Richard Solomon Becomes an Honoury Member of the Rotary Club Of Newmarket.
President Bill
noted;
Richard joined The Rotary Club of Newmarket on the 1st February 1976. (47 years ago). Sponsored by Gary West.
Richard was a keen yachtie, M class and good friends with Peter Montgomery and that era.
He is an astute businessman and owned the Havencare Rest Homes. (Now BUPA)
He was also a long standing Board Member and President of the New Zealand Hospitals Association.
An initial memory of Rotary for Trish and me was Richard and his late wife Rosemary hosting a most welcoming Fireside Meeting at their beautiful Remuera home for us as new members.
Over later years Richard and his lovely partner Margie have never wavered in their support for our Rotary Club and what it stands for.
Richard became President 1987 - 88
This was a huge year for RCON as the club faced the challenge of serious fund raising for Polio Plus and for Reaching Out, plus the massive task of organising the District Conference.
In Richard’s year Ross Craig was District Governor. The District Conference was held in a large marquee at Waitangi which was packed with fun, fellowship, information and action. Despite being hit by the share market crash, lower numbers, bad weather, which just about wrecked the tent, a profit was made. It was a huge club effort.
Other highlights of Richards’s year as President were that the Apprenticeship Awards were reactivated.
Under the Student Exchange Programme the Club hosted Anne Brorsen from Denmark.
It is recorded in our club history book that President Richard conducted the busy luncheon meetings with good humour and a fluent style.
In 1991 Richard was made a Paul Harris Fellow and in 2011 was awarded a Sapphire.
Over his 47 years Richard has been involve in many projects including:
Helped and set up the very successful antiques fair fundraiser.
Co-authored, with john Fitzmaurice and Warwick Paterson, volume five of the Rotary Newmarket history covering 1945 to 2010.
He was an active supporter of rotary club initiatives to create Clubmate in 1995 which is believed to be the first Faure into dedicated computerising rotary administration.
In private life explored programs underpinning the meaning of life and was a supporter of the Pathways to Excellence programs
Regular and active RYLA leader and interviewer of candidates.
Regularly advocating for new members and supporting membership marketing efforts e.g. club information brochure.
Initial trustee 2010 of Rotary new market Charitable Foundation.
So Richard, it is my great pleasure to award you Honorary Membership of The Rotary Club of Newmarket.
Congratulations and thank you again for all your wonderful support for the Club.
These were precursors to his working with Swim4TheGulf and achieving his record-breaking swim from Karaka Bay, Aotea, Great Barrier Island to Campbells Bay, Auckland in May last year. The swim took 33 hours to accomplish, and was the longest, unassisted, continuous open-water swim in New Zealand's history - a distance of almost 100 kilometres.
[Supported by such luminaries as Peter Burling & Blair Tuke].
Rosie Bradshaw reminds us of Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children, and the arrival of Maliha Nimik [pictured] and her mother, Leimas Homs. Malisha is to undergo heart surgery at Starship. Leimas will be staying at Ronald McDonald House. Rosie is coordinating our support for mother and daughter – please get in touch with her if you can help with the occasional visit to the mother. The hope is to support 5 or 6 such children this year – other Clubs will also be involved.