POSSIBLY ONE OF THE MOST ORIGINAL FRIENDSHIP DECLARATIONS IN ROTARY
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In 1995, the ROTARY CLUB OF KUMEU NEW ZEALAND, declared its special friendship for the KULDIGA ROTARI KLUBS in SOUTHERN LATVIA. Kumeu Club was barely 7 months old, it was a small club in rural New Zealand and it had established a very warm friendship with the first rural Rotary Club then establishing itself in LATVIA.
The declaration came together with a Presidents rostrum, made in Kumeu by craftsman Jaap te Diek from NZ native Kauri wood, which had lain buried under wet clay for more than 35,000 years.
Thus the New Zealanders presented a rostrum made from wood now highly polished, assessed to be the oldest in the world in use in a Rotary Club to the youngest Rotary Club then in existence.
The declaration says:
TO OUR DEAR ROTARY FRIENDS FROM KULDIGA LATVIA
WE WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR ESTABLISHMENT BY MEANS OF THIS SPECIAL PRESIDENTS ROSTRUM.WHICH IS MADE FROM NEW ZEALAND NATIVE KAURI TIMBER.
OUR OWN UNIVERSITY IN AUCKLAND HAS CARBON DATED THIS TIMBER AND ASESSES IT TO BE 35,000 YEARS OLD.
YOUR FRIENDS FROM THE ROTARY CLUB OF KUMEU NEW ZEALAND
Every member of the Rotary Club of Kumeu signed the declaration.
This friendship declaration was presented by World President Herb Brown to Kuldiga Clubs Vice President Zigurds Strigelis at the International Rotary Conference held in Vilnius Lithuania in 1995.
Picture left to right Henk Aalders (Kumeu R C) World President R I Herb Brown, DG L Gunnar Grantiger (Swedish D 2410) Inga Freiberga (sergeant) Zigurds Strigelis (Vice President) Inese Opelta (secretary) all from Kuldiga Rotari Klubs
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