The Power of Basic Education and Literacy: How Rotary is Paving the Way
September resonates with a theme that is close to many hearts – Basic Education and Literacy, a cornerstone initiative of Rotary International. In a rapidly evolving world, the significance of education and literacy cannot be overstated. The ripple effects of these fundamentals not only empower individuals but also uplift entire communities.
Lending Your Hand to the Cause
Want to be a beacon of change? There are ample avenues to contribute to Rotary's mission:
Make a difference with your donations to The Rotary Foundation, furthering global projects.
Invest your time and expertise in local Rotary club endeavors.
Advocate for the significance of education and literacy within your community, sparking a wider conversation.
President Tim Orrell
Secretary
Shirley Stratton
Treasurer
Graham Evans
Hosted by President Tim
Guests: Tommy Secker (speaker), Dennis Jackson
Matthew Grace
Opening thought:
We give thanks for this food,
the earth that grew it,
the hands that prepared it
and the company we share today.
Parting thought:
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
- Will Rogers
Raffle winner: Dave Edwards
Dinner menu: Beef lasagna, veges and salad, followed by lemon cheesecake and cream
Rod, Master of Randomness, mixed up the seating. Distinguishing East from West proved challenging for many people.
Gazza
Ross
Linda
Notices
President Tim
Ronald McDonald House cooking
Ronald McDonald House is short on teams to cook dinner in October and asked if we would be prepared to do another duty. There was a good show of hands from attendees to do it on 27 October, so it will be up on ClubRunner for people to sign up. We encourage new Members to have a go - it's a wonderful experience.
Board report
At the Board meeting on Monday, the purple shirt day anti-family violence campaign was discussed and it was decided not to commit to it at this point. The Club supports the Kāpiti Women's Centre with donations and a Christmas gift voucher collection. We will wait and see what other local Clubs are doing.
Golf for Good
Golf for Good is going well and generating decent income and profits. The Board has decided to retain the kiosk labour earnings as Club project money, and disburse the profits share via grants to local community organisations and activities.
Expenses claim process
If you incur any expenses on behalf of the Club, there is now a standardised form to claim reimbursement. The forms are kept behind the bar and on ClubRunner: please fill out the form and attach a receipt to give to our Treasurer, Graham. This ensures efficiency and accountability.
International convention 2027
The 2027 Rotary International Convention will be held in Barcelona in late June. Registrations are now open:
You should have received a save-the-date for Charter Night on 15 October. This is a celebration of the date of the Club's inception and is a dressy, special occasion. Partners are very welcome; please register them by 12 October.
Tawa Oktoberfest
Remember Tawa Club has invited us to attend their Oktoberfest on 22 September at the Tawa Bowling Club. $35 for a 2 course meal. Their contact details are ph 022 362 0253 or email tawarotary.club@gmail.comIf you are attending, please let Tim know. People may want to carpool.
Golf Tournament
12 November is the date of the Club's charity golf match. It requires a team effort to run it, but many hands make light work of it. Tasks will be on ClubRunner - please sign up to help out. Please consider sponsoring a hole or donating an auction prize.
Club Xmas party
The Christmas party will be at Southwards on 10 December. It will be a fabulous night, with a dress-up theme to be advised. Partners are most welcome, and we collect gift vouchers for Kāpiti Women's Centre to distribute.
Rotary Foundation Fundraising Dinner 2 November
Come enjoy a delicious meal and a conversation with Past International President and Chair-Elect of the Foundation, Gordon McInally and wife Heather. $90 a ticket. Starts at 5.30pm at the Wellington Club, 88 The Terrace. Theme: Kilts and tartan, or black and gold.
The Board resolved to support Mike Seawright's Relief Aid NZ charity with a $1,000 donation. Here is Mike's response:
Thank you so much for Rotary Kapiti’s extremely generous donation. We really appreciate your support, it makes a big difference to the work we’re able to do. I also recall you mentioned that others in your networks might be interested in supporting ReliefAid, so I wanted to follow up as the timing is particularly good. We’ve just reached an incredible milestone of 2 million people supported with vital humanitarian aid. To celebrate, we’ve launched our Double the Difference campaign, where a generous US donor is matching donations, meaning every donation can be doubled. Donations can be made through our website https://reliefaid.org.nz/what-can-you-do/
Or via bank transfer: ReliefAid Account number: 12-3019-0021294-00
Linda
People are still collecting New World Smeg stickers. Stocks of knives are starting to run out in stores, so please get them to Linda ASAP. Please bring any you have to the next meeting or drop in Linda's mailbox.
Please note the date of 1 November for the Women's Expo and pop in, even for 10 minutes, in Rotary attire to chat to people.
Gary
Taveuni Fundraiser Quiz Night
Eastern Hutt Club is hosting a quiz night at 7pm on Friday 25 September. They will have a silent and live auction on the night. BYO drinks, supper provided. We have 12 Members attending, and room for more. Please let Gary know if you can join a team. It is at Avalon Park Pavilion at Taita. People may want to carpool - check the event on ClubRunner.
