Welcome to the latest Christmas edition of our Club Runner bulletin. My grateful thanks to Sue Colville for three excellent editions whilst I have been away in SE Asia for the month of November.
Contributions to our bulletin are welcome and if you have anything please send to Richard at nabbo_123@hotmail.com.
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
Look forward to seeing you there.
Members, please check the Duties Roster (Management Responsibilities) below for your nominated duty for our next meeting on 18 December2024.
Finally (I've always wanted to say this), MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS!!
Meeting Responsibilities
Greeter
Longstaff, Carl
Reception Desk
Cherian, Ganesh
Reception Desk
Xie, Brad
Opening thought
Carruth, Barry
3 Minute Who Am I?
Ramsay, Ian
Intro to Speaker
Hughes, Gaylene
Thanks to Speaker
Manthel, Neil
Quizlett (6 questions about your industry)
Rowell, Bob
Closing thought
Adams, Linton
President's Report
Great to see such a good turnout on Wednesday night at our Christmas party. We are an imaginative bunch who just love to dress to impress.
Thank you all so much for your contribution to the Club this year even if that was only to attend meetings. I feel there is real unity within the Club and am confident we will continue to grow and prosper next year, which can only be good for the wider community within the Hutt Valley, given our ability to get things done. Rotabiz is now providing the platform for members to network and grow business which is exactly what it was intended to do.
Happy to report 1,980 grocery packs (4,000 printed boxes provided by our club in partnership with PPL) were delivered to a large number of Schools throughout Hutt Valley and Kapiti on Monday, with a number of our members involved with the distribution.
Hopefully you are all aware of our big project for 2025 to raise funds for Lifting the Lid by now. ”Harmony for Hope” will provide the vehicle to raise a significant sum of money ($50k + if everything comes together) providing our Club, along with the other Hutt Valley clubs, support the concert event which will have the Wellington Orchestra performing movie themes with a 41 piece orchestra. https://harmonyforhope.org.nz
I’m very happy to report that not only is the NEW website up but YOU can now purchase tickets for the concert right now, thanks entirely to the great work Andy Barker from Media Giant has provided for the club free of charge.
Can't think of a better Christmas gift for your friends and family!
See you Wednesday
Cheers Cameron
PS: At the Christmas Party, Craig announced that he had sold all the $100 dollar raffle tickets (a huge thank you). The draw for the prizes (2@$100, 2@$250, $750 and $1500 will be made during the Breakfast Meeting on 18 December, leaving over $2,000 to go towards the Nourish boxes (see below).
A lovely thank you from the Christmas Hamper Elves Claire and Gabe at Nourish.
Today's Date 13 December - Eureka, I've found it!
By 1642, Dutch navigators had discovered stretches of Western Australia, but whether these coasts were continental and connected with the hypothetical southern continent of the Pacific remained unknown. Enter Abel Tasman.......
......he was instructed to explore the Indian Ocean from west to east, south of the ordinary trade route, and, proceeding eastward into the Pacific (if this proved possible), to investigate the practicability of a sea passage eastward to Chile, to rediscover the Solomon Islands of the Spaniards, and to explore New Guinea.
Leaving Batavia (modern Jakarta) in August 1642, he sailed to Mauritius then southward and eastward, reaching his most southerly latitude of 49° S at about 94° E. Turning north he discovered land on 24 November, naming it Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania).
Continuing eastward, he sighted on 13 December, at 42°10′ S, the coast of South Island and explored it northward, entering the strait between North Island and South Island, supposing it to be a bay. He left New Zealand on 4 January 1643, at North Cape, under the impression that he had probably discovered the western side of the long-imagined Terra Australis that stretched across the Pacific to near the southern tip of South America.
The Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings, Petone was a great fundraiser amassing $1100 for Lifting the Lid! A big shout out to our friend from Port Nicholson Rotary who (whilst just visiting Bunnings) helped replenish our food supplies mid morning after a concerted rush and saved our bacon (well sausages actually).
Early doors or the calm before the storm..........Richard G, Rob and Wayne
A friend of mine from the UK, who spent some time in Wellington in her formative years, asked me what a snarler was!
