Suva Rotary clubs–East, Peninsula, North, and Suva–were all united on Saturday night at the New Zealand High Commission Residence to celebrate Rotary’s birthday.

As guests settled in, the night commenced with a formal welcome complemented by a brief history of Rotary.  For non-Rotarians, and those members that needed a refresher, Nicholas Ryan explained who Paul P. Harris was, and his vision for a professional group who lived out the idea of “service over self.”  With the help of the audience, the famous Four Way Test was discussed, and a lively ambiance was set for the evening.

The distinguished guests, visiting Rotarians from New Caledonia, also took the stage to elucidate how their club was carrying out Rotary areas of focus in their club and country.  The cake was cut, and then it was time for an exciting Dutch style auction.

The rules for a Dutch style auction are as follows: the auctioneer begins by explaining the prizes. On Saturday night, these prizes were composed of of a customized designed dress and a few bottles of liquor.  The bidding then begins with the auctioneer screaming out, “Do I hear $200 for the chance to have a dress designed to exact specifications and two beautiful bottles of liquor?!” Bidders immediately have to put their money where their mouth is, by paying the difference between each bid on the spot.  After about 15 minutes of intense bidding, $875 dollars was suggested, and this price ended up being the winning bid.

Now 109 years old, Rotary is a little bit older, and also a little bit wiser.  A great time was had by all on Saturday evening.  Here’s to another year of Rotary spirit!