At Hornby Rotary in Christchurch, we meet on Wednesday evenings 48 weeks of the year to share a drink, a meal some jokes and listen to speakers on an extensive range of topics. Projects include building houses, running a charity golf tournament, cutting firewood, organising the car parking for the City to Surf, helping community appeals for funding. We manage a half million-dollar trust fund which
makes grants for worthwhile community projects. We send kids on the Spirit of Adventure. We help send young adults on overseas exchanges or sports trips. We support dyslexia, asthma, Bowel Liver Trust, Abbeyfields, the Hornby Daycare Centre, the Little River Rail Trail Trust, Environment Canterbury, and the Department of Conservation. We support business by convening a forum at which business owners can recognise exceptional staff members. We send money or aid overseas. We spawn other clubs such as the Lincoln Rotary Club, Darfield Probus and Halswell Probus. We support each other, club member’s wives and families. Who are our members? Men and Women who are successful in their private lives and want to give something back to the community. How do I benefit? Through the companionship the club provides. Through building your confidence, particularly in public speaking and management skills. By giving you the opportunity to participate in leadership training. By picking up ideas from the numerous club visitors and speakers and the life experience of the clubs' members. What we want to do? The club punches well above its weight for the 35 members it currently has, but we need more members to spread the workload. We want to attract a wide range of talent and use some of this to help club members in their daily lives and some to help address the needs of the community and the environment. We want to double the size of our Trust fund. We want to improve the ratio of men to women in the club. We want to reach out to other ethnic groups and encourage them to become members. If you have a clever idea for a community project, we want to support you. Where and when do we meet? At the Hornby Club,17 Carmen Road, Hornby, Christchurch 5.45pm to 7.45pm most Wednesdays. How do I join? Just come along and make yourself known to club members. It will cost you $25 for a meal. You can see for yourself how the club operates and talk to members about joining the club if what we do appeals to you. Investing some of your time with the Hornby Rotary Club will give a payback way beyond your expectations.
