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This very popular annual event took place once again at Carey Baptist College, and featured a speaker
from Forest and Bird.
People were greeted at the door by two red-dressed ladies who gave out name
tags at a similarly dressed table. There were a few other people mysteriously dressed in red amongst
the 50-odd guests as the mix-and-mingle began at 6pm to a background of pan flute music from a radio
sitting on the Forest and Bird display table.
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At 6:30pm we sat down to a yummy smorgasbord of ham, chicken and vegies, with all the “reds” dining
at one table with a matching tablecloth. A dessert of trifle and lemon pie followed to ensure tummies
were full and well satisfied.
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Afterwards we went into the chapel to listen to our guest speaker David Pattemore from Forest and
Bird give a powerpoint presentation about Auckland Naturally - Conservation in New Zealand’s largest
city. The challenges we face in Auckland are protecting our sea water, fresh water and forest habitat,
and biosecurity - today every single container arriving in the port of Auckland is thoroughly inspected
for unwanted pests. Forest and Bird is New Zealand’s oldest and one of the largest conservation groups.
Auckland has three large forest areas - Waitakere Ranges, Hunua Ranges and the Hauraki Gulf islands,
and there are numerous restoration groups throughout the Auckland region, and there is a need to co-ordinate
these projects. New initiatives David mentioned included the Motu Kaikoura Trust that looks after Kaikoura
Island off Great Barrier Island, the Creation Crisis and Conservation Conference, and the Northwest Wildlink
between Tiritiri Matangi Island at Waitakere Ranges being a string of bush reserves running between the
two places. His challenge to us is - where do WE naturally fit?
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We went straight into the AGM following David’s speech. The Annual Report was handed out while a
slideshow of photos taken on Club trips over the past 12 months was presented on Club president Phillip’s
laptop. Election of the new Executive followed - the four officers (president, vice-president, secretary
and treasurer) by confidence vote, and the seven committee members by secret ballot from a pool of eleven
nominations. Phillip then gave a powerpoint presentation of the results of a Club members’ survey done
earlier in the year, before David K led us in some singing - most of the predominantly middle-aged group
remembered such songs as Quartermaster’s Stores, My Hat Has Three Corners and Never Let Your Braces
Dangle from younger days at places like Ponui crusader camps or scouts.
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Roger gave a brief talk about a leadership training track he is developing for the Club, where members
can take a series of training modules in things such as first aid, equipment and people management to
qualify as accredited trip leaders. Geoff, the membership secretary, gave a brief speech on Club membership,
which stands at about 140 at present, before Paul spoke on the forthcoming summer trip to Canterbury.
We then stood to sing Walking in the Bush to a CD by Chris Skinner.
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It was about 10:15pm when we went back into the dining room for supper - but the supper was not for
our stomachs, it was for our smiles and laughs as Linda dressed as Dame Edna Everidge gave out calendars
and lollies to the red-clad gang of possies, two of whom did a dance around the floor to the strains
of disco music. The new executive came forward to finish the evening with Show Me The Way To Go Home.
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