Well done RCSJ members! Another successful and very timely Foodbank collection completed. It is heart-warming to experience the generosity of the general public at our local New World when we do these collections. A project and a fellowship event rolled into one - thanks so much to all members who were so generous with their time at such a busy time of year. (More info below on how well we did).
We finished up the year with a super-casual BBQ at the golf club. Really lovely to be able to debrief on the day's event and relax in great company. We will reconvene next year with our first meet back on February 13th.
I hope you all get a chance to relax and re-energise over the festive season and wish you all a joyful and peaceful summer break.
Saturday the 14th of December was the Club's last day of activity for the year and what a successful day it was!
Between 9 am and 4 pm, 30 plus members and some family members, supported by staff from the CAB, collected food donations for the Glen Innes Food Bank, at New World, Lunn Ave.
The following picture shows just a few of the volunteers and just a fraction of the 94 boxes of food collected!
Many thanks to all who helped on the day, with very special thanks to Graham Fabian for access to New World and to Miles for all his organisation and coordination.
Following a very busy day at the Food Bank collection, a small but very supportive group of 30 plus people, ended the day, and the year, with a BBQ Dinner at our home base, the Remuera Golf Club. Click on Read more for a few photos of the event.
St. Johns Rotary Annual Golf Tournament - In association with Freightways
Remuera Golf Club, 16 March 2020.
Teams, Sponsorship and Prizes now needed. Think you can help? Please contact David Hartstone now - he needs our help to ensure that our biggest fund raising event of the year is a success!
Last Wednesday D9920s Inbound and Outbound Exchange Students experienced Auckland Day. This is a day of civic activities around Auckland city, arranged and chaperoned by our RYE District Committee and President Robyn, who accompanied Gonza, and submitted this story recapping the day.
We started early at the Central Fire Station for a talk and tour and some of our students got to put on the basic fire fighters kit and then attempt to try and walk (and look cool). We then got to watch a real team, effortlessly gear-up and head off to an emergency.
From there, a police convoy of five cars arrived to take us to the Auckland Harbour Bridge Police Station. The first time in a Police car for all of us! We enjoyed a comprehensive visit and got up-close and personal with Police motorcycles, cars, a ‘booze bus’, saw how a spike strip is used; watched a huge Police dog and his handler in action and met some fully kitted-out members of an armed response team. Our group of 15 were then Police-escorted back into the city and dropped off at the Mayor’s Office.
After passing through security, we were ushered some 20 floors up to meet with Deputy Mayor Bill Cashmore who told us some great facts about our city and graciously answered questions as well as providing us with a much-appreciated chocolate biscuit fuel up.
Then it was off to a food court for lunch and a quick change into casual clothes for our students – who set off on a Great Auckland Race, which was a timed challenge requiring them to move around the city to answer a city-quiz and then ferry to Half Moon Bay to be transported to a BBQ.
This was the final event this group of RYE students would be all together with Gonza, so we used this occasion to formally farewell him. Gonza received his official RYE Completion Certificate from the RYE District Chair and we were able to announce that his fundraising efforts had met the target of $600 (in fact he was just over that amount – awesome effort Senor Pratto!) Gonza delivered a lovely speech and made his host parents, host councillor and host club feel extremely proud.
Dove Hospice run a monthly sale at their warehouse (very near the Auckland Netball Centre in St Johns). Come along and assist with the sale or just come along and shop! Corner Elizabeth Knox Place and Thomas Peacock Place, (off Morrin Road). Get details from our regular on the scene Murray H, click this link to email him: murrayh1@orcon.net.nz
Two refurbished laptops were donated to Glen Taylor School last week. Huge thanks to Stan Lesak from Reliance Worldwide Corporation (NZ) Limited for approaching our club to ask if any of 'our' schools would be interested in these laptops. It was a huge YES PLEASE from Glen Taylor School. (Stan is partner of RCSJ member Jan Hogg).
If your business is upgrading laptops - please consider contacting us if you want to donate the older stock. We have no trouble at all finding grateful recipients.
In October 2019, your membership committee carried out a survey of members on communication methods and meeting attendance for Rotary Club of St Johns. Of the club’s 62 members, 35 gave answers to the survey, which is an excellent response and we are grateful for the member’s participation.
Members get information about the club from the meetings (85%) and bulletin (97%). Whilst many members have reported that they would like to make greater use of the Club Runner web tool and mobile app, they also reported being unfamiliar with its use. The membership committee has discussed ways to improve member knowledge of this system and we will be putting some of those plans into action in the first half of 2020.
Half of members reported attend 2-3 meetings a month, with a quarter of members attending every meeting. This lines up with recorded attendance, which for the last four years has been stable in the range 45 - 47% of members.
The primary barrier to attending more meetings is work commitments. As the morning meeting ends at the 8.30 am, many members either have to leave early or not attend at all to get to work on time.
In conclusion whilst meetings have a central role in conveying information and have other, equally important roles, including fellowship, they are no longer the sole method of conveying information. If the club wants to recruit a broader membership, it will have to adapt to new methods of communication.
The Membership Committee, would like to thank Shaun Peacock for developing, running and reporting on the survey?
The following story has been written by our President, Robyn;
It was an absolute privilege to travel to Motutapu Island on Friday to meet three five-week old Kiwi that were ready for release.
