President Peter welcomed members and guests for fun, fellowship and friendship plus acknowledged guest speaker Graham Waterson. Nice to see Club sergeant Eric Tanner back  'on deck'. Peter rapt with how last weeks meeting went, for DG Leonie official visit. Pink theme well supported. Mo-Vember fun fund raiser project also went well, Wade Linnell later in the meeting will report on the amount donated. Peter appreciated the effort that went into the impressive Rotary Matamata Christmas parade float ,last Saturday. Nice one. Peter then read out some signifiicance of the Pohutukawa, as the native Christmas tree of Aotearoa.To the Maori Pohutukawa is a sacred tree, for it is from the ancient trees on the cliffs at Te Reinga that the spirits of the dead left this land. Legend tells us that the red of the flowers comes from the blood of the mythical hero Tawhaki, who fell to his death from the sky. Rata also has colourful flowers in the New Zealand summer time.

Long time stalwart of Matamata Graham Waterson, can remember in 1948 at his parents home 9 Tamihana Street,; the meeting his father had with Harold Schofield and Jim Gardiner and others to form Rotary Matamata. the Waterson's name for the past 95 years has been associated with Home furnishing and Funeral Director.  It is the subject as a funeral director he addressed us on. his father D C Waterson was a Foundation member of the Auckland Provincial Funeral Director Association 1935, then FDANZ 1936. Graham started his apprenticeship as a Coffin maker in 1954. In 1960 that name changed to Casket.1960 Caskets made of solid timber, steamed to form the shoulders, linseed oil pitch, stained shellac and polish rubber. Polihing the Caskets took 3 hours. Made 6 a week.Lined with calico and swandown, padded rolls, pillow face cloth. Manufacture is a bit different today, but the old patterns are still in the workshop. Early days, very little preservation of the deceased, so burials were within 3 days. Techniques evolved in that regard, and from 1960; cremation burials started to become popular. To day cremation is 60% of burials, in 30 years time predicted to be 95% of burials in NZ. Waterson's Hearses were always identifiable, 1923 Willie-Glass Top, 1938 a Ford, 1960 Humber Imperial, 1967 Impala- still going strong. Only once did he nearly lose a Casket out of the back of his Hearse !!! in Burwood Road due to the back door unlatched.To day personalised funerals have emerged as a global post-mortem (after death) trend. He noted there was more acceptance of death in his early exposure to funeral directing. Because of two world wars and large families, death of family members both young and old was a fact of life.

                                                

