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Officers and Directors for 2010/2011

District 9930

Each Rotary Club is part of a Rotary District. The Rotary Club of Rotorua is in District 9930 that covers that portion of the North Island of New Zealand south of a straight line from Waikorea on the west coast to Miranda on the Firth of Thames coast in the east, and north of a line from the mouth of the Mokau River to Cape Turnagain through Mount Ruapehu. The main cities and town in this region are Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Whakatane, and Taupo. For more information about District 9930, go to www.rotary.org.nz and click on 9930.

Who can join?

Membership of the Rotary Club of Rotorua is open to service-minded men and women of good character holding positions of responsibility in their business and profession. If you require more information or are interested in joining our Club, contact the Club Secretary on secretary@rotaryrotorua.org.nz

Address at the Changeover Dinner by
Outgoing President Robin Findon

I have to tell you that when President Elect Richard told me two weeks ago he was going on holiday to Rarotonga just before changeover, I was more than a little apprehensive having knowledge of Richard's track record of disasters that seem to occur to him when he takes a holiday. This on top of the constitutional crisis he nearly caused Rotary by not attending the compulsory President Elects Training Day 1 having broken his leg and ending up in hospital a few days before that course. So it was with sense of great relief last week I heard Richard had returned safely home and was all set to take over the Presidential Chains of Office this evening.

As this Rotary year draws to a close, it is appropriate for us as a club to take a moment and look back on the past year, reflect on our activities and involvement with our local and world community, noting the achievements and celebrating our successes in hopefully making a difference to the lives of some people through our membership of this Rotary Club.

I believe we have as a club had a great Rotary year carrying on the well established programmes that have been developed over the past years. I refer to our active involvement in the following Rotary programmes:

Australia - New Zealand Student Exchange with Emma McFarlane from Rotorua spending 3 months in Australia and her exchange sister returning with her and spending 3 months here in Rotorua.
International Youth Exchange saw Katherine van der Maas and Nicole Murray from Rotorua spending a year with host families in the Netherlands and Germany. Next month our club will be hosting Trine Sorenson from Denmark for her year here in Rotorua.
Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) a programme originating in Australia that we started last year here in Rotorua delivering practical road safety information to 15 and 16 year old local school students.
Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment (RYPEN) a residential weekend for Year 10 students encouraging self development.
Summer Science Schools had Jamie Bow and Shelly Lee from Rotorua Girls High School both attending a Science School earlier this year gaining experiences in a wide range of science subjects.
Rotary Friendship Exchange with our club hosting the visiting team from West Devon and Somerset who were here in our District in February.
Interact Clubs are the Junior Rotary Clubs operating in high schools and our club is responsible for the Rotorua Boys High School and Rotorua Girls High School clubs. The local Rotary Clubs agreed to underwrite the show 'Rotorua has Talent' put on by the local Interact Clubs as their fundraiser. Fortunately the show was a success and plans are underway to do it even better next time.
Lifelink Youthline Allen Foote represents our club on the committee managing this help line for youth in need of immediate support.
Shelterboxes is a Global Rotary Club Project providing a tent and equipment in areas around the world after natural disasters. This Rotary year our club sponsored a box at a cost of $1500.00.
Emergency Box Scheme providing items classified as useful for a survival kit, packed in standard containers, ready for use in an emergency anywhere in the South Pacific. This year our club made up a box with members donating the required items.
Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC) who have a mission to bring children from developing countries to Australia and New Zealand for surgery not available in their country. We assisted by providing $550.00 to this project.
Rotary Appeal for Samoa when the natural disaster hit Samoa earlier this year we joined other Rotary Clubs and donated $1000.00 towards relief work in that country.
The Rotary Foundation our club continued our annual support of the Foundation by donating $2000 US dollars - NZ $2860.00.

The Rotary Club of Rotorua has a number of set local activities and projects that we run each year and these include the following:

Police Person of the Year Award involving the community in supporting our local Police
High School Head Prefects Lunch Meeting an enjoyable meeting hearing about the aspirations of our young school leaders.
Secondary Schools Speech Contest another entertaining meeting showcasing the talent of our youth from the schools in the Rotorua District.
Workplace Visit this year we visited the Fire Service National Training Centre to learn about their fire fighter training programmes.
Waiariki Awards for the top students in the Forestry and Hospitality Schools at Waiariki. This year Kelsey Pottinger and Rowan Monk were recognised and rewarded for their achievements.
Rotary District Project Day saw a team of our members do a 'womble' along Te Ngae Road assisting the Keep Rotorua Beautiful organisation in maintaining our clean image.
Rotorua Marathon and Bike the Lake Events had members from our club assist the organisers of those events to ensure the events were a success for Rotorua.

The success of a club relies on membership and fellowship within the club, and this past year we had some success in both these areas.
We were very fortunate to have two new members inducted into the club with Don Atkinson and Cherie Meecham joining us and we welcome their partners Dianne and Clyde into the wider Rotary family.
Unfortunately two of our members left to live elsewhere, Eric Breadmore and Neil Fitzsimmons and Martin Warren had a change in his work situation that prevented him from attending meetings.

On the fellowship front we enjoyed social activities with our annual Orange Picking expedition to Kierin and Janette's property at Omokoroa that was also a great fundraising event.
A Xmas party at the Rotorua Museum.
A night at the Shambles Theatre where we sponsored 50 older residents to a night out with us enjoying the local production of 'Play On'
A visit to, and lunch on board the 'Rhapsody of the Seas' cruise ship at the Mount.
And a visit to the Kaharoa Kokako Trust property at Kaharoa followed by a BBQ at my home.

Our club also supported a number of local individuals and organisations in the past year:

The Liberty Swing, a combined local Rotary Clubs project along with RECT and RDC commenced in Past President Martin's year. $2000
Kaharoa Kokako Trust, $500 for the Nest Egg Project and $485 for a Sound Player.
Rotorua Primary School. $200 for Pictorial Dictionaries
St John Health Shuttle Service $485 for a new wheelchair.
Epilepsy Foundation $350 donation.
Ngongataha Bush Restoration Trust $50
Citizens Advice Bureau $612 for CAB information fridge magnets.
The Salvation Army annual Xmas Foodbank Appeal $500 from our Rugby Sweepstake funds.
Sponsorship of a young student to Outward Bound $500
Child Cancer Society Wellington $1000
Search and Rescue $250 - the Police Person of Year winner's nominated charity.
Sponsorship of accommodation costs for a local Girl Guide attending the World Guiding Centenary Camp in England $590
Health Camp $500
Sponsorship of an 'at risk' young student on a Kip McGrath Course $450.

