Thanks to all that attended the meeting on Thursday. Stuart Alsop-Smith provided us with his insightful observations during his time working with the NZ National Security.
Please come to this Thursday's meeting prepared for a Snapchat or a Speaker - should be an exciting morning.
Take care and see you on Thursday.
Hugh
President: Rotary Club of St Johns Phone: 021 0813 7313
This week we had 29 members and 3 guests. President Hugh was on the job early and seemed to be over the illness that knocked him about last week. Take care of yourself Hugh we still need you for two more meetings.
Introducing this weeks guest speaker was Patrick Bell. Patrick grew up with Stu Allsop-smith and 60 years ago he and others who holidayed at Manley were known as the "Manly Boys", roaming wild on the Whangaporoa Penninsular!!
Stu was employed by New Zealand Police until he retired in 2020. His last role was as Manager National Security Investigations. Over his years in the force he had many stories that he could tell, but needless to say he is restricted in what he could share. He did talk on the subject of National Security and the approaches taken whilst he was the Manager of Investigations. He also discussed international trends and issues, and what he considered are the strengths of New Zealand's approach and how community trust and confidence is central to managing and reducing the risk.
After initially being stationed at Takapuna, he joined the Auckland Criminal Investigation Branch in May 1978 where he served until transferring to the Whangarei CIB in 1983. He returned to Auckland in 1986 on promotion.
His career has seen him serving in all areas of the Criminal Investigation Branch including major crime investigation, Witness Protection, specialist areas including forensics, drug investigations, and the undercover programme. He has worked on, and led, numerous homicide and other serious and high profile criminal investigations.
In 2003 Stuart was promoted to the rank of Detective Inspector in Auckland Metro Crime and Operations Support. This position involved the management of all Upper North specialist Policing groups.
In 2016 he was appointed to the position of Manager National Security Investigations which encompassed management of all National Security Investigations across the country. In this role he liaised closely with National and International Partner agencies and frequently attended and presented to international symposia focused on Counter Terrorism and National Security issues. He remained in this role until retiring from the New Zealand Police in October 2020 after completing 44 year’s service. Thank you Stu for your time last week, congratulations on your career and enjoy retirement.
RYLA camp this year is 3rd to 10th July. St John's Rotary is managing 10 candidates of whom we are sponsoring 6.
One or two additional volunteers are sought to drive candidates to and from the camp on the 3rd and 10th July respectively. It's an early start on the 3rd as they need to be there by 7.30am.
Please let Tom Street know asap, (021685651) if you can help.
We have an active club events programme coming up and we know you will fully support this, but sometimes we want more ... so, are you needing to further spice up your social life or just get out and do something new and exciting?
There is a solution!
All the Events below are open for you to take part in, and you can take your significant other, family, friends neighbours along with you as well if you wish. As a Rotarian you do not need club ‘permission’ to go … just go and have fun, meet a whole lot of new people you have a lot in common with, and add that immense value to your Rotary membership.
Click on "Read More" below, then simply click on the picture, to go to more information about the event. In most cases you could not get to go out to events like these for double or three times the price so huge value-for-money and your time spent.
These do not include St Johns Rotary activities – go to the club Events Calendar for those. Nearest event on top. At present these range from an Indian-themed 3-course dinner to stargazing to a family cycling event (no harbour bridge riding involved):
Remember Gonza? Of course you do! Gonza was a Rotary International Exchange Student in 2019 and St. Johns Rotary hosted him for the full 12 months before he returned to his home in Argentina.
Since he left our shores, the St. Johns host families have kept in touch with him and recently Penny & Warwick Leyland received an up date from him and they would like to pass details on to all.
As you may recall, his ambition was to study medicine and he was delighted to report that he has recently been accepted at the University of Cordoba studying Medicine and he was one of only 350 successful applicants out of 5,000, so needless to say he is very excited and looking forward to this huge change in his life. We understand that his specialist focus will be, Medical Reconstruction.
The photo below is a recent one of Gonza and his family and via Penny he sends his very best regards to his St. Johns family."
Our Club together with the Rotary Foundation, has recently become a significant sponsor of the Basketball Leadership Camp.
Our contribution is $5,000 will be used to significantly help with the running costs of the programme.
If anyone would like more information on this programme, or our involvement, please contact Muriel who is our link with Basketball New Zealand. Muriel has also provided additional information which can be seen by clicking on "Read More" below.
A married couple in their early 60's were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table. She said, 'For being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish.'
The wife answered, 'Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband.' The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! - two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands.
The husband thought for a moment: 'Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me.'
The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish. So the fairy waved her magic wand and poof!...The husband became 92 years old.
The moral of this story: Men who are ungrateful so and so's should remember fairies are female.....