Rotary Update

Youth in focus

At a recent South Wairarapa Rotary Club meeting, five Wairarapa youths reported back about their experiences at Rotary-sponsored courses.

Freya Lewington was sponsored to the Fiji Swimming Championships. The event incorporated team building and personal development workshops which Freya found both challenging and exciting.  She managed to achieve some personal best times in her races and in the process, was awarded three bronze medals for her part in the 13-16-year-olds’ relay events.

Jade Walker and Rosa Hassall presented a very interesting overview of their experiences at the Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN) run by the Rotary Club of Inglewood in New Plymouth.
Although they found it a bit overwhelming at first, they soon began to fit in, forming new friendships and finding common ground with other attendees. In the end, the girls found themselves feeling quite sad to be leaving.  They outlined several events and programs they participated in which challenged their self-perceptions and taught them some useful team-oriented skills. They thanked the Rotary Club for selecting them for this course, citing huge personal growth which came in the wake of these new experiences.

Olivia Edwards was sponsored to the well-known and highly regarded NZ Outward Bound course.
Olivia told us about the daily challenges involved in completing the Outward Bound program.  As if the kayaking and sailing were not enough, she spent two nights alone in the bush with minimal equipment.  The program also had her tramping and completing 21k run.  The run was marked by the added challenge of having injured her foot prior to the event.  She was offered the choice to opt out of the run but decided not to let the team down and was proud to report that she finished the course – albeit in extended time – and received congratulations and accolades from her peers and coaches.
Olivia summed up by saying she felt that she had learned the importance of ‘living in the moment’ and the thrill of achievement through sheer determination.

  Mitchell Kelly was the recipient of a Taratahi bursary, sponsored by the Martinborough Fair Trust – Owned by the South Wairarapa Rotary Club.
Mitchell spoke of being a city boy who found himself irresistibly drawn to farming.  After completing his studies at Taratahi Agricultural College, he found work at the Pirinoa Station under the tutelage of Tony Didsbury and his experienced team of shepherds. Mitchell found he fitted in well, enjoying the lifestyle and eventually working his way up from junior shepherd to head shepherd.
Mitchell is now married with a young daughter and feels he is ready to take his farming career to the next level. He told us that he is now studying agribusiness at university with a view to starting his own farming operation – a very exciting outcome and full justification of the annual Martinborough Fair Taratahi Bursary program.

Photo caption: Jade Walker and Rosa Hassal