Week 8 – Back out on the Road

This past week has been spent visiting the clubs of Pahiatua, Dannevirke and Foxton.

Prior to heading north to Pahiatua last Sunday I attended the first District Learning and Development Committee meeting here in Wellington.  The Committee, headed by PDG Dexter Bambery, is responsible for District training, the Club Visioning Programme, and Rotary Leadership Institute in our District.  We had a lot of good discussion on how we might support and strengthen clubs across the District, a key message I have been taking out to clubs, in line with the Rotary Interanational Strategic Plan..  We have decided that this year we will focus on the Club Visioning Programme and how we might provide follow up support to clubs that have been through this programme.  If you need any further information on this programme please contact PDG David Watt.  

Pahiatua President Richard Ellis

Early Monday morning we attended the Rotary Club of Pahiatua’s breakfast meeting which had a theme of hats.  This club has moved from an evening to a breakfast meeting with great success.  With this change and by talking with the community they have been able to attract 12 new members to the club in recent weeks.  My congratulations to the club for having the courage to Push Boundaries and Make Change Real.  We are looking forward to attending the clubs Peace Festival that is being held on 23^rd of October.  After this is was a trip down to the Rotary Club of Carterton for a social visit to their club as guest speaker where we gave a talk on experiences in Antarctica.  As we travelled through Masterton we were reminded of a great marketing campaign for Rotary when we spied the Rotary flag flying on a flag pole as you enter the northern end of Masterton.  These flag poles have been sponsored by Rotary.

PDG Alastair and AG Nicky Orsborn, Graeme and Christine,
President of Dannevirke Club Rob and Phillipa Van Abs

Tuesday saw us at the Dannevirke Club and learning about some of their interesting upcoming projects including their Spring Festival, the spud in a bucket competition, and motor bike ride.  We then visited Foxton club on Wednesday and heard about their many and varied activities in the community.  We were interested to hear of their final meeting of the month where they invite friends and guests along to the club for a fun night and have agreed to attend one of these meetings and talk about travels in Antarctica.

Rotary Flag in Masterton

On Thursday we met at the Wellington North Club to discuss with members of the Porirua Sundown Club and visiting past Wellington North Rotarian Peter Kyle and DGE for District 7620 in Washington the proposed Rheumatic Fever project in the Porirua basin.  This project seeks to obtain a Global Grant to provide educational material to increase awareness of Rheumatic Fever and reduce the incidence of it in the Porirua Basin.  It is hoped that District 7620 will become a partner in this project.

On Friday Christine and the outgoing VTT Team were able to meet the Rt Hon. Hekia Parata at Parliament  – see previous article.  They flew out earlier today and we wish them well on their travels.

Today we were able to have the first catch up of our AGs and have a discussion of how the year is going.  My thanks to the huge amount of work they put in and for all their efforts in working with clubs.

The coming week will be a quieter week with visits to only two clubs in the Hutt Valley.

All the best for the coming week.

Chris and Graeme

VTT/GSE Team Meets Minister Of Education, the Right Honorable Hekia Parata

Amanda Williams, Lani Evans, Rt Hon. Hekia Parata, Amanda Burgess,
Aroha Fetu Darroch, and Christine Blick

On Sunday 26^th August the VTT/GSE team heads out for a month long exchange to District 5370 in Northwestern Canada.  The team has a vocational focus on youth education.  On the Friday prior to departing the team had the opportunity to visit the Minister of Education, the Right Honorable Hekia Parata at Parliament.

The team members outside Parliament building

Hekia showed a keen interest in what the team will be doing in Canada and is interested to hear about their learning’s when they return.  They had a good discussion on various aspects of New Zealand education and issues of the day.

We wish the team well for their travels and look forward to hearing of their experiences when they return.

You can see the programme for the team in Canada by clicking on the following link

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s5842rd7d3nxcpe/D9940%20Itinerary%202012.pdf

And you can follow the team on 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130951850378965/

http://nzrotaryexchange.tumblr.com/

One Day in South Wellington

The Rotary of Wellington South have been involved in producing the following book.  