• Christmas Trees $40 and $50. Owen Farmilo had a shunt sheet going round for volunteers. A roster will be produced has been drawn up, which is shown further down in this bulletin.. Sales dates are 9th,16th and 23rd December.
• Christmas in the Park. Sunday 10th December. Wade Linnell has shunt sheet going round for help with Security, Gate keeper collectors.
• Peria Road to Dawson Street Rotary Matamata Walk Way now has a name:- Stanley Farm Lane. Official opening Tuesday 13th February 2018,5.30pm. Following by a Tree Planting and Lane walk. At conclusion of that, a BBQ. BYO, plates, cutlery and seating etcetera. An update on this auspicious occasion early next year.
• Peter received a thank you letter from Elizabeth Wright_ Interplast. Appreciated our hosting hospitality and the opportunity to present the Interplast endeavours. Grateful for the donation of $1000.
• Barry Mckey  reported a very successful Rotary Matamata Christmas Parade float last Saturday. Acknowledged the support of Matamata Ag Centre- Truck, Boltholder for use of their building, Murray Wills and his team, Sheryl Ertel, David Wheadon, Robbie Pearson, Gordon Lukies, David Hulme, Glenda Milligan, The team on the truck and Four Seasons for plant decoration of the truck. Barry really indicated to me of definitely no i in that team.
• Concert by the Lake flyers, Leo Kingston asked if anyone had any spare left over from last week? More will be printed. Plus volunteers to put posters and flyers around town on Thursday. Meet at Guthrie Bowron, this Thursday at 10.30am.
• No Money NO tarts !! Christmas tarts that is. Leo K. has members ordered Xmas tarts ready for pick up. Cash on pick up please.
• Mike Farrell has to date received less than expected food bank contributions. Next week is the final club meeting of this year. A $50 donation is very acceptable instead of food contributions.
• Secret Santa next week. up to $10 gift, gender neutral. It will not be a success unless everyone partakes.
•  
• Mike Farrell, has to date received less than expected food bank contributions. Next   week is our Club last meeting of the year. Please bring food bank contributions or an appreciated $50 donation to food bank, who have identified 50 plus families worthy of our communities support.
• Mo-Vember, Wade Linnell championed a successful fund raiser, to support men's health. A total of $1205.40 raised by our Club fun project.
• Xmas Trees roster of volunteers has been gazetted, for 9th, 16th and 23rd December. More members to join the sales team would be great. Interact will have a presence next to the Xmas tree sale arfea at Mitre 10.
• Lachie Duncan, Spud in the Bucket champion had been advised of a few dud spuds. He  brought to our meeting, the few left over seed potatoes as replacements. Consensus is, spud in the buckets are generally going very well.
• Maz McIvor advised that our next meeting is the last meeting Dani will attend. She travels home early January. Right now she has been touring around New Zealand. having a great time . Next week will be a special occasion.
• 
• Maz McIvor informó que nuestra próxima reunión es la última reunión a la que asistirá Dani. Ella viaja a casa a principios de enero. En este momento ella ha estado de gira por Nueva Zelanda. Pasándolo genial . La próxima semana será una ocasión. especial.
• Save a life capsules reconfigered to meet Pharmac rules are now available for ourchase. Demand has already restricted current stocks of Three Capsules and a packet of soluble Aspirin. Cost $12 per three capsule set. Lyn Dobbe champion for this Club project. Michelle Tanner does ask for any unuesed capsules be returned  to her, or remove the previous Aspirin, so to meet legal drug detail requirements . The capsule has good other uses , possibly folding up a $20 note , could come in useful if also attached to vehicle key rings.

                                  

CLUB DUTY	12th DECEMBER	16th JANUARY 2018
CLUB HOST	KEVIN SING	FIRST MEETING OF 2018
RECEPTION	GARY MOORE
RECEPTION	MIKE STEINER	BARBEQUE AT :-
BAR STEWARD	KRISHNAN NARAYANASAMI
BAR STEWARD	MURRAY WILLS	CATHY AND DAVID GASQUIONE'S
SPEAKER INTRO	FRED BARRETT	696 BUCKLAND ROAD
SPEAKER THANKS	WADE LINNELL
TOP TABLE	FRED BARRETT	FIRST BULLETIN OF 2018 WILL BE
TOP TABLE	TBA	THE WEEK OF 9TH JANUARY.
PARTING THOUGHT	JOHN FERNYHOUGH	REMINDERS IN THAT BULLETIN WILL
DANIELLA HOST	LACHIE DUNCAN	INCLUDE, TIME TO ARRIVE, WHAT TO
KITCHEN	JIM BREMNER	BRING, ETCETERA.
KITCHEN	GRENVILLE STOCKER

                                          

Difficult to choose. Have a fond memory of Petra, Jordon. But what really puts a smile on my face, is that my family and I have just returned from the UK. Not very nice cold weather there, to a warm sunny and even the rain is warm return to our home. For ever grateful that we made New Zealand our home 17 years ago.

                                       

        

Rotarian Henry Clothier, his car trailer with suitably professional eye catching signage for our upcoming Concert by the lake. Henry has already been part of many Christmas Parades around the Waikato, and still has  some more to be part of yet. Doing his bit to help promote our concert to be a success. Eighty four (84) days to the concert.