Rotary Club of Christchurch South District 9970

P O Box 12-243, Christchurch 8242

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

This week, there were 3 episodes of nostalgia to maybe help offset the drama and tragedies of the

Port Hills fires. Sunday saw the club family picnic to Whitecliffs … Wednesday’s club meeting, Ruth

took us along her journey of visiting her family in England … Thursday, Peter gave the Johnny

Walkers‘ a guided tour of Oxford, his birthplace, childhood and farming arena.

Ruth’s travels this festive season were undertaken so as to be with her 3 sisters and 1 brother and

the wider family in Shropshire during that precious time of Christmas.

A year ago, Ruth’s sister, Gillian had visited NZ and sparked the

need in Ruth to have Christmas with them all in England. Ruth

told her home-help cleaner lady of her intentions, the up-shot of

which was that they planned for almost a year, the trip that they

would take together.

Photo: Ruth Mackie speaks about her recent visit to family in England

There were such warm events and trips down memory lane.

- Ruth staying with two lifelong friends, whom she had kept contact with these last 37 years.

They gave up their bed to Ruth. Their sizable dog was used to settling on the bed …

(photographs told the rest of the story).

- The visit to the Manchester Christmas markets and the City Great Hall with its famous Bee

paving tiles, symbol of Manchester since the Industrial Revolution and the NZ tile, part of a

tile mosaic adorning the ceiling.

- The sign “No public toilets in this building. Sorry about the inconvenience”.

- Travel to Sussex, Manchester, North Wales, Derbyshire, Shropshire and Suffolk. But not

Devon!

Ruth had forgotten how dark it is in England during mid- winter and apologised for using her cell phone camera, but the pictures held her travelogue together magnificently.

In Conwy, North Wales, Ruth was determined to experience once more the true Welsh rarebit made with cheese, beer and various other ingredients and served hot, after being poured over slices of toast. Not the New Zealand cheese and bacon on toast, but the true Welsh rarebit. The fare was duly delivered to the dining table …Oh no! The café was under English management, and the dish served up was . . . cheese on toast!

Wonderful Christmas decorations were everywhere. Ruth visited the stately Chatsworth House, magnificent home of

the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, [members and Ruth will appreciate that the writer knew Devon was in the mix

somewhere!]. Every room and hallway was magnificently decorated to the theme, The Sugar Plum Fairy.

Attendance Wed 15 Feb. 2017 Total Membership: 49 (45 Active, 4 Honorary)

Members and Associates 26 Apologies 08 Visitors 4 On Leave 11

For Christmas, some of the families rented a line of cottages in Shropshire, others were billeted locally with

extended family. Wonderful reminiscences: Christmas Eve, three sisters prepared vegies at the table, amidst

chatter and laughter; the 5 bone china mugs given Ruth individually by family and that none of them matched but all

arrived back in NZ safely; Christmas dinner - 21 family sat down to traditional Christmas dinner and all the trimmings;

the silver sixpences in the Christmas pudding; Christmas cake, beautifully baked by the youngest sister and iced with

several Christmas kiwis for our travelling companions, and a brown bear for a Canadian family; snowmen as mother

made them. Oh, the memories.

Thankyou Ruth for a warmly personal story of your trip back home.

(Our thanks go to Doug and Anne Johns for the evening’s photographs)

Photo Gallery.

Shellie Collins and Ruth Mackie Athol McCully thanks Ruth

enjoy a chat. for her address

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OXFORD. This was the second visit by our club’s Johnny Walkers’, the previous being in 2011. The great attraction to this neck of the woods was of course, Peter’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the place where he was born, had his childhood and farmed … the countryside and Mears Bush and the pretty and busy Oxford township, as it particularly is at this time of the year.

