Multiple awards for Courtenay Place Rotarians who are digging big, measure their volunteer inputs and are on the move

The Rotary Big Dig on Freyberg Beach, Oriental Bay, in 2016.

Most of us are watching the Olympic games at the moment and we know the huge kudos that goes to athletes who medal in multiple events.  Courtenay Place Rotary deserves similar kudos, bringing home three awards at the recent District Changeover: a silver award for the RI Presidential Citation, the District Governor’s Public Image Award for the Big Dig project and the Sir John Ilott Award for best attendance at District Assembly.

Denise and I were sitting next to Howard Mayer and when I brought out the DG's chain we were surprised and fascinated to hear that his grandfather had made the chain in the early 1920's.  What a rich history and tradition we have in Rotary.

Courtenay Place Rotary is one of several Clubs in Wellington, each of which has a different character and approach to projects, based on their members' interests and the communities they identify with.  Courtenay Place Rotary holds the yearly Big Dig on Freyberg Beach in Oriental Bay, sells glow sticks to fund raise on fireworks night, provides readers for pupils at Mount Cook School, to name just a few of their many community activities.

They collaborate by working alongside Rotaract Wellington and organisations such as Bellyful, which delivers meals to families with newborn babies and families with young children who are struggling with illness - see http://bellyful.org.nz/, and Drug-Arm Wellington http://www.drugarm.org.nz/

This is a Club to watch.  They have surveyed their membership and they have all sorts of plans.  They account for volunteer hours in MyRotary, like I wish all Clubs would, and monetize these hours in their financial statements.  What a powerful message we would have if we all knew about the amount of volunteer effort Rotarians are carrying out in our communities.      

Friday lunchtime at a Rotary meeting is a really nice way to end the working week and from 2 September you will find Courtenay Place Rotary meeting at a new venue in the heart of Cuba Street - the CQ Comfort Hotel, 223 Cuba Street on Friday at noon for a 12.15 pm start.  This will be a great location for people working or living near by.

Denise & DG Martin, President Jean Phipps, PDG Dexter Bambery and Celia, AG John Mohi