The Spirit of Sharing

Milton Rotary Tramping Club

Ruby’s Conference Tea Towels for Starship and Cure Kids

Ruby’s Conference Tea Towels for Starship and Cure Kids

Ruby Seeto, daughter of DG 9920 Ron and Sharon, was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer when she was 9.  After a 1.5kg tumor was removed and after a year of intensive chemotherapy Ruby is now free of this.  In wanting to give something back to Starship Children’s Hospital Ruby has over the last 5 years being designing and selling a series of tea towels and to date has raised over $300k for Starship. 

Ruby kindly designed a tea towel especially for our Joint 9920/9940 Conference with the proceeds going to Starship and Cure Kids.  A number of these are still available and this your opportunity to help these great causes.  These could be used at home or make great club speaker gifts.  Please contact me if you would like to order a number at $10 each.

Sharon Seeto with daughters Noon and Ruby at conference 

selling tea towels for Starship and Cure Kids

I look forward to hearing from you.

DG Graeme

Relaxing After Conference

Chris and I enjoyed a couple of days relaxing following our Joint District Conference in Rotorua.  We were pleased with the way the event went and all of the positive feedback that we have received.  It was great to work with and meet many of our Auckland fellow Rotarians.

Last weekend we were DG Reps for the District 9970 conference held in Methven. This was a lot small than our event with around 220 attendees.  It was an enjoyable conference where we could just relax and enjoy the speakers and Saturday Country and WesternDance.

During the week we attended the Joint Hutt 1 and Hutt 2 Cluster Forum, which attracted a great speaker being Judy Bailey talking about the Brain Wave Trust.  This event saw over 150 attendees present and was the second forum held by the clubs in the Hutt Valley.  It was great to see the joint meetings working so well and supporting such a great cause.

In a few days Faye Elliot from Takaro Rotary, sponsored by District, and Samuel Stevens, sponsored by Wellington Rotary, will be heading out to the Peace Forum in Hiroshima. We wish them well and look forward to hearing of their experience on their return.  

We wish you all the best for the coming week.

Graeme and Chris

Outbound Peace Fellow – Sarah Agnew

Outbound Peace Fellow – Sarah Agnew

District 9940 is pleased to be sponsoring Sarah Agnew as a 2013 Rotary Peace Fellow to Uppsala University in Sweden.  Sarah has provide a brief bio below.  We wish Sarah all the best for here studies.

DG Graeme

My name is Sarah Agnew and I am the 2013-15 Rotary Peace Fellow from District 9940, sponsored by the Port Nicholson Rotary Club.

From August 2013, I will be undertaking a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies at Uppsala University in Sweden.

My area of expertise is in human rights law.  I currently work as a solicitor at John Miller Law, specialising in Accident Compensation work, Criminal and Civil law.  I previously worked at the Ministry of Justice in the Human Rights Team.

Outside of my vocational interests I enjoy salsa dancing, learning Spanish and Japanese and learning about other cultures, travelling, reading and playing the guitar.

While in Sweden I intend to become involved with my host Rotary Club as well as other community and volunteer activities.  I am looking forward to flying the kiwi flag and promoting the work of New Zealand Rotarians. 

On completion of my scholarship, I cannot wait to see what opportunities will arise and what doors will open. I aim to use the skills and education I have gained to help in whatever way I can to implement human rights standards, both in times of peace and conflict, in developing countries.  My career aspirations are also to work in a Non-Governmental Organisation (such as the International Committee of the Red Cross), at the United Nations, or in an international tribunal or criminal court.  

I cannot express how happy and grateful I am to the Rotary Foundation and Rotarians for this life changing opportunity.  

An update on our involvment in Timor Leste

This joint project involving Rotary Clubs of Hutt City, Pencarrow, Johnsonville and Wellington North is at the implementation stage. The equipment – theatre linen manufactured in Dili ($NZ20,000), shelving system($NZ10,000) and computers, have all been ordered and will be in place in time to be received by four team members arriving from New Zealand and Australia at the end of May and early June 2013.

The  team will set about training local nursing staff in the correct ‘handling’ of the linen and instruments with further training taking place back in New Zealand at a later time. The anticipated success of the Project will result in local nursing staff using up to date methods and equipment that will support the surgical staff provide better outcomes for their patients.

 It is interesting to see that the original budget of $85,000 has been eroded by the ‘exchange rate’ to $80,000. The Royal College of Australasian Surgeons (RACS) has been instrumental in overseeing the project alongside Rotary and the Rotary Club of Dili has provided guidance and support along the way.

Provided by the Rotary Club of Hutt City

WOW Raffle