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Issue 29 – November 2019

Update from Chairman, Graeme Pierson

As we near the end of another year one must reflect on what has occurred over the past 12 months. The Council members and I are grateful for the assistance they have received from clubs

during this period. It is pleasing to note that there have not been any controversial matters to deal this year. Many visits have been made throughout New Zealand to clubs and district meetings of clubs by Councillors at which we have all been greeted in a kind and friendly manner, which was greatly appreciated. Recently nominations were requested by our Returning Officer, Mrs Paulette Lawrence, for Councillors for Districts 10, 30, 40 and 80. I am pleased to announce the standing Councillor for District 40, Mrs Chris Winstanley was the only nominee and returns to Council from 1 April 2020. There was also one nomination for District 80, Mr Graham Clayton of the Hokonui Focus Club of Gore, and he will take over this role on 1 April next. To date there have been no nominations received for either District 10 or 30.

There have been several queries received about Club lists of members. In the following notice relating to Privacy matters, Council recommends that clubs adopt the suggested course of action. The Council have also discussed the name and actions of Almoners and suggest Clubs adopt the recommended name also. These items are covered separately below. On behalf of Council members and myself, I would like to thank our Administrator, Rosemarie Shaw, our Highlights Editor Margaret Finnie, and our Website Manager Erik Vermaat, for their efforts over the past 12 months. Their input to our organisation is greatly appreciated. On behalf of all Council members I would like to pass on best wishes to all club members and their families and that they have a great and friendly festive season. Kind Regards Graeme Pierson Chairman, FNZI

Privacy The key Principle of the Privacy Act is that if personal information, such as name and contact details are collected, then the person supplying the information must know why it is being collected and who will have access to it. Some Friendship Clubs cover this by indicating on their Enrolment Forms that they provide a list of member’s names and contact details marked “CONFIDENTIAL TO CLUB MEMBERS’. Usually

members are given the option to not have their contact details circulated.

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ALMONER – Recommended name change At an FNZI Council meeting on 25 October 2019, the following suggestion was agreed to by Council: “That the committee of those affiliated clubs who still use the term Almoner as a role title, give consideration to changing that title name to one which is more appropriate to these times. Many clubs have already made such a change and the suggestion is that the title could become Welfare Support or something with a similar meaning.” The reason for this suggestion is that an Oxford Concise Dictionary meaning of the word Almoner is – “a social worker attached to a hospital and seeing to the aftercare of patient - an official distributor of alms”. The meaning of the word Alms is the charitable donation of money and food to the poor. Council are hopeful your committee will agree that this Victorian era terminology is no longer appropriate. Such name change can be made as a club Committee decision.

From the Administrator’s desk Like many others, I am having to pinch myself to realise that another year has almost come to an end! Christmas celebrations and end of year functions will, I expect, be the order of the day for our FNZI Friendship Clubs, after which hardworking committee members can look forward to enjoying a deserved break from club duties until their club meetings resume again in 2020.

I continue to enjoy and welcome the contact I have with officers and members of our FNZI Friendship clubs, when responding to

their phone and email queries. Many of which relate to accessing and navigating the non-public areas of the FNZI website https://fnzi.nz. There is considerable information on the website to assist officers in the governance and administration of their club and I am available to assist with any queries. Club officers, named on their club record on the FNZI website database, are encouraged to contact me should they not have their club log-in details or have issues relating to our computerised system.

Each month, a number of our member clubs email me a copy of their monthly newsletter/bulletin and I look forward to reading about their activities and outings. A big “thank you” to those clubs for keeping me informed. If your club is not already sending the newsletter to me I would very much appreciate my email address counciladm@fnzi.nz being added to the newsletter email distribution list.

Being based in North Canterbury (District 70), the opportunity for me to meet club members from other Districts is limited and therefore, my trip to Auckland in August to attend the FNZI Annual General Meeting has special significance. Ongoing contact with the club officers and members I met that day has, I believe, enhanced the relationship between FNZI and its member clubs.

Margaret (Highlights Editor/Website Administrator) and Erik (Webmaster) join me in wishing everyone and their families a joyous, relaxing and safe festive season. We look forward to our contact with you in the coming year.

