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KIRSTEN KILLIAN-TAYLOR  Our guest at Tuesday’s luncheon meeting welcomed by Brian McMath was Kirsten Killian-Taylor, Perpetual Guardian Foundation Philanthropy Manager. Kirsten gave members present a background on Perpetual Guardian whose origins date back 135 years to the late 1880’s. In doing so she noted that the governing legislation for trustee companies is roughly of similar vintage with only minimal change over the years. Perpetual Guardian makes wills for its personal clients, it helps people with trusts and philanthropic giving. Kirsten noted that charitable grants total some $45 million per annum from about 600 charitable trusts Perpetual Guardian manages. This is, Kirsten told us, the largest portfolio of charitable entities in NZ. Perpetual Guardian provides investment assistance, an investment fund for charities, advice on grant policies and processes for review of the effectiveness of charitable grants. |
I received a note of thanks today from one of our RYLA 2022 awardees. 
Two of our schools, St Cuthberts and St Peters, are both involved in the Trees for Survival plantings this month. With the Schools and the City Council, the Club helps fund the plants and the costs of the days out. For St Cuths., the planting was held at Pinnacle Hill, Bombay on Friday 12th August; for St Peters, at Parakai the planting was due to be held yesterday.
Almost a year to the day since our nationwide Covid lockdown your fully vaccinated Big Wig editor and his bestie Sharon finally joined the covid survivor’s club. Banished from our home in the burbs by anxious offspring keen to maintain a busy work and play schedule we spent 3 weeks isolating …it wasn’t all bad. What do you think?
In the most recent annual survey of Rotary members, 45% of respondents cited friendship as the reason they remain in Rotary, and 84% said they were satisfied with their ability to connect with friends through Rotary. Meanwhile, 42% of respondents cited the opportunity to make an impact on their communities as the reason they remained in Rotary — another response that would have delighted Rotary’s founder, Paul Harris. Gathering info of this nature is one of the reasons Rotary surveys members every year. (Extract from latest RI Rotary in Review. Big Wig Ed.)