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President's Message
Jason Climo
Hello everyone
I trust that you are all keeping safe and well as we begin to re-experience Covid life in Queenstown! A real frustration. We surveyed members last week and the result was19 YES 13 NO to continue with face to face meetings.
With this result in mind and with increasing COVID cases in Queenstown, the Board has made the tough decision to suspend ‘in-person’ meetings at the Holiday Inn until at least mid-March.
It was unanimously agreed that it wouldn’t be good if we were to become super spreader, or put our members at any potential risk by unwittingly being in contact with someone while at the Holiday Inn.
However we certainly need to stay in touch so, from tomorrow evening, we will hold our first ‘off site’ event in a wide open space and have selected the Bayview Road reserve area, below the Kelvin Heights Christian Camp.
There is the option for you to stay on for a BYO picnic dinner. We would like to propose alternate weeks where we use Zoom one week and an offsite the following. Happy to take ideas.
Further information and details from Past President Lee-Ann as Programme & Meeting Chair
FORTNIGHTLY OUTDOOR MEETINGS:
The Board discussed several options with fortnightly ‘outdoor meetings’ being selected as the best option. This will allow everyone the opportunity to attend and feel comfortable.
We will meet at a different park, or place of interest each time, for a quick drink and catch up with the option to stay on for a BYO picnic dinner.
Starting at 5.30pm, club notices and business will be conducted first.
If the weather doesn’t look good, we will instead hold a ‘Zoom’ meeting at 5.30pm. An email will be sent out confirming that the meeting will be a ‘Zoom meeting’.
Meeting attendance is voluntary, no apology is required until we are back to normal.
ZOOM MEETINGS:
Members will be emailed the Zoom meeting invite and details the day before.
If you are not set up for Zoom and want to be, Gabrielle and I can talk you through it over the phone. You just need to let us know.
As the situation in Queenstown unfolds, we can update our position together as a Club.
The first meeting is this Tuesday 22 February:
We will conduct Club business first, over a drink, with a BYO picnic dinner afterwards for those who wish to stay.
VENUE: To be held at the Bay View, Kelvin Heights Reserve/Boat ramp area on Bay View Rd (see picture) at 5.30pm.
There’s a nice big lawn area to the right of the boat ramp, or at the tables to the left where the carpark is (depends on how many members of the public there are in the area)
The Rotary gazebo will be up to provide shelter from the elements.
Over the next few weeks we could go to Queenstown Gardens, Tuckers Beach, Wilsons Bay or to any other suggested venues provided by members.
We will still have an opportunity to have speakers, either in person or on Zoom.
Yet another successful RYLA camp was held from 6 – 11 February at the Lakeland Park Christian Camp.
Covid didn’t have too much effect on attendance with 2022 having more participants than ever. RYLA has grown over the past 3 years since it has been held in Queenstown growing from 28 in 2020 to 35 in 2021 and 36 in 2022 (down from 39 due to 3 late withdrawals because of the growing COVID risks).
Over the course of the six days, RYLArians listened to 14 guest speakers, put up Shelter Box tents, rock climbed, trampolined, did the ropes course, human foosball and archery at ‘The Playground’ under Coronet Peak, completed 2 community projects, swam, learnt to knit and how public speak, and still wanted more! So they got it with the top secret 4.30am ‘Sunrise Hike’ up Ben Lomond to the Basket of Blessings. Although I was definitely not their favourite person at that time of the morning, the feedback was that it was one of the highlights of their week! They each also made 35 new friends and contacts for life.
A big part of the programme is to complete a community project. The Queenstown RYLArians completed 2 fantastic projects in the gully area adjacent to the Camp. The first was a working bee with planting, weeding, mulch spreading and even a bridge built over the creek floor that links the two sides. Good use was made of 4 Civil Engineers corporate sponsored by their employer, BECA.
A big thanks to Rotarians John Thompson, Kerry Dunlop and Grant Rees who turned up with chainsaws and worked tirelessly cutting up fallen trees and cutting down others. Thanks also to Hamish for trimming the steep sides of the gully, not an easy job with all the obstacles including broken trees and branches. Amazing work by these amazing Rotarians.
