President's Message

 

Jim Duckworth receiving Rotary's "5 Avenues of Service" Award from District Governor Craig Horrocks under the watchful eye of President Gavin Green.

 

Following an introduction by President Gavin in which he outlined the many different ways in which Jim has served the club and the community over his 50 years of active membership District Governor Craig Horrocks presented Jim with a “5 Avenues of Service” engraved crystal plaque. Jim’s family with wife Judy and daughter Rachel and son Jamie were on hand to help him celebrate an amazing milestone in Rotary service. Proof that “you can’t hold a good man down” Jim made his way to the rostrum on crutches to receive his award after undergoing another knee replacement the previous week!

Jim joined Howick Rotary in July 1971 and is a Past President of the Club and has held numerous Directorship roles within the Club over his 50 years. His many roles and achievements include helping found the “Friends of Mangamangaroa” through which a magnificent local estuarine reserve has been created, helping the Fiji FAIM team build houses, led a District Group Study Exchange to Germany, set the path for the club in making the first Paul Harris Fellowship awards and being active in hosting exchange students and RYLA participants. Amongst his many skills and attributes Jim’s baking ability is well known to all club members through his mouthwatering “Eccles” and Charter Birthday and Christmas cakes that he has made for project treats and formal occasions over the 50 years!

A well-deserved award to an incredibly generous and community minded man!

For a more complete review of Jim’s amazing 50 years of involvement in Rotary’s 5 Avenues of Service along with another photo of Jim and family click on Read More.  
 
 

 

Speaker Alison Kearney with Sergeant Mike Abercrombie answering questions following her presentation.

 

One of our own Alison Kearney who owns and operates the House of Travel in Howick shared her experience of the dreadful impact that Covid 19 has had on the industry and her business at our Tuesday dinner meeting.

Knowing about the outbreak in January and being led to believe that it was going to similar to the previous SAARS and MERS situation Alison left New Zealand to travel to Norway and the Artic to see the “bucket list” Northern Lights in late February. While away and being temporarily out of Wi-Fi contact, she suddenly had a barrage of emails on the 10th March notifying her of the situation as well as a deluge of questions from clients. On the 11th March the WHO declared the outbreak as a pandemic. 

The impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on her own business and the travel industry as a whole has been disastrous and Alison bravely related her own downsizing and alternative income business strategies that she and the NZ operations of the House of Travel had to put into place to survive. In addition, she told us about the international impact including such incredible statistics such as; 17000 planes being “idled” in deserts around the world at a cost of US$5000 per day, IATA members losses of a staggering US$84 billion up to July, all the world cruise ships anchored up and mothballed, Emirates refunding 750000 tickets per month and one airline having 19 policy changes in one month. She also shared some of the amazing House of Travel survival stories that occurred during this period. 

Despite going through this horrendous ordeal Alison is proud of how her and the company have weathered the storm and is also immensely grateful for the ongoing customer support that she has received. After 33 years in the industry Alison is optimistic that with everyone getting vaccinated and borders opening safely that it will be “onwards and upwards from here” after an incredibly stressful year. 

 

The full text of Alison’s presentation is available under Read More.