Wednesday’s ‘Changeover’ event was a very happ
y occasion thoroughly enjoyed by 50 Rotarians and guests (see images below). The fellowship and hospitality of the Wellington Club were great highlights and the timing of proceedings allowed for enjoyment of company and friends. Congratulations to Dawn on all she has achieved over a very busy year as president.
A special recognition was made to distinguished Rotarians who have made a notable contribution over a long period. Heather Lucas and Raymond Faulkner are Keyway Award recipients and there were 5 Paul Harris Fellows awards: Fraser Ebbett a PHF, Richard Brodie and Lindsay Chitty a PHF with a blue lapel pin, and Jane Paterson & Brent Gerrard a PHF with a second blue lapel pin.
We congratulate all these people for exemplifying everything that Rotary stands for. Raymond and Fraser Ebbett were unable to be there, so we look forward to presenting them with their awards at a Rotary breakfast very soon.
So the new president is greatly looking forward to a busy year ahead, and it is my aim to get alongside and personally support all our various committees who are closely involved in significant community projects.
Two key themes were set for the year: We will celebrate and support youth leadership and resilience. We will celebrate and aim to further diversity and inclusiveness in our community.
With these guiding principals we will have 4 goals for the year and the new Board will assess our progress quarterly to see how our efforts are proceeding.
1. We set a target of raising 80K for the year.
2. We aim to raise our membership numbers by 10 per cent.
3. To increase youth interest in Rotary activities, we will aim to organise events where young people will particularly enjoy coming forward and participating with us. First examples that come to mind are beach cleanups, forest walks, movie visits, collections and there will be many others. So we will be considering some radically new community activities.
4. Every Rotarian has a skill or an interest that can benefit our Club. My hope is that every single member can feel involved and contribute something to the Club.
I am blessed to have a wonderful Board with me so let me introduce you to the "A Team":
Secretary and President Elect: Jo Douglas; Treasurer: Linda Wellington, supported by Peter Whittington when required; Past President: Dawn Sanders; Assistant Governor: David Shackleton; Projects: Paula McKnight; Club Services: Heather Lucas; Youth: Steve Lawton;
Community Services: Lisa King; Membership: Eden Skipper; Public Image: A group of people will be involved here and Tony R will report progress at Board meetings. These are Warwick Bell, Andy Ellis and Spencer and Hadleigh Petherick.
So as your president I am excited about the coming year and challenges in front of us. Please get in touch with me at any stage if you have any ideas or feel there are things we can improve upon. I will welcome your viewpoints. And so we look forward to welcoming Deidre Tarrant as our guest speaker on Wednesday. Deidre is a legend in the world of ballet and a Wellington celebrity and it is exciting that she will be joining us.
Let the new Rotary year begin!
