Lesley Brook | Assistant governor
Robin Pagan | Assistant governor
Lesley Brook | Assistant governor
Rotary clubs of Dunedin , Dunedin East , St Kilda Sunrise and E-Club of WASH
To appreciate the power and importance of Rotary ’ s work , Lesley Brook doesn ’ t need to look far beyond her oldest son .
A few years back , when he was just a pre-schooler , she ’ d taken him out with her to deliver Meals on Wheels to those in need as part of her Rotary work in the community . As Lesley returned to the car after making a delivery , he looked at her thoughtfully and said : “ When I grow up , I ’ m going to be in Rotary , just like you and Granddad ”.
While there have been plenty of Rotary highlights since , for her , that feel-good moment shared with her boy remains the most memorable .
Lesley joined the Rotary Club of Dunedin in 2003 , and served a year as president in 2011-12 . More recently , together with Rotarians Dr Steve Atkins and Dr Chris Bloore , Lesley was pivotal in setting up New Zealand ’ s second internet-based club , the Rotary E-Club of WASH ( water , sanitation and hygiene ), which has a global membership .
Aiming to link water , sanitation and hygiene expertise from around the world , its mission is to address the appalling plight of hundreds of millions of people globally who lack access to safe , clean water for washing and drinking , and the 2.4 billion who live without proper toilet facilities .
On its establishment , Chris paid tribute to Lesley , highlighting she ’ d been instrumental in getting the e-club up and running : “ Her wide network of Rotary friends has provided excellent recruiting agents , and the scope of administrative tasks she ’ s performed is mind-boggling ”.
Now the e-club is chartered , Lesley has taken on the role of new club advisor , helping members refine its new structure and decide how best to run its activities .
As one of District 9980 ’ s team of assistant governors , she ’ s also supporting the Rotary clubs of Dunedin , Dunedin East , and St Kilda Sunrise , with her main focus on club development , including strengthening and futureproofing .
Robin Pagan | Assistant governor
Rotary clubs of Invercargill , Invercargill Next Rotary Generation ( NRG ), Invercargill North , Invercargill Sunrise , Invercargill South and Invercargill East
Robin joined the Rotary Club of Invercargill North in October 1990 because he believed Rotary was a good way of not only giving back to the community but also being involved in that community .
It is much easier and effective to be involved in a service club than to try to contribute individually , he says .
He went on to serve as director of club Projects , Administration and Youth before becoming president in the 2009-2010 year . He enjoys the camaraderie of the members , and values the friendships he has made through Rotary , not only in his club but throughout the district .
He sees his present role of assistant governor as being a support person for the six Invercargill clubs in his area , someone the presidents can go to for advice and an understanding ear . Robin enjoys working with all the clubs and is particularly keen to see them collaborating more often on projects .
He says he has had many Rotary moments around helping a wide array of people and organisations .
One of the highlights has been being able to create a real synergy between his work as Invercargill City Council Parks manager and Rotary . That synergy has seen many of the clubs in Invercargill get involved in various projects under the management of the Parks division , including working bees at Thomson ’ s Bush , plantings at the estuary walkway and weeding at Anderson Park .
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