The Paul Harris Fellow is named after the founder of Rotary and it was established in his honour in 1957 to express appreciation for the contribution to the humanitarian and educational programmes of The Rotary Foundation.
Our latest recipient is Ian Rutherford or affectionately just known as "Rudd".
"Rudd" was born in Central Otago in (Clyde)1947. He grew up on a farm and attended Otago Boys High until 1961. He met their future wife, at a 21st in Millers Flat and they married in December of 1971. They farmed first at Otapiri and moved to Te Anau in 1984 and farmed on Kakapo Road where they raised their 3 children, Simon, Glen and Kim.
Rudd was involved in the golf club and was President twice in 1996 and 2001. He helped organise the Golf Classic for near on 20 years, even after he was no longer playing.
Rudd and Alison sold their farm on Kakapo Road in 2000 and built in Jackson Street. Rudd laboured with Moff on that project.
In 2001 he became what Moff calls the Oldest Apprentice in NZ when he began working for him full-time carpentering .
In May 2007 he became storeman for Steve and Julie at Fiordland Electrical, where he wrangled stock and kept the staff in line, until retirement in Nov 2012.
Rudd joined Rotary in 2009, He has been an major contributor to the running of the chipvan from organising the money, to stocking and cleaning the van, to setting it up onsite and being the runner to keep it stocked during the day. As well as giving his time to lots of projects like the Roadside project. Rudd was our treasurer for 10 years, a role he took on very soon after joining the club. It was a role he took very seriously, and some might even say he treated the club funds just like they were your own.
He can be credited for moving the club into the 21st century, he banned the cheque book and moved us to online banking and the like, at the time we were one of the few clubs to operate like this, it’s an achievement he can be very proud of.
His level of restraint with the funds has insured that our Club was always in a very stable position and his eye was always on the end goal of allowing us, as a club to be able support our community and Foundation.
Congratulations Rudd.