After Cyclone Gabrielle, Hawke's Bay's surf life-saving clubs needed to replace their radios. Stortford Rotary donated funds to purchase radio communications modules. Video / Warren Buckland Reporter / Michaela Gower
After more than 50 years with the HastingsRotary Club, David Davidson knows a thing or two about the importance of good conversation.
From Hawke’s Bay business titans to powerful politicians, weekly lunchtime meetings were a sea of knowledge, and club initiatives often led to href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/hastings-rotary-club-raises-50000-for-athletes-and-youth/OCENYIIVQFI2JIKL2VPMJB4DQ4/">positive outcomes for local and international communities.
With the club nearing its 100th birthday on June 13, Davidson tells reporter Mitchell Hageman about his proudest moments and why in an increasingly online world, nothing beats an in-person meeting if you want to get a job done.
It wasn’t a Facebook message but a chance invitation from his neighbour that started David Davidson’s long-spanning Hastings Rotary journey in 1972.
At first, he was reluctant to go, but he also saw it as a “great opportunity” to get to know the area after having just moved to the region.
Fast-forward over 50 years, and the 86-year-old is the club’s longest-serving member, having undertaken hundreds of community projects and attended a myriad of talks.
“It was largely selfish,” he admitted.
“I wanted to get to know a few people in the area, and it was a great way to socialise.”
Socialise he did, with notable club presidents like Dr David Alfred Bathgate, Sir James Wattie, Sir Edwin Bate, J.J. Nimon and Ron Giorgi.
“When I joined, we had about 115 members. We had people considered the real titans of Hawke’s Bay,” Davidson said.
“The idea that you have a representative of every professional group getting together in one room is an excellent one, and that was the founding motive.”
While club attendance has significantly decreased over the years, Davidson said the founding principles remain relevant to people of all ages, particularly in 2024.
“Oddly enough, I think it’s more relevant than ever today because everybody is in their own little bubbles and talks to each other electronically.
“Face-to-face meetings with people outside your profession or trade are really not very common now.”
In later years, it became more difficult for businesspeople to meet at lunchtime, and many clubs started to have evening meetings. However, the Hastings club has always continued at lunchtime.
“I think it is a pity it’s becoming less popular,” Davidson said.
“There’s a great deal of individualism out there and a perception that it’s harder to get ahead, so putting the time aside for a regular commitment to other people is pretty difficult.”
But smaller membership hasn’t stopped the steady stream of community work the club has undertaken for communities.
Davidson said the constant face-to-face connections and meetings have helped get things done over the years.
Hastings Rotary has helped finance many organisations through various trusts, including the Red Cross, Health Camps, Waiapu House, YMCA, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, and Little Sisters of the Poor.
After over 50 years with Hastings Rotary, David Davidson says nothing beats a face-to-face collaboration. Photo / Warren Buckland
In the 1930s, the Hawke’s Bay Crippled Children’s Society (whose services eventually came under what is now known as CCS Disability Action) was formed locally by the group.
The 1960s also saw Hastings Rotary become a local carrier for a successful Meals on Wheels initiative.
Most of these initiatives continue to operate today under the leadership of community organisations.
“One of my most exciting moments was when we received a gift of seeds from the Redwood Rotary Club of California, which one of our members propagated, and we planted them at Te Mata Park,” Davidson recalled.
“If you go through the main gates and to the right, there is still a plaque where we planted them about 48 years ago.”
Other notable projects include the fountain outside the Hastings Library and the wishing well by the Cenotaph.
More recently, the club has donated to the Life Education Trust for renovations to their travelling classroom and the fund for the building of a new Cranford Hospice.
It also helped raise money for the major Cyclone Gabrielle relief funds.
“As a club, we got together and raised what money we could to go to the cyclone fund,” Davidson said.
For now, he’s excited to celebrate the good work done over 100 years, and he has hope for the future.
“When you hear tech experts say there is a limit to how much tech development there could be, and how creators are concerned about how much time their children spend on technology, there must be a swing back sometime.”
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
