Last month was my pen-ultimate attempt in the Bulletin, so logically this one is the ultimate. The Oxford dictionary suggests a couple of meanings for Ultimate; -
“Being or happening at the end of a process; final.”
“The best achievable or imaginable of its kind.”
Not being an Earnest Hemingway, I am going for the first definition.
Winter
Wow, winter has hit with a vengeance. For those of us lucky enough not to have to get up and go to work, but to merely light the wood burner, boil the jug, have breakfast and watch the AM show (or not) or read the paper until morning coffee time, it has been a spectacular three or so days. For those having to head off to work – Sorry!
The other morning, I had to drive over to Clyde at around 9.30am. Contractors are building a fancy fence along Dunstan Road adjacent to the new “William Hill” subdivision. It was -70C when I left home, but as I drove passed the 2 guys building the fence, one of them was in shorts and a tank top. Now that is a Southern Man.
Thank you
Thank you to all club members for your part in continuing to make this club viable and successful. In any club or organization there are those who are the Ideas people; their ideas are taken up by the organisers who make the ideas reality, and who rally the troops to put the reality into practice. This club has a good balance of all three and this is why the club continues to be successful with the many projects and fundraisers we take part in order to assist people in our community and further afield.
I think, however, we could do with a few more people coming up with ideas. To remain a strong and healthy club there also always needs to be those willing to take on the roles that keep the club moving ahead.
Rotary Regionalisation
If you read all the emails that are sent out by District and Rotary International, you will have read that there are moves afoot to introduce a pilot scheme of regionalisation of the South Pacific clubs of Rotary – Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
The aims are to introduce positive changes that will hopefully lead to Clubs getting better support, Rotary getting an enhanced profile, and ultimately to a reversal of the declining membership numbers that we have been facing in most Clubs for a number of years.
Rotary is essentially driven from the USA, and this may be the opportunity to make change that has a more local flavor.
To this end, two things will happen: -
During July/August a team from District 9999 will be organizing meetings – face to face or Zoom to communicate to all Rotarians and explain what this all about.
Secondly, there has to be a vote amongst all Zone 8 clubs to decide whether or not this will go ahead. At least 2/3rds of clubs need to support it if it is to go ahead.
The Board has set a tentative date for this and more will follow.
Board Meeting
Salient points out of Tuesday’s Board Meeting: -
- Graham tabled a budget for the 22/23 year. Based on assumptions of the US:NZ dollar his budget shows the club in the black at the end of the year. Consequently, he moved that member subscriptions remain at $200.00 for next year. Agreed by the BOD.
- The Club Accounts are in a healthy situation with $5,500 in the Current Account and $10,264.11 in the Serious Saver Account.
The Board moved to transfer the $10,264.11 into the Trust Account.
The Trust Account is in an equally healthy situation.
- $29,000 in the Current Account
- $10,831.55 on term deposit
- $10,172.03 on term deposit
- $10,032 in the Health Shuttle Account
- $10,264.11 to be transferred from the Club Account
- Grants paid out this month
Sofia Druce $1,000 to assist attending Spirit of Adventure course.
Shelter Box – agreed to fund 2 Shelter boxes.
Model United Nations Meeting - $1,500 to 3 students who were not able to attend last year due to Covid.
Dunstan HS Student Council $2,000 to assist funding of outdoor tables.
- Quiz night to go ahead sometime in September.
Cochlear Implant Guest Speakers
Normally I avoid backtracking and talking about previous Guest Speakers, however Belinda van der Monde and Nikki Cleine’s address was such an emotional chat that I thought it deserved a mention for those who missed it.
The Cochlear Implant Programme is not overly advertised – it is the charity that we get involved in with our “Loud Shirt” meeting – but it is such an incredible programme that kick starts a new life for many people every year in NZ. Sadly, not enough to satisfy the need.
When Nikki stood up to talk about her role as a liaison person, we learned that she has had the surgery which changed her life. She was a very confident, vibrant young woman, and hard to imagine that without implants she would be totally deaf. There was a number of members holding back a few tears when she was speaking.
Below is an email I received from Belinda yesterday.
Kia ora Jim
Thank you so much for the opportunity for Nikki & I to speak to your club on Tuesday night. What a wonderful, friendly and welcoming bunch you all are!
We enjoyed ourselves immensely (my favourite Rotary Club presentation so far – you set a high bar!). I hope that the members found the presentation interesting.
I have attached a copy of the last SCIP Annual Report that shows a little more about what we have done in the past year. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thanks again for your hospitality.
Ngā mihi,
Belinda van der Monde
Community Relationship Manager
Lend A Hand Trust
A quick update on progress – or lack of it – with regard to the now (June 30) pull out of Trustpower from the Trust – as per an email sent by Keith Morgan (Cromwell Club’s trustee)
June has come quickly! Seemed a good point to give you an update on Lend a Hand. I have been singularly unsuccessful at getting anyone in Mercury to respond to my attempts at contact. Based on experience to date, I don’t think I would want to be a customer and would seriously query promoting their cause.
I have just filed our annual return to Charities Services for the year ending 31-3-22. At our next trustees’ meeting [22-6-22] we will need to consider what changes we need to make in the short term to continue: Names, logo, adverts, web site etc. Following that we will need to look to cast a wider net in search of a main sponsor, any suggestions or potential contacts would be most welcome.
Meeting Night Duties
It has been said many times before, but here it comes again.
If you are rostered for a duty on any given night there is a couple of things you need to do
- Check the Bulletin so that you know you do have a duty. Don’t expect that someone is going to let you know
- If you are unable to be at that meeting, arrange for someone else to replace you – that is your responsibility
- Advise the Secretary of your apology
- Advise the President of your replacement
Don’t expect that someone is going to be able to step in at a moment’s notice to be the Sergeant, or the 3-minute speaker or the Guest Speakers Host, or the Welcoming Host.
Au Revoir
On that note I bow out of my Bulletin comment duties, and pass them over to Gordon. It won’t be my worry anymore to have Gil breathing down my neck for “Jim’s Comments”.
It looks like there is a really good group registering for Changeover, and Gordon will be supplying information on that. Got to go find that chain!
Thanks Jim
On behalf of the Alexandra Rotary Club, the editor wishes to thank Jim for his interesting comments over the past year and for his role as president.