The second project was the design and construction of a ‘rest areas’. There were 2, one at the top end of the gully at the Oregon Drive cul-de-sac end (see map marked 1) and one on the campgrounds (marked 2). They started with a bare, tree-root ridden piece of ground and made it into a beautiful place for camp users and members of the public to use and enjoy. Many thanks goes to Queenstown MEGA Mitre10 (CEO Paul Jackson and Toni Boatwright, Marketing and Promotions Manager) for their support and donations of materials to make this project possible. Please show your support back to them. Be sure to go and check these projects out some time.
Another BIG thank you goes to Rotarian and now, Honorary RYLArian Ken Fox. Ken has, without fail, turned up and been a multi-day volunteer at every RYLA. He helps keep the programme moving and on time and ensures the dining room is set up and ready for all the hungry young people. He also supervised a large working-group at the top end of the gully during the working bee.
The local RYLArians will visit the club, hopefully this week, at the Bay View marina/reserve meeting or in a week or two to follow.
I have already started planning RYLA 2023. If anyone would like to help and come on the 2023 committee, please see me.
Lee-Ann
D9980/D9999 RYLA Chair
To see more photos from RYLA 2022 click on 'read more'
It is with great regret that I must inform you, that our District 9980 Conference planned for 22-24 April 2022 has been cancelled due to the current Covid-19 RED traffic light setting.
Due to the government’s announcement in January 2022 of the entire country moving into the RED setting and the subsequent restriction of gathering sizes (max 100), the call has been made that it is no longer viable to host such an event.
Factors in making the decision at this point were based on our ability to minimize the financial impact on District 9980, registrations, and the impact of the RED setting in the lead up to conference and hesitancy caused and finally the very real possibility we would still be unable to host an event in April or the remaining months of the current Rotary year.
For those who have registered, a full refund will be processed, and we will be in touch for account numbers.
I would like to say thank you to my conference team for all of the work they have put into planning this event over the past 2 years, they are superstars, with a special mention to Pam Broadhead as the Chair.
I’m gutted as this was to be the big party to send out our wonderful District 9980 and celebrate who we are and what we have achieved in the past 40 years.
The district awards that would traditionally be presented at conference will either head to changeover or I will set off on a road trip, this is still to be decided, but they will still be presented to the deserving recipients.
The Pumpkin weigh in is a plan I’m still working on and very open to ideas here. I’ll keep the growers posted.
I would finally like to thank you all for your support through the year so far, Covid was not something I had factored in when taking on the role and it has certainly impacted my term and the journey so far.
Character building is the best way I can describe it.
Yours in Rotary
Nick Wood
District Governor 2021-22
District 9980
DG 2024-2025 Nominations now open -
A reminder that the transition management committee for D9999 is now calling for nominations for the role of District Governor 2024-25. 2024 - 25 may seem a long way ahead, but it is time to start thinking about a successor to District Governor Nominee Phil Gully to take office as District Governor from 1 July 2024. Nominations must be received by 1 March 2022.
Attached are two documents (see below). Read the Call for Nominations first, as it gives you all the details you need to begin the process.
IPP Lee-Ann is looking after the programme, duties, meetings and attendance. If you have any suggestions/ideas for the programme please let her know. If you have a duty and can’t attend, please make sure you find a replacement.
The 3 Minute Talk - to make sure we run to time, please keep to between 3-5 minutes, unless pre-arranged with President Jason.
Apologies - Must be received to queenstownrotary@gmail.com before 12pm Tuesday at the latest. Please be aware that you will be invoiced for your meal if no apology is received. If you are unsure if you can make it each week, you can put in a permanent apology and let us know when you do come. It is easier to inform the restaurant of an extra meal than the Club having to pay for meals not claimed.
DUTIES ROSTER
22 February
1 March
8 March
Setup 5.20 pm Meet & Greet
Off-site
TBC
TBC
Cashier
Introduce Speaker & Parting Thought
Sergeant
Toast to Rotary Project OR
3 min Talk
Thank Speaker
PLEASE NOTE: Person rostered to Introduce Speaker please forward notes of their presentation to Keith McIntosh, Bulletin Editor, for inclusion in the Bulletin.
If you will be away, or for some other reason you cannot do your duty on the nominated day, it is your responsibility as soon as possible, and certainly no later than the Monday night before the meeting, to arrange a substitute. A swap with the person who has the duty the next week is suggested.
Please be there by 5.25 pm if you are on Reception or Meet & Greet.
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