Celebrating Claire Haines at our Annual Christmas Lunch at St Margaret's College, 14 Dec
When Claire was introduced to the club at her induction in 2020, we learned all sorts of things about her - mother of 7 children, keen walker, Miss September in the 2011 Conservation Volunteers Calendar etc, as well as the fact that she was not just our newest member but also our oldest (back then she was just 92!).Now that Claire has decided to ‘retire’ from Rotary, it is a good opportunity to acknowledge her many years of involvement with, and contribution to, Rotary.
Claire’s late husband, Peter, joined the Rotary Club of Dunedin in 1976, served as the President of this club in 1988-9 and was the District 9980 Governor in 1996-7. Claire was actively involved with him in all of his Rotary activities, and was consequently made an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Dunedin in 1997, and was that same year the first woman to be presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship by our club.
After Peter’s retirement, they shifted to Timaru, and both joined the Rotary Club of Timaru North. Claire was awarded a further PHF for her community service in 2004, and also served as the President of the Timaru North club in 2004-5. She maintained that membership (and gained 2 more Sapphire pins) until 2019 when she became an honorary member.
When she shifted back to Dunedin in 2020 she once again joined Dunedin Rotary, and we have enjoyed her company and humour since that time. Now she is a bit older (she pretends she cannot remember, but I have calculated that she must now be 96, she and her family have made the call that it is time for her to retire from Rotary.
It has been great having her in the club, a privilege to have got to know her, and we want to assure her that she is welcome to come and visit us any time in the future.
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