Papakura Rotary Changeover

 
We celebrated another successful Rotary year last night at La Valla in Tuakau with great food and better company.  The feeling was clear from the moment you came through the door – we knew it had been a great year and we were proud of the work our Club had done.  There was no doubt that Bruce had done a fantastic job of bringing us together as a team.  We had many guests among us who commented on the ‘Culture’ of our Club and the atmosphere of the evening.
Malcolm did an awesome job as MC and had us roaring with laughter and kept the night running smoothly.  There was a bit of twist on this year’s Sergeant Session with a game of ‘Heads Up’ which had the majority of us out after the first round; while our club is wonderful at fundraising money, we aren’t quite as good at hedging our bets!
 
We celebrated some very special individuals both from within and outside of the Club for exceptional service and acknowledged the outstanding contributions they had made to our Community. Our Paul Harris Fellows for the 2017/2018 year are: Peter Wilcock, Pam Guy, Murray Guy, Tracey Faber, Brett Bowman (Biketranz), Bill Matheson (ABC Photo signs) and Dennis Fitchett.
 
Peter Wilcock
Murray and Pam Guy
Tracey Faber
Brett Bowman 
Bill Matheson
Dennis Fitchett
 
We stood and applauded a most exceptional man, our very own ‘George’ as he was again awarded the infamous rose bowl, formally known as the Bert McCollum Trophy for “Outstanding Rotarian of the Year”. The work he does for Rotary and the passion in which he does it is the epitome of this year’s theme ‘Be the Inspiration’. Although he was extremely grateful for the award, he said Lyn might not be as thrilled having to polish the rose bowl again!
 
George Wilson 'Rotarian of the Year'
 
For those guests who are not members of our Club, Bruce’s summary of his year was a wonderful introduction to what Papakura Rotary does for our community. President Jon kept his speech short and his words came from the heart, showing his passion for this Rotary club even through his hoarse voice. He reminded us all of the inspiring things Rotarians do every day, and that although it may seem normal to you, it is anything but!