INSIDE: New Rotarians Paul Harris Fellows 2 Iron to help Fijians 2 Rotary Friendship Exchange 3 Vocational team heads to Mongolia 4 Chartering of NRG Invercargill 5 How new health and safety laws 6 affect volunteers and charities RYLA 2016 7 District 9980 Rotary Newsletter - APR 2016 ROTARY IN THE SOUTH INTRODUCING OUR NEW DISTRICT GOVERNOR NOMINEE Hi, I am Andrew Hamilton, and I have had a wonderful journey with Rotary. I look forward to a very exciting couple of years in the run up to being the 2018/19 District Governor for District 9980. I joined Rotary in 2005 and was lucky enough to be invited to join a strong Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Dunedin Central. Dunedin Central meets on Tuesday nights. It’s a great group of people who enjoy contributing to Rotary and having fun along the way. During the past 11 years I have been the Club Treasurer, on the Foundation Committee, Director of Membership and President for the 2014/15 year. Like everything in life, you get out of things you do, what you put into them, and Rotary is no exception. You get to meet some amazing people, do some great work for those in need, make a difference and experience fun and fellowship at the same time. I am lucky enough to have been married to Barbara for 23 years and we have two daughters, Abbey and Laura. Like most families life is busy. With both girls very involved in sport, Barbara spends many hours in the car clocking up kilometres. Family holidays (never enough!) are highlights of our family life, a time when we can do things together, travel and explore new places. Raised on a Northern Southland farm, I enjoyed a rural upbringing, before attending boarding school, studying Commerce at Otago University, working in both Dunedin and Wellington for Ernst & Young and its predecessors. Arriving back from London with the strong calling of the South Island, I returned to Dunedin. Barbara and I owned and operated a book shop which we ran for five years. During this time we founded a Chartered Accounting Practice. Twenty three years later we have nine employees and a busy, growing business. I look forward to meeting and getting to know as many Rotarians as possible over the next three years during what I am sure will be an interesting, inspiring and rewarding journey! The nominating committee’s recommendation is to be confirmed at the District AGM 14 May 2016. District 9980 Rotary Newsletter DG COMMENT Thank you for all you have done so far this Rotary I’d also like to mention the year. I’m blown away by the generosity, goodwill fantastic news that the district’s and kindness of Rotarians. The activity within clubs is first vocational training team (VTT) received approval from the Rotary simply amazing! Foundation and is headed to I’ve been lucky enough to attend some of the following activities: Mongolia in May for a midwifery • The chartering of the District’s newest club, NRG Invercargill project. • The launch of the NRG Queenstown, as a satellite club of Rotary Queenstown The Peace is Possible team also • Successful Rotary Youth Leadership Academy for 31 participants headed to Turkey, despite the high • Orientation Day for the Rotary Australia and New Zealand Student Exchange terror alert issued for that country participants and I am really looking forward to hearing about their experience at • Relay for Life with Rotary Cromwell conference. • 40th Birthday for Invercargill East Rotary • Attending the Rotary Foundation Million Dollar Dinner Congratulations to Rotary Waimate and Dunedin East Rotary for being • St Patrick’s Day with Rotary Fiordland 1st and 2nd respectively in the • Visiting Rotary Timaru at their NEW venue District for Foundation giving, per • Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Dictionary in Schools project with capita 2014-15. Invercargill North Rotary Lastly, PLEASE get those • Participating in the “Drive a Dream” fundraiser, Invercargill East conference registrations in, • Prizegiving at the Invercargill North & East Golf Tournament www.9980conference.co.nz • Attending SSPETS and Showcase See you there! • Visiting Rotary Mosgiel to acknowledge the effort of Rotarian Lindsay Thorburn, Karen for the Corrugated Iron project in Fiji DISTRICT CALENDAR CONDOLENCES 24-30 April World Immunisation week Our sympathies go to club members and families of the following: 27 April DG visit Dunedin South, Taieri PDG Doug Hay Balclutha 2 May DG visit Milton Bill Armitage Dunedin East 4 May DG visit Aparima James Henry Dunedin South 8 May Mother’s Day Alan Smith Invercargill 13-15 May District Conference, ILT Stadium Southland Malcolm Lindsay Oamaru 15 May International Day of Families (Life member of Waitaki club) 21 May NZ Youth week Ian Middleton Timaru North 29 May-1 June Rotary International Convention Seoul, Korea 1 District 9980 Rotary Newsletter PAUL HARRIS NEW IN THE SPOTLIGHT FELLOWS AWARD FOR WANAKA