Rotary Club of Plimmerton
Visitors
The Mana Cruising Club was full to bursting and President Denise, quite rightly, gave a blanket welcome to the many guests and asked them to accept her warmest greetings and acknowledgement for taking the time to be with us tonight. This special occasion was cancelled last year because of the pandemic and it was clear that the enthusiasm for its resurgence was very warmly embraced. She especially welcomed the Mana Cruising Club Commodore, Eleanor Barrett.
The Melbourne Cup and aftermath
The evening was wonderfully well organised, Allan and Barb and their amazing team of helpers, took money and handed out horses for the Big Race. With anticipation growing, the Chocolate Wheel was whirling and providing plenty of excitement and some great prizes were won.
The crowd of punters was enormous as everyone became glued to the big screen and there were a few lucky winners and a large number of unlucky losers. A great time was had by all.
The raffle was drawn before dinner and four lovely prizes were distributed.
With dinner in full swing, President Denise announced the winners of:
The Most Fabulous Fascinator which was shared by Kay and Meryll.
The Best Dressed Man, shared by Colin and Peter.
The Best Dressed Couple, won by Bill and May.
Competition was fierce as everyone had gone to a great deal of trouble to deck themselves out in all their finery. Several members and partners took advantage of having dressed up for the occasion by having their photos taken and you will hopefully be able to find these and other photos taken during the evening in the Gallery in due course.
What’s coming up in November and beyond?
After such a very hectic social period, next week, 8 November, is Committee night, an opportunity to thrash out all those excellent ideas you've been working on.
Our last planting day for this year will be on Wednesday 9 November. There will be about 1,000 plants. Not so many trees this time as we will be planting the likes of Sedges, Carexes, Oioi, Toetoe and Flax close to the wet areas of the Domain.
The planting spots are already marked out, and Ron Lucas is planning on pre-auguring the holes ahead of time. The plants will be delivered onto site at 8.00 am on Tuesday 8 November, ready for us to lay them out in position. We need 4-5 people to help with that task for about an hour. (8.00-9.00 a.m.) Then we need about 7-8 people to help supervise the planters on the 9th (from 9.00 a.m.-1.00 p.m.) The planters will mostly be volunteers from AIG Insurance Co. There is no need to bring tools but gloves will be handy. Please contact Bill or Barry if you can help out.
To catch up on all future Events, go here.
Fun and laughter
After dinner the serious gambling began with everyone being issued with an envelope containing an inflation adjusted amount of money. The concept being to manage the odds to transform this extraordinary sum into an even more extraordinary sum which would then be used to purchase at auction some of Allan Nichols' amazing prizes.
The punters descended on the gambling booths ably managed by Kay Phillips on Two-up, Graham Craig on Black Jack, Bryan Waddle on Dice, Richard Sherwin on the Roulette Wheel, Dexter Traill on the Wheel, and Bruce Couch on the Horses. There were moments of great excitement, moments of despair and quiet resignation as the odds did their work on the envelope fortunes.
The night drew to a tumultuous close with a spirited auction run by Euon Murrell who managed to sell the prizes for eye-watering sums.
President Denise closed the very successful meeting by thanking the “Team Leader” and his many helpers for another great night celebrating the Melbourne Cup and for the funds raised consequently for the RCOP Charitable Trust.
This week’s happenings
Volunteers are still needed for wrapping Christmas parcels at North City Plaza. The most efficient way to choose your slot would be to ring Wendy, with your diary at hand, and she can put you straight onto the Master List. Rest assured, you don't have to be an expert!
Voting for the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards - People's Choice Award - is open until Monday 7 November. You might like to cast your vote for the Porirua Menz Shed, given the Club's involvement in this worthwhile project. You can do so by going here. Hurry! There are only a few days left before the voting closes.
The Almoner said …
Rhondda went into Hospital in Brisbane on Tuesday and her operation took place today. She says that she is fine. She will spend one day in ICU and a further nine in the Hospital being monitored.
Graeme's news is that he's making steady progress. Visitors are welcome provided they call in advance either on land line or mobile in case he's napping. especially between 2-4 pm each day. He has cardio rehab until the end of November so won't be back at Rotary for a while yet.
Parting thought
The Parting Thought tonight came from President Denise.
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Who’s on duty for the next month?
Unable to do your duty? Please find a replacement and inform Leigh Corner.
If you're a late 'no show' please tell President Denise.
Please arrive at 5.45 pm if you're on Door duty or hosting the Guest Speaker for the evening.
Need to apologise or bring additional guests?
Advise the Receptionist at Professionals before 10.00 am on the Monday before the meeting on 233 9955 or email paremata@dwre.co.nz if you prefer.
Please provide the name (and spelling if necessary). The same applies if you're going to be late.
