get together to discuss our year to date and
exchange ideas. Top of the topics
discussed was building strong clubs.
We agreed that if we build strong and dynamic clubs – membership will
follow.
We also had the
opportunity to attend several sessions of SP PETs and meet the new PEs. It was great to see all of our
Districts participating in SP PETS again this year. This reminded of the huge opportunities for Districts across
New Zealand to work together on a number of key projects and initiatives.
During the week we visited the rotary Club
of Wellington where we heard Tom
Thorfinnson speak. Tom was the Director
Rotary International 2009-2011, and Rotary International Vice President
2010-2011. He spoke on the topic
of ‘Rotary International, Back to the Future’, in which he emphasised the need
for change in Rotary to make it more relevant in today’s world.You can see Tom’s speech here: http://www.rcw.org.nz/news/thom-thorfinsson-tells-how-rotary-must-go-back-to-the-future/
He challenged us on
our traditional thinking of Rotary and the need for more flexibility in the way
we operate our clubs. It was a
refreshing and thought provoking speech that re-emphasised our theme of Pushing Boundaries and Making Change Real.
Chris, I and at number of Rotarians also heard d’Arcy Lunn speak on
the Global Poverty Project to publicise Polio and support Rotary to eradicate
this dreadful disease. This was an excellent presentation and d’Arcy would
welcome the opportunity to speak to clubs. He is The End of Polio campaign, Country Manager - New
Zealand, Brunei Darussalam and Pakistan.
The week rounded of with Chris and I attending
the Rotary Club's of Hutt City and Port Nicholson. At Hutt City we were pleased to present 2 PHF's including to AG Carol Green and at Port Nicholson we attended their Goal Setters awards where 3 young people
received bursaries to further their studies. Several PHFs were awarded, as was a Foundation award to
Christopher Robertson for Meritorious Service to the Foundation. A great night and way to finish the
week.
All the best for the coming week.
DG Graeme
MODERN FACE OF ROTARY
MODERN FACE OF ROTARY
The following article appeared in the Wanganui Chronicle by
Merania Karauria
8th Mar 2013 6:56 AM
Rotarians celebrating
International Women's Day today are Ann Petherick (Wanganui), Sue Gardner
(Wanganui North president), Sharon Duff (Wanganui), Helen Craig (Wanganui),
Kate Smith (Wanganui president) and Eileen Ng (Daybreak president).
 |
PICTURE STUART MUNRO |
Today is International Women's Day
and Rotary clubs in Wanganui are on a drive to enlist more women. Three of the four Rotary presidents in
Wanganui are women, which has given the usually male domain a modern, inclusive
face. Pharmacist Sue Gardner is
Wanganui North president, UCOL lecturer Kate Smith is Wanganui president, and
businesswoman Eileen Ng is Daybreak president.
The Rotarians are a mix of retired,
business and professional women and men, all sharing their skills in the community.
When Rotary started 108 years ago,
it was strictly a male domain. And
so it remained for over 80 years. But 25 years ago a few clubs started
accepting women as members, and now 16 per cent of the 1.2 million Rotary members
around the world are women.
In Wanganui, Ann Petherick, Marion
Davenport, Liz McPherson and Jill Stegmann take the Reading in Schools
programme at Wanganui East School.
"We assist the children with one-on-one reading and it gives them
confidence to read in a relaxed atmosphere," Mrs Petherick said. The programme, which was coordinated by
Rotarian Jack Kale, has now been picked up by other areas.
The list of community projects by
Rotarians continues to grow. They
help students with scholarships to travel; Rebecca O'Leary is one lucky student
who was sponsored by the Wanganui club and has just returned from an exchange
to France. They sold the bricks
with names on the Majestic Square forecourt and the Westmere Walkway is still
being worked on by the Wanganui club.
The club also started the River
Walkway from the Cobham Bridge, which was taken over by the council. Businesswoman Lei Graham of Wanganui is
one who works quietly in the background.
In 2007 she took resources to the Children's Centre for Happiness
orphanage in Cambodia then cycled 600km with 19 others to raise funds for
Oxfam. Mrs Graham also teaches literacy and numeracy at the Whanganui Prison,
and in May she will chaperone a group of exchange students to Wanganui's sister
city in Japan, Nagaizumi.
Other Rotary projects in the city are
the 1.5km planting of trees around Springvale Park and heritage fruit trees near
the former St Georges School.
Prize Sponsored Promotion to raise ERK donations announced & New RNZWCS Banner incorporates ERK logo.
Rotary New Zealand World Community Service unfurled their
newly designed banner which now incorporates the Emergency Response Kit (ERK) logo
at South Pacific Presidents Elect Training Seminar held in Auckland last
weekend. They also announced at the same time a special Emergency Response Kit
(ERK) Promotion to help raise ERK awareness & donations with a prize sponsored
by Monad Pacific Management Ltd of a week’s holiday accommodation at any of the
thirteen holiday resorts they manage in New Zealand.
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|
RNZWCS Emergency Response Kit display booth
at SP PETS
March 15 to 17, 2013 with the new Banner displayed in middle
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The ERK Promotion will specifically target Rotarians
attending SP PETS or the combined Dist. 9920/40 Conference in Rotorua where the
winner will be announced April 28, 2013 - see previous BLOG posting.
To participate
Rotarians will need to visit the RNZWCS Display Booth at
either SP PETS or Dist. 9920/40 Conference to make their paper note donation to
ERK’s - then enter in the register their contact details and answer to this
question
“HOW
MANY EMERGENCY RESPONSE KITS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS AFTER
DISASTERS OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS ??? ”
Special RNZWCS/MONAD Promotion to Help Raise Funds for ERKs
DAVE WILSON
Emergency Response Kits Chair
Rotary District 9940
97c Wyndrum Ave
LOWER HUTT 5011 New Zealand
Phone: (04) 566 6651 or 021 427320
ERK Donations To: www.rnzwcs.org & please include your name & address
Our Thanks to Dave for his continued support of this great project - DG Graeme
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