In Friendship

Rosemarie Shaw

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Tasman Bay The Tasman Bay group are a very active club with a wide variety of interesting speakers, a walking group, a Sunday lunch club, biking group and great fellowship.

The Quiz night was a very successful evening with much debate amongst the 51 people who attended. Some of the questions had them really scratching their heads while others felt they should really have known the answers.

The meal was also a great success with pre-dinner nibbles and a chance to circulate beforehand. Quiz master Glen did a great job of keeping the evening progressing. A big thank you to the efforts of Judy, George, Glen and Shirley in making this evening such a success.

Woolston Twenty-three members visited Ridge Road Gardens, Motukarara on 4 November. An early start meant they arrived there just in time for a Devonshire cream tea. Two scones, jam and cream were served with beautiful china and tablecloths. They were then free to explore the beautiful grounds. From there they travelled to the Good Home restaurant at Wigram for lunch. Having had such a huge morning tea, lunch was hardly needed but they managed it - just.

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Mahurangi Combined Friendship Club

This year the club celebrated their 30th Birthday with a lovely catered lunch, an interesting talk by the local DHB rep and of course the cutting of the cake.

The photo shows six Past Presidents, current Club President and guest speaker.

A revised version of the 25th anniversary booklet was published. This 30th anniversary celebration booklet gave 28 pages of updated information on the club, including a summary of the history of the local area and a copy was given to all members.

Background music was provided by a couple to such a high standard, that a number of our members took to the floor to express their joy in dance, with the function ending with “Until we meet again”. It was a great time of fun and fellowship enjoyed by all who attended.

Amberley

Shown here are some of the glorious views enjoyed by 23 of the Amberley Club’s members at a recent coffee morning held at Black Estate Winery at Omihi in the Waipara Valley. This was the first time they had visited this venue and it was a great success. Recent visits to Waipara Springs and Waipara Hills wineries have also been enjoyed. The hills and vines are looking beautiful with the great spring weather.

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Sunnynook Ladies Sunnynook Ladies’ Probus Club was founded in October 1999 when the North Shore/Northern Probus Association decided to establish a new group after a need was recognised in the Sunnynook area. At this time there were more than 30 clubs on the North Shore. As existing North Shore Probus Clubs had long waiting lists, an “interest meeting” was held on 7 September 1999 where nearly 100 people attended, and it was resolved that a new ladies Probus Club would be formed. At that meeting Bob Baird, Past Rotary District Governor, outlined the beginning of Probus, it’s activities and organisation. He explained the meaning of the title and the Latin meaning of honesty and integrity. Probus was originally started in the UK to provide a club for retired people seeking more social contact, expand their interests and keep their minds active. Since March 2016 the club has been affiliated to Friendship New Zealand Inc. Representatives from North Shore clubs met on an informal basis every three months to share ideas.

2019 committee Back Karen Taylor (Treasurer), Robin Wix, Terry Evans Judy Harrison, Shirley Kearney, Raewyn Miller, Jan Smithson Front: Lorraine Mulligan, Trinda Jackson (Secretary) Trish Clark (President), Joyce Thomas, Bev Miller, Margaret Bock. Absent: Heather Llewellin, Pat Crombie. A recent trip at the end of August was to the Chelsea Sugar Works at Birkenhead on the North Shore, Auckland. They had a lovely lunch first before going on a little train

around the works which was first established in 1884. For further information about the Sugar Works check out Wikipedia for the full history. The pink hard hats and pink Hi-Viz jackets were hard to miss.

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Parklands Ladies In September this club celebrated their 24th birthday with invited guests. The Chisnalwood Intermediate School band entertained members followed by a special afternoon tea of sandwiches and slices. President Hilary Griffiths, along with Pat Curd, (pictured) cut the cake. In October members enjoyed a coach trip to Rusty Acres Sculpture garden, an amazing place with many of the pieces in a very distinctive style. A two- course lunch at The Platform was delicious followed by a visit to a cucumber growing greenhouse which was informative

and interesting. This greenhouse provides the local supermarkets with about 70% of the demand.

