On Wednesday 15 March, our scheduled speaker did not attend but instead several of our members briefly shared their travels stories, and contributed generously to our cyclone Gabrielle appeal, the proceeds of which were matched by the club up to a total donated of $3,000.
Brenda Lazelle reports.
Paula Smith talked about her recent cycling trip in the South with friends she has been riding with for 11 years. She provided detail of the Lake Dunstan Trail - 43kms on what is at times a challenging ride on a very narrow track. She also did part of the Rail Trail, 55kms of a more leisurely ride.
Steve Lawton spoke about an upcoming trip in April when he and Bev will be in Washington DC for Bev to attend a conference. Steve will be keeping himself out of her way! He plans to spend time at the Smithsonian Institute, particularly focusing on aerospace and military aircraft exhibitions.
Linda Wellington shared in advance that she and Craig are heading to the USA for a conference in Las Vegas. But for the ten days prior they will be visiting a few National Parks including Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, then to Phoenix for some walking in that area, then to Kanab in Utah, the Bryce Canyon and The Wave – on the Arizona - Utah border. I hope you take lots of pictures to share Linda.
Tony Robinson went to Hawkes Bay to check on friends and family post cyclone Gabrielle. He found by speaking to folk on the ground, the situation is as bad if not worse than he had thought. People are under huge stress with a very long road to recovery.
Bill Day – not a trip report but on 13 March 1912 King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was opened and 111 years later on Monday 13 March 2023, staff moved over to the Children’s Hospital. This means that the new children’s Hospital is now fully operational. Bill reiterated his gratitude to Rotary for our contribution to make this six year journey a reality.
Richard Brodie and Jan did their bit for the sector travelling down the South Island East Coast to visit the Moeraki Boulders, Dunedin – making a great pitch for the Dunedin Farmers Market, and back to Hanmer Springs for some super relaxation.
Thanks everyone for an interesting morning.
Brenda Lazelle