Meeting Notes 8 May 2019

Breakfast:

Visiting Rotarians 

        Lynne Joseph, Rotary Club of Rotorua sunrise

        Stuart Batty, Rotary Club of Papanui, CHCH and guest speaker today;       

 

Other Guests …James Read

Make-ups / visits to other Clubs – Lynne to HNth

                                    Lynne and Carroll to District Assembly

 

Apologies … Jan & Simon, Adrienne, Lucy, Clare, Mia, Gail.

Notices:  RS Lecture

                 Thank you to TSA Collection 2/3/4 May 

                                                 

Three minute speaker: Glenn…Spoke to us re the joy of owning a motor home and the difference Between a motor home and a caravan. With the purchase of a brand new, up to the minute, motor home Glenn and his wife hope to fill their days with travelling.  

 

Sergeant:   Peter

Corporal: Paul       …. Cancelling appointments. Being late for appointments and sexist remarks… Everyone was guilty of at least one of these.

 

Raffle: Was won by Lynn.

 

Guest speaker Intro: Simon W

Our Guest speaker, Stuart Batty, (CEO of Rotary New Zealand World Community Service Limited).

His talk was on. Look Beyond yourself.

Rotary New Zealand assists its partners in providing support to those living in poverty or affected by natural disasters. Our goal is to create sustainable outcomes - in the form of a hand up rather than a handout. When our Pacific neighbours require immediate assistance following a cyclone, tsunami or earthquake, we distribute Emergency Response Kits. Once the initial response has passed, we help local people rebuild their lives. This might involve repairing homes, schools and hospitals, restoring water supplies and sanitation, and so on.We assist struggling communities make long-lasting improvements to their economic and social circumstances. We provide funding, project management expertise and experienced mentors to build capacity in affected communities so that they can become self-sufficient. Emergency Response Kits are distributed following disasters including tsunami, cyclones and floods in Oceania and the South Pacific. Families can lose everything when disasters strike and they need help immediately. In a few short minutes, an earthquake, tsunami, flood or cyclone can take away whole villages - loved ones, homes, belongings, crops and animals, livelihoods. In an emergency, the most pressing need is for basic supplies to help a family survive the first few days. They need shelter, food, clothing, drinking water, bedding, tools and medical supplies. People can be difficult to reach therefore Kits must be light enough to be airlifted and carried by two people. No time must be lost so Kits are kept in safe storage close to where they’re likely to be needed. They can be distributed within days, sometimes hours, of a humanitarian emergency.

Each Kit holds over 60 items packed in a 78-litre container which can be used to treat drinking water – there are purifying tablets for this purpose.

 

With a little ingenuity, families can create a shelter from tarpaulins using the hammer and nails provided. There’s a folding shovel for digging trenches. Food is key so there’s fishing gear, a hunting knife, and cooking equipment. As well as basic clothing, there are bed covers for warmth. Maintaining hygiene and treating minor injuries is important too; a medical pack with items such as soap, painkillers and antiseptic cream provides the basics. 

 

The contents of the Kits are reviewed regularly based on feedback from partners in the Pacific and communities that have received the boxes. 

A recent example: Cyclone Pam, Vanuatu, March 2015. The powerful tropical cyclone which reached speeds of 250km per hour tore through Vanuatu killing 11 people and injuring many more. It destroyed and damaged buildings and homes, food crops and livelihoods, and infrastructure such as roading, water services, power supplies and telecommunications. 

 

Rotary New Zealand supplied 1000 Emergency Response Kits and 50 water purifiers immediately following the disaster. Since then it has supported and continues to support partner agencies with funding and by providing school equipment, medical supplies and building materials. 

Rotary New Zealand World Community Service Limited encourages all clubs to become involved in some format or donation.

 

 

 

 Thank speaker and visitors … Andy

 

Parting thought was something about being cold... The scribe did not hear it all so here is another one.

It was so cold this morning I actually saw a politician with his hand in his own pockets.