Home Page | The Rotary Club of Somerville (Inc)

Do you want to make positive changes in your community and the world? Our club members are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship. Becoming a Rotarian connects you with a diverse group who share your drive to give back. We support a range of causes and are open to any suggestions.

Fiesta with Friends

Fellowship is an important part of our club. We gather for social events that are all about building friendships with people who share our passion for making the world a better place. Here we are at a Pizza restaurant for some much-needed sustenance.

A breath of fresh air

We were delighted to host Rani Santosh (third from left) at our club. She spoke about the healing power of breathing and led the group in an inspiring exercise, which calmed us down and allowed us to focus our minds.

Jammies in June, just perfect for jolly cold nights

Our Rotary Club has a long and strong relationship with Leabank and Kingsford primary schools. Every year, just as winter starts to bite, we collect funds to buy fluffy pyjamas for kids at the schools. This ensures they get a warm, cozy night's sleep, so that they can be at their best the next day in class.

Keeping the little ones warm

As we do every year, our Rotary Club donated caps and swaddles to three birthing centres across Auckland.

Some newborns do not have the necessary clothes to keep them warm soon after birth. Our members collected money to buy the swaddles and spent many hours knitting the baby caps.

Rob Dunne and Bini Homavazir represented our club at birthing centres in Botany, Papakura and Pukekohe.

Ishrit Khangura, Savy Govender and Karen Naudé contributed to the knitting.

Celebrating the end of a very busy year

Charades, carol singing, good food and laughter.... the Rotary Club of Somerville Inc celebrated the spirit of the season at a Christmas party hosted this evening by Rotarian Simran Khangura at her lovely home.

We've achieved a lot this year. We energetically raised funds with the help of Dave Hawke and made donations to our associated primary schools, Hospice, Women's Refuge, and Ronald MacDonald House. We visited the O Wairoa Marae, participated in a regional food bank campaign, and donated generously to Rotary's international projects. We supported future leaders at our associated School, ELim College, to run their Interact Club in their school and sponsored two future stars to attend the National Science and Technology Forum at the University of Auckland in January 2025.

We welcomed two new members and a friend. We hosted an international speaker and learnt valuable lessons about protecting vulnerable women, vulnerable ecosystems and the environment in general.

Much has been done; much remains to be done.

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as the Rotary Club of Somerville wraps up for the year.

Spreading hope with holiday cheer

Every year, our club donates Christmas hampers to families in need. Working with the management of our associated Auckland primary schools, Leabank and Kinsford, we provide food hampers containing a variety of food intended to bring cheers to struggling families over the festive season.

School managers identify the most appropriate recipients who take home frozen food, dry goods, vegetables and a few sweet treats for the kids. Bini Homavazir arranged the operation and Vinod Sareen assisted with delivering the parcels.

Particular thanks are due to Robert Mills from Howick Countdown, who helped assemble the packages, arranged for packaging and ensured the process was seamless. It was a great help and a very kind gesture.

Welcoming a new friend

We welcomed a new friend to our club. Zahoor Ur Rahman and his charming wife Afshan joined the club as supporters. Zahoor has already become involved in the club's work and has assisted with distribution of goods. We look forward to his participation, his sense of humour and his singing voice!

Caps keep coming for babies

One of the long-standing projects of Somerville Rotary is providing wraps and caps for newborn babies. These are delivered to birthing centres across the Auckland region. The initiative, started by Leoni Dunne and continued by her husband Rob, has inspired members and friends of the club.

Various knitting and crocheting drives have taken place in our quest to produce 200 caps.

Ishrit Khangura is the latest contributor. She described herself as a novice crocheting enthusiast, but judging by her creations, she's a pro!

Can you contribute to our cause?

Big Smiles at Ronald Macdonald House

There's no stopping someone with a desire to give. Our newest member, Navaz Karbhari, responded to a request for help from Ronald Macdonald House, a charity that we have supported for some years. She reached out to her network and gathered food products by the trolley-full. The club augmented this with its own donations. We presented our gifts to Lindsay at RMDH. Representing our club was Bini Homavazir, who is the head of fundraising and events, accompanied by aspirant member Zahoor Ur Rahman. It is impressive to see the dedication of someone who has not yet joined the Club but is eager to get involved.

International visitor charms Somerville

We were charmed by Dr Dhananjay Keskar from the Rotary Club of Poona Midtown in Maharashtra, India. Dhananjay has had a storied career in various executive corporate roles in India, Nigeria and Mauritius. He shared his journey with us including insights into the way clubs operate in various parts of the world. His talk was both fascinating and entertaining, accompanied by videos of Mauritius. The evening was very well supported by other Rotary Clubs, particularly Half Moon Bay, Papatoetoe and Howick. The local host was Somerville's honorary member, Dr Philly Karani, who was previously the District Governor of District 3131, in which Poona is situated.

Making friends at the O Wairoa Marae

Our club was privileged to spend an evening at the O Wairoa Marae, where we were welcomed and treated to a meal. The visit, arranged by Bini Homavazir and Taini Drummond, was an initiative to establish connections with representatives of the local community to establish how the club could contribute to meaningful projects that were relevant to local needs. Following a karakia in the wharenui there was an opportunity for each of those present to explain their origins and share their stories. The tangata whenua and the Rotary Club each performed a wiata before the conclusion of the ceremony. We then moved to a different area for snacks and good conversations. We are delighted to have made a strong and enduring connection with the marae.

Krishna returns to the fold

Krishna Sharma has returned to our club as a member. Having spent many years working in Papua New Guinea, Krishsna and Shyama were invited by PP Vinod Sareen to continue the good work they had done with the club in previous years.

Supporting women in need of refuge

We listened in fascination as Ana Atkinson of the Eastern Refuge Society shared horrifying statistics about the prevalence of domestic violence. New Zealand shamefully ranks as the country with the highest rate of domestic violence in the OECD. Ana outlined the fantastic work being done by the Refuge and the on-going struggle for support from various sources.

Our club is proud to be a long-term donor to the Refuge.