Bridge Marina, Tauranga, North Island
Wednesday 9 June 2021
A few years ago, I was in Vanuatu, in connection with our oral health program … “Gudfala Tut Skul”. There was an opportunity to give a brief talk at the ever-helpful, Port Vila Rotary Club and at the conclusion, a visiting Kiwi, with an American accent, handed me his card. It was David Campbell from Maketu, Bay of Plenty.
David and I stayed in contact and expected to catch up last year when we were planning to sail this way. Of course, that never happened, with my sailing plans going the way of most other people’s plans as the impact of the COVID19 Pandemic swept New Zealand, Australia and the world before it.
Fast forward to now … and the same David Campbell, with his wife Susan, have been an amazing “host” to me and Chimere. As I’ve mentioned earlier, even lending me their car for the duration of my stay.
Naturally, when the opportunity arose to attend the local Rotary club meeting and dinner I jumped at it, but as David explained … “this week we have a combined meeting with the other clubs in the region”
As it turns out, this also includes the Mt Maunganui Rotary club, which has as one of its members, Barry Muir, Robyn Clarke’s brother-in-law. This might all start to seem complicated, but my MSM Melbourne colleague Mike, is married to Robyn, and Robyn’s older sister Tricia is married to Barry. They live just down the road at Papamoa … with Barry, Tricia and eleven other (McCarroll) family members having joined me on Chimere for afternoon tea on Sunday.
“Would you like to come to the Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday?” asked Barry, when I met him on Sunday.
“As it turns out”, I said “I’m already going, and you might know David Campbell?”
“Well, how about I pick you up. I can swing by after work”
And so it was that tonight, I shared a table with David and Barry – two people I have encountered from totally different trajectories – at the combined local Rotary Club meeting and dinner.
To add a further twist to the story, when I was catching up with my long-lost cousin, Mark – was it just yesterday?? – I mentioned that I was going to the Rotary Club meeting and that Barry Muir was picking me up. “You mean the furniture guy, Barry Muir?”
“Yes, he’s married to my friend’s older sister”, I replied.
Mark continued … “Well that’s funny, because a few years ago the local radio station gave away two tickets to attend a conference in Perth, to the shop where my wife works. It’s because the shopping mall did a lot of advertising on the radio and they gave it to this shop. Anyway, the boss of the shop couldn’t go, so my wife got the ticket and we both went. Barry Muir and his wife were also on the conference because they also spent a lot on advertising for their furniture store, through the same station. He’s a great bloke”
Comments from his website include … “The friendliest furniture store on the planet.” “The most helpful staff anywhere in town” “Incredible Service. Nothing is too much trouble” “Talk to Barry, He won’t let you down”
I’m only here another 5 days, but I’m looking forward to discovering who else I might stumble across that I know, or who knows someone I know. They talk about 6 degrees of separation between people, I think it might be closer to 1, or 2 degrees of separation in the circles I’m been travelling.
In other news, John and I kept working on the deck painting, and weather permitting, we’ve laid out a plan to break the back of it by Saturday!
Back to the oral health program in Vanuatu … I’ve been able to set up a meeting for tomorrow morning with YWAM Aotearoa to discuss areas of possible future oral health collaboration.
Our respective programs are quite different … theirs being more around treatment and the relief of pain, ours on Education and Prevention, centred around training locals and the brushing of teeth in schools – the Gudfala Tut Skul Program. At first glance there appears to be a good fit. So, I’m really looking forward to our meeting.
I should also mention that YWAM’S vessel … the MV YWAM Koha … is 49 metres long and weighs 480 tonnes, whereas Chimere … Medical Sailing Ministry’s “flagship” is a very modest 16 metres or so and weighs just under 30 tonnes when fully fuelled and watered.
Smooth seas, fair breeze and coincidental Rotary connection
Rob Latimer
NZ2020 