It’s the first Birthday weekend of our reigning Monarch King Charles III. I was privileged to receive the ONZM award last week in Wellington from Her Excellency the Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro and have my family present. It was such an honour and a humbling occasion.
I spent the week before with Covid reminding me that this virus is still active and interrupting people’s lives. I was very grateful that it did not impact the Investiture. Pippa and I made the difficult call to cancel our Melbourne Rotary International Conference. In hindsight, that was wise. Unfortunately, some of my staff became unwell, although not Covid, and my lack of energy post Covid meant I was at least here in NZ to assist them.
I have remained part of the Cromwell WhatsApp group that went to Conference and I know it has been a lot of fun. I know Sue, Pete, Stuart, and Adrienne will bring back some great memories and some ideas for our club.
I had the pleasure of assisting with the delivery of wood to various members of the community that we learned needed some free wood. Many thanks to Grant Lunn, Pete Svennson and Fin White and others for the great work. We met some lovely people, who were very grateful for the work Rotary does, and we were plied with hospitality, a cup of tea and scones! One of the lovely people we delivered to was Libby Smith, who made herself known as an ex-Rotarian and was keen she passed back her yellow vest. I was saddened to learn, that just a short time later she had passed away.
Libby was a past member of our club for a short time joining 29th March 2019 and resigning 29th June 2021. Libby also served for a short time on our Rotary Trust.
Pete has updated directors that the Music for Dementia project will expand to cater for a wider group of people over the next few months to get feedback from a wider group before a decision is made regarding next steps.
I called in to the Rotary Book Sale before sitting down to write this, and without spilling the beans, I gather this has been a major success. I am looking forward to helping out at the end of this major fund raiser for our club and must record a massive vote of thanks to all concerned with this project.
Signing up to our Rotary Change Over night on Saturday 24th June signals that my year is fast passing. I must thank Richard and all directors for their support, particularly during May whilst Les Misérables commitments and illness have taken some time. I am forever grateful for the way this club supports everyone in such times, and people stand up. I will formally thank people during the changeover. In the meantime, I would invite you all to join Richard and I as we embark on a new Rotary Year.
A hugely successful 2023 Rotary Book Sale supports the Cromwell Menz Shed and other community projects.
The thousands of books generously donated to our sale by the people of Cromwell and districts, will once again fund many health and wellbeing projects in this community.
This year we are delighted to be sharing a good portion of the proceeds from the sale with the Cromwell Menz Shed to build their own shed in Cromwell. Having a permanent shed will allow members to contribute even more fully to community wellbeing via the projects they undertake. In their new facility, the members will be able to provide training to community groups and individuals in a safe environment. The shed will be a community asset and has the support of Council and other community groups.
The book sale was open for more days this year. As a result of that, and visitors coming from near and far, a whopping $22,000 was raised. A heartfelt thank you to all those involved, especially the dedicated team of volunteers who work throughout the year to sort and catalogue the books to make searching easier for readers.
The decision to open from Thurs evening through until Monday morning proved to be a very worthwhile as numbers remained steady throughout the weekend, and we received wonderful feedback on the organisation and quality of the books in the Cromwell sale.
An equally big thank you goes out to the many local businesses and organisations who support the sale. R&R Hiab, Cromwell Bowling Club, Cromwell Lions Club, Goldenview Lifestyle Village, Cromwell College, CODC, Cromwell Fire Brigade and Contact Energy.
Now, we look forward to the summer book sale in January 2024. But in the meantime, the Rotary book exchange container outside Freeway Orchard is open daily and is regularly supplied with fresh reading material. This location is also the place to drop off your quality preloved books for our sales.
The Cromwell Bowling Club is situated on Alpha Street
The venue will open from 6.15pm for registration and meet and greet.
A glass of bubbles will be served on arrival.
Other drinks will be available for purchase from the Bowling Club bar.
Order of Events
7.00pm: Welcome and introductions
7.15pm: Buffet Dinner by The Kitchen Garden Central Otago.
8.00pm: Musical Interlude with Grace Tiko
Theme
Blue and Yellow
Other than being Rotary colours, what do these colours symbolise?
Blue is the color of the ocean and the sky; it often symbolizes serenity, stability, inspiration, or wisdom. It can be a calming colour and symbolize reliability.
Yellow is the colour of happiness, sunshine, energy, positivity and increased mental clarity.
Cost
$45 per person
Includes venue, welcome drink, meal, and entertainment.
Please check your email for payment instructions
So, let us celebrate another Rotary year by sharing fond memories, fine food and enjoying the camaraderie of good people.
Queenstown resident and Rotarian, Ross Beal, was the guest speaker on 22 May. Ross gave a very enlightening account of the Trust 'Fouintain of Peace, which evolved from the inspiration of a young woman, Peace Ruharuza, from Uganda, who carried a dream to help orphaned and abandoned children in her home country.
The purpose of Fountain of Peace is - To relieve poverty, advance education and promote research for the eradication of poverty. To provide care, relief, protection, housing, medical and educational facilities for children orphaned, abandoned, destitute, impoverished, disadvantaged or marginalised by reason of their economic or geographical circumstances.
Trish Bulling, on behalf of the Golden View owners, hosted a Rotary vocational visit on the 15th of May to hear the story of how the idea/business came about, where the business is now and where it is heading.
The visit included a look around the various facilities and concluded with drinks and food in the Village Lounge. Rotary members were impressed with the attractive and tasty Japanese style dishes catered by a new business in Cromwell, Matsui Sushi.
Stuart and Adrienne Heal hosted Nicki Scott, Vice President, Rotary International for a brief visit recently. Pictured are Nicky and our past Rotary International Director, Stuart, sharing some thoughts.
In July 2022, many Rotary members had fun following Radio Hauraki's Beer and Pie July. Combining with local Police staff and Sanga's Pies, $650 was raised and put towards Rotary's School Food project - a win for all involved.
Alan Lloyd led the initiative last year but he will be overseas in July '23 and intends to tackle an international Beer and Pie July this time. He is hoping that Bernie (no Presidential duties this year), Pete or someone else who enjoyed the challenge will rally the troops this year and add to the fun again this time.
