Proud moment for Rotorua’s Cynthia Clark receiving special Altrusa International lamplighter award

Rotorua's Cynthia Clark with her Altrusa International Lamplighter Award. Photo / Andrew Warner

The proud moment of receiving an Altrusa International Lamplighter award for her service to the district of New Zealand brought tears to the eyes of Rotorua’s Cynthia Clark.

At the national annual conference earlier this month, hosted by the Rotorua Club at the Distinction Hotel, Cynthia received the special award. It was a first for the local club, and was awarded to her by District 15 (New Zealand) Governor Ming Chun Wu.

She says she wasn’t expecting the award at all and was shocked when the announcement was made.

“I didn’t ever think I would get one and it’s very special.”

Cynthia was inducted as a member of the Taradale/Napier Club in October 1991, taking part in many service and fundraising projects which included a rose garden, the Audrey Powell music scholarship, a celebrity evening with Roger Hall, the club’s ongoing support of the Roman House for the IHC, an Allyson Gofton cooking demonstration, gardening show and floral art demonstration, and the planting of trees in the Meeanee Gardens.

During this time, she was elected president 1996/1997 biennium and 1997/1998.

She shifted to Rotorua in late 1998 where she joined the local club. Cynthia was the Rotorua Altrusa Club president from 1998 to 2002, and again from 2018 to 2020.

At the Queenstown Conference in 2001 she became district supplies officer - a position she held until 2010. She was district conference chair in 2007, and from 2009 to 2011 was the district treasurer.

Throughout her many years with the Rotorua club, there have been a range of service projects she has been involved in.

Some of these include planting daffodils on Hospital Hill, toilet bags for Women’s Refuge, flowers for the elderly at Christmas, bookmarks for children visiting the Rotorua Library, judging the Bay of Plenty Science Fair and presenting the Altrusa Cup, setting up rooms for Women’s Refuge and making pyjamas for children, memory books for Alzheimers Rotorua, a high tea fundraiser for Growing Through Grief children’s activity books, membership drives, holding a craft fair to raise funds for a lifting chair for St John, and many more.

Cynthia says it is being able to help the community through these projects which she has loved about her time with Altrusa International.

“We see the need so we get a project organised, like the high tea and craft fair, to raise funds. It’s a very active club here in Rotorua and we’ve been working very hard.”