We had a last minute change of plan for this meeting – the tuneful playing of the Virtuoso Strings was replaced by none other than …. LA LA LA!
We heard from two members, each divulging a little of their journey toward Port Nicholson Rotary.
Heather Lucas, now affectionately called LA LA LA gave an entertaining precis of her family history. Her father was a Rotarian, her brother is a Rotarian, her mother was from Northern Ireland and she was born in Christchurch.
After achieving a First Class Honours degree in History, Heather commenced her first job with the State Services Commission – negotiating the salaries of prison officers. This job saw 22-year old Heather, as a guest of the prison officers, taken on a tour of New Zealand prisons – quite an eye opener!
She talked of her multi-year cross-continent courtship with husband Bryn Rees (lots of LA LA LA’s accompanied this section!) with whom she has two daughters, Claudia and Monique. The family moved back to Wellington recently after a long stint in Taranaki.
Heather is a regional manager for Media Works, New Zealand’s largest media and entertainment company. She has worked there for 15 years. It is the only media company in the world with all four channels – TV, digital, radio and live assets – and is owned by a private equity company.
She has always believed in community, in giving back and in karma. Supporting this belief Heather is committed to serving her communities – having established the first toy library in Eastbourne, been on pre-school committees and on the boards of Trustees for her daughters’ schools. Now there’s Post Nicholson Rotary …
We look forward to more LA LA LA moments!
Tony Robinson talked of the journey that has seen him take up his family baton advocating for the Child Cancer Foundation. In 1972 Tony’s mother was visiting her father in the Mater Hospital in Auckland. While there she saw babies and wee kiddies awaiting chemotherapy and got talking to their families. Their stories touched her deeply. She had to do something to help.
She established the Hope Foundation (now the Child Cancer Foundation) as a vehicle to raise money for supporting child cancer sufferers and their families. She did everything she could to raise money including opening her home and garden for visitors. Every year she held a Christmas party for around 200 children and their families - at her home with bouncy castles, clowns, games and a Father Christmas.
She held 30 such parties, paying for everything herself. Joy in the children’s faces was her reward. Tony said he was involved in six of these parties.
Tony’s parents died within 24 hours of each other. He saw throughout his life the love they shared and how special this cause was to them. Tony is continuing his mother’s legacy by working for the Child Cancer Foundation as their Philanthropy Manager (since June 2018).
Child Cancer Foundation provides strength and comfort to families, parents and children impacted by child cancer. Their vision is that no family will ever have to walk one yard of the cancer journey alone.
I think it’s fair to say we were all touched by this story realising the impact Tony’s mother has had.
Ros Fogel
Club Reporter