Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Welcome DG Tony Castley

District Governor Tony Castley addressed the meeting on the 30th September and gave our guests a brief on what Rotary does and is.

Tony spoke of our many youth programs and gave a short explanation of them. He explained how over 1.2 million Rotarians around the world work to make a difference. He gave a brief on the high rate of children dying from preventable causes and what can be done and is being done to prevent this.

Tony also gave an overview of the Polio effort and explained that only four countries now have the disease and our efforts to eradicate it entirely. He also explained if we stopped now the disease would spread quickly and we would lose the battle.


Tony offered an overview of the Rotary Foundation and the Australian Rotary Health Research fund and advised us of the upcoming Foundation Dinner on possibly, Thursday 14 May, 2009. A magazine containing two pages on projects from each club will be produced and distributed to the likes of Doctors surgeries, Motels, etc. Clubs will be involved also, by purchasing magazines and distributing this coffee table addition in order to promote Rotary to the public.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Fiji Rotahome Project


For the past 23 year’s the Rotary Club of Lautoka, FIJI, has been behind a program building homes for those in desperate need. Instigator and director of the Rotahome project, Peter Drysdale, has overseen the building of 701 homes across Fiji’s Western Division. Assisting him was Saten, who still builds homes with the program assisted by hundreds of volunteers.

On top of this, in 2005 a 99 year lease was signed for 15 acres of land just outside Lautoka. 84 homes have been built there and Koroipita, Village of Peter, houses more than 350 people. The village also has a community hall/kindy, town clerk’s office, craft room, shop, bakery, store room, youth room and medical centre. With Koroipita finished, Peter, Saten and the more than 600 volunteers who have helped on the projects are poised for more.