To our club members I acknowledge and thank you for your efforts in making those projects and our Rotary Projects mentioned before happen.

In closing I would like to acknowledge the Club Directors who have provided great support to me in my year as your Club President namely:
Immediate Past President Martin Kinder
Club Service Director Richard Pryce
Community Director Bob Allison
International Director Bryce Dunn
Membership Director Denis Marriner
Vocational Director Brett Wilson
Youth Director Ann Nicholas
Secretary John Powell
Treasurer Don Lines

I need to make special mention of the following members who took on the Club Officer roles ensuring we had interesting and well run club meetings over the past year:
Sergeant Dennis Neilson assisted by Frank Emirali
Bulletin Editor Greg Alexander assisted by Brent Crowe and Kevin O'Connor
Programme Malcolm Thomas assisted by Bob MacFarlane and Jim McKenzie
Assistant Treasurer Martyn Craven
Historian Gary Spence
The Rotary Foundation and RDU Fergus Cumming
Webmaster Tony Baker

A number of our members have been diligent in their attendance of our club meetings or have 'made up' at other Rotary events thus achieving a high attendance rate for the past Rotary Year. Those members are asked to come forward and receive their certificates recognising that achievement please.
Richard Pryce
Ann Nicholas (who is away overseas at the moment)
Cherie Meecham (our newest member)
Robin Findon
John Powell
Don Lines
Margriet Theron (who is currently away overseas)
Bob MacFarlane
Bob Allison

Before I conclude my address tonight I want to acknowledge and thank the most important person to me during my presidential year and that is of course my wife Christine whose ongoing support and love has assisted me greatly in allowing me to do the job.

I now complete my Rotary Year as your Club President and look forward to our new Rotary Year under the leadership of incoming President Richard Pryce.

Richard joined our club in 2001 with the classification of Law - Environment.
He has been involved in many roles within our club in the lead up to this new role he takes on tonight as the 83rd President of the Rotary Club of Rotorua.
Richard is married to Mary who I am sure will provide Richard with the support required to make his year as enjoyable as mine and that which previous Club Presidents have experienced.

It is with great pleasure I ask Richard to come forward to accept the President's Pin, President's Chain of Office and the Rotary Jubilee Jug, all of which we entrust in your safe keeping for the year ahead.

Welcome Richard to the role as the 83rd President of the Rotary Club of Rotorua.

Robin Findon,
President 2009/10,
Rotary Club of Rotorua
29th June, 2010

Address at the Changeover Dinner by Incoming President Richard Pryce

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

It is a pleasure for me to extend my own welcome to each and every one of you as distinguished guests in your own right.

The manner in which at least some, if not all, of you are so distinguished will become apparent in the course of this speech.

Before proceeding further, I would like to thank Robin for his typically gracious induction of me as the 83rd President of this Club. I will have more to say about Robin later, and for the time being suggest that he relax and get used to the description of "Immediate Past President".

I would also like to immediately acknowledge Jo-Anne and Joe La Grouw, and congratulate them on their induction this evening as Paul Harris Fellows. It is, I believe, entirely fitting that Rotary acknowledges the huge contribution that they have both made to the well being of the Rotorua community. Because of the award which has been made to them, I considered it appropriate to include in our program pamphlet a photo of Paul Harris, and some quotes attributed to him. It is a measure of the man that the employee of my firm who assisted me in putting the pamphlet together commented on what an incredible person Paul Harris seemed to be. Indeed she thought he would have been an amazing person to meet. It is not only appropriate that the Rotary movement recognises its founder through the award of Paul Harris Fellowships, but also appropriate that they be awarded to persons of the calibre of tonight's recipients.

I confess that in my enthusiasm to acknowledge Robin, Jo-Anne and Joe I have rather got ahead of myself. Rotary International, or RI for short, had asked me to commence this speech by making the following advisory announcement:
"RI advises that some of the contents of this speech may be mildly disturbing to some in attendance tonight. Listener discretion is advised. Parental guidance is recommended for listeners 56 years and under."

So with that ringing endorsement, I proceed. I should, perhaps, add a disclaimer making clear that this speech was written by my wife Mary rather than myself. That happens from time to time when I get particularly busy at work, as in the recent past. Certainly I accept responsibility for the broad parameters of this speech, but matters of detail have been essentially left to Mary to fill in. For those of you who are slightly sceptical of that being the case, I should explain that I have a habit of talking in my sleep. As a result, Mary is well in tune with my thinking, perhaps more so than the average spouse. In any event, any complaint should be directed to her rather than to me.

Tonight caps off a rather remarkable last 10 days or so. In that period, I have witnessed the induction of 3 other Rotary Club Presidents, have been inducted myself as the President of this Club and have also been mistaken for a movie star. But more about that later.

It is an honour and a privilege for me to be appointed as President of this Club. I say that with all humility having regard to the calibre of many of the previous incumbents, many of whom have become legends in their own Monday lunchtimes.

When I joined the Club in 2001, some of the previous Presidents were well known to me. These included John Heaton, Ian Burrell, Ron Phipps, John Bell, Alec Ross, Ian McDowell, Kierin Irvine, Murray Patchell and Hugh Reynolds. As a result of joining the Club, I have become acquainted with other distinguished Rotarians as Past Presidents such as Tony Baker and Bruce Scott.

However many of the Past Presidents are simply names from the distant past, bearing in mind that this Club was established in 1927. Of them, the most intriguing to me is J D Davys, the President for the 1932/33 year. That is for the simple reason that Dougie Davys was the then senior partner in the firm known today as Davys Burton. That is the very position that I hold within that firm. I think it fair to say that Dougie was possibly the most colourful character in the history of the Rotorua legal profession. I never had the opportunity of meeting him due to his death 10 years or so before I joined the firm. I can only hope that my own performance as President will not result in the Club deferring, for yet another 78 years, the appointment as President of a future senior partner of my firm.

