Well spring has brought the usual unsettled weather to the valley but it is wonderful to feel the warmth back when the sun shines and to see the blossom and new green shoots on the trees.
We have had two meetings at the Town and Country Club since the last Bulletin. Sharon Brass came to speak to us during Daffodil week, sharing her insights into the experiences of people dealing with cancer. Her talk was at times confronting but was an honest and personal account of ways to manage something that touches many of our lives.
At the second meeting the speakers came to us via zoom. Sharon and Pete Crean are a NZ couple who are based in Kenya where they administer a programme called Beyond Water. Their focus is on ensuring schools, medical clinics, children’s homes and remote communities have access to safe, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities.Check out their story here http://www.beyondwater.global/
Thank you to everyone who helped with daffodil bunching and the collection at New World at the end of August. And another shout out to all those members and friends who helped at the lakeside clean up earlier in September. See the action photos below.
Last week I met again with the other presidents from our area. As well as this being a good opportunity to share ideas we finalised plans for an area Xmas BBQ. This will be held on Sunday 13th Dec at the Lowburn Inlet Hall and grounds. The invitation is open to Cromwell, Queenstown, Alexandra and Wanaka Clubs together with friends and family. It will be a BYO, afternoon to early evening event, with plenty of fun activities planned and a great opportunity to have a relaxed afternoon meeting a wider group of fellow Rotarians and their friends and families. More detailed information will be shared closer to the time but please save the date now.
During the weekend the Alice Springs Zone 8 Virtual Conference 2020 was livestreamed to members who had signed up. There were some very good presentations. If you would like to catch up on those then click on this link to see what was shared. https://livestream.com/blive/rotaryzone8virtualconference2020/videos/211159847
District Governor Dylan and his family will be with us on 28th to give an update on what’s happening around the District.
So please invite friends and family to join with us on Monday night. Members please make sure to sign everyone in on clubrunner.
Now that we have reached Level 1, and numbers are not limited an invitation has been extended to all members of Rotary to join the Booth family and Goldfields Whanau to celebrate the renaming and reopening of their school hall in Sharons honour.
You can sign up directly on the website by clicking here.
Rotarians Anne and Fin White staff the Cancer Society Daffodil Day stall at New World on Friday. The Mayor Tim Cadogan and Jamie, Cancer Society rep from Queenstown also dropped by during the morning to check on progress. Once again donations were steady and very generous.
We received these lovely photographs yesterday from the principal of the Apii Nikao school in Rarotonga. They have started to receive the books we ordered from Book Depository. It is great to see the children enjoying the books they have received so far.
The inaugural Secret Shed tour is coming to these parts at Labour weekend in October. Seen as the kid brother to the very successful House and Garden Tour, the secret shed event opens up 12 sheds from Lowburn to Bannockburn for all those keen to investigate what's behind those often secretive four walls and heavy doors !
Those who've been regular visitors to the Rotary House and Garden venues over recent years will know the generosity of locals in opening their much loved homes for all to see. This time it's the turn of shed fans and addicts of all things quirky and fun to see into 12 much loved sheds and working spaces in and around this area. You will be amazed at what some locals get up to in their shed. We can guarantee that you will not think about sheds in quite the same way ever again, and there's a bonus - you'll get to meet the owners as well - so there will undoubtably be plenty of chatting time on the day.
The sheds selected for the tour have been carefully considered. It's not just funky garden sheds down winding paths that you can expect to visit. There'll be sheds for everyone - men and women alike - covering many aspects of life in and around these parts. Some are HUGE, some are smaller, but because of the inherent space limitations of some sheds, numbers are strictly limited so it will pay to be in fast and expect a fun day.
Details : Secret Shed Tour, Oct 24, 2020 All proceeds to The Hangout (Cromwell Youth Centre) for the purchase of a van Sponsors : Central Otago Signs, Mitre 10, The Hangout Tickets available at FORAGE cafe at The Gate Hotel Cost $45
And what about the House and Garden Tour ?? It'll be back bigger and better than ever in 2021, but in the meantime we'd like to suggest you gather up a few mates and investigate these secret sheds where wonderful things are made and daring plans are hatched.
Rotary members have played an invaluable role in the effort to rid the African region of wild polio. We should be proud of all the hard work that we’ve done to eliminate the wild poliovirus throughout Africa and in nearly every country in the world.
This progress is the result of a decades-long effort across the 47 countries of the African region. It has involved millions of health workers traveling by foot, boat, bike and bus, innovative strategies to vaccinate children amid conflict and insecurity, and a huge disease surveillance network to test cases of paralysis and check sewage for the virus.
Over the last two decades, countless Rotary members in countries across the African region and around the world have worked together to raise funds, immunize children, advocate with local and national leaders, and raise awareness about the importance of vaccination, enabling the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to effectively respond to and stop polio outbreaks.
This milestone is an incredible public health achievement for Rotary members, the African region, and our GPEI partners, and a huge step forward on the road to global polio eradication. But we still have important work to do in order to eradicate wild polio in the last two endemic countries.
We have faced many challenges in our journey to eradicate polio. But we’ve made remarkable progress, and the polio infrastructure that Rotarians helped build will serve as a lasting legacy that will continue to help protect vulnerable children against other diseases for decades to come.
We are calling on you today to recommit yourselves to ending polio. We need each and every one of you to help finish this fight and continue raising $50 million each year for PolioPlus. The eradication of wild polio in the African region shows us that polio eradication is achievable, and shows how our hard work, partnerships and financial commitment continue to propel us forward, even during a global pandemic.
Thank you for your continued efforts, for achieving a wild polio-free African region, and for remaining committed to fulfilling our promise of a polio-free world.
Sincerely, Holger Knaack K.R. Ravindran President, Rotary International Chair, The Rotary Foundation
Rotary International President Holger Knaack and Nigeria National PolioPlus Chair Dr. Tunji Funsho congratulate Rotarians on eradicating wild polio in the African Region. Watch here.
TIME 100 recognized Funsho for his instrumental leadership and work with Rotary members and partners to achieve the eradication of wild polio in the African region.
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