TheLoWDoWN - Rotary Down Under

This Rotary WorldChristmas Puddings benefitdisaster victims in Samoa andthe PhilippinesFollowing the two recent disasters in Samoa and the Philippines, the RotaryClub of Orewa, NZ, decided proceeds from their very successful RotaryChristmas Pudding Project would go towards providing one ShelterBox forthe Philippines and two Emergency Response Kits (ERKs) for Samoa.Cyclone Evan struck Samoa on December 13, with three people reporteddead, 200 injured by flying debris and 3000 forced from their homes. The ERKswill help people get re-established.In the Philippines over 700 people are believed dead, with another 800missing after Typhoon Bopha destroyed 80,000 homes in December.ShelterBoxes provide temporary housing for 10 people with all the necessaryequipment, such as sleeping bags, multi-fuel stove, cooking utensils, mosquitonets, groundsheets, various tools and even children’s school supplies – all theessential basics a family would require.Over the past five years the Orewa Rotary Club has provided 11 suchShelterBoxes to countries hit by disasters, and their aim is to provide twoShelterBoxes each year to disaster ravaged countries.The club’s coordinator of Christmas pudding sales, Doug Parker, says it isonly through the club’s fundraising activities and the tremendous supportRotary receives from the people in the local community that they are able toachieve this, and also help other charities.There were 456 Rotary Christmas puddings sold last year, which allowedthe club to donate one ShelterBox (NZ$1500) and two ERKs ($600 each). Twomore ERKs were donated by Orewa Rotarians Rod and Judy Townsend.AmandaWoodsRotary Club ofKatoomba, NSWIn 2006 I was “encouraged” to attendmy first Rotaract meeting by myfather who was, at the time, the NewGenerations director for his club.By the end of my first meeting withGunargarang Rotaract I was clubsecretary, where I stayed for threeyears. I was then allowed to leave thisrole, only to serve as club President,then club services director and thenVice-President. During my year as clubservices director I was also the DistrictRotaract Representative for 9690,while also sitting on the Council of theAustralian Multi District InformationOrganisation (MDIO). During my yearas Vice-President I served as the Chairof the National MDIO.In July 2012 I graduated to Rotary,joining the 75-year-old Rotary Club ofKatoomba, NSW, and was appointedthe public relations directorship uponinduction into the club, while stillserving as immediate past chair forthe MDIO, where I have been askedto remain on the executive board asRotarian Adviser.I have been involved in manyprograms both locally andinternationally and was bestowed thehonour of Paul Harris Fellowship bymy Rotaract club at the end of myterm as President in 2010.And my latest endeavour is to charteran e-club with the help of our DistrictGovernor Keith Roffey. •Maygrove Retirement Village resident Heather Nicholson thoroughly enjoys her RotaryChristmas pudding and is thrilled that the proceeds are helping victims of the Samoa andPhilippines cyclone and typhoon disasters. Photo courtesy of Rodney Times.WOMEN IN ROTARYwww.rotarydownunder.org 33