The position of President of this Club is certainly not one to which I aspired. Indeed, any potential spark of presidential ambition that I might otherwise have had was extinguished at around 8.30 am on Saturday 23rd November 1963. Most of us here tonight are of sufficient age to remember exactly where they were when they learned of President Kennedy's assassination. For me that place was the Lower Hutt Recreation Ground to which I had cycled for my regular game of school boy cricket. When our team coach told us of the news, I remember thinking in that rather uncomplicated way that young people do, that "I don't want to be no president". I confess that I saw no real cause to change my mind upon joining this Club in 2001, and upon observing the apparent work load that the position of president brings. Indeed it was always my impression that it imposed too great a demand on one's time to be a position that I sensibly accept, if ever offered, due to my other commitments. Nonetheless, when the opportunity arose, I did not hesitate in accepting. By that time, I saw it as an opportunity to make my own contribution to this Club and the Rotary movement as a whole.

Mind you, the process adopted by this Club for the selection of future presidents strikes me as rather strange. Although technically the selection receives approval from the members at a Club meeting, effectively that is a rubber stamp exercise confirming a recommendation made to the Club as a result of deliberations by 5 or so of its senior members who meet in secret. I cannot disclose to you the precise nature of those deliberations, because if I did I would have to kill you - and that would be a pity bearing in mind that you have not yet had dessert or heard the rest of this speech. Suffice it to say that, by comparison, the deliberations entered into for the election of a pope are an open and transparent process - involving as they do these days intense media scrutiny and the sending of a smoke signal to confirm that a new pope has been appointed.

On assuming office, I wish to pay tribute to my predecessors and can only hope that I am able to maintain the fine tradition that they have forged. Whether I am quite up to the job is, of course, another matter altogether. I was reflecting just a few weeks ago that, apart from leadership roles in both my firm and my family, which I take most seriously, I have only held one other position of any great responsibility. That came about when I left Christchurch, where I was born, to go and live in Greymouth at the age of 7. My newly found "friends" on the West Coast were not very enthusiastic at someone from Canterbury coming into their midst. The upshot was my appointment as milk monitor for my class. Like many people not born on the West Coast, I tended to consistently underestimate the strength of the local sun. The result, inevitably and most regrettably, was that I tended to leave a sour taste in the mouth of my peers. Looking back, I suspect that the real problem was that I did not take my position sufficiently seriously, but rather regarded it as a token appointment. My first commitment to this Club is, therefore, to take my position as President with the seriousness that it deserves. I trust that that is apparent from the contents of this speech.

My early involvement in this Club did not suggest that I was Presidential material. Within a year or two of joining, I was asked to fill in, on a temporary basis, as the International Director. Desperate to create an impression, I championed the Club undertaking a fund raising exercise. That involved the sale of some wine bags made by former prostitutes living in Calcutta, who were trying to get their lives back on track. I still vividly recall then Treasurer Martin Kinder announcing, with just a hint of triumph in his voice, that my fund raising efforts had produced a profit for the Club of $2.25 - inclusive, he added with great emphasis, of GST. It seems, however, that just as Churchill survived Gallipoli, I have survived the wine bags.

Despite the possibly flawed selection process that I have referred to, I am most grateful for the words of encouragement that I have received from other members. They have been most appreciated. I am further aware that, because of its longevity, this Club has a huge reservoir of Rotary experience and talent from which I can draw, and I shall have no hesitation in doing so as and when the need arises. Nonetheless, at the end of the day it is, of course, a role which can only be carried out and performed by one individual.

How, then, does one adequately fulfil the role of President of a Rotary Club? That conundrum was giving me much cause for thought several months ago, when my legal training instinctively kicked in. Any lawyer will tell you that if he or she is dealing with a problem that they have not come across before, they will go looking for a precedent. I suddenly realised that by reason of my having joined this Club in 2001 I have had the benefit of 9 presidential precedents to rely on. What follows, therefore, is a mild form of Presidential roast. Like any roast, at least the ones that I cook, the intention is that it will be sufficiently well done to leave nothing so raw as to cause offence - whether to the emotions or otherwise. Unfortunately, having drafted this speech, I have discovered that 7 out of the 9 Presidents in question are not here tonight for one reason or another. However, Mary has suggested that that is not too important, bearing in mind that they will be all well known to most of you present here tonight and you can enjoy their roasting in absentia.

When I joined the Club, the President was my legal colleague Jon Olphert. He impressed me with the silky smooth oratory that he brought to the position. But I expected no less, given that he is a practising barrister - unlike a shy retiring practitioner like myself who is content to sit in his office all day hopefully shuffling papers in the right direction. What impressed me more than Jon's silky smooth oratory was the vast collection of silky smooth ties which were the centre piece of his wardrobe. Indeed, I developed something of a fascination with what tie he would be wearing each Rotary Monday, and occasionally speculated whether it was him or Fay who had chosen the silk tie in question for that day. Unfortunately they cannot shed any light on the selection process, due to their being overseas at the current time.

Jon's successor, Peter Baars, posed no such dilemma. He made clear from Day 1 of his Presidency that he was to take a quite different approach. He announced that one of his main goals for his term as President was to avoid wearing a tie for the whole of that time, and as I recollect it he was successful in achieving that objective. The greatest impression that Peter made on me was his great knowledge and love of the Rotary movement. Indeed I believe he was a potential District Governor in the making, had his chosen to pursue that goal. However, for some reason or other that I cannot quite understand, he seems to be quite content these days in spending 4 months or so each year spending the New Zealand winter travelling around Europe by its canal system with his wife Gwen. And that is where they are now.

