A huge thank you to everyone that attended our Changeover evening last Thursday, coming along dressed to the theme "Mid Winter Christmas Dinner".
I feel very privileged taking on the role as your President and look forward to working with you all.
Working together and sharing our knowledge will make for a stronger, wiser and a happy Club.
I would like to encourage you all to become more involved in the programmes we do, it is a wonderful way of getting that warm fuzzy feeling of "feeling good while doing good".
You are all very special people who care about our community and I hope will continue to adapt, innovate and serve in meaningful ways.
Our meetings will be full of interesting speakers for you all to enjoy. Our Club Service team has been very active in achieving a full calendar of coming events.
By taking this role as a recycled President, my aim is to do better than my best for us all.
Our Rotary International theme for this year is to Create a Lasting Impact.
Let's be better - bigger & bolder and most of all have fun along the way.
On Thursday evening our members and guests gathered for a very special occasion as we celebrated the conclusion of Robert Knox's year as President, welcomed Gabrielle and Matt into the role, and looked ahead to their year of leadership.
With a mid-winter Christmas theme adding to the festivities, it was a memorable evening of fellowship, recognition and anticipation for the year ahead.
The music was provided by some fine musicians from Glendowie College:
The room was filled with Christmas cheer as many members embraced the theme by wearing festive attire. Matt kept the evening running smoothly as Master of Ceremonies, looking the part in his striking red Christmas jacket.
A Rotary Changeover is always an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past year while looking forward to the opportunities and goals that lie ahead. It was fitting that the evening celebrated not only our Presidents but also the many members whose dedication makes our club such a success.
Robert warmly welcomed our guests and thanked them for joining us:
Graham & Maureen Kearns – Pakuranga Rotary Club
Jennie Herring – Past District Governor D9920 and Chair of Rotary South Pacific
Jeanette Drysdale – Ōtāhuhu Rotary Club
Shefali & Shailen Mehta – Auckland Harbourside Rotary Club
Govind & Sandhya Pani – Pakuranga Rotary Club
Mal McLennan – Men's Shed
Norm Harvey – Ellerslie Rotary Club
Lindy Esslemont – Prospective Member
Jyoti Singh – District Governor Elect 2026–2027, Auckland Harbourside Rotary Club
Robert then acknowledged the outstanding contribution of many members throughout the year.
A special thank you went to Muriel, Peter W and Patrick, whose work ensured our weekly speaker programme ran seamlessly throughout the year.
Our Fellowship Committee, led by Gabrielle and Matt, continued to organise enjoyable social occasions that strengthened the friendships within our club.
Julie Louie was recognised for her leadership of Community Service. The Foodbank collections were once again extremely successful, and the Jammies for June initiative provided much-needed support for children at Middlemore Hospital.
In Youth Service, John Lewisham was thanked for his excellent liaison with local schools. During the year the club distributed $15,000 to schools and continued its valuable Dictionary in Schools programme. The Glendowie Rowing Team also benefited from the generous support of Bill Clarke, who personally funded the purchase of a much-needed support boat.
Our annual Golf Day was another outstanding success thanks to the tireless efforts of David Hartstone. His exceptional organisation helped raise $31,000, with proceeds supporting Dove Hospice and the Graeme Dingle Foundation. David has organised 13 Golf Days and raised $500,000 for the club! What a champ.
Willard was recognised for the many hours he devoted to organising a container of furniture destined for schools in Fiji, a project that will make a lasting difference to many students.
The continued development of the Apirana Reserve Sanctuary owes much to the dedication of Peter Buchanan, whose commitment to the project was warmly acknowledged.
Our flagship fundraiser, the Christmas Pudding Trust, enjoyed another highly successful year, raising $31,000 to support the club's charitable work. Robert Knox, Aubrey Miles and Sylvie were a great help and driving force of many sales.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of several well-deserved Rotary honours.
Norm Harvey, a long-time member of the Ellerslie Rotary Club, has supported Robert for many years with the Christmas Pudding project. In recognition of his outstanding service, he was presented with a Paul Harris Fellow +3 Sapphires.
Aubrey was also honoured, receiving a Paul Harris Fellow +1 Sapphire for his exceptional service to our club. Always willing to lend a hand, Aubrey has been involved in countless club projects and programmes, with his dedication to RYLA making a particularly significant contribution. The recognition was richly deserved.
The evening was a fitting celebration of another successful Rotary year—one that recognised the commitment of our members, celebrated our achievements, and set an enthusiastic tone for the year ahead under our new leadership.
Jenny Herring talked about her role as Chair of Rotary South Pacific
Club members are the lifeblood of Rotary. We can only make a difference in our communities if we have a strong club with enthusiastic, active members. Vibrant, well attended club meetings support our members to communicate what’s happening, report back on projects, share ideas, listen to interesting speakers, and organize volunteers to enable us to have an impact. We would like to start the new year with a workshop to gather feedback from all our members, about what you enjoy most about our club and any ideas for improvement that you have. This is your opportunity to “have your say” so please diarise the date now, and come along to share your thoughts and feedback, and offer your ideas! Date : Thursday 16 July 2026 Time : 7.00am Venue : Remuera Golf club
Equipment: Bob Macky Meet & Greet: Bill Clarke Reception: Graham Fabian Host: Patrick Bell Vote of Thanks & Close: Patrick Bell Five-Minute Speaker: Murray Hutchinson (Snap Chat) Sergeant: Murray Hutchinson
Guest Speaker – James Christmas
Join us to hear from James Christmas, ACT Party candidate for Tāmaki.
James is a barrister specialising in public law and national security. He spent a decade working at the highest levels of the New Zealand Government, including serving as a senior adviser to former Prime Ministers John Key and Bill English.
James believes an electorate MP should be accessible, responsive and prepared to roll up their sleeves to solve local issues. We look forward to hearing his perspectives and learning more about his vision for Tāmaki.
Thursday 16 July – Breakfast Meeting
7.00 am Remuera Golf Club
Have Your Say!
This is your opportunity to help shape the future of our club. Bring your ideas, suggestions and feedback as we discuss what members would like to see in the year ahead.
Be there and have your say!
Duties
Equipment: David Hartstone Meet & Greet: John Lewisham Reception Desk: Sylvie Wilkinson Host: Muriel Donnelly Sergeant: Matt Adams
