We were delighted to host Jacqui Jago, coordinator of Bellyful activities in the Karori area at our meeting on 9 September. Jacqui has a great passion for home cooking and support for Bellyful supporting parents in need with family meals, especially for those with very young children, a task Jacqui has fulfilled with great leadership for the last 14 years.
With her warm personality she has endeared herself to so many families who have sought support around the need for meals. With a team of some 23 volunteers, they have cooked and prepared hundreds and hundreds of meals for needy families over the years.
This is a programme of national support with 25 branches across New Zealand. When asked why she is doing this, over and above her own family responsibilities, Jacqui responds that she loves baking and cooking and helping those struggling to provide sufficient family needs.
We take our hat off to Jacqui for her service to the community and her continued commitment to help families in our city.
On Wednesday 24 September, we took up an invitation from our Karori Lions friends for an annual get together dinner, at the Karori Park Sports Cafe. It is always great to share fellowship with fellow service members, especially just ahead of our joint annual Community Book Fair project.
There was considerable interest at our dinner in the presentation by guest speakers Ben Ryan and Warrick McCluskey of Tommys on the planned new residential development on the former Training College land off Campbell and Donald Sts. This is not a retirement village as earlier planned by Ryman before handing over ownership of the site to the Gibbons Group, led by Kurt Gibbons, formerly of Wellington, a company based in Auckland, who have built a number of new residential developments in Wellington City and in our Karori suburb.
The master plan provides for 82 1-3 bedroom units with individual titles across the site from entrances off both Donald and Campbell Sts. The Karori Medical Centre in Parkvale Rd will be moving to a new location in this development on Campbell St.
The special highlight at our dinner was the presentation of a Certificate of Appreciation to the Karori Rotary Club for our continued support of the ‘Lifting the Lid’ project to help young students with mental health issues.
The presentation was made by fellow Rotarians and ‘Lifting the Lid’ committee members David Shackleton and Roger Brodie from the Rotary Club of Port Nicholson. Fund raiser for this project, Rotarian Bill Day, was also present at this dinner.
The photo shows President Allan at the lecturn with Roger (l) and David (r).