Our club members have been active over the past week at RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), both as participants and helpers. We look forward to hearing about Nick Goddard's RYLA experiences in his SnapChat at our meeting this week. We are also fortunate to have as our speaker this week Tamaki MP Simon O'Connor. Simon is the local MP geographically for the majority of St Johns members, and his electorate also contains most of our partner schools. With election campaigns beginning, Simon's address is sure to be relevant.
Last Saturday, Miles, Peter Walsh, and I visited Motutapu Is. to plan for the Club's project to paint a house and to weather-proof a WW2 bunker, both buildings relevant for the operation of the Motutapu Restoration Trust's plant nursery. We then assisted preparations for the Sunday public planting efforts, by helping move a few hundred plants near to the planting site. Miles and Peter W really got stuck in with some planting themselves, and then got enthusiastically involved in trying to push the 4WD Suzuki out of the mud. Now there are places NOT to stand when pushing behind a 4WD - just ask Peter W for his advice because he watched Miles learn the hard way! Miles was VERY lucky that Peter still allowed him to ride home in his car despite the "state" of this clothing! Check out the Club's Facebook for a clue.
Note that we will be planting and also helping in the nursery on Motutapu Is. on Sunday 20 August. Please reply to my earlier email about this; family and friends welcome too.
This Tuesday is the first Board meeting of the new Rotary year. While Rotary has an appropriately flat structure, many decisions that affect the Club are made through discussion at Board meetings. If there are any matters that you would like discussed at Board level, please notify me or any other member of the Board so that these can be raised and addressed.
It was a beautiful graduation dinner attended by over 150 guests at Willow Park Christian Convention Center. The RYLArians awardees had a warm glow and was clearly elated with their achievement over the 8 days/7 nights camp. Our club was fortunate to be able to send 8 fine young men and women to RYLA and no doubt we will hear from them, including Nick Goddard in the next few months to share their stories and experiences.
David finally arrived following high jinks in the sky (thunder and lightning). He meaningfully spoke of how grateful he was of Rotary’s engagement with polio immunisation and eradiation. His late mother contracted polio as 6-month-old baby following a polio vaccination. She did recover, became a Pharmacist and a pro-vaccine supporter. David presented two topics - Charter Schools and Assisted Dying (Euthanasia) Bill.
David spoke of his passion for Charter Schools and said that following the end of schooling 1 in 4 students are not in employment and pointed out with no education, there are no jobs. David said New Zealand has the best and worst education system in the OECD. In his view, ACT bought about Charter Schools also termed Partnership Schools. Those currently operating span from a military academy, to project-based inquiry learning, to Steiner and to Maori. Partnership Schools Policy allows communities, iwi, philanthropists and business organisations to partner with educators to open new innovative schools. These schools are highly accountable as they contract with the Government to meet specified, rigorous educational standards in return for the freedom to innovate. David mentioned such a school in Albany with small class sizes of 15 students and providing good teacher salaries. It is one of the top ten schools achieving Level 2 NCEA.
David then went on to talk to about the Assisted Dying (Euthanasia) Bill. He had read the book on Lecretia Seales and believes as a society we’re failing about 25% of the time and said the motivation for this Bill is compassion. It’s about the significant minority of people with terminal illness or who are grievously and irremediably ill, as they anticipate the prospect of intolerable suffering and the indignity of the final few days and weeks of their lives.
Roger was born in South Taranaki 65 years ago, and eventually settled in Auckland in the 1980’s.
His Mother created a huge and very beautiful country garden, and it is no coincidence that Roger made his career in the garden and nursery industry. Milne’s Plant Link, a complete plant supply service, was the major focus in the 1990’s, and this business eventually sold in 2006.
The sport of rowing keeps the Milnes busy, and Roger was a rowing umpire at the Rio Olympic Games
He has been a Rotarian at Pakuranga for 5 years, and has been managing Trees for Survival for the last 2 1/2.
He will give an update on Trees for Survival, and a glimpse of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Club Contacts
President: Peter Buchanan 0274341832
Secretary, Treasurer & Apologies: Alex Gatt 021 571 722
The Club meets Thursday for breakfast at 7am for 7.15am start except for the first Thursday of the month, when the Club meets in the evening at 6pm for dinner
Venue is the Remuera Golf Club, 120 Abbotts Way, Remuera, Auckland, 1072, New Zealand.
All Rotarians are welcomed including Rotarian family members.
Others wanting to visit are most welcome to contact Brian Fergus bfergus@xtra.co.nz to arrange an invitation.
Be an active participant in our vibrant club
Did you join Rotary to do good things in the community?
You do not have to be a member of the committee organising these to go to the director and/or project team leader and offer to take on a role. In most cases, you can include family and friends.
It was a beautiful graduation dinner attended by over 150 guests at Willow Park Christian Convention Center. The RYLArians awardees had a warm glow and was clearly elated with their achievement over the 8 days/7 nights camp. Our club was fortunate to be able to send 8 fine young men and women to RYLA and no doubt we will hear from them, including Nick Goddard in the next few months to share their stories and experiences.
David finally arrived following high jinks in the sky (thunder and lightning). He meaningfully spoke of how grateful he was of Rotary’s engagement with polio immunisation and eradiation. His late mother contracted polio as 6-month-old baby following a polio vaccination. She did recover, became a Pharmacist and a pro-vaccine supporter. David presented two topics - Charter Schools and Assisted Dying (Euthanasia) Bill. 