On the coldest week of the year David and I set off for a week of visits with Dunedin Rotary Clubs. While the early mornings were chilly, we were warmly welcomed at each meeting. The week started extremely well with a breakfast meeting with St Kilda Sunrise members at The Black Dog Cafe. It was a pleasure to support the induction of three new Rotarians and to present them with their pins and certificates.

Dunedin Central Rotary hosted Dunedin Harbour Rotary, Dunedin Rotaractors, and Steve from Eclub of WASH at The Dunedin Club premises - Fernhill homestead. This was a great evening with plenty of socialising and sharing of ideas. There was an excellent turn out from each club and it was fabulous to meet several Rotaract members.

On Wednesday we made a visit to Dunedin South for lunch at the iconic Otago Golf Club – the oldest golf course in the Southern hemisphere, established in 1871, where we learnt about one of the ‘Dream Big’ projects that Dunedin South Rotary are known for. The club is organising the Southern Motorcycle Show to be held in Dunedin in early 2023 to raise funds to support local community projects.

Our final meeting was with the oldest Rotary Club in the south – The Rotary Club of Dunedin. They will be 100 years old on 25 April 2023. This club meets at Petridish – a shared office space where small and medium sized businesses co-work. This was a relaxed and informative meeting. The club has a significant project in planning stages to celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Dunedin. Rotary Park, which the club established in the 1950’s, needs a revamp, and in conjunction with the City Council, local Rotary clubs, community members and organisations the club will look to develop and implement a plan to create a park to be proud of for current and future users.

A big shout out to Assistant Governor Ah-Lek Tay who attended all meetings during the week, turning up with IT gear, setting up a hybrid meeting and patiently listening to my presentation each time!