Contributions to our bulletin are welcome and if you have anything please send to Richard at nabbo_123@hotmail.com. (But see below!)
And if you have any comments on the layout, content and information provided, let us know, because the Newsletter is yours.
Rotary Hutt City breakfast meetings
Meetings are held 7am to 8.30 am on the first and third Wednesday of the month at Boulcott's Farm Heritage Golf Club, Military Road, Lower Hutt.
Breakfast costs $25 per person, payable on arrival. Please RSVP to annagy91@gmail.com
Members, please check the Duties Roster (Management Responsibilities) below for your nominated duty for our next meeting on 2 April2025.
I would normally say "Look forward to seeing you there", but I will be away in London until June, catching up with friends and watching my beloved Brentford FC. Sue Colville (sue.colville@gmail.com)will be looking after the Newsletter in the meantime; many thanks Sue!
Meeting Responsibilities
Greeter
Wilmshurst, Wayne
Reception Desk
Eaddy, Vidette
Reception Desk
McCombs, Tony
Opening thought
Carruth, Barry
5 min What is my Business?
Cherian, Ganesh
Intro to Speaker
Xie, Brad
Thanks to Speaker
Ross, Brian
Quizlett (6 questions about your industry)
McKenna, Conal
Closing thought
Rowell, Bob
President's Report
March madness is almost over which means only one thing....
....our Harmony for Hope Charity concert on 4 April is almost upon us, so with relief we can now get excited. This is going to be very special. With over 400 tickets now claimed it promises to be a great night for Rotary, the four Hutt Valley High Schools and ultimately the Hutt Valley community.
On Thursday evening, 27 March, I was invited by the Wellington Rotary club cluster to attend their Lifting the Lid quarterly review meeting with the School Reps.
All 15 Schools involved in the program and several Rotary club representatives were in attendance. What a privilege it was to be there to hear first hand from principals, deputy principals and other representatives from the Schools.
The School representatives had the opportunity to provide feedback about the program, and without exception their feedback was incredibly positive. In fact I would go as far as to say they were gushing in their praise of the program and the speed in which they could access funds.
Summing up they were extremely grateful that Rotary could enable early interventions to make a meaningful difference in young lives. The quote of the night from the schools was:
“Rotary has provided an ambulance at the top of the cliff.”
Returning to the Concert on 4 April, we are likely to have more than 400 attending; and providing all 100 lucky dip boxes are sold (over half sold already) we should realise a profit of $35K-$40K, (with the help of some funding and sponsorship).
This is a great achievement. Over $40K was required for the costs of Orchestra, Vocalist, Lighting, Sound, Venue hire and Advertising, before break even was reached on this project.
Huge thanks go to my small team of helpers: Linton Adams, Andy Barker, Craig Deadman and Andy Soper. This has been a huge challenge and it just shows what can be done if you stay focused and move forward despite many setbacks along the way; you get there in the end!
Thanks also to our member sponsors, and to all of you that have purchased tickets and boxes, as well as helping promote the Concert.
It is fair to say that none of us will be giving up our jobs anytime soon to become concert promoters. I now understand what sleep deprivation can do to a person and am really looking forward to a break after the concert!
I will find something else to talk about from the next bulletin, honest.
In recent years most test matches between New Zealand and England have been keenly contested. This was not the case in 1955.
At Eden Park, Auckland, on 28 March, New Zealand cricket experienced its darkest day when its 11 batsmen could muster only 26 runs between them against England (which in those days toured as the Marylebone Cricket Club).
This total is still a record test low. Kiwi hopes were raised briefly in November 2011 when South Africa’s fearsome pace attack reduced Australia to 21 for 9 at Newlands, Cape Town. Unfortunately the last Australian pair boosted the total to 47. The next lowest test tallies remain two scores of 30 made by South Africa against England, in 1896 and 1924.
Dwight David Eisenhower (Ike) died on this day in 1969, at the age of 78. He served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, responsible for the planning of the D Day invasion in 1944, and later served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 - 1961.
Next Week's Speaker 2 April - Kate McGregor founder of Switch Your Spend
Switch Your Spend provides the opportunity for people to redirect the profit from money they are already spending to Charities and other Good Causes.
Kate writes on the Switch Your Spend website:
It's really hard to describe exactly how the idea for Switch Your Spend came about, but I suppose you could say it happened because it was meant to.
I believe everything happens for a reason, even the so called bad things in life. They actually become some of the biggest blessings, because it's in times of struggle that you ultimately grow.
For me, Switch Your Spend bridged the gap for wanting to make a bigger difference, without having the limitations of my time and finances holding me back.
You often hear people talking about their purpose in life. I truly think I've found mine in this business. When you get excited about working, you know you've done something right. I'm really looking forward to this new chapter and seeing this business grow into what I know it can be, and I'm really glad you've decided to be part of the journey.
Gaylene Hughes gave us her "Who am I" history. Well they always say that maths and music go together and with a career in accounting and regularly singing in her spare time, Gaylene certainly fits the bill!
