President Hugh extended his apologies as he was having an eye operation on the day of our meeting. However, we were very well looked after by IPP Robyn who stepped in to chair the meeting in Hugh's absence - it was just like old times. Thanks Robyn and hopefully you are well on the mend Hugh and we will see you soon!
A small, but happy to be back group of 22 members and 2 guests where present for the first meeting of the year and all were keen to hear from our guest speaker, Lachlan Kerr. As members will recall, Lachlan was St. Johns Rotary's sponsored RYE student, who headed off to Chile in January 2020 to begin the experience of his life. Well he certainly did have an experience, although it was not quite what Rotary had planned or what Lachlan was expecting.Covid19 had a huge impact on his exchange plans, but what an experience he had, despite! He shared with us an insight into his time in Chile, his four months of Lockdown, his host families, his friends and his journey home and then around New Zealand as he completed his year.
Thanks to Lachlan's flexibility, maturity and his desire to make the most of his exchange, he still had a great experience and he has returned home a delightful, confident and an excellent Rotary Ambassador.
His next steps are still in the planning stage, but he is intending to enroll in University and initially study Law and Arts. We all wish you well with the next phase of your life, Lachlan and we do hope that you stay in touch with us - we would love to hear - WHAT'S NEXT!