My thanks to Gordon for running one of this month’s meetings in my absence, grand children called from Auckland. Granddad get up here! And I love it.

 

It was great having Janet Hewson from Rotary speaking to us on ROMAC, a programme that I wasn’t really aware of. ROMAC provides surgical and medical support to children in the Pacific where it otherwise would not happen. A nice reminder of the good that Rotary does in this part of the world in particular. At our Board meeting immediately after we donated $1000 to the cause.

 

Interestingly at our Board meeting we noted the relative lack of approaches from the community recently for our support. That is, few people asking for money. If it doesn’t improve, we will let the community know that we have money available, which will likely create a rush! If in your networks you know of need, ask them to contact us.

 

A reminder that we are looking for a charity for the Charity Dinner. A few options have been thrown about but nothing decided as yet. So let me know if you have a good idea – we know the community is hurting in a number of areas.

Please see the letter (below) from Cromwell Rotary about the creation of a Ronald McDonald House in Dunedin. Perhaps this too should be our charity to support for our dinner it is a resource particularly appropriate for Alexandra. Give me your thoughts.

 

 

Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls^[  so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which is usually flat. It is normally played outdoors (although there are many indoor venues) and the outdoor surface is either natural grass or artificial turf.

 

Bowls is a variant of the boules games (Italian), which, in their general form, are of ancient or prehistoric origin. Ancient Greek variants are recorded that involved throwing light objects (such as flat stones, coins, or later also stone balls) as far as possible. The aspect of tossing the balls to approach a target as closely as possible is recorded in ancient Rome. This game was spread to Roman Gaul by soldiers or sailors. A Roman sepulchre in Florence shows people playing this game, stooping down to measure the points.

 

Bowls in England has been traced certainly to the 13th century, and conjecturally to the 12th century. William Fitzstephen (d. about 1190), in his biography of Thomas Becket, gives a graphic sketch of the London of his day and, writing of the summer amusements of young men, says that on holidays they were amongst other things exercised in the Casting of Stones [in jactu lapidum], It is commonly supposed that by jactus lapidum, Fitzstephen refers to an early variety of bowls, possibly played using round stones; there is a record of iron bowls being used, though at a much later date. On the other hand, the jactus lapidum of which he speaks may have been more akin to shot put.

 

It is clear, at any rate, that a rudimentary form of the game was played in England in the 13th century. A manuscript of that period in the royal library at  Windsor, contains a drawing representing two players aiming at a small cone rather than an earthenware ball or jack.

The world's oldest surviving bowling green is the Southampton Old Bowling Green, which was first used in 1299.

 

The game eventually came under the ban of king and Parliament, both fearing it might jeopardise the practice of archery, then so important in battle. Statutes forbidding it and other sports were enacted in the reigns of Edward III, Richard II and other monarchs (see below). Even when, on the invention of gunpowder and firearms, the bow had fallen into disuse as a weapon of war, the prohibition was continued.

 

The discredit attaching to bowling alleys, first established in London in 1455, probably encouraged subsequent repressive legislation, for many of the alleys were connected with taverns frequented by the dissolute and gamesters.

 

The term bowl for "wooden ball" is recorded in the early 1400s. The name is explicitly mentioned, as bowles, in a list of unlawful games in a 1495 act by Henry VII. It occurs again in a similar statute by Henry VIII 1511 and by a further act, the Unlawful Games Act 1541—which was not repealed until 1845—artificers, labourers, apprentices, servants and the like were forbidden to play bowls at any time except Christmas, and then only in their master's house and presence. It was further enjoined that any one playing bowls outside his own garden or orchard was liable to a penalty of 6 shillings and 8 pence (a heavy penalty in today’s money), while those possessed of lands of the yearly value of £100 might obtain licences to play on their own private greens.

 

In 1864, William Wallace Mitchell (1803–1884), a Glasgow Cotton Merchant, published his "Manual of Bowls Playing" which became the basis of the rules of the modern game. Young Mitchell was only 11 years old when he played on Kilmarnock bowling green (Scotland), the oldest club in Scotland, instituted in 1740.

 

The patenting of the first lawn mower in 1830, in Britain, is strongly believed to have been the catalyst for the worldwide preparation of modern-style greens, sporting ovals, playing fields, pitches, grass courts, etc. This, in turn, led to the codification of modern rules for many sports, including lawn bowls, most football codes, lawn tennis, cricket and others.

 

Rotaract a service and social club for those aged 18 to 40 was launched in Queenstown on Thursday the 14^th of March. The Alexandra Rotary Club was well represented with Rhys, Jillian, Gordon and Paul attending.

 

The Central Lakes Rotaract (an offshoot of Rotary), will cover Queenstown, Wānaka, Cromwell and Alexandra, with meetings — on the second Thursday of each month — rotated amongst those centres.

There are 10,000-plus Rotaract clubs in 189 countries — the closest from here is in Dunedin.

 

Local Rotary Club youth director Lee-Ann Murray, who’s sponsoring the club, says there’s a gap for young people wanting to do community service, though there’s also a major social aspect to Rotaract.

Queenstown architectural technician Jess Pauling, an existing Rotarian (see picture) who’ll be the inaugural president, says Rotaract’s a good introduction to Rotary, while also being a bit more informal.

‘‘A lot of people move here and don’t have family.

 

‘‘I think it’s a great way for meeting new people and helping the community, and I think a lot of people need this and want this here.’’

While the club’s encompassing four communities, Jess Pauling doesn’t think that’s a problem — ‘‘I think about Auckland, it takes 40 minutes to drive from one side to the other’’ — and there could also be an option for online meetings, she says.

 

There’ll also be a focus on finding solutions for local issues like the housing crisis — ‘‘it’s amazing seeing what Rotary International has been able to do’’, she says.

 

‘‘As we don’t have any funding for something like this, working with groups like the Rotaract club will help fill a space and get ideas off the ground.’’

 

 

 

I am sure you will have heard news that Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Charities are planning to build rooms in Dunedin for families with children in hospital, which they hope to open around the same time as the new hospital.

 

My family have, on more than one occasion, had use of the brilliant facilities in both Invercargill and Auckland as well as realising the sad lacking of them in Dunedin. We have soon come to realise that RMH is more than a place to stay, they provide comfort, information, support & guidance and so much more. They have so much experience and expertise and planning and implanting this much needed support for our young families.

 

Many of our young families throughout Central Otago will be in need of the support of RMHC when families need to be close together in times of ill health and crisis. 

 

 

"Many of our families come from the Central Otago region. Since 2020, families from Central Otago have stayed 4168 nights in the houses and family rooms around the country.  This amounts to over $700,000 in savings in accommodation, meals etc for these families, which is a genuine lifeline for many families. 2023 has been busier than normal and we are forecasting the number of stays to be over 1300 room nights." 

 

We have asked Nadine Cooper, to speak to us at our club meeting On Monday May 27th & we would like to invite you and anyone interested to come to hear her speak as I see our organisations will be able to do much together to support this badly needed facility in our region.

 

On October 19th Cromwell Rotary are holding a Gala Dinner and Auction to raise funds towards this very worthwhile cause so mark this in your diary!!

 

Could Alexandra Club members please let me know if you can join us. As we meet at 5.45pm at the Town & Country Club for a meal and we need numbers prior to the night. Alternatively, you can join us after our meal (around 6.45pm) Any questions please give me a call.

 

 

Neroli neroli.mcrae@gmail.com