Anyway this is Chris and Jeremy Bishop and Richard II before he himself was snarling.........(thank you Chrissi for keeping me sane!)
Two Sues and an Andy during the first shift of the day
Looking Back.....6 December
A busy session with Andy Barker presenting the Website to be used to purchase tickets for the upcoming Harmony of Hope concert on 4 April in support of Lifting the Lid.
Andy explained the business strategy, hoping for a third of the tickets to be purchased through Rotary, a third by parties related to Wellington Orchestra and the final third by the Schools benefiting from the charitable project.
Anna Geremia-Young provided us with a brief talk about her five year career at Tall Poppy.For Anna, Lockdown was about studying and taking her professional exams towards estate agency, where she had chosen Tall Poppy because of her respect for the founder.
A major branding change this year has seen Tall Poppy's red disappear in favour of predominantly blue (Editor: I like the red, but marketing is not my forte). Innovative always, Tall Poppy now allows would be purchasers to make offers online.
Rob Cranna with forty years experience in the printing industry, then majored on all things Bluestar, providing us with a plenitful selection of guides to the services and products Bluestar provide.
Bluestar not only print, but can design and manage the overall print process. They also provide packaging to present the finished print product.
A great deal of work is taken up with the emerging craft beer industry, as well as confectionery suppliers like Whittaker's.
Forward looking, Bluestar try to follow closely a sustainability policy that is regularly audited.
Finishing his talk, Rob emphasised the importance of Rotabiz in enabling both he and his colleagues to mix with other businesses and exchange ideas.
Andy Barker also provided an educational Quizlett on all things Google, which produced many wrong answers and extra funds for Rotary!
A super night at Lowry Bay Yacht Club brought together the Hutt City Rotarians, family and friends, serenaded at the start by the Lower Hutt Brass Band who provided an excellent array of Christmas songs and carols. Two birthdays were also celebrated: see below!
The theme was all things "R", so just turning up counted - if you were a Rotarian or a Richard! We had royalty, Rocky (2), rainbows, Rock'n'Roll, reindeer, roses, redheads.....a great mix.
A super spread was provided by Lowry Bay before we all departed via our carriages.
Grateful thanks to Katrina for the photos.
The Lower Hutt Brass Band
Assembly before the Dinner, possibly singing carols.......
Linton 81 today (or 18) and Doug 78 (or 87!) celebrating their birthdays.
Bob before the hordes descended........
President Cameron trying to look like John Travolta (the theme was "R'', so RocknRoll), but yeh, nah, more like Billy Idol!
Can you spot a Rocky, Richard or Redhead?
Top Table
18 December: Guest speakers District Governor Jocelyn Hogg & DG Elect Carol Green
District Governor Jocelyn Hogg and DG Elect Carol Green will be providing an update on District business.
Jocelyn Hogg, from the Rotary Club of Levin, has seven years of dedicated service as a Rotarian. She has travelled extensively on Rotary business. Her experiences include a Friendship Exchange to India, where she actively participated in polio vaccination efforts, visited educational facilities, and observed water purification projects, witnessing the impactful work of the Rotary Foundation firsthand.
Jocelyn has also made multiple trips to Ambrim Island in Vanuatu following a devastating cyclone that destroyed homes, schools, and churches. She played a crucial role in the rebuilding efforts, demonstrating her commitment to hands-on service. Additionally, three years ago, she brought a young girl from Ambrim Island to New Zealand to provide her with an education, and the girl continues to live with Jocelyn and her husband, Alex, in Levin.
She has served as President of her Rotary Club for two consecutive years and is currently an Area Governor. She and Alex have two adult children and several grandchildren, and they reside on a family farm that has been in their family for over 100 years.
Professionally, Jocelyn works for Property Brokers Levin and has previously managed retirement villages.
DGE Carol Green will accompany Jocelyn. Current Assistant Governor and Past President of the Mt Victoria Rotary Club, she has been selected as District Governor Nominee-designate for 2025-2026.
