Bill as the second half of our charter member duo presented some reminisces of his 50 years as a member of Pakuranga Rotary. As Bill noted, 50 years is a long time and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge and while some things have remained the same most has changed.
The Panmure club, now no longer in existence but once with a membership of over a hundred members, was our mother club. After a few weeks at an alternative venue our club started what has proven to be a very long-term relationship with Waipuna, the initial attraction being the poor standard of food at the initial venue. In those early days members had the responsibility for serving the food and then tidying up.
As a charter member at only thirty years old Bill had to wait until the advanced age of forty to get the opportunity to lead a group exchange team to Kentucky, an opportunity Bill said he will always be grateful for.
A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court making it illegal to restrict membership on the basis of gender saw the beginning of women being able to join Rotary. This did not change things quickly and Bill could well remember the impact of our first female member. Now thirty-three years later Pakuranga Rotary has elected its first female president.
When Bill Boyd was announced as To be world president in 2006-07 Bill [Duncan] gave some thought to how best to perpetuate Bills memory in similar fashion to Harold Thomas who was world president in 1959. He invited a handful of members to his home to discuss this possibility, some time before Bill actually took office. There was is discussion on the idea of a trust and Bill put a draft together.
Bill Boyd through his travels in the leadership role felt that water and literacy were the two key areas the world needed to address. Literacy was chosen and today the Trust has distributed approximately 200,000 illustrated dictionaries to year 4 students in decile 1 schools.
The a few years later Bill was invited by the family of a former Panmure Rotarian to put together a proposal for assisting the youth of Pakuranga, and from that emerged the Rae and Ernie Johnston Memorial Trust. The family committed $250,000 to the trust and after many projects, mostly to do with primary and intermediate schools the Trust is sitting comfortably with $300,000 for further opportunities.
Bill remains a trustee of both these trusts and secretary to the Bill and Lorna Boyd trust for the past 14 years.
On a more philosophical note Bill noted that while there seems to be a general propensity for man to be basically selfish, Rotary has provided him with the opportunity to step up and do something for the community. That opportunity to do your best to help others is something that can make the helper feel good and is something Bill strongly believes is to be actively encouraged.