Bulletin May 2013 - Lions Clubs New Zealand

PRESIDENT ‘S RAMBLINGSThanks to all who turned up at the balloons overWaikato event. It was a great effort by most clubs andSt. Andrews was well represented.At the time of writing we have about 8 names ofvolunteers available for the Winter show. I sincerelyhope we will get a few more before Friday! I’ll let youknow at the next tea meeting.The Lions year is coming close to it’s end and now isthe time to consider how you might best serve yourclub next year. Perhaps you have a preference as towhich committee you would like to be on or maybe youhave a talent that we don’t know about? Tell us.And don’t forget we need new members. We all knowsomeone who could, at least, be approached. So far,Bob tells me, no names have been received.We must do better. It’s up to you!BillTEA MEETING AGENDAWednesday 1 st May 2013Partners & GUESTS most welcomeTime: 6.00pm to 7.00pm social timeCharge: $26.00 per personVenue: Level 3, Te Rapa RacecoursePresident: Bill CrookChairman: Derek HosieDoor/Greeter: Peter GoodmanBar: Doug BryceInvocation: David IrvingIntroduction: Adrian BerkersSpeaker: “End-of-Life Choice” with DrHavilThanks: Chris WalkerTail Twister: Barry GillingRaffle: Doug Bryce3 Minutes: Barry GillingClosing Thought: Margaret MallochMystery Person: Definitely*IMPORTANT*Apology – please submit an apology to Secretary Margaretat (ph853-6232).or it will cost your club $26.Allocated duty – if you can’t make it, arrange a substitute.34

MONTHLY BUSINESS MEETING MINUTESWelcome -- President Bill opened the meeting at 7.37pm andwelcomed those present.Present: Bill Crook, Margaret Malloch, Derek Hosie, Ray Hancox,Andrew Malloch, Bob SangApologies – Celia Bentley, David MallochMinutes of the Board Meeting from 21 st March 2013 wereapproved as a true and correct record.--(Bill Crook / DerekHosie)– CarriedMatters Arising: NilCorrespondenceInwards: Hamilton Caterers account April 2013; LCI re dues;Ngaruawahia Lions Bulletin; LMLCCT re awards celebration June15 th ; International Lions Mints – Account; Emblems WaikatoAccount for badges; The Lions Clubs District Banking Trust resuccessful application for grant to support Anna Dawson; HospiceWaikato Newsletter; End Of Life Choice – offer of a speaker; LionsMagazineOutwards: MMR; Activities Report; BulletinsMoved that Inwards mail be received and outwards approved(Margaret Malloch / Ray Hancox) – CarriedTreasurers Report – Ray Hancox via E mailAccounts for payment:• Hamilton Caterers - $1,198.07• International Mints NZ - $260.00• Reimburse A Malloch for Emblems Waikato Badgeaccount - $92.32MONTHLY BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES cont.Membership & Programme & Social – Bob Sang• Speaker for May has cancelled – to assess availability ofother speakers.• Membership drive no names were provided – to placeanother reminder in the Bulletin.• Margaret to follow up with club members re Club OfficerPositions for the 2013 – 2014 Lions year.Youth & Welfare – Celia BentleyNo ReportAndrew discussed the Lily project re vehicle and the possibility offunding from LMLCT.General Business –• Andrew discussed the potential Stem Cell Project asintroduced to our Club by speaker Noella Vallis. He willprovide a Project brief to the Board meeting next month onhow this project may proceed.• Lions Alert meeting in Matamata this coming Saturday –Andrew, Bill & Derek to attend.• Balloons over Waikato very successful first up Project –with greater than $20,000 being raised for the LionsCancer Lodge. Thank you to all members who assisted.Next Meeting: Next Board meeting scheduled for Thursday 16 thMay 2013 @ 7.30pm at Bill Crook’s house.Meeting Closed @ 9.10 pmMoved Ray Hancox / Margaret Malloch that the financial reportand the accounts for payment be approved - CarriedCommittee ReportsProjects & Fundraising - David MallochNo Report.56

A REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCEAnna Dawson applied to St Andrew’s Lions for help getting to theAustralian Nationals of Lacrosse. A big thank you to President Billand PDG Andrew Malloch for presenting a compelling case to theDistrict Banking Trust. The following is the Trust’s reply: -MONTHLY HAPPENINGS3 rd -7 th April – Balloons Over Waikato – A very successfulevent where Lions from several clubs raised funds from araffle and bucket collection while providing security. A roundof applause to all the St Andrew’s member s, many ofwhom were there for more than one day.7 th April – Bunnings BBQ – thank you to Doug, Ray,Andrew, Bob S, Derek, Bill C with his young helper.WHAT’S COMING UP26 th -28 th April – Waikato Winter Show – Our club is runningThe Raffle and Wall Climbing fund raiser. See AndrewMalloch to volunteer.1 st May – Club Tea Meeting12 th May – Club Officer Training Day at Te Awamutu16 th May – Club Business Meeting13 th July – Bunnings BBQ17 th August – Lions National Speechmaker Final in Auckland78