The Great Lake Club

The club organised a very successful bus trip to Poronui Lodge along the Napier-Taupo highway with some thirty members attending. The lodge, also known as Sika Lodge, put on a fantastic morning tea. Included was a well-presented talk and tour of the lodge by the manager. The lodge is set up for hunters, horseback riding, trout fishing and other outdoor activities. It has been visited by people from around the world including a few well-known actors. Guests are well catered for including a wine cellar well stocked with good quality wines.

On 22 October, Di Swann, the “Meal in A Minute” author gave members and visitors a cooking demonstration. This included tastings, recipes and a cuppa, plus a raffle that included Di’s book as a prize.

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Beavertown Queen Charlotte Friendship Club unearthed an old trophy for golf. This trophy was last contested in 2005 in a tournament between the Queen Charlotte, Blenheim, Wairau and Beavertown Clubs. As golf is out for most of the combined members, it was decided to resurrect playing Golf Croquet as it was thought silly to have a trophy and no-one playing for it. The Combined Club of Beavertown and Queen Charlotte Friendship Club enjoyed a very competitive morning at the Whitehead Park Croquet Club on Tuesday 8 October, a fine sunny day tempered by a chilly breeze.

Even though a number hadn’t played golf croquet before they soon learned that it was more than just hitting a ball through hoops. The croquet greens resounded to whoops of delight and groans of despair as competitive instincts among members took hold. The combined clubs’ monthly outing was agreed to be a success by the 40 participants, and truly represented FNZI’s aims of Friendship, Fellowship and Fun for retired people. The Croquet Club welcomed the large group with a magnificent morning tea, provided coaching and supervision as well as tallying up the scores as they competed for the rediscovered trophy.

The Beavertown team ended up lucky winners when the counting was done at the after-match cuppa. A date for the return bout hasn’t been scheduled but it will surely be well contested. Photo: Judy Grey, President Combined Club of Beavertown is presented with the trophy by Margaret Campbell, Convenor Whitehead Park Croquet Club Blenheim.

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Johnsonville The Johnsonville club celebrated Cyber Smart Week (14-18 October) by inviting David Morrison of InternetNZ to give an illustrated talk on computer safety. David described the work of his organisation and then the ways in which computers can be attacked and people’s personal information harvested. While most had all heard scary stories about what Malware (malicious software) can do to a computer and of people losing money to email scams, David gave very good advice on how to stay safe on the internet. Key messages were the importance of: updating your computer, backing up files to an external hard drive or to the ‘cloud’; installing effective antivirus software; using unique and difficult to discover passwords for each internet application; being careful what information you share about yourself on social media; and not using free wi-fi sites for sensitive activities such as internet banking. David’s presentation elicited a lot of questions from members and was a timely reminder for all to sharpen up our act and in the words of Sergeant Esterhaus (TVs “Hill Street Blues”) “Let’s be careful out there” on the internet.

Hamilton Ladies The Hamilton Ladies put on a Fashion Show at their September meeting. Five members were models for the show held in conjunction with Caroline Eve Boutique. A Devonshire tea and homemade scones was served in beautiful china. The members looked glamorous wearing fascinators to mark the occasion.

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East Hamilton It was an early start at 8am when 20 members set off on the bus with their first stop being the Guide Dog Training Centre at Homai where they were greeted and welcomed by volunteer, Vicky. After a refreshing cup of tea and biscuit they watched a five-minute video of Ray and his guide dog Jazz. Only 50% of the 150 puppies trained each year make it through the two-year training course to become a Guide Dog. The dogs that don’t make it through training are offered back to their puppy trainer first, then to Autistic NZ for the children, or adopted out. The organisation gets no government funding and rely heavily on sponsors and donations. These dogs come in at 7 months and 9 months, each time for a week to give their trainer respite time and for the Centre to see how the dogs are responding to training. Another 40 minutes on the bus took them to Crystal Mountain and Gallery. Members looked through the Gallery and enjoyed a nice lunch before boarding the train for a ride around the outskirts of the animal theme park followed by a tour of the museum. Many of the crystals arrive as big rocks from Brazil and it was not known what colour the crystals were inside until they were split open.

