Our September 23rd meeting was a memorable one, held at Olivers Restaurant in Clyde with a great turnout, topped by the presentation of a Paul Harris Fellowship.

 

As a Rotary Club, we are fortunate to have many members who quietly get on with the job, never making a fuss or seeking recognition, yet always completing tasks with dedication and drawing others in to help along the way. These people embody the true spirit of Rotary: Service Above Self.

 

It is never easy to single out just one person, as so many contribute so generously. But on this occasion, we had the privilege of recognising someone whose consistent service stands out.

 

Steve Robertson joined Alexandra Rotary in 2011. Though a quiet and unassuming member, Steve has become a highly respected and much-valued contributor. He is always ready to lend his rural knowledge, practical skills, and sheer hard work to projects that need them.

 

One initiative in particular highlights Steve’s impact. Through his leadership, organisation, and determination—and with the help of many volunteers—our Rotary wood project has grown into a well-established service that continues to deliver lasting benefit to households across our community.

 

On behalf of the Alexandra Rotary Club, it was an honour to present a Paul Harris Fellowship to Steve Robertson.

 

 

Pam Hughes, Manager of Central Otago Budgeting Advice, shared how Steve’s leadership with the wood project has made a real difference in people’s lives:

 

 

She also described how the scheme helps families to budget better:

 

 

Emergency wood supplies also play a critical role for families in crisis. Pam shared the example of a mother of two who, while going through a separation, moving into a new home, and facing surgery, received an emergency load of wood:

 

 

We all congratulate Steve Robertson on this well-deserved award and thank him for his capable and efficient leadership of this wonderful project.

 

The Annual Quiz is coming up before the year end. Nev Grubb had organized this for the past12 years (thanks Nev) and is very keen to train the next person up. If you are keen to learn from Nev and be more involved in leading the Quiz please get in touch with Nev or myself.

 

 

(This is an edited version of Peter’s talk)

 

Peter was born in 1952 in Ngaruawahia. Attended a Catholic primary school and then Marist Intermediate school in Hamilton and then on to St John’s Marist High School in Hamilton. He gained School Certificate aged 16, then to the 7^th form and an A bursary and a scholarship with the Ministry of Works (MOW) to begin a surveying degree at the University of Otago.

 

After graduation, Peter worked for various organisations particularly the MOW in Wellington as a surveyor. Peter did work for the Housing Corporation, worked on the Terrace Tunnel and the urban motorway while there.

 

Apart from work, Peter enjoyed tramping, climbing and skiing. His next job was at the Clyde Dam site. He really liked Central and says he surveyed all over Otago.

 

He met up with Judy who was to become his wife. Peter then took leave of absence from work and him and Judy did an overseas trip to the US, Saudi Arabia, Europe and Nepal. Back in New Zealand Peter then worked for a while with the MOW in New Plymouth.

 

Then back to Central as Surveyor in Charge at the Clyde Dam site. Him and Judy bought a house in Alexandra and eventually had a family of three girls. The girls all went to primary and high school in Alexandra. Did all the usual activities as a family, and peter then got back in to tramping and skiing. Him and Judy built their second home in the Pines area in Alexandra, then another finally in Lookout Drive.

 

The Clyde Dam was finished in 1989 but Peter worked around the site until 1992. After that he set up in private practice in Cromwell. The practice did very well and expanded into Wanaka, Queenstown, Dunedin and Oamaru. Their first big job was the second Manapouri Tunnel project.

 

Other projects included work on: Pisa Moorings, Periam Cove overwater apartments, Sunhaven Cove, Cromwell Industrial subdivisions, Queensbury subdivisions, Bendigo and Bannockburn vineyard subdivisions, Wooing Tree site, Cromwell Retirement Village, High Country tenure work, Scurr Heights in Wanaka, Sunderland Estate Clyde and Clyde Retirement Village, The Pines in Alex, Molyneux Estate, The William Hill area and Monte Cristo.

 

Peter retired from the practice that he had set up when he turned 73.

 

Peter was an Otago Cavalcade walking trail boss for 12 years, wrote a book entitled ‘Day Walks of Central Otago and QLDC’. Peter has travelled extensively overseas and until recently this was a yearly adventure.

 

Peter still skis, walks rather than runs, is involved with rafting. And the best thing of all: grandchildren!

 

 

Mr. Burton captured the life of wartime Wales and it's mining and industrial past sublimely.

The black lung disease, poverty and escape from life in alcohol. In this world Richard Jenkins/Burton grew up, one of ten children with a passion for theatre.

 

The film focuses on Richard’s relationship with his teacher and mentor, who adopts Richard, a complex relationship with undertones of repressed desire.

 

Emerging from this tale is the complex, talented and anguished actor, Richard Burton.  

 

A slow burn film and very insightful of a time past.

 

 

Mr. Burton, the movie, offered a glimpse into the pivotal early life of Richard Burton (Rich Jenkins), and his wild school boy rise from the coal mine valleys of Wales to the heights of theatre and cinema, guided by his influential teacher, Philip Burton.

While Toby Jones delivered a predictably strong performance as Philip Burton, anchoring the film with his understated gravitas, the movie itself presented a mixed bag, showcasing both its heartfelt intentions and some narrative stumbles.

The film's core strength lay in its portrayal of the mentorship between Philip Burton and young Richard Jenkins (a commendable Harry Lawtey). Their evolving dynamic was compelling, painting a vivid picture of how a working-class boy from Port Talbot was shaped into a theatrical force. Jones and Lawtey share a believable chemistry that drives the narrative forward, highlighting the profound impact one individual can have on another's destiny.

However, the film "Mr. Burton" wasn’t without its drawbacks. The pacing, while allowing for character development, felt overly deliberate, occasionally bordering on slow. Some narrative beats followed a familiar biopic trajectory, which, while comforting, also limited the film's sense of fresh discovery.

Furthermore, while the film touched upon the complexities and whispers surrounding their close relationship, it tended to shy away from deeper exploration, leaving certain intriguing facets underexamined. In a certain way, that might have been for the better!

However, it was a lovely, heartwarming movie, it was uplifting and emotional, a young Burton seemed to have everything against him, his troubled father, poverty, even the country itself, but somehow he overcome the odds.

The movie as well was beautifully made, it looked terrific, the sets and clothes looked terrific, they did their best with the CGI.

The whole cast in fact was excellent particularly the two actors playing Burton as a schoolboy and then as an actor in his twenties at the beginning of his meteoric rise to stardom. Burton’s overindulgence in alcohol, probably inherited from his father hinting at the problems that would confront him in later life and lead to his early death.

 

Ultimately, it was a sincere and well-acted tribute.

 

 

The guest this year was New Zealand’s leading standup comedian and magician Brendan Dooley. (picture below)

 

Brendan had returned from the Edinburgh Festival in the UK to be part of this night. Brendan does not just fill a speaking slot; it starts from when people arrive.  

 

The evening was as in the past with a dinner, guest speaker and charity auction, including a silent auction running in the background.

 

The proceeds from this event always go back into the community. This year, the charity of choice was Dunstan Hospital.

 

 

I was very impressed with Rotary members assistance in obtaining prizes and buying tables and being ready to buy if there was a shortfall.

 

This year's Charity Dinner net profit was just over $10,500

 

The graph below shows Charity Dinner auction income for the past three years.