Another twelve months has passed and it was time again to have our annual Changeover dinner at the Holiday Inn at Frankton. Fourty people attend the Change Over on the evening. Apologies recorded on the evening - Vivienne Hunt (Inner Wheel President), Grant Rees, Ashley Adams, Chris Taylor, Keith McIntosh (DGE), Michael Walter, Ron Mackersy, Ralph Hanan, David Tait, David Cater, Sharon Leamy, Nell Hunter and Nigel Hawke Guests included Dave McKissock (outgoing District Governer), Jan Hopcroft (President - Rotary Club of Cromwell), Simon and Ngaire Hayes (President of the Lions Club of Queenstown) Manasa and Anna Natere from the Salvation Army attend and a representative from Kiwi Harvest. Derek Bulman (Honary Member) also attended. Awards and Recognition on the evening included: Two Paul Harris Fellowship awards were presented to Fiona van Waveren-Wilshire and Tim Wilshire for their work on the Duck Race. Fiona van Waveren-Wilshire & Tim Wilshire PHF awards Joan Kiernan was awarded the Pauline Haselmore for her outstanding work and commitment as the Rotary Foundation Chair. Ross Beal presenting the Pauline Haselmore award to Joan Kiernan The President's Cup this year was awarded to Stuart MacLean for arranging the speakers over the past twelve months. As we approached the formalities of the evening, outgoing President Ross Beal summarised his year in office by highlighting the clubs achievements over the past twelve months and thanking the club members for their support. In the fundraising space, we raised a total of $27,250 as a club. - NZ Golf Open $14,000 - The Annual Duck Race $8,000 - BBQ in support of the Poultry Conference - Opera in the Garden $500 - Rotary Foundation at QCC $1,250 We provided $27,362 of financial support to the community. We also inducted two new members to the club (Julie Forde and MJ Kooger) and welcomed a guest from Mexico (Gen Acosta). Two PHF were awarded to David Carter and Ashley Adams. Outgoing President Ross Beal thanked the directors for their support in 2024-2025.The directors were David Tait, Hamish Murray, Grant Rees, Tim Wilshire, Richard Bowman (PE) and Neil Boniface (PP). and to the club members who participated in running the club roles on a weekly bases. It was then time for incoming President Richard Bowman, to take over the club's leadership from the outgoing President Ross. President Bowman outlined his vision for the upcoming year, including new projects, service initiatives, and fundraising goals. The new board directors are: Queenstown Rotary Board 25-26 - Richard Bowman President
- Ross Beal Past President
- Fiona Van Waveren-Wilshire Incoming President
- David Tait Secretary
- Hamish Murray Treasurer
- Stuart McLean
- Tim Wilshire
- Alan Mitchell Youth Director
- Julie Forde
- MJ Kooger As a Club, we also celebrated on the evening our local community involvement. We invited representatives from Kiwi Harvest and the Salvation Army to receive the donations we collected from Cans for a Cause. Over the past twelve months, we supported many causes such as the Daffodil Day Appeal, RYLA program, Adopt a Plot, Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal, A&P show parking and volunteers, RYDA program. Cans for a Cause - Salvation Army and Kiwi Harvest Ross Beal and Dave McKissock - Cans for a Cause Simon Hayes (President of the Lions Club, Queenstown). We also had a guest speaker on the evening. Simon Hayes, the President of the Lions Club in Queenstown spoke about their projects in and around the Queenstown community. He was also a very entertaining speaker! |