Fifteen members met with Tim (Operations Manager) And James (Senior Coordinator) at Transpower, Rukuhia. Transpower are responsible for keeping the lights on 24/7, throughout NZ. They learnt how electricity comes from the dams, how it is measured, about the New Zealand electricity network, and how

money is distributed from electricity accounts. There are two control rooms, one in Hamilton, where they work 12-hour shifts, and one in Wellington. Transpower is the system operator of the national grid and is contracted to the Electricity Authority for a 5-year term. Members were given an insight to what happens when there is a power outage and how quickly these problems need to and can be solved. They looked through the very busy control room and found that there is much more to electricity than turning on a switch.

Winton On 8 November a group of around 34 members of the Ladies Friendship Club of Winton went on a two-day trip to Oamaru. The prime reason for the trip was to tour Dot's castle at Riverstone (file photo as unfortunately no interior photos were permitted). They had their evening meal at the restaurant, Riverstone Kitchen. Stops were made at Lake Waihola and the Moeraki Boulders, so it was a real tourist trip.

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Te Puke The Te Puke Friendship club has continued with interesting monthly speakers: ‘All about Kiwi’ by Carole Long from Te Puke Forest and Bird, and ‘Getting organised while still above ground’, by Deborah Wilkinson from TYDYnz. The recent November meeting was enjoyable with a musical interlude given by local musicians with June on keyboard and Joy on her wonderful accordion. The Fashion Parade hosted by local businesses ‘Lynettes’ and ‘Street to Surf’ in September was a great meeting, with members acting as models. The Travel group has had some interesting trips recently with visits to the Fire Training Centre in Rotorua, and The Firth Tower Museum in Matamata.

Another highlight was the awarding of Life Memberships in August to four long-standing members. Photo shows President Barbara with the new Life Members, Marjorie Lloyd, Max Feist and Les Hansen, who have all served the club as office holders and in many other roles over the years. Member’s talks continue to give

insights into their life and times, with many interesting anecdotes being shared. Other activities such as the Luncheon Group, Morning Tea Group, Film group, and Craft group continue to keep members busy and in touch with each other.

Mornington This has been a year of change for Mornington Club. Along the way they have lost a few members who had given much to the club over many years. To balance this, new members have joined the club and have added a new dimension as they became a mixed club. Highlights of the past three months include a dinner at the Otago Golf Club with the CEO of Dunedin City Council as Speaker. Sue Bidrose was most entertaining and informative. Members of the now closed Dunedin West Club and the Roslyn/Mornington Ladies Club were also invited to attend the event. Some new members have come from Dunedin West and it is hoped some of the ladies will transfer and join Mornington when their club closes at the end of this year. There have been a number of very good speakers including the owner of a local Native Plant Nursery, and the Master of a Dunedin Hall of Residence for The Otago University where members enjoyed a wonderful tour. The November speaker was the volunteer co-ordinator for the local branch of The Red Cross. A recent visit of note was down the Otago Peninsula by bus to Nature’s Wonders, a farm that includes protecting native birds and animals. It is hoped to do more of these if numbers allow. The 2019 year will be celebrated with a dinner later this month. All in all the club is good spirits in Dunedin – there have been challenges, but the club is on track to keep going into another decade. Members of the Mornington club wish to extend to the other clubs of New Zealand their best wishes for happy holidays and a prosperous 2020.

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Frenz Fiordland For Frenz Fiordland, there are certainly treasures to be explored and adventures to be shared right on their own doorstep. When trip organizer Margaret Henderson organized a voyage on the elegant 1930s motor yacht Faith, so many members were keen to participate that a second voyage had to be added. So on 16 and 17tOctober a total of 26 members made their way to Te Anau’s historic wharf, where they were welcomed aboard by their crew, Adam and George, resplendent in authentic 1930s British Navy uniforms.

While Faith travelled smoothly across Lake Te Anau away from the town and out of sight towards the Hidden Lakes jetty, George and Adam told stories of Faith’s rich and fascinating history, including the fact that Sir Winston Churchill had spent time on her. Most of the passengers disembarked at the jetty to walk into the bush and see the lowest of the aptly named Hidden Lakes.

