From the desk of George Wilson
If you’ve been feeling a bit short of breath lately, it’s probably just from watching our club members in action over the last week! We have just wrapped up an incredibly busy, highly successful stretch of community service. From muddy parks to bustling event centres and youth education, Papakura Rotary has been showing up and doing what we do best.
Here is a look back at how we made a difference this past week:
Saturday 30th May: Green Thumbs and Sizzling Sausages
\We kicked off the weekend at the park on Charles Henry Way for the Sustainable Papakura Planting Day. With the fantastic support of the Auckland Council team and the Park Ranger, volunteers managed to get an incredible 2,000 grass flaxes into the ground!
Of course, tree planting is hungry work. Lloyd, Warren, and George fronted the BBQ, keeping the workers fuelled and motivated with a steady supply of perfectly cooked sausages.
Sunday 31st May: A Record-Breaking Circus Act
The smoke had barely cleared from Saturday's grill before George, Lloyd, Bernie, and Andrew hitched up the BBQ and headed to the Due Drop Events Centre. We were supporting the Newmarket Club’s Circus Quirkus event.
It was an absolute marathon effort—our team cooked up a whopping 1,000 sausages! With Newmarket’s top-tier support crew handling the sales and service, the partnership paid off big time, resulting in record-breaking sales for the day. Outstanding work, team!
RYDA Rolls Out for Local Youth
Later in the week, our focus shifted to road safety education with the RYDA programme executing two massive consecutive days.
Thursday 4th June: Alfriston College Year 11s
Thursday saw around 180 enthusiastic Year 11 students from Alfriston College take part in the program. This day was proudly sponsored by the Papakura Club.
A massive shoutout to our stellar team of stewards who kept the day running like clockwork: Warren, Peter W, Ted, Peter D, and Trevor (visiting from Drury).
Friday 5th June: Alfriston College Year 12s
On Friday, it was the Year 12s' turn, with 160 students stepping up. This day was sponsored by the Manurewa/Takanini Club.
It was a true multi-club collaborative effort. The day was led by stewards Frank, Graham, and Simon (Manurewa/Takanini), and heavily supported by our own Warren and George, alongside Nancy Rae (Waiuku), and Hugh and Phill (Drury).
A Note of Thanks
"A heartfelt thank you to absolutely everyone who put up their hands to assist with these events. It’s a simple truth: without your hands on the tools and your time on the ground, nothing happens. Thank you for making our club look so good!"
— George Wilson