The next President wasted no time in restoring conservative sartorial values to the office, but I am grateful to Peter Spurdle for more than that. He is responsible for providing to me my most enduring memory of Rotary in action. Needless to say, one expects chartered accountants such as Peter to have a good head for figures. But he gave a new meaning to that expression when, early on in my membership in the Club, he was in charge of those Club members who had volunteered to hand out tee shirts to participants who finished the Rotorua Marathon. Upon my reporting for duty, Peter explained that he and I would be responsible for handing out tee shirts to the female runners. He further patiently explained that there were 3 sizes of tee shirts to be handed out, and that I was to hand to him the size that he would nominate as each runner finished - the 3 categories being either large, medium or small. Peter quizzed me closely to make sure that I understood the nature of my role. I assured him that I had a broad understanding of what was expected of me. Time then to put that to the test. The first 2 runners that we had to deal with were women of average build and vital statistics, in respect of whom Peter barked out to me the command "medium". However the next runner was a very large woman for whom Peter requested a small tee shirt. The next runner was a very small woman, for whom Peter demanded a large. By this stage I was becoming concerned for Peter's safety, as I anticipated that he might well face some form of physical retribution from an outraged female participant who took proper umbrage at being described as large when she was quite small. The number of runners finishing at the time was so great that I had no opportunity at that time to raise my concerns with Peter, and simply became a mechanical and faithful servant of his directives. When the last runner had finished, however, I could not help but raise my concerns with him. This caused Peter to burst out laughing, and to point out that it is the practice for runners in the marathon to nominate, in their entry form, what size of tee shirt they would like to be given to them at the end of the event. It seems to be the practice that many participants want a tee shirt not for themselves individually but for a family member or friend. In any event, the choice that they do make is recorded on the running vest that they wear when participating. Accordingly what I had considered to be Peter's somewhat questionable behaviour in closely examing the heaving chests of the female runners as they completed the event was not for the any purpose other than to determine what choice of tee shirt they had made. That, at least, is what Peter asserted. Whether that is entirely plausible, I can only leave to your own good judgement. What I can say, however, is that Richard the lawyer certainly appreciated the irony of Peter the accountant reminding him of the need to read the fine print! Unfortunately Peter is not able to personally verify what I have related to you, due to he and Robyn having a prior commitment in Auckland tonight.

It is difficult to give you an adequate snapshot of Peter's successor, Paul Wilson. Indeed if I did so Paul would be professionally offended, given his occupation as a professional photographer. Even then, Paul would take some umbrage at that description, as he insists that he takes portraits rather than photographs. I can personally vouch for the fact that he does. He took the "portraits" for Mary and I when we were married in 1989. And the circle of life went 360º when he took a portrait of Mary and I and our two sons Rory and Tim just a few months ago. On that occasion, he faced the prospect of raising a smile from two teenage boys, which he was successful in doing through a variety of techniques including what I can only describe to you as being the most genuine imitation of an intoxicated chimpanzee. Paul brought the same infectious sense of enthusiasm and humour to his position as President, and I am only sorry that I missed his changeover as he misses mine tonight due to Fiona and him being overseas.

Doug Clemens restored to the presidency the sober disposition and sense of authority that one ought reasonably to be able to expect from one of Rotorua's most senior and respected commercial lawyers. But Doug brought far more than that to the role. More importantly, he brought a great energy, vigour and sense of vision to the Presidency which is, of course, reflected in his leading role in championing the completion of the Bath House in accordance with its original design. Doug promoted that idea as an appropriate way for the Rotary Clubs in Rotorua to mark the centenary of the movement in 2005. The work will be completed next year, and I am sure that at that time Doug will receive further recognition for his remarkable contribution to the project. Doug really is a Rotarian's Rotarian, with limitless good intentions and boundless energy. We are all the better a club for his devotion to office, and for the unstinting support that Lauri provided to him. Like the Spurdles, the Clemens cannot be here tonight due to a prior commitment in Auckland.

The election of our next President gave the Club cause to catch breath. For Dr Margriet Theron was not only our first female president, but also a South African and a PhD to boot. Would she have the moral authority and gravitas to lead a bunch of predominantly Anglo Saxon Kiwi males? The answer was, of course, a resounding yes. I am sure we all knew that Margriet would make a magnificent fist of the position with her great energy, fierce intellect, close associations with a range of organisations throughout the community and strong desire to make a difference. A bit like Doug, perhaps, Margriet kept her foot down on the accelerator during her term for the benefit, by way of example, of the Mt Ngongotaha Bush Restoration Trust. Her presidency was, by any standard, a resounding success. That success will no doubt be an inspiration to Ann Nicholas when she becomes our second female president in 2 years time and is, in her own right, a very capable and dedicated Rotarian who I am sure will fill the position admirably. Margriet's success further justifies the selection of now President Elect Bob Allison, who will be inducted as our President at next year's changeover. Like Margriet, Bob is also a foreigner with a PhD. Now you do not come across PhDs every day of the week. Indeed, I had really only had dealings with one before I met Margriet and Bob, or more correctly a student a Victoria University who was in the final stages of completing his thesis. That thesis was on sheep numbers in the Wairarapa in the 1870s and 1880s. This PhD student told me that he was an insomniac, and asked me somewhat absent mindedly whether I could volunteer any suggestions which might help him get to sleep. I confessed to him quite candidly that I had no real expertise in that area, and could only make a suggestion not wholly unrelated to his PhD thesis topic which he would have no doubt heard from many people prior to myself. His blank expression in response simply confirmed my view that some PhDs live in the real world, and some do not. Fortunately, President Elect Bob does, and he has proved to be a most able Rotarian since he joined the Club not too many years ago. I know that he will prove to be a most capable successor. And if the strains of the job prove to be too great for him, his wife Katrina, a trained psychologist, will no doubt be able to lend him comfort and support.

Nature's antidote to the somewhat unrelenting regime that Margriet brought to bear during her presidency was immediately apparent upon Roger Willard assuming office. Roger had an entirely relaxed approach and a very dry sense of humour which, it seems to me, is a rather useful weapon in the armoury of any president. It was Roger, in fact, who extended an invitation to me to become President of this Club. On his own admission, the way in which he did so was not the ideal. I was sitting in my office at work when I received a telephone call from Roger, using his car telephone, while travelling from Rotorua to Hamilton. He got right to the point, and due to the rather poor reception as his vehicle weaved its way through the Mamakus, I rather gathered that he was rather desperately looking for a precedent - presumably for some major architectural project that he might be undertaking. As it turned out, however, he was looking for a president, and here I am tonight.

