What a great night we all enjoyed last Saturday when we officially celebrated 75 years of Rotary in Queenstown.  The ambience was perfect and what an interesting and thought provoking guest speaker, Warren Lees.  During the evening we took the opportunity to present Martin and Jan Chappell with a caricature of them both as shown below as a token of appreciation of their years in and service to Queenstown Rotary and of course we wished them well in their new place of residence at Oxford.

Martin was also declared an Honorary Member of our club.

Thanks to President Elect Ross and his team for putting together a night that we will all remember.

 

This is an opportunity for all Rotary members, new and not so new, to get together for a day of updating, refreshing, learning and fellowship - and it is FREE!  Venue - Logan Park High School, Dunedin.

The day will start with a cuppa from 9.00 to 9.30am, and then there will be a series of presentations from a wide range of people throughout the District - you will find out what is planned for Rotary’s 100th Birthday in New Zealand, what the District Foundation grants were used for, about a number of Rotary programmes and so on.

In the afternoon there will be workshop sessions to provide information and assistance to those taking on roles in the coming year - the last opportunity for:

• Presidents Elect to meet as a group
• Club Foundation Chairs to find out about applying for grants and to complete their memorandum which they must have in order to get grants
• Membership / Club Development leaders to think through membership issues and ideas

as well as

• Workshops for Club Officers (Treasurers, Secretaries, Administrators, website and Clubrunner users), and
• a special workshop called Rotary Knowledge which will give new members in particular the opportunity to find out what Rotary is and how it works. 

Registrations are now open, and close on Thursday May 9th.  Please click on this link (http://tinyurl.com/KnowHowDay) to complete your online registration - now would be a good time to do it!

“If you told me this time last year that I would feel like I do now, well, I wouldn’t believe you. (oooooo) ”-Netherworld Dancing Toys, For Today.

These lyrics from a fantastic Kiwi Classic have become very relevant to my current state of mind.  I applied for my exchange around ANZAC Day and Easter 2018. At the time I thought my exchange would be fun and give me a breath of fresh air as well as new perspective.  While all of this has proven to be true thus far, the extent of my self development is something I never anticipated.  My exchange experiences have not been handed to me on a silver platter, I have had to work hard to learn a new language and culture.  However, showing my vulnerabilities and acknowledging my faults has given me the opportunity to grow.

I am now more conversational in Danish, which is a fantastic because it is now easier to understand what those around me are talking about.  I have made many friends, some from Denmark and others from all around the globe.  Having an open mind has helped me to learn more about a variety of cultures and think more critically of my previously held perspectives.

I am still gaining weight, I no longer need a belt with my jeans though.  Silver linings!

Flødeboller (mallowpuffs with cream instead of marshmallow) have become a fantastic breakfast lunch and dinner option.  I need to learn how to make them because otherwise I will miss them in New Zealand.

The biggest change since my last report would have to be my new host family.  I am on to family number 2 who live slightly outside of the city in a village named Voel.  My main method of transport has changed from bike to bus, although occasionally I will still cycle to school.  My new family are epic, they took me on some awesome trips during the Easter holidays and they are helping me to stay in shape.

Mange Tak (many thanks) Rotary for making this dream a reality!!!

Here are some bullet point highlights on what I’ve been up to since last time….

·       watching some handball matches and a soccer game live

·       eating fermented herring

·       seeing Aros Museum in Århus with my host sisters

·       visiting an old Kro (inn) with my host father 

 

 

 

·       attending a cooking course

·       going to a very “hygge” (cozy) bach in Grenå

·       Himmelbjerget (“Sky Mountain”) with John and Lars

·       revisiting Legoland (I had been there before when I was 5 years old)

 

 

·       riding the sidecar of a Nimbus (not the broomstick, but the discontinued vintage motorcycle from DK)

·       given a New Zealand themed lecture to a class very impulsively (I walked into the class and asked the teacher if I could give a speech on the spot)

·       played Viking/Konge Spil (a very good game if you play on flat land)

 

·       going to Ebeltoft (a really hygge historic coastal town)

Link to video of first 3 months:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrODRPm2JTU&feature=youtu.be

This May, Queenstown will host it's first ever Darkness Into Light 5km Walk, raising vital funds for Queenstown Lakes Family Centre and founding charity Pieta House.

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world will get together to walk from the darkness of night into the light of morning to help in the global fight against suicide and self-harm.  The 5km walk is open to people of all ages and abilities – so grab your work colleagues, housemates and friends and be part of this special morning, so that together we can make a difference in our community and overcome the stigma surrounding mental health.

Pre-registration is essential.

Register at https://www.darknessintolight.ie/event/queenstown

Further details available on our event Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DILQueenstown/

When:  Saturday 11th May at 6.30am

Where:  Lake Hayes Pavilion