CLUB NOTICES
SHELTERBOX - Assistance required. Please see the flier below, or contact Rebecca for more info
NEPAL TOILET PROJECT - this was a joint project between the Rotary Clubs of Kathmandu in D3292, Timaru, and Waimate. We contributed $1000US to the project. It benefits 165 children and also has fantastic flow on effects in their community.
Greetings from Kathmandu ! (April 22nd)
Dear Gary,
I hope you are fine and doing well. Please find the Final Report of Girls Toilet Project. The toilet looks beautiful. It's 30 day of LOCKDOWN in Nepal.
The positive cases of COVID19 in Nepal is 42 and no death till date. With today's confirmation, the number of people infected with the Covid 19 reached 24 in Udayapur alone. The udayapur is the place where we completed our toilet project. As per school principal, the school staffs and students are safe till date.
Rotary club of Kathmandu is also working to respond COVID19. Today we handed over Swab Collection Booth to Health Minister. This will help maintain health workers' safety. RC Kathmandu is also supporting PPE sets & thermal guns to different health centers and hospitals and food items to different old age home.
I wish health and safety of your all club members.
With best regards, Rajendra Gautam (Director of Service Projects 2019/20, Rotary Club of Kathmandu)
CYCLONE HAROLD ASSISTANCE REQUEST
As a result of Cyclone Harold, there has been widespread destruction in Vanuatu to property within the regions Luganville, Ambae, Pentecost and Malo Islands.
There is urgent need for building supplies, shelter short and long term, food and mosquito Nets,
Donations to New Zealand
Rotary District 9910
Swift code. —ASBBNZ2A.
Project Account—- 12 3109 0122080 05
Please include Name / Cyclone Harold
IAN KIERNAN
Governor 2019 – 2020
Rotary District 9910
NZ Mobile:021 1475 527
THE GREAT ANNUAL ANZAC BISCUIT BAKING COMPETITION
There were only 4 entrants up to the task this year but didn't they all do a fine job! Votes have come in via an email flurry with many commenting on why they ranked their choices they way they did - from presentation, to cookie colour, to looking like my grandmas. Good job team, and man the voting was tight... exciting!
Our Anzac Biscuit champion for this year is.........drum roll please......... Rotarian Rebecca (C). Well done Bec - a prize will be headed your way, along with bragging rights for an entire year!
2nd equal went to Ethan Cain (B) and Gary Dennison (D), and they were closely followed by Russell Wallace (A)
As announced via email, the 2 entries from grandkids were both fabulous and will receive 1st equal.
Nice work to all those who entered (and voted) - I am sure no one would mind if you whip up another batch for us to taste test when we head back to face to face Rotary :)
ZOOM MEETING - 23RD APRIL 2020
What a fantastic turnout last Thursday evening for our first online Zoom Rotary meeting. 42 people involved, and a couple of furry friends (dogs that is)
President Sharyn welcomed everyone along and explained the format and then asked our guests to introduce themselves. Rick from Chicago told us a bit more about himself, his club, and some history (I hope you read about some of it in last weeks bulletin). Lars from Finland also spoke of his homeland, connections with NZ, and how things are at the moment. The following is some more background sent in by Jim Rayner -
Lars Fredricksson (Aanekoski Rotary club 1985-2020) - Lars and Nina and Valmay and I go back to 1998 when we were in America for our DG training. For some strange reason we formed a bond there and have been really close friends ever since, communicating regularly. They have been to NZ at least three times and together we have travelled to most corners of our little country. We have been to Finland and Scandinavia twice and travelled all through Finland, Norway, and Sweden with them. We have also holidayed in Queensland with them.
The first time we went to Finland Lars took us through his former air force base. He had been a pilot in the Finnish air force, was a member of their aerobatic team and a flight instructor. We were shown through the command center at the base by the commander in charge. In those days the cold war between Russia and the west was still very much in the back of the minds of the Finnish people with them having a 1300km border with Russia. The surveillance was so strict they could even see a mouse cross over. We were shown how they could close down motorways to use them as landing strips if the Russians’ came and bombed their base. In those days Finland was able to mobilize 500.000 troops in 24 hours if they needed to. Fortunately it is now much better.
Amongst the many things Lars has done he has been a Rotary International Director. Each time he has been to our Rotary Club he has come away saying he wished that all Rotary Clubs were like our one. Nina is a nurse Manager. Lars is keen to maintain the link with our club.
Next our Rotary Youth Exchange student, Calix, updated us with what he has been up to while hosted by the Meyer family during lock down. The Meyer's have a mostly cropping farm out at Hook and Calix told of how much fun he was having out on the tractor, motorbikes, fixing machinery, doing peastraw, amongst other things. He said he is really enjoying his time in New Zealand and is happy to be here instead of heading back to France at the moment - although he misses his family a lot. His English is improving all the time, but I did note that he didn't mention how home schooling was going?!?
President Sharyn then congratulated and passed on well wishes to all those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, gave an update on Our People, and then it was time for notices -
Rebecca - Shelterbox assistance needed (see flier above)
Adam - Trailbike ride fundraiser off until next year as needs to be in the right season
Michael H - Chris has finished the seats to go up on the Whitehorse track. These will be put in place when conditions allow. Thanks Chris!
Guest speaker - PDG Stuart Batty QSM, JP is an executive director of Rotary New Zealand World Community Service (RNZWCS) Limited and was asked along to present on what RNZWCS is all about and what work they currently have on the go. District 9980 donates $1 per Rotarian each year to help RNZWCS ($1300 approx). This was a very informative presentation and showed just how much Rotary is still up to in the background, even throughout this pandemic. RNZWCS was established in 1985 and has multi district status. Our District representative is David Black from the Dunedin Club. Some of the things he spoke about are as follows -
- Rotary Australasia centenary project - vaccinations in 9 Islands. please see the website at "Rotary gives every child a future"
- Australian Bushfire Relief appeal - raised $1.5 million (D9980 donated $5000)
- Support during measles outbreak in Samoa
- Project in Fiji - oxygen in hospitals
- Supporting Riccarton Club in building a school in Tanzania
- COVID-19 Appeal to support the Pacific Islands (noting that thankfully some currently have no cases)
- Cyclone Harold - disbursement of Emergency Response Kits (ERKs) to effected areas and now an appeal to replenish stock
More information and current projects can be found on their website www.rnzwcs.org
Next week the presenter will be Wayne Langford - the YOLO Farmer. You can have a sneak peak by googling YOLO Farmer or his new charity Meat the Need.
The evening was finished up by President Sharyn reading a poem to commemorate Anzac Day.
