15 March 2024

Rotary Bulletin - Meeting Thursday, 15 February 2024
This meeting was an 'outing' to Caroline Bay to visit the new CPlay playground facility – more details below.
 
Messages from President Don:
  • A March meeting night visit is being planned to South Pacific Sera (Jeremy's former workplace) at Kennels Road in Washdyke, then adjourning to the Richard Pearce Tavern Armadillos Restaurant for a meal. Good attendance is requested as we plan to receive two Paul Harris Fellowship awards, but please keep this plan to ourselves until the awards are presented.
  • Thanks to Peter Prader, who organises the JR McKenzie Youth Trust funding grants, which provide financial help to families in need with school uniforms and shoes.
Here is the national story of the good this programme delivers:
 
I thought Clubs would like to know some details about the uniform grants paid out for the 2024 school year. 
The application form was sent to 35 Rotary clubs from Motueka to Timaru, including the West Coast. Applications were received from 18 clubs, one school and one support agency. 
Grants were paid out towards the uniform costs for 536 children (2023, 401 children, 2022, 359 children).  This has assisted 315 families. 
The basic grants were paid at the rate of $200 for primary school, $270 for intermediate school, $300 for secondary school and $470 for families. Some grants were for less than these amounts because the uniform cost was lower than the basic grant. 
A total of $106,272 was paid out in grants. Thank you for your contribution to this process.
  •  
Christine Arnold – Secretary
J R McKenzie Youth Education Fund
 
4-Wheel Drive Trip
A reminder from Trevor Johnson about the 4WD trip which is planned for Saturday, 16 and Sunday, 17 March. This involves a trip to Macreas Mine at Palmerston on Saturday, overnight in Dunedin City, then a Sunday on the Tieri Gorge train. A 4WD vehicle will NOT be required this time.
Saturday to Macraes via SH1, then right onto Trotters Gorge. Lunch (optional)is available at the historic Stanley Hotel @ $26 p.p., or you can bring your own picnic. Accommodation is available at the Leviathan Hotel in Dunedin for $139 per night (Saturday). An evening meal (optional) is $45 p.p
Tieri Gorge train leaves Dunedin Railway Station 10 am on Sunday.
All enquiries should be sent to Trevor at 027 546 0212 or 03 688 7547.
 
H2H - come and collect your vests needed for the event:
Thursday, 29th February 2024 - evening (in lieu of our meeting), please come to Richard Pearce Tavern by 6 pm to collect your H2H duties and vests and stay for a restaurant meal if you wish. Seniors discount is available for your meal if you flash your "Gold Card"!
 
The Hadlow to Harbour fun run event is scheduled for Sunday, 3 March, only 2 weeks away now. All available members are requested to help out for a few hours that morning.
 
CPlay visit
Thanks to Geoff Cloake and daughter Roslyn Fauth, who helped organise this visit. Members from the Timaru Rotary Club and the Temuka Geraldine Rotary Club also joined us.
A picnic tea was followed by a tour of the new playground led by Roslyn.
 
Playground facilities include a 14.5m long shipwreck, with the main deck on a 45-degree angle, lighthouse-themed 7 and 5 M slide tower, floor lava obstacle course, rush to the rescue themed mouse wheel, double cyclops swing, 50m tandem flying fox, Mahika kai themed whare and tuna eel areas, accessible equipment including basket swings, spinning bucket, swings, carousel, trampoline, musical bridge, climbing wall, instruments and a range of musical instruments. Plus, there is art and story-sharing signage to help inspire imaginative play. We looked at the Shipwreck history on the side of the mouse wheel. More story-sharing signage and gardens are still to come. The equipment is designed to allow users to assume some risk while playing.
The total play area is 18,085.27 m2, including its courts, paddling pool, bike skills park, and skatepark.
 
Key Features:
  • Playground with over 40 pieces of play equipment designed to offer a range of options for various ages, stages, abilities and sizes.
  • Fully fenced Paddling pool and shade sails, bike skills park, tennis, basketball and bike polo courts, and a skatepark adjacent.
  • It is set in one of Timaru District's premier parks: Caroline Bay.
  • A free-to-use double electric BBQ with a shade sail is on the playground by the courts. (And another BBQ by the paddling pool).
  • Covered picnic area and two drinking fountains.
  • MyWay shuttle stop is adjacent.
  • Bike racks.
  • Mobility friendly
  • Shock-absorbing rubber matting to limit injuries, which consumed 1/3rd of the budget. Previous matting was recycled and reused.
Next Rotary gathering
A reminder to members about the special gathering at Richard Pearce Tavern restaurant on the 29th to collect your H2H duties and vests. (as our next meeting follows the H2H 3 March weekend)
You can come for a meal or just to collect your H2H stuff from John – 027 292 5267. This will save him from having to chase down every member at home. Thanks.
Please check the roster below to ensure you arrange and complete your following meeting duties, and log an apology if you will be absent.
 
Rotary Youth Driver Awareness programme
RYDA 2024 is scheduled for Wednesday, 10 April, at Levels Raceway. Our Club has again asked to help sponsor this event and provide volunteers.
At least 3 volunteers are requested from our Club to attend and assist on this day between 9 am and 1.30 pm – please let John Keenan know if you can help.
 
The Road Safety Education team would like to express their gratitude for our continued support to RYDA. It's heartening to witness schools eagerly booking for the RYDA workshop in the upcoming 2024 year. The support of Rotary clubs throughout the country has been so appreciated by our team.
 
⁠Across the 2023 year, 53,323 students from 639 schools across New Zealand and Australia graduated from the RYDA programme – our highest participation ever! They engaged in 454 programs which took them from classroom learning to our fun-filled, frontloading workshops and back to the classroom and community to further explore and put their learning into action.
 
There is some great data around the behaviour change we are creating with RYDA graduates.  
  • 89% of students told us they felt more equipped with strategies to reduce risk after the RYDA workshop.
  • 95% of students would likely or very likely to apply RYDA learnings when in a vehicle.
  • 99% of teachers rate rider is worthwhile or very worthwhile for their students.
  • 97% of teachers rate writer content as effective or very effective.