Well here we are at the end of a very busy year and Xmas is upon us. The 1st six months has gone by and now we have some respite to spend with our families and friends, for those who are able to take a break at the beach or your “happy place” and feel satisfied that as a group we do make a difference within our community. Over the last few weeks a lot has gone on and now in the new year we have a very full programme that will be both rewarding and fun. That said don’t forget the Food Bank collection this weekend at New World. Make sure that your name is registered with Miles.
Interesting this time last year we were busy wrapping presents at Sylvia Park, this year we had a great event at the Trivia night and we were able to raise good funds to assist us for the future.
March is our Golf Month and now is the time to get on a roll. We are in the planning stages and also excited that we will be supporting KidsCan as part of this event. Please contact David with those who wish to sponsor a hole or get a team together to participate. Auction items are also appreciated.
We are also gaining support for other corporate sponsors to be involved. Any help is appreciated as we have to gain a large field of 34 holes to really make this work for the club and KidsCan.
This meeting was the penultimate meeting of the year. Not a huge turnout, (31 Members and 12 guests), but a quality meeting with guests being treated to a very positive recap by President Allan on the significant activities undertaken by the Club in recent weeks. i.e. The Film Evening for Polio Eradication, $1,100 raised; Trivia Night, $4,400 raised; Community Projects - garden maintenance at the GI CAB and Dove Hospice; and the installation of an AED at St Pius School.
President Allan also confirmed that Freightways (Sub60), have again confirmed sponsorship of the St Johns Rotary Golf Tournament scheduled to be held at the Remuera Golf Club on March 18th 2019. This is one of our largest fund raising activities of the year, if not the largest. Hence it is imperative that all members get in behind this event. David Hartstone is the Project Manager and he will be looking for other sponsors, donations for Auction, manual help on the day and before, etc etc.
If you think you can or would like to help, please contact David Hartstone asap. See Flyer above.
Our Guest speaker at the Dec 6th Dinner Meeting was Miles C and part of his team who recently accompanied him to Cambodia for a Habitat build. A great exercise, well presented by the team, supported by 3,396 slides!! Some of the soundbites from the presentation were;
"The slides in the presentation are in chronological order except for some of the slides".
"Shall I give him a poke?"
"I did my own washing and ironing everyday"
"I couldn't find a tea towel with the South Island on it"
"She was missing for 5 days"
Seriously - a great outcome by a great team of Kiwi volunteers who had an amazing experience and all are looking forward to accompanying Miles again next year - to Thailand in November, and in the famous words of John Anderson from Contiki Travel, book now only two seats left!!!
LAST MEETING FOR THE YEAR - Thursday Breakfast Meeting, Dec 13th 2018, Guest Speaker Sarah Trotman;
Sarah is a well respected New Zealand business leader. She is Director of Business Relations and Executive Education at AUT University’s Business School. Sarah oversees the prestigious AUT Excellence in Business Support Awards, their student leadership initiatives, ENGAGE magazine and other industry engagement strategies. Sarah mentors a number of business owners and individuals, an ex Territorial Soldier, she is a Director on a number of Boards including the NZ Business Excellence Foundation, Leadership New Zealand and the Sir Peter Blake Trust.
Our first meeting in 2019 will be Thursday 14th February;
As a special treat, being Valentines Day, it will be a Dinner Meeting - Mark your calendar accordingly now and please RSVP to Brian to ensure we cater for you and your Valentine.
Club Visit to Little Barrier Island:
Date now confirmed for Monday 18th February 2019. The trip is fully booked, but if you wish to go on the wait-list, please contact Peter B.
St Johns Rotary Golf Tournament:
Monday 18th March - Remuera Golf Club. See additional comments in Presidents message and led story above.
District 9920 2018 / 2019 Annual Conference:
Napier May 10 - 12, 2019. Last chance for an early-bird registration!!!
Please see separate story below for full details
St Andrews Hospice (Dove House) Garage Sale:
1st and 3rd Saturdays every month at 8 am. Corner Elizabeth Knox Place and Thomas Peacock Place, (off Morrin Road). Go along and assist with the sale or just go along and shop - some great bargain's. More details from Murray H.
Wednesday 5th of December was a very busy day for our Community Director and his worker bees, with no less than 3 projects completed in just one day. Unfortunately the weather over the last two months hasn't been too conducive to much outdoor activity, but the 5th was an exception and Director Miles rounded up his team and off to work they went.
The first project of the day was to clear, clean and add new top soil to the gardens outside the GI Citizens Advice Bureau. Initially there was a team of one, plus the cameraman and man in-charge of wheelbarrow, often referred to, as Milo!
...and then in a flash there were six volunteers!