We left ‘The Peg’ (Belfast pub) carpark in shared vehicles, stopping in Oxford for the compulsory “Roosters” and “Hens’’ (can you believe it, those remarkable signs have been replaced by boring regular equivalents). Peter was asked, “[Is] he nostalgic when he visits Oxford”. He thought about it for a bit and gave a somewhat reserved “yes”. But we all know from his enthusiastic leadership as we proceeded along the country roads of his once several holdings … the place where he was born and father’s farm, (eventually to become Peter’s first); the blocks that he added to it; his very special Mears Bush that he and Lorna placed in Queen Elizabeth II National Trust covenant (the first such covenant in the South Island), and in the township itself … acquaintances he spoke with in the museum; his involvement with the local Junior Chamber of Commerce (JC); public buildings; and on and on … that there can be no reservation. Very special indeed! We lunched at ‘The Famous Sheffield Pie Shop Main Street Bakery and Café’, (previously ‘Jo Seagers Café’) – delicate

savoury and sweet foods (see ‘A Twist in the Tail’, below) at fairly ‘delicate’ prices; took in the art gallery and the

expansive and beautifully set out museum, and Peter explained his involvement with his JC club in the unusual clay-

cement block making for the construction of the JC meeting room and museum building

Of our 12 walkers, 4 have ancestral connections to Oxford! We visited the Oxford cemetery, where members of 3 of

those connections, and very significantly Peter’s first wife Lorna, lie.

Thankyou Peter, for a wonderful day. We all wouldn’t have missed if for quids.

CLUB PICNIC

The day dawned cloudy with a gentle northerly in Christchurch and presented similarly at Whitecliffs with temperatures in the high 20’s. First to arrive was the presidential entourage at 11.30. Closer too noon, the essential numbers began to roll in, all pretty much arriving by 1 o’clock.

At first it appeared as if the barbeque had been taken along, just for the ride. But it gradually became apparent that

the thought of any public facility was unattractive to some. However for others looking to have a sizzle, the relatively

pristine model from off the back of the trailer was a pleasant surprise.

The Domain is a wonderful place for children to have fun. Our young’uns were quickly off to the river – a gentle

stream with a grand swimming pool, overhung with a rope swing from an obliging willow. Badminton net, dart board

and quoit target stake were set up and bats, racquets, balls, quoits and darts (with supervision) were quickly taken

up, as the children mixed in together with great vigour, chatter and laughter. Wonderful!

Lunch was taken as our great circle of friends and rellies relaxed and chatted in the shade of ever obliging trees.

Icecreams were broken out and at around 2.30, the call-to-order was made for the start of scheduled activities -

sack, egg and spoon and 3 legged races with prizes of combination-choices from muesli bars, fruit juices, rosy red

apples and chocolate fish. Then, the Rotary South Triathlon with points accumulated from darts and quoits and

subtracted for time error for one’s personal estimated-time walk. 2017 Champion: Julie (Jan Stewart’s twin sister).

Meanwhile, it is reported from an impeachable source that Kathryn and Andrew are still having domestics over the

wooden spoon and who beat who (excuse the pun). Very subtle points of view! Call it a draw, 6-7.

Soon it was 4.00pm and the children were anticipating the lolly scramble. “Very soon” was the regular reply. And

then it was. All on! No OSH rules or safety plans here. Just good old-fashioned fun.

4.30 and homeward bound. Tidy Kiwis, the grounds were left as if no-one had been there. For the record, 34 persons gathered, including 7 children - 18 months to 12 years (“almost 13”, bless him), 2

teenagers and 5 broken eggs.

Notices

Kaikoura Earthquakes – the focus of our donations will be on Seddon, Ward and Waiau. We are

awaiting direction from District, perhaps donating towards District $25,000 accumulated sum to be

matched by a $ for $ Tindal Foundation subsidy.

$2,000 of Rotary Neighbourhood Project funds towards a family fun day in the East, sits in our bank

account, awaiting valid claim from the organisers.

Service Projects Director Kim will be conferring with the service committees to set new, elevated

budgets.

The 8 March club meeting is Partners night. It will be held in the Cashmere Club Garden Room in

conjunction with Cashmere Rotary. Guest Speaker is Jono Scott, around the world cyclist.

Notice is hereby given, that the Club AGM will be held in conjunction with the Club Forum, at the

regular Club meeting, Wed. 01 March, 2017. If you have item/s for discussion that you wish to have

put on the Agenda, please forward them to the Secretary, Shirley Harris, by and including Wednesday

22 Feb. 2017.

In the absence of the Editor, up to and including 22 March, all Bulletin matters should be forwarded to Mel.

