In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand Issue 2 | Page 69

Rotarian
chronicles
quake
By Rob Overly | E-Club of WASH president-elect
The view from the picture window of 24 Ward Street, on the
northeast tip of the peninsula, is absolutely spectacular.
It is the same image that originally lured my wife, Kate, a GP,
and I from our home in Florida to Kaikoura: sheep grazing in
a lush green paddock; the multi-hued waters of the north bay,
home of paua and crays, from which the town gets its name;
and the high, steep-sloped, snow-capped mountains of the
Kaikoura Ranges rising up from the New Zealand coastline.
In all our travels, nothing compared to our new home.
It was a place of rose-red, orange, and magenta sunrises,
sunsets and, on a clear night, it was a stargazer’s dream, high
above the city lights with a sky full of twinkling stars and the rich

In what must be some sort of record, the global
party to celebrate the chartering of District
9980’s E-Club of WASH (water, sanitation and
hygiene) lasted nearly 20 hours – and even
worked around the magnitude 7.8 earthquake
fallout.
Starting on the evening of November 25, e-club
president Dr Chris Bloore was joined at the
Otago Polytech by fellow party-goers Dr Steve
Atkins, Lesley Gill, Kay Lion and Phil Morrison,
together with district governor Janice Hughes,
her husband, Clayton Hope, and assistant
district governor Lesley Brook.
It was Kiwi classic fare to the fore: pavlova,
oysters and some good old savouries, with an
inscribed celebratory cake presented by Janice.
Chris’ successor, E-Club of WASH presidentelect Rob Overly, and wife Kate, were next to
join – remotely, via ‘GoToMeeting’ – beaming
in direct from quake-ravaged Kaikoura. The
last crayfish in the freezer made for some fine
cuisine.
Rita Knijff-Pot dropped in – remotely – to attend,
as she ate her breakfast in the Netherlands.
Partygoers also made contact with Festus
Mensah at 2.30a.m. his time in Ghana, and with
Bruce Lindsey, in Pennsylvania, as he struggled
with copious Thanksgiving leftovers. Nancy
Gilbert joined in, too, on her last night in Nigeria,
while Annette Foster emailed in Thanksgiving
photos and greetings from Louisiana.

Page 69