President Cameron provided the update on the Harmony for Hope Concert. The break even point had thankfully passed, but whilst around 275 tickets had now been sold, over 500 seats were still available (the original target was to sell 600).
Some great news elsewhere:
A $5000 subsidy had been found for schools benefitting from Harmony for Hope, courtesy of the Hutt River Valley Club;
Around 40 tickets had been purchased by members of local Friendship Clubs in the Hutt Valley;
The 100 ''Mystery'' Gift Boxes, deisgned to raise $10,000, and which could be purchased at $100 per box, now each had a guaranteed $125 worth or prizes. So each box has that as a minimum, with some boxes having up to $1,000 worth of goods.
Allan Brown then introduced our main speaker Emina Petrovic from Victoria University of Wellington's Architecture School, whose students will be providing a report on the repurposing of the Tutukiwi Orchid House later this year (see below 26 March).
In the meantime during the meeting, Emina focused on building sustainability going forward and said that of all waste, 25% comes from building waste. She highlighted for example what normally happens when a building is flooded; it will often be totally demolished, when in fact much of the building above the flood level is still intact and unaffected by the flood water.
In terms of sustainable new builds, Living Building Challenge certification after three years was a goal for many new owners, focusing on seven elements including use of water (operating within the area's water balance) and energy (relying on solar energy only).
26 March Tutukiwi Collaboration
As planned, Emina Petrovic brought around thirty of her architectural students from Victoria University of Wellington's Architectural School to Tutukiwi (and Gibbes Watson), to enable them to get the ''feel'' of the overall garden setting and to experience first hand the interior of the former orchid house.
Prospective Hutt City mayoral candidate, Councillor Karen Morgan, stepped in at the last minute to represent the Council and welcomed both Emina and the students. A slight hiccup in that the orchid house was still padlocked when the students arrived, but a trip to the Council offices' reception and a few calls later resulted in the keys appearing: this was after Allan offered to cut the padlock chain, much to the horror
amusement of Councillor Morgan. (In his defence, he did not have the appropriate tools with him!)
Some great ideas emerging already from the students as they boarded the bus, so let's look forward to their report and suggestions!
A reminder of Club Meeting Duties: Quizlet
The Quizlet is intended to be a fun interlude, centred around the Quizmaster's choice of a challenging topic, ideally linked to their career. It gives an opportunity for members to not only find out what you do, but also raises money for the Club.
For guidance:
Make a short list of up to six questions, each with three possible answers (a, b and c);
Keep the Quizlet to around five minutes, and try and make it light hearted, so we can all learn something;
Those who get the answer right can celebrate, whilst everyone else pays into the pot!
Tough Guy & Girl Challenge - 24 May: Volunteers please!
Andy Soper writes:
We have been asked again to provide marshals for the Tough Guy & Gal Challenge in Wainuiomata on Saturday, 24 May. Andy Soper is coordinating this.
We need 24 volunteers, to make sure nobody veers away from the course. Your help will raise $2,300 towards our community and youth projects.
The weather can be challenging but there is great camaraderie and it’s such fun to watch competitors struggling through muddy ponds etc 😊
Registration will be through Clubrunner, but for now please just save the date – 24 May – and talk to anyone you know who might like to help. It’s a good opportunity for young people to get involved in a Rotary project.
Another community group has asked for help earlier in the week - Tuesday 20th, Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd from 8.45am - 1.00pm and Friday 23rd 7.45am – 2.00pm.
We will also receive a per head contribution for anyone who can make it on those days.
Wednesday 30th April sees us back at the Crooked Elm for Fifth Wednesday Drinks from 4.30 pm. A great chance to socialise and connect with one another.
Wednesday 25th June is our changeover dinner evening. A chance to celebrate outgoing President Cameron and welcome in your new president, me!
It'll be upstairs at the Speights Ale House, Jackson Street, Petone. $60 buffet dinner with fun and entertainment provided. Would love to see you there - pencil in the date NOW!.
Remember to bring some loose change along to the meeting so you can contribute if you answer a Quizlett question incorrectly :), or wish to "Buy The Box".
If you should have any interesting stories about fellow Rotarians then please pass them onto Craig so he can share them at the meeting. Email: craig@packprod.co.nz
Payment is also now available by Eftpos onsite - no excuses!
16 April 2025
Our Breakfast meeting will feature Jen Craddock and Karl Chitham from the Boulcott Memorial Redevelopment Project, who will be talking about The Boulcott Memorial - New Perspectives on the Past. The Boulcott Memorial has stood on the corner of High Street and Military Road for generations. The plaques on the memorial commemorate British soldiers who died as result of a Ngāti Haua raid on a nearby military post in 1846 – an event now known as The Battle of Boulcott Farm.
I asked you last time: What was Gordon Graham Gibbes Watson's profession? He was a barrister.
For this edition's quiz: The four basic principles of Rotary are often referred to as the "Four-Way Test." But what are they?