The three-hour voyage included drinks and beautiful

canapes served aboard by the very hospitable Adam and George. An engine-room tour was available for those interested in seeing the extraordinarily quiet and economical diesel engine which started life in a submarine while others enjoyed glorious views of both the town and the shores, bush and mountains of the Fiordland National Park. Part of the homeward journey was made under sail on this beautiful old boat made from teak, mahogany and oak. It was a wonderful example of the friendship and fellowship Friendship Clubs aspire to, and a salutary lesson in enjoying the marvellous experiences tourists rave about.

Ngongotaha Here members of the Ngongotaha club enjoy one of their outings together – this time to the Living Tree Church near Cambridge.

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Kawerau On 24 October two carloads of members headed off to Te Teko to ‘Martins Ark’. The owner of the urban farm, Pete Martin, spent the next couple of hours introducing members to the many animals and birds and they were able to feed them with maize or pellets. Pete outlined the history of his farming, explaining that after deer farming and velvet was no longer viable, he diversified to emus.

Many of his animals and birds have been given to the ‘Ark’ from owners that had outgrown them. Pete obviously enjoys people and showing off his menagerie as he had a school visit the previous day. They saw hens and chickens of all sizes and colours, hutches of rabbits and guinea pigs, as well as a cockatoo perched on guard. They fed goats and kids, pigs of various breeds, two miniature ponies, two red deer, three alpaca, a pair of ostriches, a paddock

full of Chatham Island sheep of various colours, many emu and peacocks, a beautiful white turkey, a Canadian Goose who was very busy chasing his girlfriend (who was a black hen) - everywhere she went, he went. A swimming pool had been converted to a home for many turtles, but they were shy. Lastly, they were given a tour of the huge cacti in the front yard. After a shoe inspection, (to ensure no surprises) they headed off further up Galatea. They continued up and across the Te Mahoe Dam and onto Joanna And Paul McCarthy’s farm which includes 10 acres of manicured gardens and developed ponds, all easy walking. On arrival members were able to have lunch under a pergola covered with a beautiful double blue wisteria. Paul McCarthy studies the cultivation of trees and woody plants, which is evident in the home garden and out in the paddocks and water areas. In 1987 a series of ponds were built to attract and accommodate waterfowl and both Dabchick and Scaup now breed here every year. Paul has many collections of different rhododendrons, maples, dogwoods, bamboo, flowering cherries, and around the pond areas, there were hostas of all shapes and sizes. A beautiful grove of 15 monkey puzzle trees which were about four years old plus many exotic and unusual trees. By the cowshed was a collection of about 50 different coloured canna lilies, unfortunately, still dormant from the winter. The perennial garden had a huge variety of many old-fashioned cottage garden plants.

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Waimea Ladies Members of the Waimea club visited the New Nelson-Tasman Hospice in September. The community raised $11.5 million for the project plus a wonderful donation by a patient of $3.5 million. The complex contained ten rooms for patients and amazing accommodation for family to stay. All Administration staff are now all under one roof. The gardens are beautiful, and daffodils surrounded the Hospice at the time of the visit.

In October members held their annual Fashion Parade. Fashion Centre supplied the clothes and six of our members paraded three garments each including shoes and accessories. A lovely array of colour shown for the coming summer. Fashion Centre compered the show, telling us about each garment the members were wearing. They also gave all members a 20% discount voucher which was most appreciated.

Carterton On 23 October a group of members from the Carterton Friendship Club met on and wet and windy morning at Carrington Park to board the coach for a visit to Cross Hills Gardens in Kimbolton. After travelling and listening to the commentary from the driver they stopped at Woodville for morning tea then back on the coach for the rest of the journey to the gardens.

The weather had improved by the time they arrived at the gardens where a member of staff gave a comprehensive talk about the garden layout and the best way to get around. The first stop for most of the group was to try the café before embarking on their walk around the gardens.

The gardens were a beautiful kaleidoscope of colour. Although there were still a number of rhododendrons yet to bloom, most of the azaleas were showing beautiful colours. The trails around the gardens had many huge trees which made for great walking to view the other plants within the gardens.

