Heretaunga Rotary - three Past District Governors, growing membership, huge generosity and watch this space for a community award

President Iain Opray inducts new members Peter Boniface and Garry Tranter

Denise and I remember the first District Conference we went to.  It was in Upper Hutt and was a great experience that encouraged both of us to become more involved in Rotary.  The DG at that time was Graham Douglass from Heretaunga Rotary.  I hope you will all come to our Conference in New Plymouth on the weekend of 21-23 April 2017 and enjoy a similar invigorating experience.  

Heretaunga Rotary is distinguished by the fact that it has produced three District Governors - Graham Douglass (Carlene), Michael Leggott (Alisa) - who is now an Honorary Member of Kapiti Rotary and who I had the honour of meeting when I visited that Club - and Bryan Ross (Noeline).  Bryan and Noeline were both present when I visited Heretaunga Rotary at a formal evening at the Royal Wellington Golf Club.  What a great venue!  I had not been here since my Rotarian Past-President father Denis and I had followed the New Zealand Golf Open at this impressive course some time ago.  
This Club is the second most generous in terms of per capita donations to The Rotary Foundation.
 When only 17 of 55 Clubs in our Rotary District give more than NZ$100 per member to The Rotary Foundation, how can the Rotary Club of Heretaunga give much more than NZ$200 per member?  Because they know the difference that Rotarians can make in our own communities and throughout the world by supporting The Rotary Foundation.  They are an example that we should all follow.

Heretaunga Rotary has set up a membership focus group and I had the pleasure of being involved when President Iain Opray inducted two new members, and there are more to come.

Heretaunga Rotarians are engaged in a variety of local and international activities to improve the lives of others and fund raise.  Locally you just have to look at the Bookfest, which raises significant funds, the hanging baskets in Silverstream. the development of a shelter area at Pinehaven School, support for the Teen Parenting Centre and the Upper Hutt Foodbank and Te Omanga Hospice and much more.  They help the local Plunket Society with painting and you'll see them at the Upper Hutt Spring Carnival and the Petone Fair.  They're also responsible for developing a segment of the Rotary River Trail along the Hutt River.  And they send two young people to RYPEN and the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum and one to RYLA, while supporting local youth in other ways.

Overseas they provide books to schools in Fiji, Samoa and the Pacific Islands as well as Emergency Response Kits, a ShelterBox and contribute to eradicating polio - and much more.

It is no wonder that Heretaunga Rotary is a Wellington Airport Regional Community Award Finalist.  We wish them well in the Awards.  Thank you President Iain, Margaret and Heretaunga Rotarians for making AG Stephen Fitzjohn and me so welcome.
 

Fijian students reading from material provided by Heretaunga Rotary.