Bernard Crooks Toasts the Rotary Club of Krumlov
My International Toast will be the Rotary Club of Cesky Krumlov in Czechoslovakia. Situated about 100km South of the Capital Prague and close to the border of Austria.
The Rotary Club of Cesky Krumlov has some 17 members and was established in 1994. Part of the District 2240.
The current President is Ing. Peter Bartak and the club meet on Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the Tennis Centre.
Projects include the following;
- Support for Hearing Impaired Youths
- Traffic Playground
- Project Library established.
Money so far spent is CZK 357 943
Currently they have an exchange student Mr Malacek in Columbia.
They took part in the District Conference in the Capital, Prague in May 2019.
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A few interesting facts about Palmerston North:
- informally it is known as ‘Palmy’
-it is located in the Eastern Manawatu Plans, 140km North of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.
-it is the 7th largest city in New Zealand with an urban population of 86,000 people.
-it is named after Viscount Palmerston, a former British Prime Minister.
- popular attractions in Palmerston North include Te Manawa, a museum and art gallery (which includes the New Zealand Rugby Museum) and several performing arts venues.
The Rotary Club of Palmerston North meets every Monday except on public holidays at the Palmerston North Conference and Function Centre, 354 Main Street, Palmerston North.
The Club was established in 1924 and has a website and a Facebook page. The Website lists all the Presidents and Secretaries from 1924 onwards until the present day. The current Club President is Martin Townsend.
Members of the Massey University Rotaract Club with President Martin Townend and Morva Croxson. Photo taken on Monday 27 Aug 2018
The Club supports a wide range of good causes which are listed on the website.
The Club's major project is Youth Plus. Youth Plus is focused on developing citizenship and leadership in young people aged 5-25 years throughout the Palmerston North region. Groups or organisations eligible to apply for Youth Plus Funding must show active participation of young people in events and projects that develop citizenship and leadership. Most of the effort of the club goes into raising funds for the Youth Plus projects with an aim to assisting upwards of 300 young people each year in the region.
Palmerston North Rotary Youth Music Festival
Other current club projects include:
- Camp Rangi Woods, a 70 bed outdoor camp with 9 dormitories. The camp is used by school groups.
-Cross Hills Gardens for international students. This is an annual day trip for student and their families to enjoy a picnic lunch at Cross Hills Gardens.
-Food Bank Appeal
-Musica Viva – a performance place for musicians to play before an audience of performers. The club provides $1000 worth of scholarships for performers.
-RYLA- Rotary Youth Leadership Award
- National Science and Technology Forum
The Rotary Club of Palmerston North hosts visiting speakers. Recent speakers include the Mayor of Palmerton North, an Academic from Massey University in Palmerston North, and a Police Officer.
The club recently had a vocational visit to the Regional Prison where members heard about new initiatives to try and break the cycle of offensive behaviour in younger people.