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Editors Rant
Moving Tables or Moving Chairs?
Our ever innovative leader and great motivator Dave has a point in Dave’s Rave below…..and gets a bullseye for trying from Big Wig Ed. The strategy obviously works in Dave’s workplace and others …so we can be happy and devout deciples of KAIZEN the Japanese art of constant improvement.
BUT when it comes to Rotary …..Too often now Im getting more and more a feeling of MOVING CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC YES/NO? Please send me your take and I will publish it!.
There is HOPE! There remain rotarians who practise Rotary In Action. Those who do what they undertake to do in their committees, in the leadership roles they have agreed to…. busy lives notwithstanding. All of you who have answered the call to engage by sending me your stories for Members Slot. You can read about two of these CAN-DO QUICK ACTION examples in this issue.
Ron Seeto
On a sad Note: Rapport & the Rotary club of Newmarket extend condolences and best wishes to Honorary Member and Past President Ross George on the passing of his beautiful and supportive partner Margaret.
Dave's Rave
Moving Tables
This week I sat at a different table for our Rotary luncheon. No big deal.
Fellow Rotarians welcomed me at what I was told was the Club Service table. It was nice to change.
It made sense to move. So much less admin than inviting 8 people to the so-called Presidents table.
At my work we have a tradition of shifting desks every six months – we call it “moving day”.
The person with the best view - loses it. The person with the worst location, know they will “trade up”.
Times change, so it’s best to not to get too wedded to our “now” situation – good or bad.
Tradition has its place. But resisting the status quo is what drives innovation.
When did you last challenge a tradition or a comfortable status quo?
BTW – last Sunday I recommended a movie.
Has anyone watched “John was trying to contact aliens”?
I’m keen to hear your feedback. A free raffle entry for all responses prior to this weekend.
Club News and Notices
This week’s meeting
President Dave expressed sympathy on behalf of the Club to Ross George on the death of his wife, Margaret.
Garden Design Fest is this weekend. Thanks to prospective volunteers, and Boyne & Paul especially for the enormous amount of work and planning involved.
Newmarket Business Association
Our speaker was Mark Knoff-Thomas, Chief Executive, accompanied by Kelly Fulford, Commercial Manager. Mark provided us with his annual update to the Club on the Newmarket commercial area. The Association works directly with the town administration and the Community Development Corporation to promote Newmarket to existing and potential businesses. We had a smaller attendance than the occasion merited.
Mark paid tribute to our own Di Goldsworthy who has just retired from the Association. He was generous in his comments about her enormous contribution - working at the Association with five executives over the last 18 years.
His summation of the last twelve months was as a roller coaster. After two years of Covid there had been some real hardships and some business casualties. Retail leasing remained challenging. Against this, with Westfield enjoying its first fully operational Christmas shopping season, the year was heading to be the best commercially ever. The hospitality sector was recovering. He outlined potential apartment and town house developments that would help rejuvenate residential areas.
Security remained the biggest headache, with – as elsewhere......
The intrepid cycling tour of the Rotary Walk way Pakuranga to Half Moon Bay and back.
Never seen so many electric Bikes in one place. Dave Bradshaw, Rosie Bradshaw, Bill Strand, Trish Strand, Al Macfarlane, Jill MacFarlane, John Hawke, Peter Ross
Great ride Looks like FUN #FOMO …..…2 questions from Big Wig Who didn’t have an electric bike? Who does the Red bike belong to?
BIG Shout out to Dave Bradshaw a keen and active Fellowship committee member for setting the bar showing us HOW these events can be done with very little notice and for all the keen cyclists who got on their bikes…… BRAVO!
IYE x Valentina
John Meadowcroft sent this happy gorgeous pic thro....
Ron
We learnt of the marriage of our “Rotarian Daughter” Valentina in Argentina recently and thought other Rotarians may be interested in the attached photo.
Bello...Bello ...Hermoso...Hermosa
Felicitaciones de boda Valentina!
from RAPPORT & your RCoN familia
Margaret George RIP
Rapport and RCON extend our condolences to Past President George and his family for their sad loss.
Generous gifts to The Rotary Foundation help create lasting change in communities both nearby and around the world. In honor of Rotary Foundation Month in November, we’re asking club and district leaders to thank donors and reflect on the good that their donations make possible. Here are three ways you can celebrate Foundation Month:
Make a special gift to the Foundation on Giving Tuesday, 29 November. The top clubs in fundraising, participation, and online giving will be featured on My Rotary. Take a look at last year’s honorees.
Take time during a club meeting to show members how the Foundation transforms gifts into service projects that advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by fighting disease, improving the quality of education, protecting the environment, alleviating poverty, and more. Invite a Foundation scholarship recipient or a community member who was involved in and benefited from a grant project to speak about its impact on their life.
Yes, by popular demand, we have resurrected the famous St Johns Rotary raffle.
Through the generosity of our past presidents Mary Ann and Andy plus contributions to the travel allowance from Donald Bowie, we are offering this amazing mini break experience just 15 minutes out of Blenheim.
Great odds with only 200 tickets.
After you have indicated how many tickets you want via email, we will allocate ticket numbers and once you have paid into our Rotary account 12-3086-0083292-000 with Surname under “code” and Raffle under “reference”, we will confirm ticket number by email.
This is a fantastic way to support the club and a great opportunity to have a chance to win this amazing holiday vacation.
Please share this email and the attached Flyer amongst friends and colleagues.
This week I sat at a different table for our Rotary luncheon. No big deal.
Our speaker was Mark Knoff-Thomas, Chief Executive, accompanied by Kelly Fulford, Commercial Manager. Mark provided us with his annual update to the Club on the Newmarket commercial area. The Association works directly with the town administration and the Community Development Corporation to promote Newmarket to existing and potential businesses. We had a smaller attendance than the occasion merited.
For our Rotary members, friends and family