Hi everyone.
Well I hope there are not too many long faces as a result of the outcome of the Rugby on Sunday. Sad as it is, the world will still keep spinning and we as Rotarians can still keep making a difference in the lives of others. Keep up the good work.
Purple Pinkie Day!!!
Stew Wadey opened the meeting by calling on Lara from Tony'S Catering - our caterers at the club, and presented Lara with a certificate of appreciation. This was in recognition of the caterers supplying us with soup and bread for our meal for the evening, at no cost to the members. This allowed for members to donate the normal cost of our meals to Purple Pinky Day / Polio Plus. In doing this, we raised around $900.00.
What a simple and fantastic idea.
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Our first speaker for the evening was Michelle Tanner who gave us a very informed (as always) update on the Polio situation word wide.
The world is more than 99% of the way to success. After millennia of living with poliovirus and suffering the paralysis it causes, today nearly all the world’s people live in polio-free countries; two of the three strains of wild poliovirus (WPV) have been eradicated. Some 20 million people are walking who would have been paralysed had it not been for the efforts of Rotary, national governments and health workers. If eradicating polio has been a marathon, the finishing line is in sight.
In countries where the threat of polio remains, children still receive their polio vaccine by mouth. When vaccinating millions of children in a short period of time it is impossible to document so, every child has the little finger (pinkie) nail of their left hand painted with an indelible purple marker to ensure they only receive one dose. This is how the “Purple Pinkie” has become a symbol of a polio free world.
There have been some fantastic fundraising events over the years and most recently, members have joined the Polio Plus Society, personally committing to an annual contribution to Polio Plus of US$100 pa.
It is up to us: either we honour our collective commitment to eradicate polio, or we decide not to do so. Polio, like all viruses, does not care about our intentions or choices; it only exploits human weakness. If the investment is neglected and/or if the final push for eradication is postponed, polio will spring back, reversing years of progress and increasing the cost of the final battle. Delayed investment is also a choice, a choice with tragic and costly consequences. Polio is not a problem that can wait while we hope for a better time to act. It is an emergency, and our window of opportunity will not stay open forever.
This effort will require boldness and courage from governments, from institutions, from Rotary and from each and every person who wants to help end polio in their lifetime. But it is a boldness that is easy to justify because the solution boils down to a simple proposition, an easy choice. Together, we can deliver on our promise to eradicate polio.
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In recognition of all that Michelle has contributed to Polio Plus, Vice President Wade Linnell then had the great pleasure in presenting Michelle with both her four and five sapphire pin Paul Harris Fellows.
Well done Michelle, you are a legend.
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Michelle then presented Lynette Stanley with her Polio Plus Society Pin as our latest member to make this commitment. Well done Lynette.
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The clues for last weeks mystery Rotarian were as follows:
1. My father was born in Egypt.
2/ My longest cycle ride was over 300km.
3/ I once appeared on TV.
The lucky person to try and guess this one was Brian Hunter. Now Brian knew that Jane Belton's father was born in Egypt and couldn't find anyone else that this would apply to, but he also knew that Jane had already been the mystery Rotarian. So that threw him a bit of a curve ball. He then thought about the cycle clue and with a number of cyclists in the club, that opened it up a bit and he thought that it could even be a motorcycle ride!! And then with the clue about appearing on TV, that did not help at all as there are a number of members that could apply to. In the end he made the bold call of saying that the mystery Rotarian was in fact Jane Belton... and he was correct.
Nice try at being sneaky there Sergeant David Hulme, but Brian had the measure of you this time!
Well done Brian.
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I have run out of room and time for now, so will give you an update on our second speaker Mikayla Furness, next week. 😊
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Christmas is fast approaching, so watch for the shunt sheet for Christmas Tarts again this year or you can contact Stew Wadey 027 277 9996 or Kevin Sing 021 0608 855 or 07 888 7308 to place your order. $6.50 per packet of 6. Payment on pickup please and they will be available club meetings. 
