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My Time in the RNZN

 
My Time in the RNZN
 
Geoff & Dorothy
 
Senior Lieutenant Commander Geoff Andrew, accompanied by his mother Dorothy, gave us an informative and interesting talk on his time in the RNZ Navy.
 
Geoff joined up when the cold war ended and noted that it changed dramatically over his next 30 years. .
 
“We currently serve a huge area including the south-west Pacific, Australia, southeast Asia and Antarctica plus at times taken an even broader area when required” began Andrew.
 
“New Zealand is involved in the protection of fishing, plus keep an eye on our closest neighbour Australia which is our only ally with other countries being seen as partnerships” he continued.
 
It is a very time-consuming job as the Navy needs a large amount of information which helps identify risk and place staff where they can do the most good.  Some specific areas they are involved with include illegal fishing, smuggling, and watching ships entering our space plus they also keep an eye on a huge merchant shipping operation.
 
 
The Navy operates on a wide variety of platforms with people being the central part of our operations. Aotearoa, our newest and largest ship, has a specific role in helping keep our other ships at sea.
 
The Navy frigates are under constant upgrading which is an ongoing process as things change rapidly.  “Our focus is also very different to 30 years ago and includes ensuring effective coordination, planning, investment and operations to achieve the desired results and my job is essentially to manage threats” note Geoff.
 
Collaboration is an essential component in order to understand what is happening in the areas the RNZN operates in.  It is also tasked to watch for global instability and challenges to global world order. Covid has recently had an impact in taking staff away from these usual tasks in order to help manage the specific threats it brings.
 
Geoff started his career on HMNZ Canterbury which has served our Navy for 35 years. He also served on many other ships as well as ships from different navies with the biggest one being time spent on USS America operating out of Hawaii.  “I enjoyed my time on them all” he smiled.
 
In closing Geoff noted that he found it a privilege to serve in a large number of areas where the accessing of key information was a critical requirement in order to help meet the goals of helping manage or reduce conflict quickly before other countries became involved.
 
Liz thanked Geoff for his informative and interesting insight into the extensive operational activities our RNZN has and continues to be actively engaged in during his career.
 
 
Snippets
 
 
Mitre 10 Mega BBQ April 10th
 
The next Papanui Mitre 10 Mega BBQ is on Saturday 10 April and we need some volunteers to help out.  Note it is on Saturday this time.
 
This is a good chance to help raise money from the public instead of our own membership. All profits (usually $500+) will go into our general club funds.
 
This is the current status of our BBQ Rosters for this Saturday 10 April.
 
Note: Deb Gimblett has offered to do one or two rosters but I haven’t selected a time for her yet. I’ll see how your own preferences pan out first.
 
The BBQ opens to sell sausages at 9:00am
 
We have four rosters as follows:
 
8:15am to 9:00am:  Arie dropping things off, Gary and Arie setting up.
9:00am to 11:00am: Arie, Gary, Max Wright. 1 more person needed.
11:00am to 1:00pm: 4 people needed
1:00pm to 3:00pm: 4 people needed
3:00pm to 4:30pm: Gary Denhard, 2 more people needed
 
Hope you will support us again this time.
 
The next BBQ is Saturday 24 April. By the end of April these BBQs would have raised over $2,500 for club funds this Rotary year.
 
Thank you.
 
Gary
 
 
 
A reminder that we would encourage as many members as possible to attend our meeting this week.
 
Simon Forsyth will be taking new individual photos for inclusion in the Members Handbook and a group club photo as well.
 
We look forward to seeing you there:
 
Tony 
 
 
 
 
Stuart sent through some great pictures of the work the Foundation / International Committee helps support.
 
 
An Update from Janice
 
Today a physiotherapist came to see me and told me that the wait list to get to Burwood Hospital is huge.   Still not sure if I will go to Ashburton Hospital then or go home?
 
Our home has to be accessed so that I can manoeuvre a wheelchair around our home and which of our two showers will be best to be used.  The problem is, is I am not allowed to weight bear on my left foot I have to imagine there is an egg under my foot that I may not break.
 
Today the physiotherapist taught me how to get in and out of my wheelchair using my right leg.  I can move the wheelchair with my right foot and right arm but only for a little bit as I am still waiting to be operated on my right frozen shoulder.
 
This is an old injury I did in June 2019 when I went give our cocker spaniel a smack for digging under the big square terracotta planter we have in our back yard.  Well the little minx saw me just as I was about to smack her bum.  As she ran past me to run away I lost my balance and fell on the edge of the planter with my right shoulder.
 