Tickets are $25. Please collect the money from any guests you are bringing. Graham will invoice you, and it will be bulk paid to Eastern Hutt.
If you want to make a donation to the Taveuni project, you can let Graham know and it can be deducted from your account and receipted.
Graham
Statements have been emailed out. If you owe the Club more than $100, please pay it promptly.
Soup Sunday Fundraiser
The Kilns at Te Horo want to grab you for a lovely little afternoon out — Soup Sunday on Sunday 27 September from 12- 2pm at the Te Horo hall. $45 per ticket.
It's exactly what it sounds like: good soup, good company, and a beautiful spot on the Kāpiti Coast to while away an afternoon and you get to keep the bowl you chose to have your soup in. Best part is your money all goes toward supporting a really fabulous charity, so you get to feel virtuous while doing basically nothing but eating soup and chatting, and taking away a lovely bowl to add to your collection — my kind of fundraiser.
To make this more special we will also have an exhibition on at the Kilns by our current resident artist Alana Wilson which I am sure you will also enjoy. Saturday and Sunday 10-4pm at The Kilns, 6 Jim Winiata Way.
Graham Evans Treasurer, The Kilns.
Ross
The trailer raffle is selling well, so please keep signing up for shifts. If you have committed to a shift but can't attend, please phone Ross or put a message in the WhatsApp group to arrange a substitute.
Please wear a Rotary shirt if you have one. Newbies should sign up with an experienced Member to show them the ropes. Ross has sent out an email with step-by-step instructions for signing up for a shift. Partners and other whānau are welcome to help.
Members are also allocated 6 books to sell (or purchase) and can request more if they are able to sell to their friends and family. Please ensure you return the stubs to Ross/Derek and put the sold book stubs in numerical order to make the reconciliation easier.
If any Bulletin subscribers would like to buy tickets, email Steph (dyhrbergsa@gmail.com) and we can sort you out. $10 for a book of 6.
Cherie
Youth - RYPEN
We have 3 excellent candidates for RYPEN, thanks to the local Venturers group. Our Club sponsors 2, and another Club will sponsor the 3rd.
Te wiki o te reo Māori
Ko Steph tōku ingoa
wētā, not weta…. 💩
5 minute speaker: Steph Dyhrberg
Te wiki o te reo Māori
Steph presented a talk about this commemorative week, and the benefits of honouring te reo Māori, a taonga (treasure) and an official language of Aotearoa.
Steph gave some tips on pronunciation and common greetings, phrases and place names. She gave a short tutorial on how to correctly pronounce the words of our national anthem, sung at major sporting fixtures in both te reo and English. The crowd gave a lusty and fairly tuneful rendition of the te reo version, earning a Ka pai! from Steph.
Ngā mihi!
Guest speaker
Chris
President Tim, Tommy and Chris
Tommy gave a very polished speech
Daffodil dames
Malcolm and Tommy examine the vintage map
The steam train
Guest speaker: Tommy Secker
Steam Incorporated
Chris Eales introduced Tommy, the Commercial Manager of Steam Inc which restores, maintains and operates heritage trains throughout the country. Tommy is a keen photographer, but his passion is trains. He evidently falls asleep to videos of Thomas the Tank Engine and friends.
Steam Inc started at Paekakariki in 1972, which had historically been a major locomotive township. The oldest working train in the collection is the “Passchendaele”, built in 1915. It is incredible that this venerable piece of technology is still operating and not up on blocks in a museum!
Unusually for a heritage train venture, Steam Inc run their trains on the main tracks maintained by Kiwirail and Great Journeys NZ (formerly Tranzscenic), which requires considerable co-ordination to work in with the freight and passenger timetables, and comply with all the regulations.
The depot and steam train operation have given the town of Paekakariki a real boost, and now they have spread their operation further afield, including to the South Island. A dedicated team of paid and volunteer train enthusiasts carry out the hard work of restoring heritage equipment rescued from all over.
The team also has to do all the promotion, fundraising, make grant applications, administration, bookings and organise events. People love the trains and turn out in droves to watch them go past, take photographs and, of course, wave!
The operation has branched out from running little steam train excursions to incorporate many events all over the North Island, linking with other tourism venture partners. They are running high tea cruises to Tatum Park and also have some multi-day excursions. Steam Inc brings people and money into many communities.
Last week the team ran the annual Daffodil Express to Carterton, which was a huge success. Sue Taylor said she went on the trip and it was very well run.
The organisation has been recognised over the years with awards for its restoration and tourism activities, and was a finalist in the recent Wellington Gold Awards.
Malcolm Leeming gave Tommy a vintage railways map for safekeeping.
Chris thanked Tommy for his excellent address and told us there will be another fundraising train ride for End Polio in May 2027.
