We were delighted to welcome Hannah Pilbrow, General Manager, and Frankie Herrington, Chair of the Board, from the Common Unity Project and The Remakery to our recent Eastern Hutt Rotary meeting. Hannah and Frankie were wonderful speakers who shared their enthusiasm for the project and gave us a fascinating insight into the many ways Common Unity is making a real difference in our local community.
What a night! Avalon Pavilion was buzzing as almost 90 enthusiastic quiz-goers gathered for a fantastic evening of fun, fellowship and fundraising for the Taveuni Dental Project, an ongoing Kapiti Rotary initiative led by Gary Lawrence. With teams of six, the competition was friendly but fierce as questions were read and then flashed onto the big screen. Teams noisily debated, negotiated and occasionally guessed their way towards the answers! At the final turn, Hutt Valley Rotary emerged as the winning team, with a close second and a two-way tie for third. The fun continued with spot prizes, supper, and both Silent and Live Auctions with some terrific items going under the hammer. A particular highlight was the auction of two $5 notes signed by Sir Edmund Hillary, generously gifted to Eastern Hutt Rotary by Mt Victoria Rotary. These little pieces of history certainly attracted attention – together they raised more than $1,400! By the end of the evening, an amazing approximately $5,790 had been raised for the Taveuni Dental Project. This money will help towards the equipment and transport costs involved when dentists from Kapiti and Lower Hutt travel to Taveuni, approximately every second year, to provide dental care and education to local children. Their visits make a real difference in preventing the severe dental decay these children would otherwise face.
A huge thank you and congratulations to everyone who planned and organised the evening, donated items, helped on the night and, of course, came along and joined in the fun. Your generosity and enthusiasm turned a great quiz night into a very worthwhile Rotary achievement. Well done, everyone!
- June Stratton, Quiz Organiser
Thank you all for taking part and asking questions of the Mayor (Ken Laban) and Councillors on Monday evening last, as we initiated conversation regarding the Long Term Plan 2027-2037. Council decided some time ago to take the ‘right path’ this time and ask first, instead of conjuring up the written document and THEN coming out for consultation. To date we have visited many businesses, interest groups, marae and elder people’s forums. It is evident there is a real desire to keep cost of living, particularly around escalating rates, to an acceptable manageable status.
We were privileged to receive a visit from 5 members of Hutt City Council. The Council is currently preparing its long-term plan and is seeking input. The visitors were Ken Laban (Mayor), Keri Brown (Deputy Mayor), Glenda Barratt, Kaz Yung, and Brady Dyer.
An animated Question and Answer session occurred. Topics covered included:
- Central Government has delayed the timeline of Amalgamation due to the Elections in November. This, alongside the proposed rates cap has meant that Councils now need to adjust their Long Term Plan to manage expenditure.
The meeting of the Club on September 21st was addressed by Chris Eales, District Governor Elect. He was asked to clarify for us what a “Vibe” might be when applied to a Rotary meeting.
* “If an excellent Club experience is provided, the Club will grow.”
* “There must be some fun with the work.”
So:
1) The meetings must be enjoyable and the members must feel included.
2) There must be confidence in Club Leadership.
3) There should be Personal growth opportunities.
4) Connections. Formation of new and valuable relationships.
5) The effort that is expended must feel valuable.
* “If an excellent Club experience is provided, the Club will grow.”
* “There must be some fun with the work.”
So:
1) The meetings must be enjoyable and the members must feel included.
2) There must be confidence in Club Leadership.
3) There should be Personal growth opportunities.
4) Connections. Formation of new and valuable relationships.
5) The effort that is expended must feel valuable.
Our Guest Speaker on Monday 14 September was Taurean Kenny Mill (Kenny) - an amazing young man, and an entertainer tribute artist with a powerful singing voice. He is one of the youngest Elvis Presley tribute singers to win the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artists preliminary round in Australia to represent Australasia in the semi-final at 'Graceland' (Elvis's home) in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Kenny concentrates somewhat on Elvis's 1970 period but favours very much his gospel songs. His most favourite is 'You Gave Me A Mountain'.
Hi everyone. I must say it is a bit sad to see the rain out there tonight (Wednesday). I had hoped we would have a few more days of sun since it’s Spring. Not too cold though, thank goodness. Was great to go down to California Gardens on the weekend and pick out my new roses for the gardens. Can’t wait to see them out in bloom.
This past week, Council has been fraught with having to make some very hard decisions for our community. Unfortunately, the new Rates Cap means difficult decisions regarding savings are having to be made, and let’s face it – it’s so difficult out there already. During deliberations I was reminded of the way Rotary works with planning and teamwork. Not necessarily for instant rewards, but to aid and benefit others where it will help the most, now and for the future. Whatever we do, whether its on the political spectrum or through our service club, we must be as united in our approach as we can. Collective Unity and shared responsibility mean we are working together as one people for the same objective. At the end of Maori language week, I would like to share this Whakatauki (proverb) with you, He Waka eke noa – We are all in this together. Very apt for the projects we work on in this room.
Well, I'm writing this on Wednesday, and what a cracker of a day it is – almost feels like Summer. Almost I say! Perhaps I should have whispered that to ensure I didn’t ‘jinx’ things.
A few things for your memory banks.
- Tawa Rotary club is hosting an Oktoberfest celebration at the Bowling Club in Tawa on 22/9/26. Tickets are $35.00 which includes a meal for two. Time is 5.45pm. RSVP is required by 18th Sept to the Tawa Rotary Club.
- Rotary Hutt City and IYM are having a quiz night fundraiser including auction at Boulcott Farm Golf Club on 1st October at 6pm. Ticket costs are $30.00
- Remember we are only looking at 50 tickets sold for our own Quiz night on 25th September at 7pm. To make this really viable as far as fundraising is concerned, we need more people. Please can everyone start a phone tree dialogue to pull out all the stops for at least another 30 or so.
- Next week our speaker is Kenny Mills. To jog your memory, he was our Elvis impersonator for our Christmas dinner. I think we all agree he was wonderful.
