Dictionary project wows judges

Rotary clubs celebrate winning supreme community award

Rotary Clubs of South Canterbury are this week celebrating being named supreme winners of the TrustPower Timaru District Community Awards, describing the experience as turning a new page in their service to the community.

A project involving the distribution of a free illustrated dictionary to every Year Four pupil in the region has been hailed as an innovative example of Rotary’s commitment to youth and literacy.

And the community on Monday night showed its appreciation judging the combined South Canterbury Rotary effort as the cornerstone of learning for thousands of pupils.

The group was presented with a cheque for $1500, a trophy and certificate, and the chance to represent the district at the 2010 TrustPower National Community Awards.

Rotary District 9980 immediate past district governor Lionel Wilson said after the glittering evening presentation ceremony in the Timaru District Council Chambers that he was humbled and excited that the combined efforts of the Rotary Club of Timaru South, the Rotary Club of Timaru, the Rotary Club of Timaru North, the Rotary Club of Temuka and Geraldine, and the Rotary Club of Waimate could have such a profound effect on the lives of so many people.

“We feel humbled at winning this prestigious award when we consider that we beat all the other wonderful projects that are being done in South Canterbury,” Mr Wilson said.

It was the first time all South Canterbury Rotary clubs had collaborated in one project, he said.

“You can always achieve more as a team. We need to be able to make a difference to people’s lives and as individual clubs we could not have undertaken this project.”

Hundreds of South Canterbury Year Four pupils in primary schools across the district received the free personalised illustrated dictionary, courtesy of Rotary, and the Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury, which funded the cost of the dictionaries for five years.

Printed by Harper Collins New Zealand, the Usborne Illustrated Dictionary normally retails at $NZ29.95. Three thousand five hundred of the beautifully illustrated dictionaries will be distributed to South Canterbury schoolchildren over the next five years.

Co-ordinating the Rotary effort was Marg Cochrane from the Rotary Club of Timaru.

She said she felt “weak at the knees” when the award was read out.

“I was absolutely delighted and overwhelmed.

“We did it for the kids, but we had no idea that this would be the end result,” Mrs Cochrane said.

“It’s heart-warming to bring joy to the children.

“I have heard from some that their homework is now quite fun because they have a book to read and pictures to help them.”

Timaru mayor Janie Annear said after the presentation that she was proud of all the Rotary groups.

“The most special thing to me is that to achieve such an amazing project they all got together and worked together and I think that is the strength of our community. We are not a community divided by parochial attitudes. We go above those because we know that the outcome is even better,” Mrs Annear said.

“Rotary are such worthy recipients of this award and they have fun doing it. That’s why their membership is so good. They don’t just do fabulous work, and I love their focus on youth, but they have so much fun doing it,” Mrs Annear said.

ENDS

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