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Dunstan September saw 36 members of the Dunstan club visit the Dairy Creek Irrigation Scheme, a water scheme coming from Dairy Creek at Clyde Dam. The Dairy Creek Irrigation Scheme is owned by the Dairy Creek Limited Partnership with co-investment from Pioneer Energy and Dairy Creek Irrigation Company (representing the landowners). This followed on from a visit to Sustainable Pastures, a new farm on McArthur Ridge earlier in the year. It has the capacity to take 1.9 cumecs of water for irrigation to enable more horticultural and agricultural activities in a dry climate. Following this, the group were hosted at a member’s home for a barbecue and outdoors activities including horseshoe throwing, petanque and croquet. In October, 18 members travelled to Tapanui to visit the West Otago Vintage Machinery Museum followed by lunch at Top Nosh Cafe, a visit to White Chapel Gifts and a guided informative tour through Blue Mountain Nursery including their propagating sheds. Picture shows Tim O’Sulivan (host) at two of the turbine pumps.

Whangaparaoa Each year the Friendship Club of East Coast Bays holds a Trivial Pursuit night for members from clubs north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. These nights are very popular, and tables are much in demand. This year Whangaparaoa club manged to secure two tables and field two teams – we won’t mention where they were placed! In addition to prizes for the top Trivial Pursuit scorers there are prizes for the men’s ‘loudest’ shirt and the most original ladies’ hat. Last year club President Brian Murray won the shirt prize and this year Marguerita Minns was awarded the ladies hat prize that was a model Noah’s ark complete with animals. Club member Sylvia Pieper sported a Solar Topee adorned with jungle animals that was also very well executed. (at right) Marguerita and ‘Noah’s Ark’.

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Newlands A combined event was held in late August, with the Friendship Club of Johnsonville and Friendship Newlands clubs meeting together, and more than 50 members participating. The morning opened with a welcome from President Ross and President Steve and then the Tinakori Bellringers (with audience participation as singers) gave a short concert. Following morning tea together, antique dealer, Peter Wedde conducted an “Antiques Roadshow” appraisal of each of the items that members had brought, along plus a few of his own. In October, members of Friendship Newlands left on a mystery bus trip and headed north

from Paparangi (Wellington). Following a quick coffee at Otaki before heading onto Foxton, members were given guided tours of the De Molen (Dutch Windmill which opened in 2003) and the Foxton Flax Stripper Museum. Before re-boarding the bus, a challenge was issued to members to see who could throw a clog (or should it be gumboot) the furthest. Quite a number of the members participated and Rob, followed by Steve threw their boots quite a considerable distance further than others. A roast beef lunch was enjoyed at the Foxton RSA before returning to Paparangi. A stop was made at the R J Licorice outlet in Levin to stock up, and then members were given a 20-minute stop in Otaki for shopping. A significant number of extra bags returned to the bus, even in that short time.

Port Hills Area Aged Concern Canterbury in conjunction with Papanui High School organised the Positive Ageing Expo on Monday 30 September 2019 at Papanui High School, Christchurch. This is an annual event and draws a large crowd. The Expo showcased recreational, health and social services that make ageing a positive experience.

At an FNZI Area Meeting of the Port Hills group it was decided to set up a stand at the Expo to promote FNZI Friendship Clubs. Members from some of the Christchurch Clubs were on hand to talk to members of the public about our organisation. Names and contact details were taken and have been contacted with an invitation to attend a club meeting. It is hoped this will help increase membership for our clubs and to publicize FNZI Friendship Clubs as clubs of FRIENDSHIP, FELLOWSHIP AND FUN.

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Torbay The Board looks back on a successful 2019

- Total membership topped 100 and continues to steadily increase. - The Officers have found quarterly "Cluster Meetings" useful; the sharing of ideas especially speakers suggested. - At General Meetings speakers' topics have been varied. (In Sept Helen flew up and back on the same day on the new domestic service Invercargill/Auckland, to explain about her "Headache Clinic) - Members have enjoyed the outings : two on water (a sedate boat trip round Kaipara Harbour and a speedy ferry trip to Pine Harbour); two related to Nature (sea life at Leigh Marine Laboratory and ornithology at Miranda Shorebird Centre); two indoors ( Chelsea Sugar Works and Ryders Cinema at Avondale) ; and two gardens (Totara Waters exhibiting bromeliads and A La Fois with a beautiful 6.5 acres). - All other activities on offer to members throughout each month have been well supported.