Committee meetings scheduled for after club, this coming Wednesday, 22 March:

- Youth Service

Previous Notices

District AGM: Remits, should you have any, (would need to be endorsed by Club) to District Administrator, Ken Booth, by 5 pm, Friday 24 Feb.

Robin McKinney announced that ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ evening is likely to be for Sat. 25 March. Please consider the possibility of being a host. Guests $20 pp. Proceeds going to the Club Charitable Trust. Clipboard going around.

New Meals regime for club night:

1st Wednesday of the month, a self-serve Buffet. 2nd week - Roast meat 3rd - Fish chips Salad 4

th - Kitchen’s discretion

The new charge to our regular evening meal is $18 (includes the club surcharge of $2).

Next Meeting

Feb. 22 Club’s 2017 RYLA Alumni Feedback

“Duties” “On Leave”

Duty 15/02/17 22/02/17 Inclusive

FROM TO

Cash Desk A Blackler D Johns L Kelly 23/02/12 TBA

Cash Desk D Buist A Kim G Dockrill 21/06/16 TBA

Reception M Bruce B McKessar B Blyth 13/04/16 TBA

Speaker's Host S Harris K Tanner M Whitehead 02/08/15 TBA

Grace H Garlick J McKessar M Ireland 01/01/17 28/06/17

International Toast L Brown A McCully B Lawrence 02/08/15 TBA

Thanks to Speaker R Mackie V Nossiter E Musson 01/01’17 TBA

Quote for the Week S Collins M Rickerby A Airay 08/01/17 18/03/17

Closure G Foulds A McKinnon S Haye 08/03/17

Speaker Reporter J Chamberlain Q Moss J Carden 08/02/17 22/02/15 _ _

_

K Dalziel 08/02/17 01/03/17

Looking Ahead

Mar. 01 Club Forum and AGM

Mar 08 Around the world cyclist – Jono Scott Parters night. Joint with Cashmere

Next page: Japan Update from Emily

Hello Rotary friends!

I have been in Japan for 3 weeks now and have settled in well. The Tottori region on the West Coast of Japan where I

am living was hit with a big snowfall the week I arrived; the most snow they've seen in more than 5years! It trapped a lot

of cars in surrounding towns, and some train lines were closed, but the schools I work at stayed open.

I teach at two Junior High Schools, which I get to by bus and by train respectively. I go to one from Mon-Weds and the

other on Thurs and Fri.They're each about 30 minutes away from the central station. My working hours are 8am - 4pm

Monday - Friday, and I assist the Japanese English teachers in their classes throughout the day. The schools only have

around 200 students each, of approximately 13-16 year olds. I'll also spend two days a month at a local primary school.

I have a nice apartment about a 10 minute walk from the train and bus station. Twelve other Assistant Language

Teachers from English speaking countries live in the same apartment complex, and are all assigned to work at different

schools around the city. They're all around the same age as me, and have been great at welcoming me to life in Japan.

The Tottori region is known as the countryside of Japan, which I don't mind at all as it's nice to have some nature and

mountains around! Tottori City has a population of around 200,000, but I think it is more spread out than

Christchurch. I'm sure once spring arrives and the cherry blossoms start tobloom, there will be a lot more people out

and about.

I wish you all the very best for the new year 2017, and for the second half of the Rotary year. I trust it got off to a good

start with RYLA. I'm yet to approach the local Rotary Club here, but I do intend to once I have more of a grasp on the

Japanese language!

Kind Wishes,

Emily.

If you are going to be absent from a meeting would you please advise on the contacts below and if you have a

duty, please arrange a substitute

APOLOGIES – Record your apology at the Reception Desk at a prior meeting OR Email:chchsouthrotary@gmail.com before 11.00 on the Wednesday.

Last minute apologies to Mike Bruce, 022 540 1251 or Val Nossiter (339 8441). DUTIES - If you are unable to do allocated duty, it is YOUR responsibility to arrange a substituent

AND advise the President. LEAVE of ABSENCE (three weeks or more) advise the Secretary by email or in writing.

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