Hats off to Kaikohe Rotary for gift to East School

CAP IN HAND: Kaikohe Rotary president Colin Patterson, special needs coordinator Kaz Chamberlain to his right, and some of the pupils with their new caps.

Kaikohe East School children have proudly modelled new sun caps given to every student in the school by the local Rotary Club.

The small Kaikohe Rotary Club donated $1200 for the caps after a plea for help from the school's special education needs co-ordinator Kaz Chamberlain. At an assembly last Wednesday, club president Colin Patterson presented the green caps, which match the school's uniform, after being introduced by principal Chicky Rudkin.

''We've got a very important man here, he's a president,'' Rudkin told the children. ''What do you think a president does?''

''Counts money,'' said the pupil whose hand shot in the air first.

''Yes, but none of it is mine,'' Patterson quickly replied, explaining some of Rotary's global and local work.

He said Kaz Chamberlain had made a good case to Rotary about the need for the school's 400 children to have sun hats, and she had contacted many suppliers to get the best possible deal.

''We can't live without the sun but we've got to protect our skin from it,'' Patterson told the pupils.