Martin Kinder's presidency brought with it the vague prospect of a scandal which might rock this Club to its very core. That, I should make clear, had nothing to do with the man himself. As President, Martin exhibited the calm, measured, sober and understated good judgment that you would expect of someone trained to administer estates and trusts. No, the threat of the scandal came not from Martin but from his wife Maree, whose character and behaviour typically mirrors that of her husband. But Maree made plain from the moment that her husband assumed his new status that she preferred not to be known by her usual name, but rather as Monica. Whether that was due to her thinking that Martin, of all the presidents that I have known, bears a vague passing resemblance to another president of a rather higher profile, Bill Clinton, I cannot say. You will have to ask Maree herself. In any event, Martin proved to be an entirely effective and reliable president, and avoided any possible prospect of impeachment. And just as his presidency began with his wife assuming a new name, it ended with him assuming a new name of his own. That was the result of a presentation from Tom Davies at one of our Club meetings on the Kaharoa Kokako Trust. Tom explained that Kokako normally fly close to the ground and for no more than a distance of 200 metres. To assist members to better appreciate such flight characteristics, he compared them to those of a Martin Kinder tee shot. Inevitably, the result was Martin becoming known as "Kokako Kinder".

Immediate past President Robin Findon does, of course, serve as my most useful precedent, to the extent that his performance is easiest for me to remember. I can say quite honestly that Robin did not, to the best of my recollection, drop the ball even once during his term. Indeed, if the All Black selectors could convince Robin to come out of retirement for next year's Rugby World Cup, I believe that the prospects of a New Zealand victory would improve significantly. Robin, your performance as our immediate past President was a most impressive one, and something in which you can take great pride. There was, for instance, no threat of the scandal which might have engulfed the Kinder Presidency. Mind you, you may have had an unfair advantage due to your wife Christine being the co-ordinator for keeping Rotorua clean and beautiful. It seems to be that she clearly used you as a guinea pig, before scaling great heights whereby Rotorua has achieved the most beautiful city in New Zealand award more often than not. So it has proved literally impossible to dig up any dirt on your Presidency. The only real concern that I have in regard to Robin has arisen since he assumed the role of Immediate Past President, and I became the President, which was of course only a short time ago. Robin, it seems from where I am standing that during that time you have grown younger by the minute, free as you are from the stresses and strains of the presidency. I hope that is not a hint of things to come for me. In any event, I would like to recognise the contribution that both Robin and Christine have made to the Club. As many of you will know, they deferred plans to become gypsies and travel throughout Australia to enable Robin to be President during this last year. So I would like Robin and Christine to step forward for two purposes. First for me to award Robin with his pin for being a Past President, together with a certificate of service to the Club. Secondly I would like Robin and Christine to jointly accept, from both Mary and I, a small gift which might encourage them to revisit their travel plans. Traditionally that might be in the form of flowers, but that seems to me to be a case of sending coals to Newcastle, given the magnificence of the Findon garden. So instead we have chosen a touring atlas of Australia, which does incidentally include the City of Newcastle, in the hope that it may be of some use to them in the future.

Drawing together the essential characteristics of the Presidential precedents available to me, I would suggest that the best possible composite President would be smooth talking, well dressed, have a great love of each and every aspect of the Rotary movement, have a good eye for both figures and fine print, have a great sense of enthusiasm and humour, have unbounding energy and a sense of vision, have superb organisational skills allied to a casual and relaxed demeanour, be free of any hint of scandal and have the support of a good and loving spouse. In 12 months time, perhaps, we can revisit the extent to which I have been faithful to that particular precedent. But any lawyer will tell you that some precedents are binding, meaning that they must be followed, and some are merely persuasive, meaning that the extent to which they may be followed is essentially a matter of judgement. The reality is, of course, that each of the Presidents that I have served under have had their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as their own ideas as to how the Club could be best run. Obviously I will be no different.

I do, however, intend to use my very best efforts to have a scandal free presidency. I confess to being somewhat surprised at receiving in the mail from RI several days ago a presidential credit card with a $30,000.00 spending limit. Having consulted with my political adviser Shane Jones, my legal colleague Len Brown and my travel consultant Chris Carter I think it only appropriate that I remove myself from presidential temptation. Accordingly I have no hesitation in hereby cutting the card in 2.

Passing on, at long last, you are entitled to think, to matters of a rather more weighty Rotary nature, what do I wish to achieve during my term as President?

It is my view that an active Club is a happy club, and that only a happy club can be a successful one. There are many members who I do not know particularly well, bearing in mind that my contact with them might be limited to cheery greetings at a Monday lunchtime. Inevitably, for instance, one tends to indentify with some members more than others, to the extent that I am, for instance, more likely to sit at a table with those members who I already know well whether through golf, fishing or business. Perhaps one answer to that would be to have a more structured seating plan, but I don't whether that would find much favour with the majority of members.

So to achieve a potentially greater camaraderie may require other methods. Some of which have been used in the past seem to me to have been great ideas, which for one reason or another have fallen into disuse. For instance, I always enjoyed the "Guess who is coming for Dinner" evenings and would like to see more of those - possibly up to say three a year. They are not difficult to organise, but can be great fun. Outings to the Basement Cinema, with a meal afterwards, have also been enjoyable occasions which I would like to see revived.

As noted, however, those ideas are not novel. One idea which I have thought of is, perhaps, due entirely to Immediate Past President Robin not taking sufficient control of Club meetings, and permitting the likes of Peter Faulkner, Past President Martin Kinder, Past President Murray Patchell and International Director Bryce Dunn, to boast of their latest golfing exploits. Peter, for instance, recently had four birdies in one round. Further, Martin recently had a birdie and an eagle in successive holes. Murray, assisted by a new set of clubs and a rather generous handicap, remained undefeated for a period of six months or so. And always lurking in the background, and featuring in the Daily Post reports on veterans golf, were the likes of Bryce Dunn, Don McFarlane, Ian Smith and Perry Stevens. Then too there is that golfing enthusiast Martyn Craven, who is so sure of his golfing abilities that he has a photo of himself firmly established on the 3rd tee of the Rotorua Golf Club. And that is to say nothing of the Club's best golfer, John Powell, a man of some ability who chooses to live next to a golf course but to play rather infrequently. Finally I should make mention of President Elect Bob Allison who was on a 2 handicap in his younger days before he met Katrina, had a family and discovered the joys of biking whether motorised or not. So it seems appropriate to me that the Club have an annual golf tournament, to be held in April in each year. To encourage participation, I have donated to the Club a trophy to be competed for on what would hopefully be a regular annual basis. This is the trophy in question. It is made of nickel and so will not tarnish. All members of the Club are welcome to participate in the tournament, whether they are a member of a golf club or not. However only those members with an official handicap will be eligible to win the trophy, which would be awarded to the best 18 hole stableford score. The only member that I have blacklisted from participating is Mike O'Boyle. I am not entirely sure as to whether Mike plays golf, as he seems to be more interested in rugby. But if he does, he clearly would have an unfair advantage due to his ability to farm his handicap.