FLIGHT OF A LIFETIME with Ramesh KrishnamachariWhen I got out of my bed at 5AM on 7 th April and looked at the still-darkskies, my first thought was to pull the quilt up tighter and sleep a little bitlonger. My thoughts at that moment were, “Maybe it was still raining as itdid for the last three days resulting in Balloon rides being cancelled...” Thenit dawned on me...”hey, it is Balloons over Waikato event and the TetheredRides for Kids today is a charity event to support the Lions Cancer Lodge”.I jumped out of the bed and was in my car half-hour later driving towardsLake Rotoroa to volunteer for the event.It was pleasing to see the Lions Club volunteers turn up in such bignumbers that at one stage there were more volunteers than general public!We were paired in two’s and assigned specific tasks by the ever-energeticPeter Knox of Cambridge club and our very own Andrew Malloch from St.Andrews Club. Andrew had been at the event till 12:30AM the night beforeand was still up and encouraging all volunteers at this early hour. He isamazing!Derek, Bob & Lei Sang and I made our way towards the hot air balloons inthe far corner of the field to direct the flow of kids wanting a balloon rideand to collect gold coin donations. The kids were forming long, windingqueues. The touch and feel of a real hot air balloon, the smell of burninggasoline, the hissing sound as the pilot pumped more hot air into theballoons filled the kids with enormous excitement. Lei, Bob, Derek and Iwere pleased to see the smile on the kids’ faces.I admire Derek’s amazing ease of dealing with crowds. He must be a verypopular person in such events. He smiled and shared the kids’ excitement,exchanged a word or two with their moms and kept the crowd always atease as I quietly went about collecting the donations.The hour and half passed by very quickly as we learnt some veryenthralling facts about hot air balloons and heard the pilots describe theireventful experiences. I did not realise till then that the hot air balloonsfilled up with 75,000 cubic meters of hot air before they took-off or thatmost of the pilots have commercial airplane flying experience. We alllistened in rapt attention as the balloon pilots told us about many fascinatingaspects of hot air balloons, including the technique for filling hot air intothe balloons and about the fabric materials used in making the hot airballoons.As the event drew to a close and the crowd started thinning , I was onlythinking of the day’s work ahead of me...little did I know that a delightful9FLIGHT OF A LIFETIME with Ramesh Krishnamacharisurprise lay ahead of us. Scott Carsons, the pilot of the hot air balloon ZK-LAR, came to me and said, “I have been to quite a few of these events overthe years and admire the commitment and volunteering spirit of the LionsClub. I want to show my appreciation of your efforts and would be pleasedif I can take two of you on a free ride.”I pinched myself & rubbed my eyes. “Is he for real?” “Did he just say whathe said?” I went running towards Bob Sang and Derek and said, “Guys,anyone wants a free ride on the hot air balloon?” Derek will never let anopportunity go by and he did not waste one second on this occasion to sayyes.So, Derek and I soared high above the Lake and over our beautiful city ofHamilton as the Balloon weaved its way high up in the sky. Derek got hiscamera out quickly. There was one scenery after another that we just cannotmiss. So, he was busy clicking away and so was I. None of us had the timeto think of fear of heights, let alone feel one!!Scott is a very experienced pilot. Not one bump during take-off or landingor during the entire ride. He works for Air New Zealand in Wellington. Helearnt to fly hot air balloons during his OE in France. He is very passionate10

FLIGHT OF A LIFETIME with Ramesh Krishnamachariabout it and likens his passion to rally car drivers. He participates inBalloons over Waikato every year and this is a great way for his wholefamily (Mom, Dad, Wife and himself) to get some family time together.Our ride came to an end on a paddock near Te Rapa Dairy Factory. Derekand I help Scott and his team pack up the hot air balloon and left them afterthanking Scott for the ride.This is what Derek has to say about the ride:“I still find it hard to believe we scored a balloon ride on Sunday. Startedand finished too quickly for me. As we headed over Flagstaff, a chap Iknow came outside with his wife – both in dressing gowns – waved andcalled out my name, but I missed the occasion. He sent me a couple ofpictures.”As for me, I wake up every day now counting with my fingers how manydays are left for the next “Balloons Over Waikato” event!!11A crate load of Viagra had been stolen from a distribution depot -police are looking for hardened criminalsWhy do nursing homes give their male patients Viagra? Tokeep them from rolling out of bed"Have you ever seen Twenty Dollars all crumpled up?"...thewoman asked her husband."No"...said her husband.She gave him a sexy little smile, unbuttoned the top 3 buttonsof her blouse...and slowly reached down into the cleavagecreated by a soft, silky push-up bra...and pulled out a crumpledTwenty Dollar bill.He took the crumpled Twenty Dollar bill from her ...and smiledapprovingly."Have you ever seen Fifty Dollars all crumpled up?"... she thenasked her husband?"Uh...no, I haven't" ....he said (with an anxious tone in hisvoice).She gave him another sexy little smile, pulled up her skirt, andseductively reached into her tight, sheer panties... and pulledout a crumpled Fifty Dollar bill..He took the crumpled Fifty Dollar bill... and started breathing alittle quicker with anticipation."Now" ...she said. "Have you ever seen $50,000 Dollars allcrumpled up?""No way" .....he said (while obviously becoming even morearoused... and excited)."Well go look in the garage!"...she said.The doctor was making his rounds and walked intothe semi-private room in the hospital to examineold Mrs. Williams. After the exam in his bestprofessional voice, he said smoothly, "You arecoughing much more easily this morning.""I should," snapped the patient. "I've beenpractising all night."Hamilton St Andrew’s Lions Bulletin Location: -http://www.lionsclubs.org.nz/Clubs/202L/Zone-1/Hamilton-St-Andrews/Bulletins