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An introduction to the new Rotary year - 29 June 2021

An introduction to the new Rotary year - 29 June 2021

 

Newly elected President Kay Phillips started her presentation to the Club with an introduction to her Board for 2021-2022 as follows:

  • President: Kay Phillips
  • Immediate Past President: Bill McAulay
  • President-Elect: Denise Traill
  • Secretary: Graeme Tongs
  • Treasurer: Bruce Couch
  • Communications: Phillip Reidy
  • Community & Fundraising: Les Callear
  • International: Tania Woodcock
  • Youth: Colin Whyte

There are many people who help keep our Club operating smoothly each year and I’d like to present our Club Officers for 2021-2022. She invited those people in the background who keep our Club running smoothly with all the activities you like about Rotary so that they could be acknowledged.

  • Membership Director: John O’Connell
  • Audio-Visual Manager: Peter Sinké (missing from the photo)
  • Social Manager: Chris Garrett
  • Programme Manager: Nick Walmsley
  • Social Meetings: Bryan Waddle
  • Attendance & Venue Manager: Philip Whearty
  • Almoners: John Barber & Rhondda Sweetman
  • Website Manager and Update Editor: Wendy Betteridge
  • Roster: Graham Wallace
  • Youth & Vulnerable Persons Protection Officer: John O’Connell
  • Events Photographer: Graham Craig

Shekhar Mehta from West Bengal in India is our new World President. Shekhar has urged the 1.22 million Rotarians worldwide to become more involved in service projects, saying that caring for and serving others is the best way to live because it changes not only other people’s lives but also our own. Shekhar has chosen the 2021-22 Rotary Theme: “Serve to Change Lives”. As Rotarians who are part of this wonderful international organisation, we must aspire to giving service locally and globally. Our projects need to reflect at least one of the Rotary Causes which used to be called the Pillars of Rotary.

  • Promoting peace   
  • Fighting disease
  • Saving mothers and children
  • Supporting education 
  • Growing local economies
  • Protecting the environment
  • Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene

Rotary encourages conversations and training to foster understanding within and across cultures. Our members combat diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and polio. Prevention is important, which is why we also focus on health education and bringing people routine hearing, vision, and dental care. Nearly 6 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. We expand access to quality health services and care, so mothers and their children can live and grow stronger. More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. Rotary’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.
We support local solutions to bring clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to more people every day. We carry out service projects that enhance economic and community development and create opportunities for productive work for young and old. Shekhar Mehta would like us to focus on young women in particular.

Rotary members are also tackling environmental issues.

Plimmerton Rotarians are committed to the core values of Rotary International. Our contributions improve lives in our local and international communities. The dual tenets of Rotary – service and fellowship are supported by diversity, integrity, and leadership. Plimmerton Rotarians will continue to build lifelong friendships through the experience of providing dynamic, action-oriented volunteer service to others. Over the coming year, I hope we will build on our strengths:

  • Our local service projects, 
  • Our friendships
  • Our social activities that help bind us together as a Club.
  • And we will, I hope, undertake a few international activities whilst keeping our main focus on the  Porirua community.

To enable our service to the Community we need to:

  • Continue and expand our relationships with relevant organisations, such as the PCC; Police College, Ngati Toa, Inner Wheel, and Zonta
  • We need to focus on what the Community perceives as their needs and not our own perception of that.
  • And to enable this level of service we must fundraise. 

We have made a great start to The Rotary Forest of Peace and Remembrance. 4-5000 more trees and shrubs are being planted over the next 5 weeks. During my discussions with her, Mayor Anita Baker suggested another Community Garden and members have, over recent months, indicated strong support for this project. The MenzShed members are enthusiastic about this being a joint project. Several people have suggested they would like to see a return to some kind of Trade Award. Details, including a name,  will be worked out very soon. I hope we have an offer to Champion this project very soon! We already have a strong presence in local education. Long may this continue. To continue existing and begin new projects we must build an appropriate fund. As well as several other fundraising projects the major fundraisers I’d like all members to support include: 

  • A Yellow Duck Race – children and adults hire our ducks to race along a local waterway with prizes for the lucky – a great community event getting Rotary seen out in the community. This may be run in collaboration with Life Education thanks to Graeme Blick having the same idea.
  • A return to the Celebrity Debate with Zonta is on the cards. 
  • Bob Austin has put forward a marathon swim relay as a major fundraiser. As this used to raise huge money for my former Brighton North Club in Melbourne I see it as a great possibility. Again, this gets us out into the community. 
  • The Golf tournament to raise funds for Mary Potter Hospice has become an integral part of our calendar and I look forward to this in November.
  • And, most of you know my love of dressing up so let’s have a garden party!

While we continue through our Club’s Rotary journey this year let’s take a moment to reflect on the all-important Four-Way Test. As Rotarians, these questions should guide our thinking in our service and personal lives. Bill has presided over an active Club this past year. Thank you, Bill. And, I know our new President-Elect, Denise, will be contributing to a successful year and building towards her year as president. Good luck Denise. As your 2021-22 President, I hope you will support me in my endeavours to continue and to develop our very special Club. And, thank you, everyone, for your kind words of support over recent weeks.

Finally, to quote Allan Nicholl’s July 2020 Viewpoint, let us “ensure that everything we do strengthens the Club and very importantly – that we have fun”. I agree with Allan wholeheartedly. We need to have fun and enjoyment in undertaking our projects and activities.

So let’s get on with it! Thank you.

 
 
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