On behalf of President Robyn, the Board and the Bulletin team a very Happy New Year. We look forward to another great year in Rotary – of fellowship, living our Rotary values, supporting local and world wide communities.
NOTICES
Rotary Social Bowls, Thursday, 23 January, 5.30pm
The club’s first get together after the Christmas/New Year recess will be held on Thursday, 23 January at 5.30pm. The traditional bowls evening will be held at the Thornton Club, 37 Thornton Road. Come along and enjoy a friendly game with other Rotarians and partners. A catered meal will follow (as per other years). Drinks are purchased from the Thornton Club at reasonable prices.
First Club meeting for 2020 (formal)
… will be held on Thursday, 30 January commencing 5.30pm at Resthaven Community Centre. This will be a formal meeting. Speaker to be advised.
tribute
PDG Robert Peter Greenwood Parr QSM – a tribute
Peter Parr sadly passed away on 6 January 2020. At his funeral on 11 January, there was a huge attendance of Rotarians and partners both from the club and district. At the conclusion of the service and as the hearse moved away, all Rotarians present formed a guard of honour – a fitting tribute to a much-loved man and a dedicated Rotarian.
Peter was born December 28 1929, the first of 3 children to Robert Stanley and Olwen Parr. His parents were school teachers in remote places such as the Ureweras, Whanganui and Ratana. Peter’s secondary schooling at Whanganui Collegiate prepared him for university to study as a teacher. It was there, for the second time, he met his soon to be wife of 69 years, Jeanne Marguerite Lee. They married in 1949 and had 4 children. Peter had an extensive and distinguished career in education, teaching and leading a number of secondary schools – eg Aranui High in Christchurch (Mathematics head), Dilworth School in Auckland (headmaster) and St Peters, Cambridge (headmaster). Peter was awarded the QSM for services to the community.
The tribute below is extracted from the eulogy delivered by John Tarbutt at Peter’s funeral service.
Peter has had a huge input into, and involvement with, Rotary over the last 5 decades. Considered to be one of the wise old heads of the organisation, he was well versed in Rotary’s history, protocols and traditions, but he wasn’t one to dwell on the past, being innovative and forward thinking. Always organised and efficient, he was a leader, a mentor and often the go-to person. Enthusiastic, enquiring, inclusive, clever with words with a dry quick wit and wicked sense of humour. Another couple of adjectives to describe him would be persuasive and persistent. Many of us discovered that Peter was very hard to say no to. You knew you were in the firing line, when Peter drew you aside and started with ‘Listen old chap, I’ve got something I want to talk to you about’.
“Peter joined Rotary in Newmarket in 1968, was president and was also awarded his first Paul Harris Fellowship there (the first of six). Soon after joining Cambridge in 1979, his first role was as secretary; as you might imagine, the club was raised to a new level of organisation and administration.
Peter was selected to lead a vocational Group Study Exchange team to Denmark in 1982. Local GP, Paul Stephens was one of the team members and on behalf of the team, Paul has reflected with the following words:
‘Initially knowing a headmaster was leading our team, and we were going to be together for nearly 3 months, we were all rather apprehensive as to how regimented our tour might be. Peter was extremely organised and prepared us diligently and superbly, but our concerns were unwarranted. Peter led quietly from the rear and let us set the pace.
He had a great sense of humour and was always eager to explore wherever we were. Be it Hong Kong bars, dropping schnapps and smoked eel, behaving perfectly at high table dinners or winding down with a big night in Pennsylvania on the trip home.
Peter, you gained respect wherever you went and as team captain, you were the best. We and our families have learnt a lot from you, and we are all going to miss your friendship dearly. You and that tour changed our lives, just as you predicted.’
The highlight of Peter’s time with Rotary came in 1992-3, when he was elected as district governor of District 9930. It was obviously a busy time for Peter and Jeanne as he skilfully blended his Rotary duties with his school leadership. He reportedly made 153 visits to the rotary clubs over the year, plus attended numerous committee meetings, training and other functions.
At international level, Peter went to America as a trainer and was a representative at the Council on Legislation. For the district, Peter was the first Rotary’s PolioPlus programme representative, and led the district training team for a number of years, initiated international Rotary Friendship exchanges and was heavily involved with the fellowship of caravanning Rotarians.
“Despite being so involved with international and district stuff, Peter was a great club man. Peter was always involved with club meetings, whether questioning a speaker, passing on a personal observation or suggesting the way the club might improve or progress – the latter often accompanied by a chorus of “yes headmaster” – to which Peter would simply respond with that characteristic smile of his. And Peter was renowned for his letters to presidents and the Board offering support, sage advice or constructive critique.
“In an interview with the Cambridge Edition in 1996 Peter said ‘I just get an enormous amount of satisfaction from being part of a very big organisation whose purpose is to serve the community, and by that, I mean not just our immediate community, but the world community’.
Peter’s contribution to Rotary was sustained, consistent and immense and last year Rotary Cambridge conferred honorary membership upon him in recognition of all he had achieved.”