“Change is inevitable... change is constant” - Disraeli

So for a trial, last Tuesday, we moved back to Newmarket, our home base. Alpers Lodge provided our meal and our meeting space in their White House. [President Dave invited thoughts and opinions on this venue to be sent through to him.]  He welcomed Asel’s friend Maxine and 23 of us to lunch. With ANZAC day next week, he invited each of us to express our thanks for something important to us, resulting in 24 varied, interesting and worthwhile responses.

Our speaker, our own Janette Searle, Rotary Newmarket Chair of the Rotary Foundation/WCS Committee, then brought us up to date on two of her very successful initiatives and other developments:

 

Arising out of her 2015 Education Research Project, investigating alternative education for 13 – 16 year olds dropping out of their schooling, she developed a very successful new model now employed by 13 Secondary schools in West Auckland. The challenge is to re-engage youth at risk. The solution is to provide wrap-around support and care through coordinators tracking everything in their lives: family, health and well-being, societal pressures, and transitions; as well as enabling them to continue with their education. This has resulted in about half of those being helped heading back into mainstream or other education and training. This changed pastoral care approach has dramatically limited the number of exclusions from the participating schools [eight, last year, rather than hundreds previously].

Such an encouraging approach has been picked up by some of the decision makers and is now being actively employed elsewhere. May it continue to grow and develop!

 

In 2010 Janette became aware of many artificial limbs from the AF Service, capable of being recycled, ending up as junk. 

Establishing a Charitable Trust for the purpose, she arranged for the first shipment to be sent to Lahore. The project has never looked back. 9 different countries, 12 recipient partners and 44 equipment and transport partners later, Take My Hands works mainly in the Pacific. Suitable health materials are sourced, containers are loaded and identified needs in the recipient countries met. 

Since the Trust’s foundation, equipment worth over $2m has been provided at a tenth of that cost. 

 

Janette then outlined three other important developments with which she is associated:

An impressive presentation from a very committed and passionate member of our Club. Members questions and acclamation expressed our appreciation for her infectious enthusiasm. Thank you, Janette – tremendous achievements.

 

No meeting 25^th April [Anzac Day]

2^nd May - Ellerslie, with the Club visit from our 9920 DG Allan Smith.

9^th May - Remuera Golf Club with Roger Partridge from the NZ Initiative, and attendees from the Science Forum

16^th May – Ellerslie, with Sarah Page from the Kindness Collective, and attendees from the RYPEN weekend.

27^th – 31^st May 2023 -   RI Melbourne Conference