Opening & Guests
· Stephen welcomed guests, including Huru and Erin, who were to be inducted as new members and acknowledged David Hill attending.
Notable Mentions
· Mention of recent deaths:
o Dolly Parton (with light-hearted commentary about her book-donation charity work).
o Tim Curry, remembered fondly for his Rocky Horror role; anecdote shared about past Rotary fancy-dress events.
Farewell to Capri
· Capri, who has been looking after the group for a long time, was thanked warmly as it was her last day.
· She is moving on to work at Anytime Fitness.
· The room gave her a round of applause.
Induction of New Members
· Huru and Erin were formally inducted into the Rotary Club.
· Rotary’s mission, history, and expectations were read aloud.
· Both were assigned mentors:
o Wayne → Huru
o Pat → Erin
· They expressed gratitude and said they felt welcomed and were keen to contribute.
· They will join the New Generations Committee due to their interest in youth work.
Upcoming Social Events
· A Friday 5s gathering will be held at 5pm.
· Buddy invited the club to Fi’s birthday celebration that was being held at the Tauranga Club after Friday 5s.
Announcements
· Dementia collection scheduled for Saturday the 5th; volunteers asked to sign up.
· The club will support “sleeping pods”—weatherproof sleeping beds for homeless people.
o Several members pledged to purchase pods ($150 each).
o Donations will be routed through the Rotary Trust (02-0466-0146239-00) for proper distribution.
o Mention of International Homeless Day (Oct 10) and a related event at Memorial Park, where the pods could be demonstrated and donations collected.
