How wonderful it was to see so many of you again.

 

It was indeed such a special evening to have a get together after 4 months of zoom and phone calls.

I do want to acknowledge all those who made it happen. Mike Abercrombie for organising the venue for us, and taking care of the Covid requirements, those helpers who supported Mike and the ever well organised Pat Abercrombie to get the space so well set up before we arrived. Bill, as our sergeant for keeping the evening ticking over and making sure it was, as was the intention, an evening of fun and companionship, John Savory for organising the raffles and Christmas crackers for the table, Harjit for supplying some additional nibbles for everyone, and of course Jim Duckworth for his very special Birthday/Christmas cake. How great is that, that Jim has looked after the cake to make sure we had it for tonight. I know so many others helped in different ways, please accept my thanks for the special help you provided.

While it has been a very interrupted year, I can only say again that we can be justifiably proud of how we have kept together as a club.

 

The sign in for our Zoom meetings has been very special and a great deal has been going on quietly behind the scenes. The club’s generosity has been quite outstanding financially with the generous contribution to the Fiji Covid Appeal, the End Polio Now Appeal and more recently to the All Saints Christmas Lunch Box Appeal (thank you Carole for managing this for us), a huge response for which All Saints is extremely grateful. Alongside the financial contribution club members have also been packing food boxes for the Salvation Army, and will be packing Christmas Boxes for All Saints next week. The club handbook, as a working document, has been updated to include our Covid statement and work is under way to better match up the Bye Laws with our now day to day operations. The Coms committee have kept us and the community informed and it is great to see such a well-presented Keyway, the impact of Face Book and we even have a small following on Instagram !!!The community knows we are here and we are engaged with our community.

 

The Programme has been an ongoing work in progress with many changes to fit with the Zoom type meetings and contact already made with some great speakers for next year.

 

Thanks too, to Ian Fox for keeping the Coffee Group going via Zoom, then in the park and finally back to Tea and Coffee Time where we were greeted with joy by the owner!!

And so finally thank you all for your support and for the work you continue to do for the club and for the community.

 

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, you all so deserve it, and I look forward to seeing you all again on 11th January, hopefully at the Howick Club. It will be a social meeting, possibly Petanque, with a Board meeting on the 18th January and our first formal meeting on 25th January 2022.More details to come in the New Year.

Nga mihi nui, thank you very much.
Kia tupato, kia noho haumaru Take care, stay safe.

Madeleine East MNZM
President.