Well what a busy weekend for many of our clum members!!!
A good number of helpers at the Matamata Brass Band Competetion and a great group were able to attend Conference in Cambridge, as well as Michelle Tanner taking a trip across the ditch to speak at District 9640 Conference in Ballina, New South Wales.
A bit of a run down of each of the events below.
But firstly....
New Inductions
Our Rotary meeting on 28th May will be special as we are inducting four new members: Nicole Oliver who spoke to us about Diamond Lab a few weeks ago, Lianne (pronounced Lianna) Edwards-Maas from Hobbiton who has already been offering support with our Interactors, Janelle Burnside who is ready to get stuck in and Leo Kingston is returning to the fold.
It would be great if we could welcome them with a good attendance. Our speaker is Keith Trembath from Life Education Trust (TBC) which may interest partners as well.
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Matamata Brass Band Competition
A lovely note from Rob Adamson President of Matamata Brass thanking Rotary for their help at their well supported event over the weekend, saying how they would struggle without Rotary. He added by saying that he regarded Rotary as not only helpers but also Fans of Matamata Brass.
Great work Team.
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Below is a report from President Jane Belton on our District 9930 Conference in Cambridge.
Wow the Rotary year is nearly over and how do we know that because conferences are starting to happen.
Friday 17th May saw a few members attend afternoon events, Leonie played her usual golf day and Jane attended the Urban Miners event – and it was great to finally see how they take a computer or tv and turn it into recyclable items.
Sadly, they did not have a great turn out to this, so glad I took the time to visit. David and Lisette set up the Days for Girls stand at event headquarters.
Friday evening saw a few more join us for the welcome function at the town hall. Was great to catch up and talk about the rotary year with other clubs.
Days for Girls Display
Saturday saw us carpool (thanks David for organising us) so we aligned with DG Bill’s theme of being environmentally friendly. He apparently calculated the KM’s we travelled and planted trees to offset the carbon….. 😊
The road works on SH1 certainly added to the weekend as we took the back way around the lake to the Don Rowlands Centre.
We listen to great speakers like Mainstream Green - Nicola Turner, Aircon Group - Ian Grant, Rotary International Rep - Johnny Yu, Kids In Need - Linda Roil, Sustainability In Business - Katie Beth, Forsyth Barr, Eye Care for Africa - PDG Grant Spackman, Food futures: sustainability from soil to saliva - Professor Jacqueline Rowarth CNZM, FNZIAHS. Omokoroa Satellite Club
Bronwyn Carter and Peter Mackay, Zerowaste Movement - Miriama Kamo.
Saturday night saw us dress in Op Shop Glam and what a great job Maz did of the bow ties and rosettes, made from a duvet cover purchased at the op shop, the left over material was turned into a dress for herself.
We boogie the night away to entertainment provide by the Sean Lurman Band and if you want a band for an event book this young man and his band in, he had 90% of the crowd up dancing all night.
Sunday was a little later starting, which was nice. The day started with Jonathan Usher, Magician – who is still looking for his balloon – you had to be there. Then we got to dream about going on an Avalon Waterways Tour.
Restore Native’s Adam Thompson spoke next and was the great supporter of the tree planting carried out by Cambridge Club and Rotary International Rep - Johnny Yu, to offset all those who travelled to the conference. We then got an update on Rotary Regionalisation by Nick Dangerfield, Incoming District Governor. Carmen Goodwin spoke about RYLA and was great to have our soon to be member Lianne Edwards-Maas there to hear Carmen’s talk.
The main speaker of the event was Mahe Drysdale – Olympic Athlete – wow what he put himself thru to represent New Zealand each time was incredible.
The closing session was our chance to meet and celebrate the DG Train for the 2024/2025 year.
If you are interested in any of the speakers above, I dear say if you google their name you will find out more about them.
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District 9640 conference
While many of us were enjoying an excellent conference in Cambridge Michelle was swanning across the ditch and presenting to the D9640 conference in Ballina, New South Wales. As we all know by now the Rotary Club of Ballina-on-Richmond (BoR) is our sister club and the D9640 District Governor for 2023-24, Dave Harmon (and Robii) hail from that club. Dave heard Michelle present on Rotary Give Every Child A Future at the Zone 8 conference in Canberra in 2022 and asked Michelle then to present at his District Conference.
Robii and Dave hosted Michelle, and DG Craig Dowling and Kiki from D9510, South Australia for three nights. While Michelle was disappointed to miss Bill’s conference the speakers at the 9640 event were outstanding. Seeing a catholic priest on the programme was initially very uninspiring Michelle said but his presentation was ‘mind-blowing’. “The best speaker I have heard – ever” Fr Morgan Batt was an army padre who has worked in some of the most dangerous hot spots in the world. And a mountaineer, he is on a mission to climb the highest peak of every country in the world.
Ballina is an incredibly tight-knit community. Due partly to the huge Say No to Domestic Violence (DV) campaign launched by the RC BoR (and being taken up in states across Australia). 90 businesses in the town wear purple every Friday to support the DV programme and they inducted 13 new members last year and this year due mainly to the profile the DV programme has given them.
In addition, the March 2022 floods bought the community together like only a major disaster can. Indeed, Dave and Robbi only moved back into their own home a few months ago.
The club are looking forward to hosting our visit to them in November of this year.
Michelle came home with great memories, new friends and, unfortunately COVID-19!!
Get Well Soon Michelle.
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