• Welcome back Russell Marnock
• We wish Don Borg well (he has COVID)

• Been a couple of decades since I have done one of these!
• Born in Fielding in NZ 8 July 1943 – name was adopted by Ruby and Jim Brown who had lost daughter to Polio
• Grew up in Palmerston North – joy to grow up there – picked up paper job in the morning, mother worked in a laundry and father worked on the railway
• Average student at Central School – not good a sport
• Mother had taught Colin to sing – would have liked to have taken lessons.A lady nearby paid to have lessons
• George Scott Morrison trained Colin – 8 students, marked Colin as difficult!
• Employment with a paint, wallpaper and glass company in Palmerston North – was doing well and became the manager of company after 7-8 yrs
• Became Rotarian at the RC of Terrace End, Palmerston North
• Found a nice lady to take to the pictures and was singing
• Job move to Wellington – Grand Hotel Wellington 3-4 nights a week singing J
• Needed to help mother as father had passed away and helped support her
• Able to do work in Wellington wanted to be in entertainment industry, mother suggested being more sensible – was on TV in Wellington and cut a record at that time
• Met up with Robyn and 2 years later moved to Australia
• Robyn and Colin rented a place in Harpoon Bay and sold cars – met a Japanese guy and we used to go and swim to the reef
• Married in 1974 and had first child Nicola
• Had opportunity after 8 yrs with Toyota and learned a lot and saw an opportunity to go out by himself.For first 18 months the money wasn’t coming in then his Japanese friend Hitoshi offered a Ute and went from having very little to being quite all right
• We now speak every 4-5 weeks – strange how one thing can change your life
• Luck also plays a lot in your life
• Rotary is about good fellowship and thankful to have joined Rotary all those years ago
• Sings with the Welsh Choir

Committee Reports

• Started doing bags for year 12’s – less than 100 and 33 are leaving on Friday as not going to further education
• Started with Pandemic – a care package but the school asked us if we can continue and decided to keep it going
• Wherever they are in the world there is a Rotary Club that can assist them if they are in trouble
• We can no longer offer a bag for girls and a bag for boys
• Nor can we say a prize is for a girl or a boy

School Leaver Bags

• Sausage sizzle Pakenham Bunnings this weekend
• Emerald Art Society – Brush Stroke & Bubbles Evening – instructor and space for 30 people – teaching how to paint and we will provide food and drink – hoping to do this 2-3 times
• Cocktails Sat 25 March tentative date – awaiting on Gemco

• Conference – early bird $245 don’t miss out!!
• 3-5 March – first conference in a long time
• Golf $70 + lunch on the Friday, Bowls at the same time
• Brunch at the National Gallery as well!!
• Speakers on Sat and Sunday – at the Realm Hotel
• Club dinner on Friday – a lot will be going
• Accommodation – Realm Hotel recommended
• Breakfast on the Sunday morning too ..lots to do
• DG Ken – We Love You – support Ken at the District Conference
• Theme is Diversity – speakers around this
• Theme for Gala Dinner is ‘Across the Ages’

Condolence Card Received from District

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle - Sunday 18 September