- Revealing 10-minute talks have been given by members - growing up in NZ, trips overseas and how to trap rats (89 and counting)!

- The mid-winter lunch at Brigham Creek brightened up a cool July. For the view over Long Bay beach and fabulous fare a return was made to Vaughn Anglican Retreat for Christmas lunch.

Sunnyhills Combined Christine Rofe (at right) spoke about her experiences sailing around many coral islands in the South Pacific for 5 months during the year 2000 in their 12.6 metre ferro-cement motor sailer, “Tristina”. This trip was in the planning for two years and started with a sailing regatta to the Islands which her husband and two crew members undertook with another 37 boats. The regatta took 7-1/2 days to complete. Christine flew Royal Tongan Airways up to the Islands and met up with the boat from there. She captured the fun of cruising with others, swimming, diving, fishing, Friday night racing in Tonga and some of the incidents they encountered along the way - not the least of this being the coup in Fiji lead by George Speight, a Fijian business man, the weather and the coral lurking beneath the waves. Helen Clark advised New Zealanders to leave the area, but Christine and John felt they were safe enough as they could just up anchor and leave at any time. During their time they visited villages, met the people of the islands and many other sailors.

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Richmond Ladies The September meeting this year was a special occasion as the Richmond Ladies club celebrated their 30-year anniversary. On 3 August 1989 a group met with Rotarians and other Probus Club members from Stoke-Tahunanui and agreed to form the Richmond Ladies Probus Club. On 7 September 1989 the first club meeting was held with President Doreen Taylor welcoming 57 members. The club has functioned successfully for these thirty years, reaching a membership of approximately 120 at its peak and now around 85 members still attend each month. In February 2016 the name was officially changed to Richmond Ladies Friendship Club and became part of the new group, FNZI. Chairman of FNZI, Graeme Pierson, attended their celebrations where all had a great day! President Jeanette had prepared a fun start by secretly donning her ‘royal’ garb and disappearing

to join her “Duke” in a white Rolls Royce behind the building – making a grand entrance to the meeting. She performed “royal” duties as the “Queen” (pictured here) with a speech of congratulations to all, then presenting floral gifts to Life Timers of the club. Most members were decked out in their pearls to follow the “pearl” theme and

were joined by visitors from three other clubs in the area. Committee members had decorated the tables beautifully the night before with pearls and camellias. Jeanette and Graeme cut the cake which was enjoyed along with a celebration morning tea. Lucky draws for two hampers and other small spot prizes were made during the morning. Entertainment provided by Nelson Bays Harmony Chorus rounded off the morning. Many travelled to Pic’s Peanut Butter factory for lunch before Graeme flew back to Christchurch. It was later discovered they had nine Foundation Members (four being Life Timers) still present and these were acknowledged and presented with certificates at our next meeting – giving each of them a big thank you for their commitment over so many years. Foundation members are Margaret Anderson (Life Timer), Dawn Batchelor (Life Timer), June Beattie (Life Timer), Alma Knox (Life Timer), Lorraine Boyer, Royce Eden, Margaret Miller, Dorothy Robinson and Colleen Wilson. Other Life Timers are Val Scowen, Joy Byrne, Ruth Chignell and Edith Tucker. The club is grateful to these Life Timers who have held office over the years and given much of their time to club activities.

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Mt Hobson Ladies The Mt Hobson club visited the Vivian Gallery on 14 March 2019, a lovely sunny day that was perfect for sightseeing and gentle outdoor activities. The Vivian - (www.thevivian.co.nz) is in a rural setting on Omaha Valley Road, a short drive from Matakana. The gallery is constructed to fit into its environment and although at first sight one could mistake the rather severe corrugated iron-clad building for a barn, on entering one sees that it has been cleverly constructed to be multifunctional, serving as office, meeting space, retail outlet/gallery/display and workspace. They were welcomed warmly by the gallery’s manager who gave them a very informative and insightful tour of their current exhibitions, one of which was a collection of small whimsical works by Melbourne artist Nicholas Ives. The indoor gallery also displays jewellery and glass artworks. Everything in the gallery is of very high quality, as measured by international standards, and available for sale.

