Stephen spoke about the great work that the OYAT who are half the partnership with the Milton Rotary in the OYAT/Milton Rotary Tramping Club, they can have between 900 – 1,200 trampers per year, on walks and cycle trails.
The OYAT primary focus is on youth with schools being the main users of the camps. They significantly depend on donations, such as from Dunedin Rotary, as they have a number of large assets to maintain, such as the Tautuku Outdoor Education Centre, which takes up to 90 people, Berwick Lodge taking 67, and the Sutton Camp 20. Activities include abseiling, kayaking, archery, group projects and wall climbing.
Tautuku was a Judge JD Murray initiative in the 60s for wayward youth and Berwick by Rotary in the 80’s. All these camps are needed and so is regular maintenance, which requires funding from somewhere. The Trust employs 2 permanent and 2 part time staff. Looking to the future, a web site is being up graded and marketing initiatives undertaken to support the great work being done.
Graeme Leith
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