Rotary Club members and other volunteers prepare to start renovating Maketū Community Centre in 2021. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Rotary Club members and other volunteers prepare to start renovating Maketū Community Centre in 2021. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
For a club that lasted less than 20 years, there are reminders everywhere in Maketū of the hard work, dedication and community spirit of its Rotary Club members.
The club folded this year after being chartered in 2005. David and Sue Campbell were heavily involved in the formation of theclub, after being involved in Rotary in the United States before moving to New Zealand.
When they moved to Maketū, David became a member of Te Puke Rotary Club and Susan joined the Rotorua Lakes club.
“We always had the laugh that it was good for our relationship not to be in the same Rotary club,” Campbell said.
As they became more involved in the Maketū community, it became clear that in essence, a club existed there in all but name.
“And boy, it was just like opening a door – you opened the door and there were people there ready to go, so a club was formed a few years after we arrived here.”
It was sponsored by the Te Puke Rotary Club, whose members offered support.
“But, in no time, the club was on its own and from the very beginning, it tackled big projects and made them happen.”
Among the club’s projects, Campbell said for him, the first and the last stand out.
“We started out by getting the surf club back into operation.”
The club was no longer functioning, so the Rotary Club set to work getting the facility back into a useable condition.
“And bingo – the club sprang back into action.”
Former Maketū Rotary Club president David Campbell saw a need in his community. Photo / George Novak
The final major project was the refurbishment of the Maketū Community Centre, which began in September 2021 and took 700 volunteer hours to complete.
“Now the community centre is just humming because people are using it.”
Other projects included training club members to become literacy tutors, running Maketū Market for 11 years, volunteering at Maketū Primary School, an annual distribution of dictionaries to local primary schools, sponsorship of the Maketū duathlon/triathlon for three years and the creation of a digital database of Maketū historical records available to the public.
But there have also been projects overseas, including two projects to renovate classrooms in villages on Taveuni Island, Fiji, and working with Maketū youth to visit and support a service project at a school in Vanuatu.
While the visit by local youngsters had to be cancelled because of the pandemic, the Maketū club co-ordinated with the Rotary Club of Port Vila in Vanuatu and the Maketū Hauora to ensure the project was completed as planned.
Then there were the five Maketū Kaimoana Festivals that brought the club to the attention of the wider Bay of Plenty community.
“That really was [club member] Julie Crossley’s vision, and she did a huge amount over five years. People were very sorry to see that go, but there was such a high risk in it,” Campbell said.
The festival and the market had benefits far beyond fundraising.
“It brought the community together and was a source of pride. People could get involved in enjoying the event or going to the market, so there were secondary benefits like that.”
While dwindling membership has led to the club folding, Campbell said he feels the club was a reflection of the community, and Maketū’s community spirit remains.
“People are still out there willing to do good in the community, and I take consolation in that.”
He said it was quite remarkable for a settlement the size of Maketū to have its own Rotary club.
“It’s quite a compliment to the community that they had so much enthusiasm. Maketū has got a good reputation for its volunteer efforts … and from the beginning, there was a lot of really good energy in the community for service.”
