QUO VADIS - WHITHER GOEST THOU?
 
This is the question that faces every incoming President of Rotary.
 
Jim Innes presided over a mass of activity. We built a $17000 sound shell in Central Park under the direction of Barry Hobman. This amenity is being used by all age groups. The project caused a major drain on the Club’s funds as expected financial support did not materialise.
 
Members completed a cool store project at Waharau camp. Against many odds the Karaka Farm Festival proceeded. It did not contribute much to Club funds but it was good fellowship. Club visits, debates, theatre evenings, night trots and a weekend away on the Spirit Of Adventure were some of The activities which helped to make a busy and interesting year.
 
Prior to changeover and taking of office the incoming officers held several meetings to discuss how the Club was to be run and decided on four key principles:
 
Stress Fellowship
 
We adopted the attitude of family first, business second and Rotary third.  As a consequence, Rotary had to be made attractive both to the Rotarian and his wife. We appear to have succeeded in this sphere as we had no resignations during the year and fourteen new members. There were many functions held that wives attended and also many functions that were held for the women alone.
 
To have projects ready to commence at the start of the Rotary Year and to involve members in working bees.
 
From being on the City Council, I was aware that a band rotunda was to be built in Central Park. Barry Hobman and I approached Council and we discussed the feasibility of building the band rotunda. Eventually it was decided that a sound shell would have more practical implications. With the help of Mike Szabo (City Engineer) we contacted Cities and Boroughs throughout the country for plans and eventually we used a plan development by the Hamilton City Council.
 
The Project was a great success with large attendance at all the working bees.  It was especially gratifying to see the number of new members who showed up and joined in the fellowship.
 
The Sound Shell was presented to the City of Papakura at the official opening by Ivor Davidson, who by this time had been elected Junior Vice-President, as both Murray Guy and myself were away on a Rotary Trip at Great Barrier Island.
 
We had another project at the Waharau school camp where we purchased a chiller room and refrigeration unit. George Wilson very ably handled this project. It was financed with help from Manurewa, Takanini-Clevedon and Howick Rotary Clubs. Graham Paine of King Bros provided invaluable help with transport, and was subsequently made an Honorary Rotarian. We held several working bees out at the Camp and built a platform on which to place the unit. Later the unit was transported out from Auckland and with a HY-AB was lifted over the dining room and placed on the platform.  Further effort resulted in a roof being built over the unit.  Two of the working bees involved spending the night at the Camp. The wives and children came along and a good time was enjoyed by all.
 
To once again participate in Matched Twin Exchange and Rotary Exchanges
 
We sent six students away to Australia on the Matched Twin Exchange programme. Unfortunately one of these students returned after only a very short stay. The school she went to in Australia would not allow her free time to study her NZ School Certificate subjects.  She was given the option of going to all classes or else coming home.  She elected the latter.  So as her matched twin would not miss out on her part of the exchange, Bruce Mearns elected to have her to stay with him. 
 
Adrienne Riechers from the USA was our inbound exchange student this year while David Mcleod departed for the USA as the Club’s outbound student.
 
To make more people aware of Rotary.
 
We have done this throughout the year by frequent items in the newspapers covering various activities that the Club has undertaken. Our press coverage has been very good. We have submitted several articles to Rotary Down Under but despite promises, we have yet to see them in print.
 
We also figured in the daily papers and on radio news when we withdrew an invitation for John Minto (who was National President of HART - Halt All Racist Tours) to talk to the Club.
 
One of my aims was to have controversial speakers whose point of view we did not neces­sarily agree with, but by listening to, we could understand their objectives more rationally. Regretfully several members of the Club violently objected to him addressing our meeting so rather than cause a split in the Club I cancelled the invitation. The incident was blown up out of proportion by the media but died a quick death. It was interesting to get feedback from the committees, the bulk of whom supported the invitation.
 
JUNIOR VICE PRESIDENT
 
To ensure better continuity, it was decided to bring into being the new position of Junior Vice President and the inaugural office bearer was Iver Davidson.