I would like to present my report for 2021/22 to our Rotary Club
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the help I have had from the Eastern Hutt Rotary board – David Thompson as secretary, Tony Cornelius as treasurer and the committee directors.
Thank you also to Kathy Bryant as incoming President and to Jan Palmer as immediate past president who were also on the Board.
This year has been a bit peculiar. Some of our usual projects have had to be abandoned because of Covid, sometimes with very little notice. I am thinking particularly of the Walk for Mental Health, the Pink Ribbon Breakfast, and the golf tournament.
However in general, we have been able to continue with our monthly get-togethers on Thursdays at the Boulcott’s Farm Golf Club, with very few interruptions.
Robin Aitken has provided us with some interesting speakers this year, starting with one of them encouraging us to take part in some physical exercises, and on another occasion, we were expected to sing.
Another important activity was a visit from Wellington Free Ambulance, teaching us to do CPR, and use the defibrillator that is on the wall of Avalon Pavilion.
Also, the Environment and Amenities Committee organised a Hutt River bank clean-up, and also weeding and other maintenance around the trees that we planted some time ago.
This year, a few of the fit people in the club have taken part in some interesting and very challenging activities, such as canoeing the Whanganui River, and tramping the Hollyford Track, and Kawakawa Station Walk.
Overseas Rotary Friendship Exchanges to other countries have not taken place, so we tried to arrange a visit to Wanaka to visit Pat Heffernan’s Rotary Club and be hosted by some of his club members. Unfortunately, that was another casualty of the Covid pandemic, and we were unable to go this year. Hopefully we can arrange this visit later.
As part of being on a committee, we try to organise a committee dinner. In September, the Youth Committee held a very well supported dinner at the Adzuki Bean. In November, the International Committee held their dinner as a very successful fundraiser, at the Shanghai Kitchen.
The trailer raffle is our biggest fundraiser, and so it was a relief to be able to run it this year. Ron Hunter was able to provide some of the more expensive items at a really good, discounted price, and Kathy Bryant was able to organise an EFTPOS machine for us, as most people these days do not carry cash.
Rotary members also bought more Christmas puddings this year than they have in previous years, but our members have not bought many Entertainment Books, possibly because we are not eating out as often as we used to.
Te Omanga Hospice was the recipient of some really important community work from the Amenities and Environment committee. They organised a new concrete pad for the aviary, and moved the aviary onto the new pad. This has taken a lot of manpower to build and move.
Jaye and her Youth Committee delivered Usborne dictionaries to the Year 4’s at four of our local schools, and Duffy Books to all of the students at Rata Street School.
Shelley Bryant organised our successful “Healthy in the Hutt” exhibition that took place recently at the Walter Nash Centre
Last month Christine Meredith organised a pot-luck dinner for her committee at her house, and on the same evening, Paul Giles’ committee had their dinner at the Bella Italia.
We may not have had the opportunity to raise as many funds this year, due to the Covid restrictions, but we HAVE taken any opportunities that have come our way. For example, we have been involved with collecting for Te Omanga Hospice, instead of helping with the golf tournament. Click HERE to view photos of my year.
Hopefully we will not have the same barriers next year, as we have had this year. I wish Kathy a very successful year as president, and I thank everyone in the club for supporting me as your president for his year.
Thank you for a great year Anne. We welcome Kathy Bryant as our president for the 2022/2023 rotary year. We all wish you a very successful year - Bulletin Editor