President David opened the meeting at 7.32
There were 14 members present plus two visitors
Apologies Max (still spending the kids' inheritance) Greg, Rory (on grandfather duties) , Max and Linda
Announcements (in chronological order)
MUNA (UN assembly for teenagers) sponsored by Rotary will take place on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th May 2023 at Auckland Girls Grammar School. Volunteers are required. Further details are available
Trevor Crosby and Adrian Roche of Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Community Garden & Kelmarna Organic Garden have offered to host information gathering visits by club members on
Sunday 28th May. 10:30
Location : Sanctuary Mahi Whenua – weblink https://www.sanctuaryunitec.garden/ These are at the Unitec Gardens Mt Albert campus bordering Oakley Creek. This will be an opportunity for club members to see how successful community gardens operate, the planning and work required to set them up and maintain them and to assess what costs may be involved in such projects. See:
Kepa Road working bee to start at Kepa Road on Saturday 10th June at 9.00 am. A good idea to have wet weather gear! Mostly we will be releasing vegetation from around the trees.
Morning tea will follow. (Henry will bring scones) Avis often kicks in too!
Epsom Lodge is planning on moving its garden with work starting on Thursday 22nd June. Volunteers are called for.
RYLA will start on Saturday 24th June - volunteers will be asked to run the dozen or so participants to the venue at Beachlands at some ungodly hour that morning and return many of them the following Saturday. There is the normal dinner on Friday 30th. This is often great fun.
Malcolm announced that the club Changeover dinner would be on Saturday 1st July at 6:30pm The venue is The Terraces @ St Andrews Village 207 Riddell Road, Glendowie. On-site parking is available. There will be canapes and a two course dinner at $45/head (incl $5 to the club) This can be paid to 12 3109 0110290 02
include your name or I'll get a free meal!
Drinks: Cash bar and tea and coffee will be available at the bar at your cost.
Malcolm reminded YHC that the planting date confirmation for St Kentigern Boys School Thursday 27th July An early project for the 2023/24 Year
Sargent:
Wendy has had four, repeat four, letters published in the Herald recently! She ll become an influencer!
"All fungi are edible. Some only once"
Three minute speaker
Absent!
Guest Speaker
The Hon Paul Goldsmith MP introduced by new member Drew, who did a magnificent job. An example to us all.
Paul is the shadow minister of justice so he outlined what his four top priorities will be if National regain the treasury benches after October.
1- Reduce violent crime by ensuring that violent criminals are appropriately punished, with less emphasis given to the mitigating factors put up by the criminal's lawyer.
2-Reduce reoffending by youths. Currently approximately 80% of first offenders do not re-offend. This means that there is a hard core of young offenders who would be sent to a 'military academy' for a year in an endeavour to rehabilitate them.
3- Speed up the justice system. It takes too long for many cases to come to trial. This is unreasonable both for the victims and innocent people held on remand without bail.
4 - The electoral law needs to be modified to confirm the principle of 'one person, one vote'
This was an interesting interactive meeting with many comments and suggestions from the floor.
The meeting concluded at 8.35