The invite came from the Motutapu Restoration Trust via Eco-Warrior Peter B. Peter wasn’t able to attend the day so put a call-out to his Science & Environment team to go in his place (not so easy on a weekday). Avi, Kyle (Avi’s son) and I jumped at the opportunity. There were almost 200 people present, from various groups who have contributed in some way to the environmental work on Motutapu. It was amazing how quiet the group was (as per instructions) because excited-loud noise would have been too unsettling for the baby Kiwi. The Kiwi handlers let the birds nestle into them and calmly walked around us so that we could ‘ohhh and ahhh’ (ever so quietly) and take photographs. We weren’t allowed to touch the birds but just seeing them so close and in the light of day, was awesome. After a good half an hour of shy posing, the Kiwi babies (totally self sufficient within hours of hatching) were safely returned to nesting boxes for the handlers to spirit away for their private release at an undisclosed location on the Island.
This release marked Kiwi 100 (plus buddies) on Motutapu. The Trust advised the Island could support up to 200 Kiwi – so they have plenty more releases to plan for. Kiwi eggs are taken from birds in the Coromandel where survival has not been great. Eggs are then carefully incubated for successful hatching and release. Once maximum numbers are established on Motutapu, the plan is to release Kiwi back into the Coromandel to rebuild numbers there.
Rotary Clubs of Newmarket and St Johns got a special mention for their work on Motutapu. There was also an opportunity to walk up the track and check out areas where RCSJ has assisted with planting. Growth is looking very healthy! A superb way to spend a sunny, hot Friday leaving three human Kiwi’s from RCSJ feeling very fortunate.
Your generosity and thoughtfulness throughout 2019 have made it one of the most notable for our students. As a sponsor, and maybe a donor as well, you have been fighting poverty through education in a country where only 1 in 3 students starting primary school will ever complete secondary school.
School is officially out for the summer and we look forward to welcoming our students back on the 8th of January 2020. Our business office will close on the 13th of December and reopen on the 6th of January 2020.
It has been a pleasure keeping you updated throughout 2019 and we thank you for your patience as our team endeavour to be the timely and informative link between you and the student(s) whose academic scholarship you sponsor. Our students and staff hope you wrap up the year in high spirits, knowing that wherever you are spending the upcoming holiday season we trust you are looking forward to 2020. Be it family time, adventure, relaxation, sunshine, or even snow – we hope it will be fulfilling.
Here in Arusha, our school community is looking forward to the next big events on the St Jude’s calendar:
Official Opening of St Jude’s Girls’ Secondary school on 10th of January 2020.
Standard 7 graduation on 3rd of December 2020.
Form 4 celebration & awards day on 10th of October 2020.
Form 6 Graduation on 23rd of May 2020.
As always, you are welcome to join us for any of these events because we love visitors!
Feel free to email us in case you need anything and we will respond in January once we return. Wishing you a restful, peaceful and enjoyable Christmas from the Sponsor Relations team, Gemma and everyone at St Jude’s!
This edition of the Bulletin signals the last for this year.
As noted above our next club meeting will be a breakfast meeting on Thursday February 13th. Please put this in your calendar now, to ensure you don't overlook this date.
The next edition of the Bulletin reminding you all of the re-start, will be published in early February. Until then, from the Editor to you and your families, a very happy and safe Holiday Season! See you all next year. Ed.
A priest and a rabbi are sitting next to each other on an aeroplane. After a while the priest turned to the rabbi. "Is it still a requirement of your faith that you not eat pork?" the priest asked. "Yes,“ replied the rabbi. “That is still one of our beliefs." "Have you ever eaten pork?" the priest asked. "Yes,“ answered the rabbi. “On one occasion I did succumb to temptation and tasted a ham sandwich." The priest nodded in understanding and went on with his reading. A little while later, the rabbi turned to the priest. "Father, is it still a requirement of your church that you remain celibate?" he asked. "Yes, “ answered the priest. “That is still very much a part of our faith." "Father, have you ever fallen to the temptations of the flesh and had sex?" asked the rabbi. "Yes, rabbi, on one occasion I was weak and broke with my faith." The rabbi nodded understandingly. He was silent for about two minutes, and then said, "Beats the hell out of a ham sandwich, doesn’t it.”
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. Enjoy your Rotary: Be an active Rotarian
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Many thanks to all who helped on the day, with very special thanks to Graham Fabian for access to New World and to Miles for all his organisation and coordination.
We started early at the Central Fire Station for a talk and tour and some of our students got to put on the basic fire fighters kit and then attempt to try and walk (and look cool). We then got to watch a real team, effortlessly gear-up and head off to an emergency.
Then it was off to a food court for lunch and a quick change into casual clothes for our students – who set off on a Great Auckland Race, which was a timed challenge requiring them to move around the city to answer a city-quiz and then ferry to Half Moon Bay to be transported to a BBQ.
Two refurbished laptops were donated to Glen Taylor School last week. Huge thanks to Stan Lesak from Reliance Worldwide Corporation (NZ) Limited for approaching our club to ask if any of 'our' schools would be interested in these laptops. It was a huge YES PLEASE from Glen Taylor School. (Stan is partner of RCSJ member Jan Hogg). 
This release marked Kiwi 100 (plus buddies) on Motutapu. The Trust advised the Island could support up to 200 Kiwi – so they have plenty more releases to plan for. Kiwi eggs are taken from birds in the Coromandel where survival has not been great. Eggs are then carefully incubated for successful hatching and release. Once maximum numbers are established on Motutapu, the plan is to release Kiwi back into the Coromandel to rebuild numbers there.
