Denise and I have just returned from the UK after my trade work in Geneva and a midwifery conference in London for Denise.  We took the opportunity to have a week’s break and catch up with one of our daughters who works in Edinburgh.
Decorations for the festive season seem to have a bigger impact in a northern hemisphere winter – reindeer and snowmen seem more appropriate there and the lighting more vibrant when it is dark by 5 pm.  
The Rotary year also has a northern hemisphere basis which provides some challenges for us in the south but also some opportunities.  One challenge is the long break that our Rotary Clubs have and the loss of momentum this can cause.  This break is also an opportunity however to reflect on what we have achieved over the first half of the Rotary year and to make plans for what we would like to focus on in the second half of the year.

Below is the website for Trees for Survival  -  well worth a read

The initial meeting was awkward.  That is, until the music started and a universally understood medium bought the six District 9940 and 12 District 9930 Rotary exchange students to a common level – language, gender, age, ethnicity and backgrounds were all merged into a mass of sometimes untuneful but always unified, singing.

 

This was to be the way of the next 18 days on the Youth Exchange South Island Tour which occurs each November when the NZ students are hard at study and preparing for their NCEA exams.  The South Island tour is historically seen as the highlight of the year for the students because they see so much of our wonderful country in a condensed timeframe as a group.  This year we joined with District 9930 and the group comprised of 19 students (10 female and 9 male) and 3 chaperones (Nolan, Helen and Hannah from D9930 and myself from D9940). 

 

I could write about the wonderful sights they saw such as the Franz Joseph Glacier, Doubtful and Milford Sounds, The Cadbury Chocolate Factory, Moeraki Boulders, snow at the Homer Tunnel, Pancake rocks at Punakaiki, seals, dolphins and little blue penguins. Or the adventure activities they did – white water rafting, bungy jumping, jetboating and skydiving, but you’ve probably heard it all before or checked out the photos on facebook. 

Wow ... 6 months of this Rotary year has passed and it has been an amazingly productive and very active time for our Clubs. I have been privileged to be present at the birth of an Interact Club, attend a Matched Twin Exchange student induction and debrief session, met with and been part of some amazing Rotary Youth Exchange presentations and events, been to Rotary Governor Elect Training and Rotary Institute in Penrith - Australia,   Club Membership and Development workshops, Design Your Club Workshops and supporting our illustrious District Governor Martin Garcia with the District support to Clubs and our District Committees!

 

Whew! ..... and now the work begins. The second half of the Rotary year is about preparing our District and Club leaders for the opportunity and challenges that we will achieve to give service to our communities in the 2017/18 Rotary year.

The club entered a float in the Inglewood Christmas Parade which had to endure a massive downpour of rain which began minutes before starting. The sleigh float was based on an idea from a story discovered from The Rotarian online, where In 1993 the Rotary Club of Ottawa Sunrise in Illinois USA entered a float in their town Christmas Parade. At the beginning of the parade the float was an empty trailer, but they had advertised in the community in the weeks leading up to the parade asking for those coming to bring a modest present to donate to the float. By the end of the parade it was full with 275 gift wrapped presents for donating to the Salvation Army.

 

The photo’s capture Rotarian Elves Bill and Gloria aboard the specially built sleigh drive by Rotarian Rosey. Rotary at work!!

The early bird registration fee for the District Conference is no longer available. 

Have an enjoyable Christmas, a great holiday and safe travels