A fistful of ladies from Te Awamutu’s Rosetown Lions Club spent an afternoon recently poring over and sorting old coins… all in the name of helping young people live out their dreams.
Looking over some of the unusual coins are, from left, Raewyn Hoskin, Jennifer Maughan, Elizabeth Schmidt, Janet Louw, and club president Nellie Harris examining an unusual find. Photo: Viv Posselt
The group was going through coins collected in Te Awamutu as part of the Lions Clubs New Zealand’s ‘Heads Up for Kids’ project. The initiative, started in 2010, turns discarded and obsolete currency into cash to fund education programmes for young Lions clubs-affiliated Kiwis who may otherwise not get the opportunity for such experiences.
The Rosetown ladies gathered as usual around Janet Louw’s dining room table, decked out with ice cream tubs full of old money, either sorted or yet to be identified, magnifying glasses, and information sheets on how to identify the occasionally inexplicable coin.
Rosetown Lions president Nellie Harris taking a closer look at one of the older coins she found in the collection. Photo: Viv Posselt
Louw said last year’s Rosetown Lions collection netted three boxes weighing 18.77kg. That was made up of 3998 coins and 28 bank notes, resulting in $414.52 going into the national ‘Heads Up for Kids’ pot.
“We hope to do even more this year,” she said. “And anyone finding old currency can keep dropping it off at our collection points, the ANZ Bank, Resene Paints or St John Op Shop. The collection is ongoing.”
One of the counters, Rosetown Lions club president Nellie Harris, discovered a couple of very old coins among her pile.
“I’ve found an 1889 English penny, with Queen Victoria’s profile on it,” she said.
Other finds included coins dated 1875 and 1902. The collection included currency from Europe, the United States, Indonesia, Fiji, Singapore, China, New Zealand and Australia.
Louw said the club had supported the ‘Heads Up for Kids’ initiative for years.
The Lions Clubs of New Zealand has raised well over $600,000 through the project and has a lofty target of $1 million. Many young people have already benefited by receiving scholarships to organisations such as the Spirit of Adventure, the Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, and the like.
See: Lions have tonnes of cash in hand
Enjoying their annual coin sorting session are Rosetown Lions’ ladies, from left, Raewyn Hoskin, Jennifer Maughan, Elizabeth Schmidt, club president Nellie Harris, and Janet Louw. Photo: Viv Posselt
