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President's Message
David Bradshaw
Presidents Notes - Rapport  27 November 2018
 
President David drew our attention to the following;
 

1. Salvation Army Christmas Hamper packing will be taking place on 13 December starting 3 p.m.

2. Salvation Army Vegetable packing will be taking place on 17 December – 10 volunteers are needed

3. Delivery of hampers 18 December – 10 volunteers are needed to deliver the Hampers.

Contact Martin McGahan for more details.

4. The club's Christmas party which will be taking place at the Bradshaws on 4 December 2018 - The event is almost fully subscribed so it looks like members will be hanging from the rafters.

Pro gram & Duties - Fellows If you cannot undertake your duties as noted please arrange for some-one else to stand in in your place

Programme 4-Dec-2018 11-Dec-2018
Venue Evening @ the Bradshaws Lunch @ University
Speaker Christmas Party Bob Stewart Environmental Award, MOEC, POLIO
Introduction    
Thanks   Peter Bassett
Rapport   Colin Lucas
AV Duty   John Hawke
Cash Desk   Greg Carr
Registration of Visitors   Russell Toplis
Host to Visitors   Eric Turner
    Mark Wells
Attendance Register   Jeanette Searle
Sunshine Boxes   Kuei-Sen Yang
    Mike Alison

.

 

Stories
Peter Salmon QC - The Oxygen Project
The Hon Peter Salmon QC was our guest speaker.
 
Peter is a High Court judge, a current judge of the Pacific island Court of Appeal and latterly a member of the Remuera Rotary club.
 
Peter spoke to us of the Fiji oxygen project, a project of the Remuera Rotary Club
.
The aim of the project is to raise $700,000 to locate in strategic positions around Fiji oxygen concentrators for the purpose of getting concentrated oxygen to those, in the main children suffering from pneumonia, who do not otherwise have access to it.
 
Ordinarily oxygen is typically supplied in cylinders to hospitals and medical centres. Sometimes it is not possible to refill or replenish cylinders so that in the absence of the oxygen which is required  a significant number of patients, again mainly children die. If a child with severe pneumonia has available concentrated oxygen then the death rate reduces by about 35%.
 
Enter Prof Stephen Howie of the University of Auckland who has developed a solution to the problem. His solution is building oxygen concentrators that filter out nitrogen from air to accumulate and and supply concentrated oxygen to those who need it. 
 
These concentrators cut out the need for carriage of cylinders of oxygen around Fiji.
 
The only problem with the concentrators is that a reliable power source is required to enable them to operate. That problem is being addressed through the use of robust solar power systems that provide power not only to the concentrators but to storage batteries.
 
There are presently three sites in Fiji, serving about 300,000 people. It is intended to expand the site locations to 12 to get the maximum coverage for children
 
As noted above the cost of the project is $700,000. Remuera are looking to raise $300,000 of the amount needed so that they can get matching Grants from Rotary International and other sources.  The approximate cost of each machine is $1600, a customised solar power system cost $31,000 and a complete turnkey operation costs between $45,000 and $60,000. so they are not cheap.
 
The project sounds worthwhile and we should give close consideration to support of the project over and above the support which has already been provided.
 
Peter addressed on the Oxygen project...
Robert Lee - His Vocational
One of the most important things we do in Newmarket Rotary is to have our new members give Vocationals to the members of the club they have joined.
 
This enables members to get to know their colleagues better.  This week it was the turn of Robert Lee to give us his vocational.
 
Robert was born in and in his early years educated in Fiji.
 
He then spent years 12 and 13,  the old 6th and 7th forms at Westlake boys on Auckland's North Shore. To get to school Robert would catch the bus from his flat in Grey Lynn to Westlake every day.  As he was flatting with students in Grey Lynn he enjoyed life and managed his time sufficiently to pass without excelling.  Robert noted that at Westlake  one of his teachers noted in one of his reports that  "his marks reflected his enthusiasm for his studies".
 
Robert attended university in Auckland after leaving school and continued his laid-back approach to education that he had adopted at Westlake.  One of his lecturers was Liz Hickey now a senior member of the accounting profession who suggested that he had some ability as an accountant and should actually work hard.  With that prod and a an encounter with Hugh Fletcher, Robert decided that he better extract digit and started working at his studies.
 
The consequence of Roberts application to his studies was that his marks were sufficient to enable him to undertake post-graduate study in the United States.   Robert applied to a number of Universities and initially attended the University of Chicago and then later on Northwestern University. It also happens at Northwestern University in Chicago is home Rotary International.
 
Before he could get deeply into his studies Robert was called back to Fiji to work in his families business which he did with some success. He became involved in government affairs in Fiji, he became president of both the Fiji Manufacturing Association and the New Zealand Fiji Business Council.  When Robert was chair of the Fijian branch of the NZ Fiji Business Council his opposite number in NZ was Harold Titter of one of our members.
 
Amongst other things in this period Robert chaired Fiji Telecom until his role was terminated by the Fijian Government.
 
After being offered a place at Georgetown University and offered a Fulbright scholarship Robert returned to the United States and studied at amongst other places Harvard, MIT Sloan School of Management.
 
After completion of his degree Robert returned to Fiji to meet what he considered his social obligation to that country.  He became a policy adviser for the  Fijian Government for a period of two years then packed his bags and went to China.  He stayed in China for the next 20 years in a variety of roles mainly market advisory for various entities. Robert commented that he trained a lot of people in China who once trained promptly set up in competition to him. One suspects from Roberts comments that sort of thing made life rather interesting from time to time.  More recently Robert has been advising the Fijian Embassy in China about engagement with the Chinese.
 
Robert and his wife Jeanette have now settled in New Zealand and are building a new home and are waiting for the building consent come through. Robert Is in no rush to see what he can do in New Zealand as he Jeanette and the daughter are settling in
 
In relation to his Rotary involvement Roberts focus is on youth and generally supporting the clubs activities.
 
Once again welcome to the club Robert.  Thank you for an interesting vocational.