I went to our family doctor who gave me some pain killers and was told to go to see my specialist, which I did.  After having an MRI which showed I had a tear in my shoulder and bursitis I received 2 cortisone injections one in the front of my shoulder and one in the back of my shoulder.  These two injections kept the pain away for quite some time however the pain came back.
 
After a number of rounds of cortisone I had another MRI which showed the tear was still there and that my shoulder needed to be operated on as I was struggling to use my arm properly. 
I officially had what is called a frozen shoulder.
 
My specialist applied for ACC to fund an operation. 
He sent them all the details and the two MRI scans at the end of February. I have received a letter from ACC saying they were still accessing but needing notes from my specialist and family doctor and would get back to me by JUNE!!
 
I emailed my family doctor after getting that ACC letter and asked him once he got the letter to get all the details they needed back to them soon as possible so I could have my operation as quickly as possible.
 
The ACC letter arrived the 1 March and our family doctor sent them all they asked for back to them on the same day, via email and he emailed me to say what he had done on that day as well.
 
Fortunately on Friday before I had this horrible accident I got to see my specialist and he put another 2 cortisone injections into my right shoulder. Did feel a lot better during the day but still sore sleeping at night.
 
Now with having to pull myself up onto a moving apparatus called SARA STEADY my right shoulder is getting quite sore again.  I have rung my specialist today and his receptionist said the hospital will just need to give me more cortisone as he will not be able to come to the hospital to administer it.
 
So sorry for the long spiel but just putting you in the picture so to speak.  Today I am having a bit of a blue day and a number of tears have fallen.
 
I am happy now as have my lovely nurse Deb, who is a very compassionate and caring, is looking after me tonight.
 
Cheers Janice.
 
 
Thought for the Week
 
 “A diamond is merely a lump of coal that did well under pressure.” 
 
Upcoming Events you are welcome to attend
 
Club meeting at the Papanui Club-Club Photograph
Papanui Club
Apr 08, 2021
5:55 PM – 7:30 PM
 
BBQ at Mitre 10 Mega Papanui
Mega Mitre 10
Apr 10, 2021
9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
 
Aratupu Market Day
Aratupu Preschool
Apr 10, 2021
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
 
Cooking Family Dinners at Ronald McDonald House
Ronald McDonald House
Apr 12, 2021
4:30 PM – 7:30 PM
 
Papanui Bush Working Bee
Papanui Bush
Apr 13, 2021
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
 
View entire list
Meeting Responsibilities
Duty Roster 1st April
 
Reception
Forsyth, Simon
 
Speakers Host
McNee, Ken
 
Vote of Thanks
Gimblett, Deb
 
Visitors Host
Skiba, Larry
 
Sergeant
Geerlofs, Arie
 
Meeting Setup
McMurtrie, Denis
 
Banner Setup & Room Tidyup
Sedgley, Ron
 
Duty Roster 8th April
 
Reception
Haworth, Jenny
 
Speakers Host
McFadden, Grant
 
Vote of Thanks
Bond, Mark
 
Visitors Host
Wright, Max
 
Sergeant
Thomson, Rob
 
Meeting Setup
McMurtrie, Denis
 
Banner Setup & Room Tidyup
Sedgley, Ron
 
Duty Roster 15th April 2021
 
Reception
Flanagan, Lois
 
Speakers Host
Hudson, Jim
 
Vote of Thanks
Smart, Kate
 
Visitors Host
Nicholl, Rob
 
Sergeant
Geerlofs, Arie
 
Meeting Setup
McMurtrie, Denis
 
Banner Setup & Room Tidyup
Sedgley, Ron
 
Duty Roster 22nd April 2021
 
Reception
Digby, Neville
 
Speakers Host
Hilson, Euan
 
Vote of Thanks
Archbold, Doug
 
Visitors Host
Wright, Max
 
Sergeant
Thomson, Rob
 
Meeting Setup
McMurtrie, Denis
 
Banner Setup & Room Tidyup
Sedgley, Ron
 
Duty Roster 6th May 2021
 
Reception
Denhard, Gary
 
Speakers Host
Gimblett, Deb
 
Vote of Thanks
Van Beek, Verdi
 
Visitors Host
Shields, Gordon
 
Sergeant
Geerlofs, Arie
 
Meeting Setup
McMurtrie, Denis
 
Banner Setup & Room Tidyup
Sedgley, Ron
 
Club Chat from Rotary Papanui
E: papanuirotary@gmail.com W: www.papanuirotary.org.nz
Apologies to rcpapologies@gmail.com      Chat Items to paice@xtra.co.nz
 
Centurions  $100 Payments to Rotary Club of Papanui Charitable Trust
Account number 03 1355 0661945 00.
In details area add your  name and the reference "Centurion".