Present : President, Wally Garrett; Immediate Past President, Jan Dempsey; David Brownson; 

Des Friedrich; Geoff Harding; Harry Duynhoven; John Pitman; Michael Archer; Myles Derry; 

Owen McCluggage; Sally Morch; Simon Northrop & Tony Bird. ( Thirteen )

Apologies : David Gibson; Dennis Eales; Dr. Ian Smiley & Murray Gillespie ( four ).

 

Grace : Sally Morch

Raffle was won by Geoff Harding.

Fines were levied by Des Friedrich on all other members present on their expectations as to whether or not the All Blacks would have won the recent match against France. Members were fined if they had thought that the ABs would win – but then also if they had thought that France would succeed.

 

Three Minute Talk : Jan Dempsey’s talk was postponed until the 25th September.

 

Michael Archer introduced the speaker :

Gillian Campbell, Group Director of Operations, since the 1st September, 2023 for Taranaki Hospitals ( that is for Base Hospital New Plymouth and for Hawera Hospital ). 

Gillian is a New Plymouth girl ( St. Pius; Highlands and NPGH Schools ). She trained as a physiotherapist, working partly in private practice. Gillian developed further her management experience at Hawera Hospital and her career, which has all been in Taranaki,

has progressed since then. 

 

 

Gillian said that it was fourteen months since the setting up of Te Whatu Ora, Te Aka Whai Ora ( the Māori Health Authority ) and Te Punanga Ora ( the Iwi Māori Partnership Board for Taranaki ). There were two Health NZ Localities in Taranaki, one covering the New Plymouth area and the other Central and South Taranaki. The challenges included how to manage demand, and how to improve health outcomes for Māori in Taranaki. The work is exciting. Taranaki is in a good place.

 

Health & Specialist Services were under a lot of pressure dealing with the issues of Workforce ( but there were not a lot of vacancies ); Waiting Lists ( which were way too long but some gains were being made ) and of Managing Demand - particularly the 50% increase seen over the last three years in the number of people attending the Emergency Department ( with the same 30% of attendees being admitted but on those greatly increased attendance numbers ).

Project Maunga, Phase two of Base Hospital Redevelopment. We were lucky with the investment. The new Renal Unit ( Te Huhi Raupō ), New Zealand’s first net-zero health facility, had received numerous awards both at home and overseas. It had been completed in November, 2022 and officially opened in March 2023.

The New East Wing Building ( NEWB ), which is under construction, is being built to be able to survive natural disasters and to continue operating ( being earthquake and volcano-eruption proof ).

The new Cancer Centre should open in 2025. The Mental Health Services ( Te Puna Waiora ) will be upgraded. Car Parking was a major issue which was yet to be resolved.

Gillian Campbell showed two video clips providing Artist’s Impression walk-throughs of the NEWB and of the new Cancer Centre.

 

Thanks, and the presentation pen, were given by Owen McCluggage. 

 

“House of Science”. Sally Morch displayed a Certificate of Appreciation that had been presented to the Club for its valued support and sponsorship of the “What’s the Buzz? / He aha tērā hūhū ?” House of Science Kit. Sally considered it to be a very worthwhile project and professionally run.

 

Club’s Financial Accounts : John Pitman said that he was getting to grips with the financial accounts, in particular the creditors and members’ own Club Accounts - but it was taking a while to sort out. 

 

34th Rotary National Science & Technology Forum, Auckland. 6th - 20th January 2024. 

Jan reported that our Club had two candidates from Sacred Heart College : Olivia Williams of Lepperton and Patricia Malapit of Marfell. These two applications had been accepted and Jan would be submitting them.

 

Wally updated members : 

Rotary Regionalisation Team. Members would have received details of the ZOOM meeting to be held on Sunday, 17th September for 90 minutes from 4.00pm under the heading “Forming Rotary Community Groups in District 9940”.

World Polio Day 2023 would be on 24th October, 2023.

Next Club Meeting – 25th September. “The Future of the Club ?” There would not be a speaker on that evening. A report would be given to members on the results of the recent Questionnaire Survey.

 

Des Friedrich reported :

Rotary Club of Ngāmotu Charitable Trust. The Lemon Street Flats : a new tenant had been found for one of the flats after the previous tenant had died. 

A Working Bee would be held at the flats on that Thursday coming, the 14th, for two hours from 9.30am for a clean down of one of the units. Six helpers would be required. Trustee David Brownson was to be advised if members could assist.

Forests of Peace and Remembrance - Mangapouri. There were 140 trees remaining to be planted. A final working bee would be held that coming Sunday, the 17th, for two hours from 10.00am.

There would be some planting, and some tidying up to do.Multiple Sclerosis Taranaki Appeal. The 11th – 17th September was MS Week. There was an opportunity for members to assist on Friday or Saturday, the 1

 

Parting Thought : Geoff Harding,  from Abraham Lincoln:  “In the end it is not the years in your life, it is the life in your years.”