Introducing the 2013 WTMC committee

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This being the fCom 1irst newsletter for the 2013 WTMC committee, we thought it fitting to introduce ourselves:

Sharron Came, President
My job is to ensure our club is well run and members are inspired to make the most of New Zealand’s fabulous natural environment through participating in our cool outdoor group activities and indoor social events.
I’ve been a member since 2004. I joined WTMC to do the alpine instruction course. I’ve stuck around because of the people.  WTMC is a quirky community of members who don’t take themselves too seriously and share similar values along with a passion for outdoor adventures.

 
Amanda Wells, Vice PresidentCom 2
I’m the Vice President and support Sharron in her role as President. I’m running the bushcraft and leadership instruction courses, and am keen to make sure we provide a welcoming, inspiring and safe environment to newcomers.

I’ve been a member of WTMC since 2005 and am passionate about tramping and how it’s changed my life – and about the chance to give back to the community that is WTMC.

 
Com 3Mike Phethean, Chief Guide
I have been tramping for a few years and more recently have enjoyed the odd spot of mountaineering. As I am new to the committee I am a little in awe of the whole process but hope to help out. I will be focusing on supporting new and existing trip leaders and encouraging more people to sign up as trip leaders.  I will also focus on reducing, where possible, the work load in organising a trip.

Debbie Buck, Assistant Chief GuideCom 4
I’m here to help the Chief Guide put together the trip schedule, encourage members to put their names down to lead trips and then provide trip sheets for people to sign up for exciting trips.

I’ve been an active WTMC member since 2011. I decided to become a committee member to contribute to keeping WTMC great for current and future members.

WTMC is an awesome club for anyone who wants to explore NZ’s wild places, share inspiring outdoor adventures with like-minded others and learn (or instruct) new outdoor skills.

Com 5 Richard Lardner, Transport Officer

I’m the Transport Officer which means I look after the club vans and allocate them to trips. I will ensure there is enough space in the vans to get WTMC trampers to their road end (and out again!)

I’ve been a member of the club since 2009

Mike Gilbert, General committee Com 6

I organise the family tramping faction of the club, as well as making sure the website is running smoothly and sharply.

I have been a club member since 1994, but took a 10 year overseas sabbatical and re-joined in 2007.  I love how the club has such a wide range of members from all ages, walks of life, fitness levels and adventurousness, and that it’s got something to offer all of them.

Com 7 David Heffernan, Promotions Officer

I have been a club member since 2012, and joined the committee a couple of months ago with responsibility for promotions.  I am in charge of organising the new members’ nights each year, responding to enquiries from those who learn about us from our website, and generally helping out with the work of the other webby people.

I like how the club has members who have such a diverse set of skills, and I hope to get into more instructional stuff over the winter.  In addition to leading a few trips over the winter schedule I am looking forward to tagging along on some of the navigation and alpine trips and trying to get a bit more out of my comfort zone.

Sue Walsh, Social ConvenorCom 8

I’ve been with the club since 1991 and have previously been on committee in a number of different roles. After a wee break I’m back in the role of Social Convenor. In a nutshell, to me the Social Convenor is the very public face of the tramping club and is there to ensure we have presentations every Wednesday night.  This is done by encouraging club members and external speakers to talk about their adventures and outdoor passions showcasing their photography.  The Social Convenor also ensures that the very important tea/coffee and biscuits are put out on time at the start of each evening.

Com 9Sarah Young, Newsletter editor

I arrived in Wellington in May 2005 and started tramping with WTMC in the first week of my being here.  I have met some of my best friends, including my husband, through the club.  Going on trips with WTMC is a great way to meet people, make friends, see NZ and get fit!

I have been editing the WTMC newsletter for two years now, publishing stories of what you all get up to in the bush. I helped set up the current club website, and continue to edit content and look after the information architecture and usability of the site.

Helen Law, Membership OfficerCom 10

I have been a member for 6 years now and love the variety of activities the club has to offer.  I especially like meeting different people and go away on trips together, who all share the same interest of being in the outdoors.

As membership officer, I ensure all new members get their membership application considered at committee meeting, and notify the applicant of the committee decision.

Throughout the year, and when advised, I ensure all changes to members status and contact details are up to date on our database.  Then at end of each year I send out subscription invoices and friendly reminders if payment not received by the due date.