Mind you, I have no objection to anyone seeking to become physically fit to participate in the golf tournament. I owe Rotary a debt of gratitude for the opportunity it has provided to increase my own physical fitness, and that of my family, by participating in some of the wonderful opportunities available through the Otago Youth Adventure Trust and the Milton Rotary Club. Although those opportunities are available to everyone, whether Rotary members or not, I am sure that I would never have heard of the wonderfully easy, cheap and well organised activities that they organise in the lower South Island had I not joined this Club. My family has enjoyed tramps on the Milford, Routeburn and Greenstone tracks, together with a biking adventure along the Otago Rail Trail. So for those of you who have not yet taken advantage of what the Otago Youth Adventure Trust and the Milton Rotary Club have to offer, I thoroughly recommend them to you. And I would be keen to support the Club organising for a group of members and their families or friends to participate in one of their trips in the next 12 months. It is very easy to organise.

Some of you, however, will no doubt be reluctant to travel that far for one reason or another. On a more local scene, I would be keen to see organised a Club trip around Lake Waikeremoana perhaps late next February or early March when the weather will still be good. It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who have not actually done that tramp, but it is simply magnificent. However, even though Lake Waikeremoana is more or less on our door step, its physical challenges will clearly be beyond the fitness levels of some of our older members. Accordingly I have in mind the Gisborne Coastal Walk which is only two or three days and not too demanding, and also the Maungatautari Ecological Reserve near Te Awamutu.

So you can see, by the end of my presidency, some of you may be quite a bit fitter than you are now. If so, I am sure that that will increase your enjoyment of the Club, and increase your effectiveness as members.

That, in turn, should increase the fund raising ability of the Club to support a number of entirely worthy causes. One that the new District Governor Peter Signal wishes clubs to support is Interplast. Many of you will be familiar with the activities of ROMAC, which was simply one of the large number of acronyms with which I had significant difficulty in coming to grips with when I first joined Rotary. And for that matter, I still do. ROMAC is a scheme whereby persons needing medical treatment in the South Pacific are brought to Australia and New Zealand for that purpose. It is a great concept, but one which can only have a limited degree of success due to the significant cost involved in bringing patients to medical facilities here and in Australia. Interplast, on the other hand, actually sends teams of volunteer surgeons, nurses and other medical specialists to developing countries in the Asia Pacific region to provide free medical treatment and training. The difference that they can make to so many people in a short period of time is nothing less than astounding, and I suggest thoroughly deserving of our support.

During my time as a member of this Club, comment has been made from time to time of the family of Rotary. That, of course, is generally in reference to Rotary as an international movement, and the close bonds which link Rotarians from every corner of the world. Indeed our very own past District Governor Fergus Cumming, and his wife Barbara, cannot be here tonight due to their attending the Rotary International convention in Montreal. Fergus and Barbara have specifically asked that I pass on their regret in missing this changeover. The international character of the Rotary movement will be re-enforced next month when our latest International Youth Exchange student arrives from Denmark, thereby carrying on a fine tradition that this Club has had for some time of hosting young people from overseas every 2 years. Typically, as one would expect, they arrive as rather shy and diffident young people. However when they leave in 12 months time, they have grown into confident and mature young people capable of making a most valuable contribution to a better world in their future endeavours. The great beauty of Rotary, it seems to me, is the ability of people like Fergus and Barbara to travel, as they have on a number of occasions, to many far flung places in the world and be immediately greeted and treated by their hosts as if they were their own. They can do so due to the fact that 1.2 million hospitable Rotarians of good character in 32,000 Clubs spread across 200 countries adhere to the simple motto of Rotary, being "Service Above Self".

But the family of Rotary can have a domestic, as well as an international, flavour. By that I am referring to the relationship that we have with one another as fellow Club members, as well as our relationship with the members of other Clubs in Rotorua. Without such relationships, the fellowship which underpins the Rotary movement would be lost.

Like any family, this Club has in the last 12 months enjoyed moments of both happiness and sadness. I recall, for instance, the recent admission to membership of Cherie Meecham, which happy occasion was attended by her grandparents Past President John Bell and his wife Noelene. I am delighted to acknowledge their presence again here tonight. So too, I would like to acknowledge the presence of Una Ewert, the widow of Past President Doug Ewert, and Lyla Kai Fong, the widow of Past President Colin Kai Fong. Their presence continues a fine tradition whereby the widows of Past Presidents are invited to changeovers. When I first came to Rotorua in 1981, my firm's offices were located just down from the service station owned and operated by the Kai Fong brothers Colin and Frank. I came to know them well, and recall Colin as being a man of a fine character. His premature death was a great loss to the Rotorua community, but I am sure that Lyla has been able to take great pride in the contributions that their children Sandra and now Phil have made to the legal profession in this city. As for Doug Ewert, he was not known to me. I can report, however, that he was mentioned in the fondest of terms when I attended the Rotorua Lakes changeover last week, which coincided with the 40th anniversary of that Club achieving chartered status. If I understand the position correctly, Doug was a foundation member of Rotary Lakes, so must have more or less shifted Clubs soon after ending his Presidency of this Club.

As for sad occasions, there has been non sadder in the last 12 months than the battle against cancer fought so bravely by Michael Kinder, son of Past President Martin and Maree, which he lost last month at the far too young age of 19. It would be impertinent of me to suggest that Martin and Maree's loss was our loss, but I can say that they were in the thoughts and prayers of many of us during that difficult time. The presence of my own sons Rory and Tim here tonight is especially poignant bearing in mind that they and Michael had occasion to pit their skills against each other on the tennis court.

