Bulletin 19/03/20
Posted by Bev Maul-Rogers
COVID-19
You will have seen the email sent around by President Robyn advising the Board’s decision regarding the status of our meetings, activities and events, due to the ongoing concerns and rapidly changing circumstances around COVID–19.
The wellbeing and safety of our Rotary Club membership is President Robyn and the Board’s top priority. If you are having to self-isolate or choose to remain in your homes please contact a member/s of the club for assistance if you need help. You may need prescriptions to be picked up, mail to post or help to get small grocery items or perhaps help in ordering online groceries, etc. As Robyn communicated, we are a club that looks after its members. As we are unable to meet in person, and also to be cautious about social interaction, we encourage you to pick up the phone to have a chat with a fellow Rotarian. Communication and showing that we care for each other is key to getting through this unprecedented situation.
As these notes are being prepared the government’s announcement has just been made that New Zealand has moved up to Covid-19 alert level 2 – reduce contact. New Zealanders over 70 and those with certain medical conditions are told to stay at home as much as they can to reduce risk of contact with the virus. There are 528,000 people aged 70-plus in New Zealand.
Status of upcoming events
CLUB
- Club meetings – face to face meetings cancelled until the end of June. President Robyn and the Board are investigating ways how our future connections with club members will continue
- Club Weekend away - Matakana (27-29 March) – postponed until further notice
- Race to Raise Funds – 23 April postponed with review of the project and possible future date be carried out in July 2020.
- Bookarama – May - postponed with review of the project and possible future date be carried out in June 2020.
- Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – 2 May – likely be postponed
- Firewood delivery – continuing
Please note the following:
- As the majority of our membership is in the ‘vulnerable’ age-group, there may be members who believe they should self-isolate. The club will ensure they are assisted in any way it can help (so members are asked to let President Robyn know if they are in this situation).
- If a member has been travelling recently overseas (in the last week – 10 days), or in contact with someone who they believe could have potentially caught the virus, they will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
- If a member is feeling unwell with a cough or cold, they will need to self-isolate from Rotary for 14 days.
- Avoid physical contact – no handshakes, hugs, or kisses. Maintain a 2m distance where possible.
- Maintain a high level of hygiene. Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds each time.
DISTRICT, INTERNATIONAL AND ZONE
- All NZ & Australian Rotary District Conferences cancelled
- 2020 District Conference 22 – 24 May. Cancelled. Full refunds of Registration Fees will be made in due course
- The Rotary International Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii cancelled
- Rotary Learning and Information workshop – 28 and 29 March, Morrinsville cancelled
- Club Leaders Seminar 9 May, Taupo cancelled
- RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) cancelled
- RYE (Rotary Youth Exchange) The district will not be receiving any Inbound Youth Exchange Students in July. However, District will be still going ahead with the selection of outbound students for next January (situation permitting) so applications should still be submitted
- RANZSE – exchange to Australia cancelled
- RFE (Rotary Friendship Exchange) visits to USA and UK – cancelled
- RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment) will stop when schools stop
NOTICES
Waipa Funrun – 15 March
Thanks to all those who volunteered to marshall at the Waipa Funrun. Also well done to those who participated – Rotarians noticed at the 2km stage were Chris Crickett and Roger Gordon – I’m sure they made it to the end. 😊
CANCELLED – Materials Recovery Project – “trial run” – Thursday, 26 March
You will have read the email advice that the trial run of the Materials Recovery Project on Thursday, 26 March has been cancelled.
Firewood Delivery
There’s still loads ordered that need delivering. This is low risk as few people are involved at any one time. Call Ken Leatham to offer your help to load/deliver firewood.
Taste Waikato
The cookbooks need a continued effort to sell. What can you do to help move these? Contact Jan Bilton to see how you can help.
Garden Festival 2020
Please advise Carey or Shirley if you know of people who would be willing to be part of the Festival by offering their garden or house for show. At this stage the event in November is still scheduled.
Our two Rotary Exchange Students – emails to International Director, Greg Gascoigne and all Rotarians
Note: Shona and Greg are communicating with both girls by email to assure them we are able to support and assist when and where required.
From Sarah Eastwood:
The French way of living has fantastic amounts of bread and cheese, and I’m beginning to realise that only a solid amount of running will allow me to handle all the wonderful food my host family gives me. I tried raclette** for the first time two weeks ago … it was beyond belief. I still dream about it sometimes.
The coronavirus is a bit spooky, all the schools are shut down and everyone is quarantined in their houses, which means no leaving for anything except food, emergency, or mental health, and we can’t meet together in groups of more than five. The streets are dead, it’s like people have just stopped living in town. It’s really unbelievable. I’m lucky with a wonderful host family however, and the piano gives a bit of life to the house. My host dad plays while me and my host sis sing. Admittedly, she is the better accompaniment … me … not so much.
French is a very difficult language to learn, I won’t lie to you. Some days I feel like I have conquered the language and no one can beat me. Other days I feel like I will never ever master it. On those days the app Duolingo is very helpful for me. But slowly I feel my conversations are growing longer. I had a very interesting chat with my host dad about politics the other day. Arras is nominating their mayor soon, and he wanted my opinion on it, but only in French of course!
Thankyou so much for all the help you have been giving me, it’s really good to know I have support from you all back in New Zealand and I hope you all go to the beach heaps more, for me! Here it is freezing and I am very jealous that you can all just pop over to the beach as you please. It was lovely to hear from you, and fingers crossed the coronavirus issues here will calm down, so we can go back to ordinary exchange life of getting lost on the buses. (This has happened to me three times now). Even so, this year has already been so cool and exciting, and I have met so many new kids, they are so welcoming. Here’s to a great rest of the year.
I look forward to seeing you all again.
Attached are some photos of the one day it snowed (so cool) a beautiful old church I visited in La Rochelle, and my host sis and her cousin. Sincerely, Sarah
** raclette - a fantastic potato and bacon dish with a whole brie melted over the top and some cream. It will send you to heaven. Really.
The language is going good at the moment I have started to notice an improvement and I am intending to use the time in quarantine to practice.
I still haven’t met with my counsellor but at the moment it is not possible to do this. Once the quarantine ends I will try again to get in contact.
I don’t have many recent photos as I haven’t been able to leave the house but I have some from the holidays a few weeks ago as well as some with other exchange students.
… and from Zara Newman
