The Annual General Meeting is on this coming Wednesday, April 6th, and at that meeting we will elect a new committee. I want to pay tribute to the people who are standing down from committee; Michael Lightbourne, who has produced the Newsletter for almost 6 years, Jenny Beaumont, our Membership Officer for the last 2 years, and Melissa Hewson, who has been our Assistant Chief Guide for the last 18 months. All 3 of them have made a massive contribution to the running of the club, and will be badly missed. I am very pleased to report that Sarah Young will be our new Newsletter Editor, Richard Lardner will take over as Assistant Chief Guide, and Helen Law will become Membership Officer. I know these new committee members will do a great job. We still have a vacancy for up to 2 Vice Presidents, so let me know if you are keen, or know of someone who would be good for that role.
At the AGM, we will also be nominating a new life member of the club, so come along to find out who it is!
This is my final column as president, I’m off to live in Auckland in early May. While I am glad to be free of the demands of the role, I am sad to be leaving the club, and the many good friends I have made over the last 6 years. I have had many, many great experiences with WT&MC, two that stand above the others are climbing Mt Taranaki in March 2009 (and camping overnight on the summit), and the epic South Island trip of 2007/8. But I can’t
remember a trip that I didn’t enjoy in some way, and there are only a few people who I wouldn’t want to go tramping with again. ☺
I am delighted that Sharron Came will be taking over from me as president, many of you will know Sharron, and how much she does for the club already. I know she will do a great job and I hope you will support her fully. The role of president is a difficult and challenging one at times, and members don’t realise just how much work is involved, so please make sure Sharron knows that her hard work is appreciated by you!
I’m aware that as I leave the club, the numbers of people going on trips, attending club nights, and joining up as new members is declining. While this seems to be part of an overall trend nationwide among clubs of all sorts, it is clear that we need to do things differently, and this will be a challenge for the incoming committee. I hope you will support them by helping out the club as much as you are able to.
At heart, this is a great club with a long history, and I am confident that we will recover from this temporary drop in activity quickly.
I want to thank everyone who has helped me out while I have been president, in particular I want to single out a few people; Steve Austin, Sue Walsh, and Roger Bolam.
Darren Hammond