Among many floats, the prize winning Timaru Filipino Society added a magnificent splash of colour to the 2022 Xmas Parade. The Santa Parade's are now organised by Timaru's combined service clubs and our club member Geoff Cloake provided this coverage on Flickr
Applications open for Timaru North Rotary Art Scholarship - 2021
Applications can now be received for club's annual art scholarship. This is to help with tertiary education costs for 17-25 year-old students studying arts. They must be NZ citizens living in South Canterbury at the time of application.
The successful applicant must be prepared to report formally to the club and agree to publicity.
An application form with criteria is downloadable from artscholarship.rotarytimnth.nz. Applications close 5:00pm 27th January 2023, and will be considered by the club committee.
For further information please contact:
Harley Smithson
handjsmithson@gmail.com
03 686 6055 or 027 4972 292
Yes we held another BOOKARAMA for 2022!
Circus Quirkus performance in TBHS School Hall 13 May 2019.
About 300 kids and their folks were treated to a magnificent 90 minute music pumping show featuring acrobats, clowns contortionists, jugglers, hula hoop dancers and more. The show has been touring New Zealand since 2002, hosted by NZ Lions, Rotary Clubs, etc.
Each year, complimentary tickets are distributed to organisations focusing on support to less fortunate or special needs children and their families to allow them to have a great day out with the family.
Tickets are sponsored by local businesses are not for public purchase or resale. Read more here...
Circus Quirkus is run by International Entertainment Ltd, a New Zealand based event management company specialising in the production and sourcing of both local and international acts particularly for charitable organisations. Read more here...
Back row from left: Noel Crawford; Andrew Toombes; Bruce Steven; Ethel Elliot; and Peter O'Neil. Front row: Janice Higinbottom; Clare Bruce; and Margueritte Gliddon.
Alpine Energy, main sponsor of our H2H Fun Run invited beneficiaries, key supporters and club representatives to a 4:30pm function at their Washdyke head office on 20 May 2021. Donations were transferred earlier as cheques are now obsolete. Instead, Certificates of Appreciation were presented to: The Heart Foundation; Stroke Club; Hospice; and Life Education Trust for their volunteering on the day.
CEO, Andrew Toombes welcomed everyone at the door with mirth as he ran through visiting procedures and later in the cafeteria expressed great pleasure in supporting the H2H. Key Rotary members in turn responded with their appreciation, followed by beneficiary representatives giving thanks and outlining their charity roles.
Our annual H2H Alpine Energy Hadlow-to-Harbour fun run, walk, jog went ahead on the 7th March 2021, the Sunday morning just hours after the move back to Covid-19 alert level 1.
Stuff reports: "Hadlow to Harbour co-ordinator Noel Crawford said the event went “very well indeed” with 870 people taking part."
"The Rotary Club of Timaru, which runs the event, made a decision last week to gamble on the alert level dropping before Sunday so they could hold the event – a gamble that paid off as the country, except for Auckland, moved out of level 2 restrictions at 6am, just three and a half hours before the start of the run."
Crawford said he had seen people come back to the event year after year. “There’s one friend of ours, she came the first year pushing one child, and then a few years later there was two, and now there was three this morning.”
Despite forecast rain, Sunday morning was sunny and warm. “The weather was very nice, in fact it got a bit hot. People generally didn’t push themselves too hard; they came over the line quite comfortably.”
Click here for full story and photos
Timaru's annual Hadlow-to-Harbour to go ahead despite snap alert level change
St Joseph's Year 4 primary school students with their new illustrated dictionaries
Again Year 4 primary school students were thrilled to received the wonderfully illustrated education learning aid from us this year. Schools included Barton Rural, Beaconsfield, Gleniti, Grantlea Downs, Highfield, St Joseph's, Timaru Christian, Oceanview Heights and Waimataitai.
Working with other Rotary Clubs, the cost was covered by a Rotary Foundation grant. Special thank to President Rod Sparrow who individually signed the 272 explanatory letters covering each Dictionary, and members and family who helped prepare, distribute and present the dictionaries to each school.
The Mountainview High School Auditorium was again packed to capacity on Sunday night 20 December for a sing-along to brass band backed Rhyth-mix singers and performances by Jess Bacon’s highland dancers & piper William McArthur, the Austin family and Junior Drama League. Christmas messages were given by Mayor, Nigel Bowen and Rev Ben Randall representing the South Canterbury Ministers Association. Big thanks to The Aoraki Foundation for their support covering expenses. About $900 was raised for The Salvation Army food bank, our charity for this year, off-setting some of the local hardship caused by COVID-19.
I (the editor) looked through Gordons photos and was surprised how few members were still members in 1986 when I joined.