Thanks to the Mayor of Wellington, Celia Wade-Brown they have successfully launched "One Day in South Wellington" a book of great photos all taken in a 24 hour period on 25 February this year to celebrate and illustrate what a fantastic community we live in.  Books cost just $20 each and will be great gifts.  There's also a companion DVD on sale.  Full details about where these books and DVDs can be bought is found on there website:

http://www.wellington-south-rotary.wellington.net.nz/index.html

All the profits from sales goes to charity with the principal beneficiary being the Wellington Childrens Hospital. 

Vocational Training Team Farewell

GSE/VTT FAREWELL

On Thursday 16 August we farewelled the Vocational Training Team (VTT) that will be heading away to District 5370 in central Canada.  The VTT is similar to the old GSE program with a greater vocational focus.  This visit will focus on Youth Education.  The event was hosted by the Rotary Club of Takaro and was an opportunity to farewell the team before they head away later this month on the 26^th August.

Jan and the team

The team is under the leadership of Dr Jan Lockett-Kay, from the Pukekura Breakfast Rotary Club where she is head of the Humanities Facility at the Western Institute of Technology in Taranaki.  Team members Aroha Fetu Darroch and Amanda Williams are both Primary School teachers in the Porirua Basin.  Amanda Burgess is a Senior Policy Analyst at the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and Lani Evans runs a charity organisation focusing on supporting young people.  Their background and bios are provided in an earlier BLOG.  Before the team heads away they will be meeting with the Minister of Education, Hekia Parata at Parliament to talk about the visit and their vocational interests.  This is an impressive team and we had the pleasure of seeing the team’s presentation that they will be giving to clubs in Canada. 

VTT Team, DG Graeme, Chair Andy Watson,
and Mitchell Brown

Our thanks to Mitchell Brown and the Rotary Club of Takaro for organising and hosting the event.  Our thanks also to Andy Watson and the VTT Committee for the hard work that they have done in organising such a great team that will do  Rotary District 9940 proud when they visit Canada.  The Canadian team will be in New Zealand in April 2013 when their visit will coincide with our District Conference in Rotorua.

We wish the team well and look forward to hearing about their experiences and learnings and how they intend to implement them when they return.

Follow the team onpage.   

https://www.facebook.com/groups/130951850378965/

http://nzrotaryexchange.tumblr.com/

Week 7. Visits in the Hutt Valley and Wellington

With President Paul Giles, Eastern Hutt

This week was spent closer to home.  On Monday evening we visited Eastern Hutt.  A old friend and past work colleague had managed to find some old incriminating photos from the past which were used to good effect in my introduction, which may have lasted longer than my speech to the club.  It was a pleasure to induct 2 new members into the club.  It was a fun night with much laughter and reminiscing of the past.

 With Christine giles, Eastern Hutt

Tuesday was an opportunity to visit my old home town of Petone and a visit to the Rotary Club of Petone.  Here we saw one of the projects that they are supporting – Te Huinga O Te Whanau “the gathering of the people”.  This is a group of members of resident tenants who dream, plan and contribute to improving their community and family lives through community involvement.  Petone Rotary is helping maintain and develop a meeting place for this group.  It was a time to talk to my old Head master from Wilford School, reminisce on the past, and tell a few tales.

Presentation of PHY to Judith Clark

Wednesday started early with a visit to the breakfast club of Hutt Valley.  We were privileged to present a community PHF to Judith Clarke for her work in organizing the reader helpers for local schools.  It was fantastic to see her family there for the presentation.  Thanks are also due to Joanna Newlove for her efforts in  organizing the promotion of Rotary at the recent Women’s Expo in Wellington.  In the evening we attended Wellington Harbour City where we had a great fun filled evening.  It was particularly pleasing to present the club with a Club Centurion Award for 2011/12, and then Centurion awards and pins to all club members, the first club in our District where all members have qualified to become Centurion members.  My congratulations and thanks to the club and all members for their support of the Rotary Foundation.

Thursday saw us in Palmerston North for the VTT farewell – see separate BLOG.

The coming week sees us visiting the Rotary Clubs of Pahiatua, Dannevirke and Foxton.

Rotary Club of Carterton now on Facebook

You can now on-line go to the Rotary Club of Carterton's Facebook page.  To see more https://www.facebook.com/CartertonRotaryClub and please if you are a facebook user/member please like the page by clicking on the  at the top of the page.

Well done!

GLOBAL WALK FOR WATER