CLUB ROTARIANS MEMBER Congratulations to the following Rotary in D9980 welcomes the Wanaka Rotary Club member Tony Paul Harris Fellows: following new members: Brown has received international recognition for his tireless work in Alexandra Richard McKenzie Cromwell Sarah Bond bringing in new members to the club. Georgia Jackson Cromwell Andrew Burton Rotary International President Anne White Ravi Ravindran has sent a letter Sharon Booth congratulating Tony and letting Dunedin Ruth Empson Sally Angus him know he will receive special Robert Washick Wendy Dennison recognition, including his name being (non-Rotarian) Dunedin North Erin Hogan part of the New Member Sponsor Gallery on the Rotary website. Taieri Murray Pridham Fiordland Glenda Chalmers David Glen Club president Deans Hudson said NRG Invercargill Leon Hartnett Tony has sponsored 31 new members, Waimate Pip Wallace with him being one of them when he Timaru North Alistair MacKay Wanaka Tabatha O’Brien started living in Wanaka. Geoffrey Cloake Ian Shore Tony is a passionate Rotarian and Margaret Hall is always available to help in any Invercargill South Eunice Irving (non-Rotarian) project he puts his hand to. He has an Milton Rakesh Sejwal effervescent personality and a good Waimate Gary Dennison Glen Johnson positive attitude. Wanaka Fran Tate Janine Dunlop He became a member of the Wanaka Rotary Club on 28 October 2003 and is Winton Winston Gill Timaru North Paul Hewitson very active in all aspects of the club and Mark Oldfield as Assistant DG in the district. IRON TO HELP FIJI Thirty-two tonnes of corrugated iron are on their way from New Zealand On Taveuni, local Rotary members to Taveuni Island in Fiji. would look after the cargo and make sure the iron was used to best help Mosgiel Rotarian Lindsay Thorburn said Rotary International had provided local people. 2,000 Shelter Boxes, a disaster response package including a tent, blankets, groundsheets and water storage and filtration equipment. The club was now trying to raise the final $22,500 to reach its goal. But Mosgiel members wondered what they could do and they decided to send corrugated iron as Fiji desperately needed that building material after the cyclone. Clubs throughout the district have helped along with Otago Long Run Iron and Calder Stewart Roofing, as well as Fulton Hogan, which had agreed to send two containers of iron free of charge. The iron went by sea to Suva, and then will be loaded on to trucks to go to Taveuni Island via ship. The material will be used to rebuild schools on the island and the cost of the project, including transport, was $200,000. District 9980 Rotary Newsletter District 9980 Rotary Newsletter 2 ROTARY FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGE FROM SASKATCHEWAN A 10 person Rotary Friendship Exchange They participated in various fellowship nights including impromptu BBQs by (RFE) team from the province of members of the Taieri and Invercargill Clubs. Saskatchewan, which is part of D5550 The group was very appreciative of the very well considered itineraries prepared by in Canada, visited District 9980 in the host clubs and reported that by the time they arrived to visit the Queenstown early March. Club they were ready for a quiet day just enjoying Arrowtown, where they were The group, comprising 5 couples, were mostly being hosted. home hosted by the Rotary Clubs of RFE is an activity of Rotary International under which Rotarians and their families Timaru, Dunedin, Invercargill, Fiordland can carry out reciprocal visits and home stay with Rotarians and their families in and Queenstown. other countries. The purpose is to advance international understanding, goodwill They were very impressed with the and peace through people to people contacts across national boundaries. variety of scenery and attractions of A reciprocal visit to D5550 is being arranged for June of this year and all places D9980 and attended the regular club have been filled. The Canadians are welcoming the opportunity to return the meetings of the Rotary Clubs of Timaru, outstanding hospitality, which they received from our District. They were a very Dunedin and Queenstown. Fiordland friendly group. changed its weekly meeting from their normal Thursday night to a Sunday Lance Wensley - D9980 RFE Contact night to coincide with the visit. Email: [email protected] BUSY YEAR FOR ROTARACT The Rotaract Club of Dunedin has been busy in the past few In the coming year, Rotaract Dunedin has a full-on schedule months with many projects, meetings and membership drives. with our main focus being on Project Starfish. Project Starfish has been set up to raise over $40,000 to revamp the kitchen We had a great start to the University year with recruitment at the Ahka Acadamey in Thailand – an academy which helps of 20 new, fantastic members! Increasing the number of to rescue children from being subject to sex slavery.