Well, I have one main message this month and that is please buy your tickets to the Queenstown Rotary Club Charity Art Auction now and please encourage family, friends and anyone else you can to buy tickets as well.
There are now just 2 weeks until the 14 April and we must have 100 people there to make the event the success it deserves to be.
The Art Auction organising committee has been working hard on this since August last year. Joan has almost single handedly assembled over 40 high quality art works for auction. We have a fabulous venue at Arrowtown Lifestyle Village, we will have high class food prepared for us by Focus on Food, a wonderful MC in Jonathan Usher, an experienced auctioneer in Chris Campbell and to top it off Tony Quinn CNZM will speak to us. Having heard Tony speak before I can assure you he has a remarkable story to tell and a very colourful delivery. It will be a great night out and with our planned numbers, it will provide an excellent financial result for the charities Queenstown Rotary Club supports.
We are also going to need some helpers on the night to set up the venue, display and move the art works and to clean up afterwards. A list for volunteers will be circulated at upcoming meetings.
Those of you, and that was most of us, who went to Monte Christo wines in Clyde on 17 March had a wonderful night there. Our sincere thanks to Stanley, his sons Nick and Allan and to their excellent staff for looking after us so well. The quality of the wine, the meal and the beautiful facilities made the night, and I think many of us will be planning return visits to enjoy this all over again.
At our last meeting on 24 March, I think we must have had a record number of overseas visitors. We were expecting our 10 Rotarians from Long Island, New York, here on a Rotary Friendship exchange. However, in addition we had two couples from Caloundra and Bundaberg in Queensland, Hiren and Mala from Mumbai in India and last but not least Fiona’s mum, Jennie from Brisbane. What a night it was. Rotary is truly international.
April is going to be a very busy month at least until after the Art Auction. Once again please buy your tickets and ask many others as you can to join us there.
President Richard
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We are going month to month between the Holiday Inn and the Country Club. April is the Country Club
7th April - AT THE QT COUNTRY CLUB
14th April - NO MEETING - ART AUCTION
21st April - AT THE QT COUNTRY CLUB
28th April - AT THE QT COUNTRY CLUB
$28pp or $5 meeting fee if not eating
Please record your meal choice or apology before the Sunday of each week to MJ mj.kooger@bayleys.co.nz
14th April NO MEETING
Its the ART AUCTION night
If you cannot do your Duty, please arrange your own replacement.
If you are planning to head away for the winter, please let us know in writing so we can remove you from the duty list queenstownrotary@gmail.com
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!
off site 17th February
What a spectacular evening! On the 17th of March, we were treated to an unforgettable off-site social at the Monte Cristo Winery, where the atmosphere was as vibrant as the wine.
Our host, Stanley Paris, welcomed us with incredible warmth and pride, opening the doors to his stunning estate. One of the highlights was an immersive tour led by his talented sons, Alan and Nic, who shared the fascinating process behind their wine-growing and fermentation. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Clyde scenery, the entire experience felt authentic and you could feel the passion in what the family do and have created.
The indulgence began the moment we arrived with crisp, refreshing rosé and an delicious charcuterie grazing board. Dinner was a shared feast that hit all the right notes with overflowing sharing platters of succulent beef, chicken, and gourmet pizzas matched with gorgeous Monte Cristo wines - 2 Pinot Noirs, a delicious Chardonnay and Stanley's favourite Riesling.
For more information on Monte Cristo wines and accommodation, and the history of the site please click the website link https://www.montechristowinery.co.nz
Premium Tables include all of the above, plus 3 bottles of table bubbles, a premium floor position to the Auctioneers podium, opportunity for a one-on-one with a respected Art Guide, plus other table giveaways. Only 5 premium available.
The Art Auction Committee hope that you will support this event. Please feel free to share among your contacts and networks.
Tickets on sale soon through Humanitix. Link and further info will be provided to members in a separate communication.
The Latest RDU Magazine
This is a bi-monthly magazine and is part of your subscription.
Our Club hosted a team from Long Island, New York, from 22-26 March. Thank you to the members who hosted our Rotary US visitors during their time in Queenstown;
Hamish & Lee-Ann Murray
Neil & Jillian Boniface
David & Gabrielle
Richard & Barbara Bowman
Jim & Cora Huitt
The group attended our club meeting on March 24th.
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) was founded in 1917 and since has been supported by voluntary contributions that funds humanitarian projects, scholarships, and initiatives to improve health, education, and alleviate poverty worldwide
Rob Motteram, from the Rotary Club of Adelaide, South Australia is involved in the Rotary Golfing fellowship both internationally and in Australia.
He is planning a golf week in Queenstown, late October - early November 2026, and would love us to be involved.
If you are interested in joining them on one or all of the 4 days please let our club member Alistair Forde know 0211 529 554 as they are asking for EOI now. Alistair will pass on your details to Rob. More info on dates etc will follow but put keep this timeline in mind.
During their visit they will attend a club meeting and talk about the International Golfing Fellowship.
If you would like more info about the fellowship please click the link below.
ROMAC monthly newsletters are now included in the Bulletin. See further down - click the link to access the latest and back-editions and read some incredible stories of life-changing and life-saving surgeries performed.
The latest down under rotary news
Rotary Down Under News is a central hub to find all your Rotary news across NZ, Australia and Oceania.
Click the link, then select the edition you want to read. You will find the current and back issues of the RDU magazine as well as info on projects and events that are happening around our Zone.
When was polio last in Europe? If you guessed 2002, the year the region was certified polio-free, you’re wrong. The last time polio affected a child in Europe was 2015. Outbreaks like the one that occurred in Ukraine that year are why, although we are so close to eradicating polio, we still need $1.5 billion more to finish the job.
Learn about the steps needed to ensure polio is truly gone forever.