In 2006 I was asked to kick start the establishment of a new community foundation for the City of Rotorua. I started with a blank sheet of paper, and the realisation that I needed to come up with some ideas as to who might be suitable trustees. It was only natural that I was influenced in my thinking by the existing personal and business contacts that I had. Inevitably that led me to the conclusion that some of the members of this Club were well qualified for the role. Accordingly Margriet Theron and Murray Patchell became foundation trustees together with myself, and Tom Davies was subsequently seconded given his expertise in the investment field. So at the current time 4 out of the 8 members of the Geyser Community Foundation are members of this Club. The Club has good cause to take pride in the contribution that its members have made through the Foundation to the wellbeing of our District. As you will have heard, the Foundation's current President is Joe La Grouw, whose recognition tonight as a Paul Harris Fellow is in part due to his involvement with Geyser. Our newly appointed executive officer Annette Burgess received a Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotorua Lakes at its changeover last week. Together with Margriet's remarkable tally of 2 PHFs, as well as that of Murray, Geyser now has a grant tally of 5 PHFs sitting around its Board table. And that, obviously, is a matter of great credit to the Rotary movement.

I confess that one aspect of my presidency which I thought would be a positive chore was the need to attend the changeovers of the other Clubs. I am happy to report, however, that I found it to have been a delightful experience. That, in no small measure, is due to the very kind reception given to me by each and every one of the new Presidents John Martin of Rotorua West, Dennis Walsh of Rotorua Lakes, Noel Lamberton of Rotorua Sunshine and Ann Crossley of Rotorua North. I wish to acknowledge the presence of them and their spouses here tonight. That each Club has its own way of doing things has become apparent to me from the changeovers themselves. Whether it has been an Irish comedian/musician, an exhibition of ballroom dancing or some fabulous dance music from the Billy Joel imitator who won last year's "Stars In Their Eyes", the entertainment and hospitality provided has been simply wonderful. Indeed, if I had my time over again, I would have approached tonight in a slightly different way. When I requested clarification from our Club Secretary John Powell as to what entertainment we would be providing tonight, he simply replied "You are it"! So thank you for putting more pressure on me than necessary, John. More seriously, in making mention of John, I would wish to acknowledge the huge contribution that he has made to tonight. He is like a good wicket keeper, quiet and unobtrusive behind the stumps. In other words, he is so efficient that one can rather take it for granted. I hope I never fall into that trap during the next 12 months.

I am sure that all the Rotorua Clubs working under the eagle, and possibly assertive, eye of Assistant Governor Deb Bell, are capable of achieving some very worthy goals. I am aware that she is keen to encourage all the Rotorua Clubs to pursue at least one combined project. I am confident that the good chemistry between the new Presidents that I have just referred to will ensure that Deb achieves that goal. I am particularly grateful to Deb for being here tonight, discomfited as she is from recently cracking her ribs as a prelude to her cracking the Rotary whip.

One of the obvious goals of RI is the continuing effort to eradicate polio throughout the world. Rotarians present here tonight will be aware that 25 years ago RI committed itself to achieving that goal, as a gift to the children of the world. Over one billion New Zealand dollars has been raised by Rotary for that purpose. The goal is almost within reach, but the target is an elusive one. For instance the RI convention in Montreal that Fergus and Barbara Cumming have just attended reported that there had just been a recent outbreak in Tajikistan, resulting in the death of many adults and leaving 300 children paralysed. Now that RI is so close to its goal, we can only keep up the good fight.

One of the goals of our new District Governor Peter Signal is to improve the public image of Rotary. The Rotorua Clubs are, I suggest, distinctly fortunate in the wonderful support that they have received from the Daily Post, which has result in articles on Rotary appearing on a regular basis. I guess it helps to have the General Manager of the local newspaper as a member of your Club, as we do with Greg Alexander. So Greg, I would like to thank you on behalf of all the Clubs for the support that the Daily Post has provided to us.

Our Club will pursue the above, and other goals, in the next 12 months under the new Rotary banner for 2010/11 "Building Communities, Bridging Continents" which, I suggest to you, encapsulates in a very few words the very essence of what Rotary is all about. We shall do so with the assistance and support of the following persons, who I would invite to join me when their name is called:
Club Directors:
- Vice President and Club Service Director is Bob Allison.
- Second Vice President and Community Director is Ann Nicholas (though Ann is currently in Oregon).
- International Director is Bryce Dunn (though again Bryce cannot join us tonight).
- Membership Director is Karl Meyer.
- Vocational Director is Brett Wilson.
- Youth Director is Brent Crowe.
- Secretary is John Powell.
- Treasurer is Don Lines.
- Immediate Past President is Robin Findon.

Club Officers
- Bulletin Editor is Greg Alexander.
- Assistant Bulletin Editor is Cherie Meecham.
- Program is Peter Faulkner (apology).
- Assistant Program is Jim MacKenzie (apology).
- Sergeant is Dennis Neilson.
- Assistant Sergeant is Frank Emirali.
- Assistant Treasurer is Barry Lane (apology).
- Rotary Foundation Chair is Kevin O'Connor.

I should note that Kevin's position is new, and has been established at the request of District. It is intended to result in a more effective promotion of the Foundation as Rotary's own charity.

I hope you will agree with me that the new team represents a mixture of youth and experience. Yet again, however, Hosea Gear has missed out.

Ladies and gentleman I give you the class of 2010/11.

Finally, I would like to make mention of my own family and friends who are here tonight.

First, my wife Mary who I married in 1989. We married when we were both in our mid-30s, which did not seem to me to be a matter of any great significance. I was, however, forced to revise my opinion when we were trying to decide upon the location for our wedding reception. The first person that we dealt with asked us whether this was our second or third time. The second person that we dealt with asked us "and whom I am talking to, the parents of the bride?" You might be forgiven for thinking that I had every ground to wonder whether there was any spring left in my particular chicken. However my faith in Mary has been repaid many times over. She has proved to be a wonderful and supportive wife to me, such that I accepted the invitation to become President without even discussing the matter with her. I knew, instinctively, that she would fully support that decision. My love for her has only been cemented and enhanced by her being equally a good mother to my sons. Proof positive, you might be inclined to think, that she is indeed the author of this speech. I can only hope that I enjoy the chains of my presidency as much as I have enjoyed the chains of my marriage.

