Gardens for roofs, wetas and other interests of science make a memorable meeting

Vocational visits are club meetings that take place somewhere of interest with the speaker slot being filled by someone from that place who speaks about what it is they do. For our first vocation visit of the year we visited Landcare Research, the NZ government's environmental research organisation. — at Landcare Research.

More photos at: HERE;

 

 

 

Thanks to Stonefields New World who provided the breakfast all were well fed before a hugely interesting presentation about the work of Landcare and its huge contribution of the effective management of New Zealand's biodiversity.  We were then treated to a behind the scenes tour of several of the  largest exclusive collections of insects,  fungi available in New Zealand and the contribution these make to research including aspects many would not have thought about such as the accessibility of exports into overseas markets.Who would have thought members would be almost captivated by fungi! ... but they were when its importance was explained.  Absolutely fascinating.

Changeover 2013

2012-2013 Achievements Listed

Just a few ...

• Students sponsored to the annual Challenge Camp for physically disable youth
• Funding for two Emergency Response Kits
• Members assisted the assembly of hundreds of Emergency Response Kits
• Funds to assist a Fijian Pre-school with learning resources
• Annual Peter McKenzie Scholarship to a senior accounting student from Glendowie College to assist their first year tertiary studies
• Wheelchair for Varayame - a ROMAC youth assisted to NZ by the club for life changing surgery
• Support for Varayame's mother Illie as she studies for a nursing degree so she can work and support Varayame and her family back in Fiji on her return
• Contributed to the RotaPacific programme that brings Pacific participants to the Auckland Rotary Youth Leaders Award week-long course
• Seven students selected and funded to RYLA by the club
• Sponsorship of students to the Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment leadership camp for secondary school students
• Sponsorship of a Glendowie College team to the Model United Nations weekend
• Hosted Sophia, our International Exchange student from Germany
• Continued support for the Glendowie Primary Tree for Survival planting unit and their planting day that club members also attended
• Club team in the annual Cure Kids $10 Queenstown Challenge (Auckland to Queenstown - $15,000 raised for life-saving medical research)
• Support funding for the Apia playground
• Support funding for Natabura School
• Major project organising the Stonefields Community Fair
• Funding for a Teacher Aide at Stonefields School
• Glen Taylor School Dictionarys
• Many fantastic social events + district conference

For the above:  Total funds contributed: $22,798 and Volunteer Hours:  LOTS


From the Sergeants fund (this is small donations not covered by normal service committee activity) to a total of $4,304:

• Suburban Newspapers Project Kidney
• Hospice Upholstery Cleaning Machine
• Life Line Donation
• East Auckland Home & Budget
• Outward Bound Emmeline Croft
• Xmas Puddings for Salvation Army
• Rossi Holloway Medical conference
• Stationary for Glen Taylor pupils
• Teddy Bear's Hospital
• Share of GSE airfares to Great Barrier
• Toni-Lee Hayward memorial fund
• Cost of Duty for clothing to Fiji
• Funding for St John Youth Festival
• Ruby Seeto fundraising tea towels (Starship)
• Emergency Response Kits
• Support for the Glen Taylor School camp

Farewell - Sophia's NZ experience draws to a close

A farewell evening was held on the 7th June for all the District 9920 International Youth Exchange students about to depart home.   This was a great evening for all and our club's IYE student of the past year, Sophia spoke so well.

The stories told by all the students made us all feel proud of their achievements and the personal development they have experienced in NZ. They are now all much more worldly and wise, ready to follow their dreams.

Thanks to all of Sophia's host families, counsellor Angela and Louise Moore (Glendowie College was her school for the year) for the support of Sophia during the year.

Sophia with her host "parents", her counsellor and Louise

It was noted that Sophia raised $500 towards an Emergency Response Kit and this equated to over a third of all the funds raised for this by all the IYE students thanks to the German Breakfast she organised (http://stjohnsrotary.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/sophias-germa-style-brunch-tasty-success.html).