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Volume 1 | Issue 2

 
Editors Rant
 
Do we accomplish more together? Yes we can and we do. Case in point Rapport rolls onto another issue with your Big Wig editor under COVID home detention on Waiheke this past week so missed Pres Daves inaugural meeting …with Colin and Alan seamlessly stepping in to tell the story of this evening on Vision whilst our tech chef Simon holidaying in Queenstown has put the content together for your enjoyment remotely.
But surprised humbled and overwhelmed to see ENGAGEMENT from the many congratulatory messages and pix from the evening #FOMO ( fear of missing out)… Did Pres Dave mention we will be  running a Best Pic competition???  Ron Seeto
Dave's Rave

Imagine Rotary

Real Admiral James Stockdale is a hero of mine.   
Stockdale was a naval aviator shot down early in the Vietnam war and imprisoned for seven years at the “Hanoi Hilton”.   Jim Collins (author of Good to Great) once asked him why he survived the horrors and tortures of imprisonment and others didn’t. 
Stockdale’s reply emphasized that it was always the optimists that died. Why? Because they had a faith and confidence that they would be free by Christmas, that date would pass and they then thought they would back in the US by Easter. That date too would pass and before long it was Christmas again. Their faith was crushed, and they died of broken hearts. 
This has come be known as the “Stockdale Paradox”, summed up as:
You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end - which you can never afford to lose - with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”I have a faith that our club will grow and prosper into the future.  We recently celebrated a 75th  anniversary, and I hope to attend the 100th.  That said, our club also has a few brutal realities to confront. 
  1. We are not particularly reflective our community?  Gender, enthicity, ages, income, vocations, skills etc.
    1. We are not particularly inclusive:
    2. If you’re an employee, with young children, mortgage – taking  2 hours for lunch at Ellerslie is not going to possible. We effectively exclude potential members.
    3.  As with all clubs a good thing is we form strong friendships – but that clique of three members you always sit with, does that potentially exclude the new shy member? 
    4. A young, female, Afghan refugee - English as second language - Vegetarian, Green Party member – would they feel they belong in our lunch room?
Please note, that feeling of “belonging” is critical – we’ve had good members leave because they simply didn’t feel their contribution (or potential contribution) had been acknowledged and they didn’t belong.    
 
  1. COVID has badly affected ours and other clubs.  It has accentuated tribalism (Politics, Vax status, open ups/versus locked down etc etc). It has also robbed us of the dynamic of having regular face to face meetings – we miss that energy and frankly fun of a busy room. 
  1. Our membership is aging and we need to determine if we are;
    a) Retirement club?
    b) Or a vibrant, active and forward looking club with a diverse membership.
Either option is OK – but it’s hard to be both at once.
 
We can only confront these brutal realities with any optimism & if we represent as an “engaged” membership.  People who don’t care are always dis-engaged and rarely get things done, never mind effect change.   
At our club changeover we observed and agreed our shared values and what we did care about was:
  1. We care about our fellow human beings
  2. We care about our community
  3. We care about the environment.
That’s our faith – and I’d like to think we are (or can be) engaged around those values. 
Now we need to address the brutal realities – and that will mean some change.  That will mean getting uncomfortable.  Tonight, please think about the Vision you have of your Rotary Club – as you brush your teeth with the other hand.  
Shortly the board will be asking you about:
  • Timings of meetings?
  • Locations of meetings?
  • Why you joined Rotary?
  • Why you remain a member now?
  • Your vision of the future of RCON?
In the meantime, please recommit to meeting attendances (we have some minimum catering numbers) as we strive to make your club a place you feel you belong. 
Club News and Notices
PROFESSOR HELEN DANISH-MEYER
 
Brian McMath gave our speaker for the evening – Professor Danish-Meyer – a warm welcome. She is an impressive, glaucoma and ophthalmology specialist, and cataract surgeon, sharing her time between the University of Auckland and the Eye Institute. With her teams, she has established several areas of research interest, challenging existing paradigms and orthodoxy.
 
After an interesting historical introduction, Professor Meyer outlined her interest in the study of the optic nerve and through that nerve, the brain. Her 2006 study of Alzheimers patients and the significance of retinal nerve fibre has recently been picked up and replicated. In addition MRI scanning can identify “sleeping” nerve fibre, enabling an operation at the right time to relieve pressure and avoid blindness.
 
Professor Meyer paid tribute to Phyllis Dorothy Mead, who had left a legacy leading to the establishment of Vision Research Aotearoa.
 
 
 
 
Current projects include:
  • The role of air pollution in glaucoma
  • Autism and vitamin A deficiency
  • Inflammation & Alzheimers disease
  • MRI modelling of motion within the brain
  • Scholarships to address inequity
 
 
In his vote of thanks, Alastair Macfarlane paid a moving and heartfelt tribute to Helen for the difference and personal encouragement her work provides.
 A fascinating and stimulating presentation from a visionary specialist and researcher.
PRESIDENT DAVE'S YEAR
 
The new Rotary year kicked off last Tuesday evening with acclamation and a standing ovation for our new President, Dave Birch. Following on from his comments at the Changeover, and in last week’s Rapport, Dave emphasised what he wanted us to accomplish over the next twelve months - a club that is:
  • Reflective of our community
  • Inclusive
  • Active post Covid
Dave is challenging us, as Club members, to:
  • Care for our community
  • Care for our environment
  • Care for one another
We will hear more of Dave’s use of the  “Stockdale paradox” as the year proceeds – don’t confuse the faith you have that you will prevail with whatever current reality is staring you in the face.   And take on board this year’s iconic message  – “Imagine Rotary”
CIRCUS QUIRKUS 2022
 
Another year, another fantastic Circus Quirkus event!
 
