The Rotary Club of Taupo

New Zealand

 

       

 

In 2000, International Committee Director Roland Vowles identified a project which would see the collection and delivery of basic hand tools to the people of East Timor where there was a desperate need to help the villagers rebuild their communities following the  looting, destruction and death brought on by the Indonesian militia in 1999.

The club appealed to the people and businesses of Taupo to donate any pre-loved carpentry or garden tools. Obviously hand tools were the order of the day, as electricity and fuel were not available to the East Timorese. The response far exceeded everyone's expectations, and included all manner of saws, chisels, screw drivers, spades, garden forks, rakes, shovels, hoes, pick axes etc., both pre-owned and new.

Collection points (in the form of 200 litre open top drums) were set up at Placemakers and Taupo Home & Garden Centre, so residents could either deliver to these points, or they could phone Radio Lakeland to arrange for their donated tools to be collected by a Rotarian.

Many Taupo organisations supported the project in different ways:

 Placemakers and Taupo Home & Garden Centre for organising special promotions,
Tungsten Saws for checking and sharpening the saws,
Lakeland FM for being the telephone phone contact point for residents and for promoting the project on air,
the Editor and staff of Taupo Times for their assistance with advertising the project,
Stretton & Co., Parts & Services Ltd., Cheal Consultants, and Ian Styles for their advertising support,
The Taupo District Council for making available a storage facility where the collected tools could be stored, sorted and packed until shipment to East Timor.
Mr "Shades" Taylor of Taupo who generously transported the tools to the RNZAF base at Whenuapai at no charge,
the many Rotarians and their partners who assisted with the project - collecting tools from residents, cleaning and refurbishing, packing, and many other tasks,
and of course the Taupo community for their overwhelming support.

The successful completion of such a project, the delivery of the tools to the East Timorese, was facilitated by the New Zealand Defence Force. Read what they had to say about our project. Click here ....

L-R: Rotarian  Roland Vowles, Rotarian Brian McGuigan,
2000-2001 Club President Mike Steiner
MP Mark Burton, Parliamentary Speaker Jonathan Hunt

Local MP Mark Burton checks out some of the many tools donated by Taupo residents

For More Information Contact:

Rotary Club of Taupo
P O Box 274, Taupo, New Zealand