With pleasure I reflect that ten years ago, almost to the day, I was inducted into the Rotary Club of Botany East Tamaki. The evening was memorable for a great many reasons. Firstly, having completed my 25 years in the Fire Service, I was looking for a new service organisation to work with. So a new career of sorts was developing. Secondly, I felt that I had found a second family.
I was welcomed into the club knowing full well that I wasn’t going to be around much in the early years. Then following Glyn’s nomination, the club inducted me as a member on the first week of the year. PDG Stuart Searle welcomed me on behalf of Rotary International and on top of all this, I was the first new member for the district for a newly minted District Governor, my wife Leanne.
The first couple of years I was more a visitor than a member as 90% of my Rotary attendance was at other clubs in the district accompanying Leanne. Then suddenly I am President Elect and I am faced with the prospect that my crash course in Rotary gave me significant institutional knowledge on Rotary, but I had no idea how to run a club. Perhaps somewhat brainwashed in training I started down the new visionary path we were directed to. Only to find the inertia of change can be a challenge. So a big thanks to the 5 senior members who mentored me through this period must be given.