This was our first year at the Vodafone Event Centre and what a fantastic place to hold our annual event.  A huge thank you to our sponsors for supporting the event and enabling us to host thousands of deserving kids and their families.  We raised over $100k for our chosen charities while, at the same time, giving kids who otherwise may never get to see a circus the chance to see a professional event live!
 
.. and all the while the Rotary volunteers had a great time hosting such amazing people!
 
Check out the highlights video below or for the link to see the full video!!!
 
 
 
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Photo Albums
Photos remuera 12 July 2022
Matariki District Conference 2022
Changeover 2022

Members Slot

EULOGY FOR RON McPHERSON

 
From Stephen Poole, Rotary Club of Auckland East.
 
Ron and Jill and my wife Joan and I have been friends for more than six decades.
Ron's family home was the old golf house in Riddell Road in Churchill Park Glendowie, and he and Jill had their wedding reception in that house in 1964.  Jill and Ron were in our wedding party as Joan and I were in theirs the same year.
Ron left St. Kentigern College and became a marine engineer in the merchant navy on a Union Steamship vessel on the trans tasman run. My father offered Ron a position in our stevedoring company, Leonard & Dingley when he came ashore and he and I worked together for thirty five years. On leaving our company in 1998, Ron started his own company Assessing & Training Services, tutoring people in driving cranes, fork trucks , ship rigging and associated maritime areas for twenty five years. 
He and Jill were frequent overseas travellers visiting their family in London and Denver USA.
Being a man of the sea they travelled on several Oceania cruise ships as well.
From small sailing yachts , to joint ownership of a yacht, outboard runabouts and crewing on vintage classical yachts. He gave many hours of voluntary time in the Auckland Coastguard and was made a life member. He was a wonderful family man and leaves Jill and their three children and five grandchildren including Diane Jensen in the wider family being one of Jill's sisters and widow of Rex Jensen who passed away one year ago.
Ronald Keith McPherson 8 February 1940 - 25 June 2022. 
 
Rotary World
RYLA Dinner 2022
RYLA DINNER 2022
Friday 9th July 2022.  More than 100 RYLA awardees and guests crowded into the recreation centre at Willow Park for their formal dinner – marking the beginning of the end of RYLA for 2022. Club member Peter Ross (nicknamed Paparazzi Pete by awardees) remarked “this was a RYLA course like no other” with COVID conspiring to test awardees and organisers alike.  The dinner event precautions meant awardees and guests could not mingle, and were in fact coned apart.  
 
Following the formal welcome (mihi whakatau) from Tama Potaki, CEO of local iwi (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki), we heard several speeches of thanks and gratitude from organisers and awardees alike. When Lt Colonel Jon Atkinson announced the winners of the outdoor education portion of the program the stage was filled with smiling faces, youthful enthusiasm and .. blistered, limping RYLArians. 
 
Special mention to Newmarket club stalwart Brian McMath, who on the night received a Paul Harris Fellow award from Peter Ross. This acknowledged Brian’s enormous contribution, over many years, to the speaker schedule and social enterprise programs.  The dinner finished with the awardees performing a polished waiata.  A little mingling was observed. (Menu:  Glazed Ham, Chicken, Vegetarian Lasagne, Profiteroles for dessert.)
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Newmarket Business Association Awards
Last week several club members attended the annual Newmarket Business Association Awards.
 
Holly Bennett who founded and runs the government relations agency Awhi was awarded the title of “Young Business Person of the Year” – sponsored by our club.
 
A finalist in the same award from last year, Peter Prema, was part of the BetterCo team that won Employer of the Year.  Both Holly and Peter have been invited to visit and talk at the club.
 
A great night was had by all. (Menu: Beef/Chicken alternate drop).
 
Follow the link for a few more photos from the event ....
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Matariki District Conference
03/2022 - 9.00am on a cold and foggy Sunday morning the 9920 District Changeover occurred at the Carlton Bowling Club in Cornwall Park. 
DG Steve Chaney passed the chains of office to DG Alan Smith who laid out his plans for the year ahead.  
The meeting was attended by Newmarket’s President Dave Birch and President Elect Mike Alison.   The guest speaker Chloe Swarbrick eloquently shared her views on being the youngest MP (28) and why young people are largely dis-engaged from politics.  Kirsten Hawke (District Secretary) and Edith Chaney (District Trainer) where both acknowledged by Sue Smith as wahine toa.  Another guest speaker Mark Anderson, from Rotary International in Parramatta spoke passionately about why Rotarians needed to stop fundraising and start doing more projects.  While somewhat counter-intuitive this “community lead” approach resonated directly with Chloe Swarbricks key messages for driving engagement.  (Menu: Filled Croissants with coffee or juice).
 
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Upcoming Events
Parenting through (and beyond) a pandemic
Ellerslie Events Centre
Jul 19, 2022
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
 
Wayne Brown - Auckland Mayoral Candidate
Ellerslie Events Centre
Jul 26, 2022
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
 
Leo Molloy - Auckland Mayoral Candidate
Ellerslie Events Centre
Aug 02, 2022
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
 
View entire list
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