John Barton
Lionel Wilson QSM
DISTRICT 9980
John Barton
District ICT chair Rotary Club of Timaru
Lionel Wilson QSM
Council on Legislation district rep Rotary Club of Timaru
A Rotarian for more than three decades , John Barton ’ s first membership was with the Rotary of Club of Rangiora , which he joined in 1986 .
A year later , he moved to Timaru , immediately signing up with the Rotary Club of Timaru , where he ’ s held various positions since , including president in 1996-97 .
In 2010 , then-9980 district governor Trish Boyle asked John to help out with the development of the District 9980 and club websites – and he ’ s been a district webmaster ever since .
John has been instrumental in the recent successful launch of the new ClubRunner web platform , bringing expertise in both the technical aspects and ensuring quality , meaningful content . He ’ s also worked with Rotary ’ s national team planning the transition from the old Rotary South Pacific platform to the new ClubRunner-based zone , district and club websites .
Within District 9980 , John ’ s been a driving force in the team involved in setting up the new district website , together with encouraging and supporting clubs as they familiarise themselves with ClubRunner , and set up their new sites .
He ’ s spearheaded and devised tailored training , and is providing ongoing support and advice to members and clubs to get the most out of ClubRunner , both as an administrative and promotional asset .
John sees the new district and club websites as a very much more user-friendly and versatile tool to support Rotarians as they work to get Rotary ’ s message out to the community , and to save time and effort through efficient systems for club and district administration , communications and management .
He continues to enjoy the contact he has with Rotarians across the district in his role as district ICT chair , and is excited about the progress clubs and the district are making in using modern communications and media tools to support Rotary ’ s great work in our communities .
The extensive experience of Rotary Club of Timaru stalwart Lionel Wilson QSM is being put to great use as District 9980 ’ s new representative to the Council on Legislation ( COL ).
Lionel , a four-time Paul Harris Fellow recipient , replaces former district representative Don Irvine , of Wanaka , who served for six years in the role – a role that is extremely significant to Rotary , as the council is , essentially , our organisation ’ s parliament .
Every three years , Rotarians meet at the Council on Legislation to review and vote on proposed legislation . The council gives us a voice in how our organisation is governed .
Each Rotary district sends a representative to the council , which next meets again in early 2019 , at which time representatives will deliberate and act upon all proposed enactments and resolutions . ( Enactments seek to change Rotary ’ s constitutional documents , while resolutions express an opinion or make a recommendation to Rotary ’ s International Board . The board reviews and acts on resolutions adopted by the council and items that have been referred .)
Lionel ’ s Rotary career began in 1992 , when he joined the Rotary Club of Timaru , which he went on to lead as president in 2000-01 .
In 2001-04 , he served as district Rotary Youth Committee member , before going on to chair the district ’ s Rotary Youth Exchange ( RYE ) Committee until 2007 . It was then Lionel began on the path to district governor , serving terms as nominee and district governor-elect , before taking the helm in 2009-10 .
He served on the district Training Committee between 2010 and 2013 , a team he then went on to lead until 2016 , while simultaneously serving as assistant Rotary co-ordinator for Zones 7B and part of Zone 8 .
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