Our two sons have provided us with a dimension to our lives for which we are immensely grateful. I will not say no too much about them, as I know that they would not want me to. I would, however, like to say just a few words. They are, after all, in their own ways chips off the old man's and the old woman's blocks. Those chips are, however, of a better quality than the blocks themselves.

Rory is following my academic lead in studying law at Victoria University. Like both Mary and I, he also has a great love of history. Academically, he has always been a very able student, and has a mind like a steel trap. He is 19 now, and I learnt on his 10th birthday that he might well have a promising career in the law. On that occasion, we left Auckland for Rarotonga, and duly celebrated his birthday in what I considered to be an entirely appropriate fashion. But as some of you will be aware, you need to cross the international dateline to travel to Rarotonga. That meant that we arrived there on the 9th November. The following day Rory wasted no time in suggesting that as the date was 10th November, his 10th birthday should be celebrated yet again. I confess that despite my own years of legal training, I really had no answer to that line of argument other than to mumble something about a developing area of the law known as unjust enrichment. I am sure that he could be a very capable litigator at some time in the future should he so choose. Time will tell but in the meantime past President Jon Olphert should watch out!

As for Tim, he shares my passion for cricket, fishing and golf. Fortunately he has experienced the joy of scoring a 50 in cricket which I never did, unfortunately for my own ego he caught a kingfish before I ever did, and on the golfing front he recently won a luxury prize for 2 at Cape Kidnappers worth around $1,350.00. Mary and I are particularly grateful to Tim for so generously surrendering his prize to his parents in recognition of the love and support that they have provided to him over the years. Until recently we tended to associate a rhythmic beating sound with the approach of a wood pigeon to the Kowhai tree on our property at Ohiwa. In recent times, however, we have had to associate it with Tim's constant passion for fine tuning his swing which, I suspect, in the history of the game has only been matched by my good friend Gary O'Neale. So Tim, keep up the good work.

In a sense, therefore, I have passed the torch to a new generation. Rory is certainly a better lawyer in the making than I, and Tim is already a better golfer. But I guess that is entirely as it should be. I thank them both for enriching the lives of Mary and I in ways which are simply immeasurable. Mind you, Rory has recently impoverished our lives in a way which is entirely measurable, if his student loan statements are in any way accurate.

I would like to acknowledge my sister Stephanie and her partner Alistair who have travelled up from Taupo to be here tonight. We are a small family, having lost my elder sister Ginny in 1982 and my father in 1991. He too was a Rotarian. The only other member of our family is my mother, who lives in Blenheim. I am sure that were she here tonight she would be suitably proud, and possibly inclined to offer me some helpful comments and advice such as "Richard, keep your shoulders back". Without wishing to exploit this occasion for naked commercial advantage, can I tell you that Al and Steph produce some very nice wine even though Taupo is not known as one of our premier wine regions. So if any of you wish to try something a little different, either speak to them afterwards or get in touch with them through me.

I would also like to acknowledge the presence of two sets of friends.

First, my old friends Gary and Helen O'Neale. Gary and I have known each other since 1971, and Helen from the mid to late 70s onwards. Gary is the brother that I never had. Hence my determination to never let him beat me at golf. He is also a very good lawyer, whose sound judgment and advice I have also valued as a fellow partner in my firm. But more than that, I thank him for his personal support for me during both good times and bad. I further thank Helen for keeping Gary on the straight and narrow in all avenues of his life, save and except the golf course.

Secondly, my friends Andrew and Teresa McMenamin. Their son Matthew went through all of primary and secondary school with Rory, and is also doing law at Victoria. They also have two wonderful daughters Sarah and Rebecca who I regard as the daughters I never had. We have had some wonderful family holidays with them, whether kayaking down the Wanganui River or frolicking around the theme parks on the Gold Coast. The Kepler Track awaits us at the end of January next year - and needless to say through the Otago Youth Adventure Trust and Milton Rotary Club. It certainly helps to go on such trips with a doctor and nurse in tow. I particularly wish to acknowledge Teresa for her compassion, courage and deep insight into the human condition which has proved to be invaluable to my family and I. But for me to adequately explain the extent of our debt would involve me doubling the length of this speech. I am sure that none of you, including Teresa, would want that.

That, you will be relieved to learn, really brings me to the end of what I wish to say. I apologise for Mary taking so long in doing so. But I have had a fair bit of ground to cover. Let me repeat the sense of privilege that I do genuinely feel at assuming the status of President of this Club. When my appointment was announced, past President Murray Patchell said to me then, and has said on more than one occasion since, that the key to enjoying the position is to have fun. This speech is the first step in that direction. I hope most, if not all, the members will also derive some fun along the way in the next 12 months.

Finally I guess I should end the misery of those of you who are still wondering which movie star that I was mistaken for just recently. Perhaps names such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Russell Crowe have featured largely in your thinking. I fear, however, that in a sense, I rather misled you. I do not know the unlucky individual for whom I was mistaken. What happened is that I went into a hotel restaurant, where there was an incredibly bored looking receptionist who asked in a rather distracted manner for my name and room number. Then on looking at me more closely she became quite animated and said "You are in the movies aren't you?" Well what do you say to that? The best I could summon up was "Yes, and by the way the name is Bond and the room number 007". I then beat a hasty retreat, in case she disclosed to me some close resemblance to some creature out of Lord of the Rings or Avatar. On looking back over my shoulder, I observed that she looked visibly shaken, though not stirred. On reflection, I think that that could be a portent for my own presidency. Whether the Club is in that condition in 12 months time is no doubt something we can reflect upon at next year's change over.

My sincere thanks for your attendance here tonight, and for your patience in listening to this speech. I now invite you to enjoy your dessert, and tea or coffee.

Please note that you will have 30 minutes or so before I formally bring this evening to a conclusion.

Richard Pryce,
President 2010/11,
Rotary Club of Rotorua
29th June, 2010

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