Received today - please follow the link below to fill out the survey:

Hi everyone 
My name is Deb Gimblett and I will be your District Governor in 2013/14

Part of my preparation for my year and every DG's is to look at membership and how we can increase Rotary's membership. I have noticed a common theme that keeps coming through when membership is mentioned. We want younger members, we want more women and we want more ethnic groups. At the Brisbane Institute last November Past District Governor Noel Trevaskis gave a speech on "Women In Rotary" which made me think that the time had come to take action and that I would look at the women aspect of membership. Worldwide our membership is 83% men and 17% women, leaving plenty of room for growth of Women in Rotary. I have undertaken to do a survey on Women in Rotary. My aim is to see if there are any barriers at club level to attracting women into Rotary. The survey finishes on the 28th February. Below is your link to complete the survey

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22ELKRYHZF5

I thank you ahead of time for participating in the the survey.

Regards Deb

2012 VCC International Car Rally

Rotarians are people with influence. Rotarians make things happen. Rotarian Ed Boyd has certainly demonstrated those attributes.

On Tuesday afternoon I was privileged to attend the opening of the 2012 Vintage Car Club International Rally, an event attracting over 700 cars from 12 countries including 200 overseas entries. There are 96 makes of vehicles represented. Speakers at the opening included the NZ National President John Coomber from Christchurch, Mayor Annette Main and MP Chester Borrows who officially opened the event. Nick Mason, drummer from Pink Floyd and himself owner of around 40 cars, is a special guest of the Vintage Car Club at the rally.

Special tribute was paid by the speakers to Ed Boyd whose vision it was to bring the rally to Wanganui. 6 years ago Ed convinced then Deputy Mayor Dot McKinnon, MP Chester Borrows and the Wanganui Vintage Car Club to apply to hold the event. It has been 6 long years of planning and organising and agonising over the details, culminating in the wonderful sight we see daily as these beautifully restored vehicles cruise our streets and rural roads. I am extremely proud that Wanganui and surrounding district Rotary clubs have embraced this event and are lending their skills to make it a success - from my quick count 8 clubs are involved. Rally Director Bruce Hutton wants to see this event become an annual one with a heritage theme. This is a challenge to Rotarians of our district - very influential members of our society who can make this happen if we so desire. Do we?

 

Essex Motors, Detroit, USA produced this vintage beauty

Wanganui South Rotarians Neville Proctor and Bill Campbell stocking up the Events HQ bar at Jubilee Stadium

VCC Rally 2012

The Vintage Car Club Rally will  be in Wanganui from 16^th January to 26^th January

There will be around 700 vintage, veteran and classic cars during the Rally travelling around the region each day to Waverley, Ratana, the Whanganui River Road, Hawera, Hunterville and Marton.

For more information, updates or to register please see the VCC website or phone 0800 822 7255.

There is also a Huge Family Day Out on Sunday 22nd January at the Wanganui Racecourse - Entry $10 

• 800 Vehicles on display
• Saturday Riverside Market on site
• Red Checkers flypast
• Food Stalls
• Glass Displays
• Working Meccano
• Rail Modellers Model Trains
• Fashion Parade
• Bouncy Castle
• A Model T Ford dismantled & reassembled

... and that’s just the beginning...

I'm Back - alive but not kicking

It has been a month since I last Blogged and my Blog Editor is feeling neglected so here is a short update. There will be more to follow over the Christmas- New Year break . Since my last Blog Margaret and I spent the last week of November in 30 degree heat in Brisbane where we attended ,firstly, a two-day combined New Zealand - Australia Governors Symposium and then the combined Zones 7b ( NZ ) and 8 ( Australia ) Institute. I will write more about this in a later Blog. On our return I entered hospital in Palmerston North on Tuesday 29th of November for surgery Four days later , on Friday, I was the only patient in the hospital and they wanted to close it for the weekend so I came home on the Saturday. The nurses and I had a wee party in my room on the Friday night - the only alcohol available wasn't drinkable. ( actually, I was due to be discharged on Saturday anyway )

I have been recuperating at home since and catching up on a multitude of both work and Rotary e-mails and working hard on my conference programme, in between sleeps and walks. The conference website is now live - check it out at http://www.rotaryconference.org.nz/ Margaret and I wish you all a Merry Christmas, a very happy New Year and a safe , sun-filled and fun-filled holiday. Thank you all for your commitment to Rotary. We still have six months to go in our year. This year as you know I am heralding change in Rotary which I believe is inevitable. I still have much to do in this regard and I look forward to your continuing support in the second half of the year

Some assembly required..

Compliments of the season to you all.