Carol has been a long serving Rotarian, and is a former member and Past President of Rotary Hutt City and her present club Mt Victoria.
Carol is a hard worker and played a leading roll in achieving Rotary funding across our district for the new Children’s Hospital in Wellington.
We extend best wishes to Carol and her partner Nigel Miller, for their year at the helm for Rotary in 2025-2026.
Growing up in Cape Town as a person of mixed race during the apartheid era, Keith came to New Zealand in 1990.
Keith has firstly a background in secondary school education and second in advising on staff matters, working for eight years at the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA Central - now Business Central). In 2009, he set up KV Consulting as an independent training consultant, and to this day, he still provides the same assistance for employers.
His current focus is on practical strategies to correct substandard performance/behaviour in the workplace, before the formal processes of performance management and discipline. The focus is on lifting productivity in the workplace through effective staff management.
Working as a teacher and in employment has led to his practical strategies for the workplace stemming from his experience in getting teenagers to do exactly as required (by and large) without using threats/punishment and without using bribery (they call this performance/incentive pay in the workplace) – both which are used in the workplace with very limited success.
He is married to Theresa, a retired Hand Therapist. Their married daugher has provided 3 gorgeous granddaughters (aged almost 7,5,3). They have lived in the same house in Lower Hutt for the past 30 years.
He has been a part of Hutt City Baptist for the same length of time. Keith's message will focus on “Bringing people together: Restoration & Reconciliation.”
Please note: RYLA applications close on 15 December, we currently have four applications and welcome more.
There is Nothin' Like a Dame Name!
In July, (as reported in our Newsletter on 16 August), it was announced that the adopted name for the region covering New Zealand would be changed to Rotary Pacific. This replaced the term Zone 8, which had confused audiences outside Rotary.
Since then, there has been feedback that the Rotary Pacific name does not adequately reflect the geographic range of the region. So a further change has been made making Rotary Pacific now Rotary South Pacific, effective immediately. Within a global context, this name is seen as being more representative of the region.
For the record Rotary South Pacific is: Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, The Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caldeonia, Norfok Island, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Our three-minute ‘Who Am I” is for you to briefly tell your fellow members about who you are and where you have come from.
• So, this is not primarily, about your career or what you have done.
• Rather, this is your opportunity to tell us all about your background, where and how you were brought up, and the timing and events that have shaped you and your character.
• The timing is purposefully limited to three minutes so we hear of the people and spaces that have led to your life and interests.
Petone club are once again looking for help with marshalling on the streets during the fair, which next year will be held on Saturday, 15 February 2025.
If you would like to help, please contact Andy Soper. It could be as little as one hour standing on a street corner.
The future of Rotary is going to depend on more cooperation between clubs, so we should help where we can. Petone is now quite a small club but they are active, and have made a very reasonable contribution to Lifting the Lid, both with cash and personnel.
As it's Christmas, I thought I would give you two memes!
Loose change and Buying the Box
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!
Coming Soon
A message from Katrina Harding our President Elect and Events Coordinator:-
The Tree of Joy commences 14 December in Queensgate, right through until 23 December. Most slots are taken, but Katrina reports:
Thanks so much for the uptake on the Tree of Joy roster, however we've still got 7 spots left to fill.
If you can take any one of these rostered times we'd really appreciate it.
3-5 pm Tues 17 Dec
5-7 pm Thurs 19, Sat 21, Sun 22, Mon 23 Dec
11am-1pm Sun 22 Dec
1-3 pm Mon 23 Dec
We also need some more 'runners' to take the presents from Queensgate to the Salvation Army building in Cornwall St at these times:
4.00 pm Tues 17 Dec, Weds, Thurs, Fri and Sunday
7.00 pm Weds 18, Thurs and Saturday (this will be pick-up and then drop off the next morning)
Watch this space! A movie fundraiser in January before our Breafast meetings start up again in February.
5 February 2025
Our first Breakfast meeting in 2025 will be with Laurence Edwards, Wellington Water's Chief Adviser, as the main speaker.
Finally, a Christmas question for you: According to the Twelve Days of Christmas, how many gifts does my True Love give to me?