..and not to leave the job half finished, young Roger spent 4 hours water-blasting on Thursday and look at the finished job!! Looking very happy with the transformation was Patsey Sim, Manager of the GI CAB.
Next job was off to St Pius School to install a recently purchase AED. The School Principal, Paul Coakley, was very happy with the installation!
....and the last project of the day was down to Dove Hospice to weed and tidy-up the garden. The following two pic's show a before and after look! The Dove Communications Manager (in 2nd Pic), was very, very happy with the transformation. A big thank you from the Club to Miles, Robyn, Gary, Kevin, Roger and Peter W, for their time and community spirit - much appreciated.
With the support of New World, (NW), we are collecting food for Glen Innes Foodbank and Tamaki Budgeting, on Saturday 15th Dec from 9 am to 5 pm in the foyer of Lunn Ave NW.
We will be handing a flier (as per sample below), to NW customers as they enter the shop and it is at their discretion that they purchase an item, that they will donate as they leave the store. It is an opportunity for excellent Rotary visibility in the public, so we must wear our Rotary gear plus those yellow high vis jackets. We also need someone to find our Rotary signage for the day - if you have please contact Miles.
We will be assisted by Glen Innes Citizens Advice volunteers, who manage the GI Food bank. If you can assist on Saturday week please email or phone Miles so he can put together a roster.
PE Robyn had the pleasure of spending last Friday with our Rotary Youth Exchange Students - five Inbounds and six 2019 Outbounds, on their annual Auckland Day.
Students and chaperones had a blast visiting the Auckland Central Fire Station, The Mayor's Office and Auckland Central Police Station. Highlights included an audience with Mayor Phil Goff - where he took the time to speak with all of us; meeting a Police Puppy; and getting some inside intel on our Armed Offenders Squad.
Once released from the Police visit, we lunched in the city and then sent RYE's on a "discover the City" quest which completed with them all catching a ferry to Half Moon Bay and a traditional Kiwi BBQ.
The following e-mail has just been received from District in regards to the Annual Conference in May next year;
"We have had a fantastic number of registrations - both Rotarians and Partners - for the District Conference in Napier next year. There was quite a flurry of activity just before the close of the Earlybird promotion. For those who did not get in by 30 November, we have a second promotional offer. If you enter the promo code 'December' and then <Apply> , you will receive a 10% discount on the registration and activity fees. This offer is only available until the end of December and there are now limited places available with a firm cap on the number of attendees and partners due to venue constraints. If you are planning on coming, get in quick!!"
Including the Conference, other activities to join in on are:
District Governor’s Golf Tournament
Art Deco Walking Tour
An Art Deco vintage car driving tour
Hawkes Bay Farmers Market in Hastings on Sunday morning
Bike winery tour
Wine tastings at the Conference venue
You can find more information about the conference here.
You can register for the conference by clicking here.
If you are interested in attending, please also advise Michelle Forman - Email: mertie.forman@gmail.com
I called an old University classmate and asked what he was doing.
He replied he was working on "Aqua-thermal treatment of ceramics, aluminium and steel under a constrained environment."
I was impressed..
However, upon further inquiry, I learned that he was washing dishes with hot water under his wife's supervision.
Well that's it for the Bulletin this year. From the entire Bulletin Team - wishing you and yours a very happy & safe Holiday season. Watch out for me in your inbox in the New Year
Did you join Rotary to do good things in the community?
You can help or join in all projects (whatever the committee), just contact the committee director and/or project team leader. In most cases, you can include family and friends.
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March is our Golf Month and now is the time to get on a roll. We are in the planning stages and also excited that we will be supporting KidsCan as part of this event. Please contact David with those who wish to sponsor a hole or get a team together to participate. Auction items are also appreciated.
We are also gaining support for other corporate sponsors to be involved. Any help is appreciated as we have to gain a large field of 34 holes to really make this work for the club and KidsCan.
Allan
Our Guest speaker at the Dec 6th Dinner Meeting was Miles C and part of his team who recently accompanied him to Cambodia for a Habitat build. A great exercise, well presented by the team, supported by 3,396 slides!! Some of the soundbites from the presentation were; 
The first project of the day was to clear, clean and add new top soil to the gardens outside the GI Citizens Advice Bureau. Initially there was a team of one, plus the cameraman and man in-charge of wheelbarrow, often referred to, as Milo!
Students and chaperones had a blast visiting the Auckland Central Fire Station, The Mayor's Office and Auckland Central Police Station. Highlights included an audience with Mayor Phil Goff - where he took the time to speak with all of us; meeting a Police Puppy; and getting some inside intel on our Armed Offenders Squad.