The Vivian’s large outdoor sculpture ‘gallery’ is the paddock behind the gallery building. Here individual works are well placed and linked by short easy-access pathways. While small and not of a size that could ever realistically be fitted into an urban back yard, each of the outdoor works was very attractive, “interesting” and well displayed. The club’s bus outing to the Vivian, which included a morning tea stop at Warkworth’s Honey Centre, lunch following the gallery visit, and some shopping in Matakana (which has an excellent book shop – a rarity these days!)

provided an enjoyable and highly recommended day out. Note: Gallery displays are changed monthly, so it would pay to enquire what will be on display when planning a visit. Also check that Matakana Village shops will be open!

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Woolston The photo is of the trip co-ordinators and secretary at their last club meeting of the year (L to R; Kath, Virginia and Val). Most members joined in with the meeting theme, plenty of red, green or other jolly outfits. The Woolston Friendship Club has suffered a significant drop in membership over the past few years and has been looking at how they can improve the experience for members and hopefully attract some new members. The addition of 5th Monday in the month events, usually a lunch giving a chance for members to try a different cuisine (Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Indian etc.) has been well supported. The club also continues to run events or trips on the 1st Monday of each month except January and these are generally open to member's friends (BYOF). Many social clubs have a quiet period from early December through to mid-January, yet this can be a time when members would appreciate a chance to get out and socialise. Bearing that in mind, the club decided to go ahead with a 5th Monday lunch in December (30th) which again is being well supported.

Temuka Ladies On 15 October, 39 members of the Temuka Ladies Club - Friendship went on their annual trip away, this year to Waimate. They were looked after by the Waimate Friendship group who provided morning and afternoon teas and then also joined the Temuka Ladies for lunch at the Town and Country Club. Matt Henderson gave them a very comprehensive tour of Waimate taking in the new toilets, Te Kiretoa Homestead, Silo Art, the Waimate Museum, the new sports stadium and Knottingley Park. The day concluded with a very interesting talk by Stu Aubrey who showed his coloured fleeces and the beautiful coloured wool that he gets from his sheep. Even though the weather wasn’t too kind at times it certainly didn’t dampen the enthusiasm and enjoyment had by all.

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Tauherenikau Imaginative Travel is a spinoff of this Club that originated through the initiative of Pat Brown when she was President. It is a no cost casual activity that generally takes place at SWWMC on the second Friday of the month at 1.30pm when they are entertained by someone who has journeyed to some unusual part of the globe. Ed Cooke took them on a journey to the outback mountains of China where he and Juliet went several years ago. Quaint little mountain villages only accessed by river or steep narrow passes that they tramped over with a guide staying nights at little mountain villages. And what scenery - stunning! Leigh Hay who had lived in the Emirates for 10 years gave members a wonderful insight into all the Arab countries surrounding this area. She had worked in trade and travelled extensively throughout the region and entertained members with some very engaging stories. Every now and again club members take off for a day to a part of the Wairarapa and track down people that have done something with their lives, are engaging and have a tale to tell. Recently members travelled to a remote part of Carterton to meet Wendy and discovered a boutique Health and Wellness Centre complete with gymnasium, vibrating chairs, sauna, hot pool and goodness knows what. All nestled in spacious premises in a lovely rural setting. On to Masterton to visit Grant Harding, the Editor of The Times Age. Grant proved to be a very engaging laid-back individual and a storyteller, so it was both an informative and entertaining session. Back out to the country way up Upper Plain Road through some big gates over a bridge up a meandering bush lined drive to emerge at a magnificent palatial home and property where Cathy the hairdresser not only made us welcome but put on a beautiful lunch. It was fascinating to hear how Cathy gave up a $100 per hour legal job for a $28 per hour job as an apprentice hairdresser and her meteoric career as a hairdresser including representing New Zealand in Paris at hairdressing competitions. Cathy has a passion for hairdressing and it really showed. The last speaker of the day was Peter, an unconventional Englishman with a flair for business. If you would believe Peter, opportunities just fell at his feet - there was absolutely no planning. He was extremely entertaining full of fun and finished the day off nicely.