Harley Smithson's grand daughter Lily was in for some very special attention from Santa before this years parade.
With about 48 floats, our combined services clubs really stepped up this year's Santa Parade. What an event to organise? Big thanks to our club volunteers! Stuff reported: "Floats included classic and modern fire engines, a Burrell traction engine, classic cars and a Pleasant Point Railway train engine on a truck and there were recognisable characters form Minnie and Micky Mouse to minions and Frozen's Olaf."


Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage. The works of two previous winners of the scholarship, Isobel and Emily Bell, were also auctioned.
Supreme winner: Aaliyah Beswick. with Aigantighe Art Gallery Manager Hamish Pettengell.
40 years on and our annual ARTARAMA is still showcasing some amazing art from our South Canterbury kids. 400 entries make up another great Rotary show in conjunction with Aigantighe, Friends of Aigantighe; and South Canterbury Art Society.
Gleniti students with their 'Wearable Art': from left: Luke Campbell with his brochure dress, Azaria Phillips and Addison Tait with their wedding dress, and Zac Campbell with is map dress.
Awards:
Aigantighe Art Gallery:
Painting: Year 1-3, Indie Robinson-Smith; year 4-6, Fletcher McCall; year 7-8, Pippa Nevin; year 9-10, Lucy Grieve; year 11-12, Liana Karika; year 13, Jazmin Duncan.
Collage and Print: Year 1-3, Lincoln Tocker, year 4-6, Dan Ali; year 7-8, Emily Bray; year 9-10, Maia Grieve; year 11-12, Ellarose Bennett; year 13, Kaia Holland.
3D: Year 1-3, Room 3 St Joseph's School; year 4-6, Luke Campbell; year 7-18, Luke Winter.
Class awards: Pacifica Turtle (Grantlea Downs) and Makikihi School.
Supreme winner: Aaliyah Beswick.
Rotary Club of Timaru North:
Painting: Year 1-3, Brylee Dennison; year 4-6, Amelia Walker; year 7-8, Wihanel Kruger; year 9-10, Yunseo Lee; year 11-12, Yixuan Li; year 13, Bam Na Ranong.
Collage and print: Year 1-3, Hynun Lee, year 4-6, Penny Smith; year 7-18, Taylah Cross; year 9-10, Beth and Ruby (Mountainview High); year 11-12, Felafoai Fiso; year 13, Ella Waters.
3D: Year 1-3, Isla Prue; year 4-6, Zac Campbell; year 7-8, Lilou Caspritz and Briar Annett; Year 13, Alexandra Innes.
Richard Logan Memorial:
Payge Overstone.
Friends of Aigantighe:
Robots (Bluestone).
South Canterbury Arts Society:
Anne Marie Bendsen.


2019 President Harley Smithson and President Elect Shirley Keenan posing with George, a Gagliardis clown, after the Circus Quirkus performance in TBHS School Hall 13 May 2019.
About 300 kids and their folks were treated to a magnificent 90 minute music pumping show featuring aerialists, acrobats, clowns contortionists, jugglers, hula hoop dancers and more. The show has been touring New Zealand since 2002, hosted by NZ Rotary Clubs, this being our first year. It was held at the TBHS hall because the Theatre Royal was closed for earthquake renovations.
Each year, less-advantaged children are given complimentary tickets so they can attend, with their families. Tickets are sponsored by local businesses are not for public purchase or resale. Read more here...
Circus Quirkus is run by International Entertainment Ltd, a New Zealand based event management company specialising in the production and sourcing of both local and international acts particularly for charitable organisations. Read more here...

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Timaru, 7910
New Zealand