Welcome to the August President Column. The Tramping Club has had another good month and I’ve maintained my at least one Club trip per month. I went on a day trip lead by Jacqui to Smith Creek Shelter via the old Dobson hut site. We enjoyed a chilly but sunny day to the Southern part of the Tararua range. There is some lovely bush on this route and we had a pleasant lunch stop by the Tauherenikau river. We have regular day trips on the schedule and these are good ways to get out into the hills, keep fit, keep active with the Club but still have time for other activities during a weekend. During July we nine trips went ahead with 41 people participating. Hopefully as we head into better weather there will be less trips cancelled allowing more people to get into the hills.
Tramping Clubs
Over recent times I have been thinking about tramping clubs and our Club in particular. I’m a firm believer in the benefits of belonging to a tramping club. By belonging to the WTMC you have easy access to expertise of leaders, the Committee and wider Club which helps with the safe and enjoyable running of our trips.
We have a van and dedicated Transport Officer (James) which makes getting to/from roadends easy and economical. The Club owns gear such as billies, tent flies, PLBs, first-aid kits and alpine equipment. These items are essential for safely getting into and out of the hills and mountains. As these items are provided by the Club we don’t have to buy this gear ourselves.
Part of belonging to a tramping club is the chance to develop friendships with other club members. As well as trips most weekends we have regular social gatherings (Club meetings) where we can catch up with people who we have been tramping or mountaineering with. Maintaining regular social connections is an important part of keeping in good mental health.
Our Club also has a scholarship fund which members can apply to for funding to help pay for outdoor courses. In the past people have received funding for courses such as avalanche safety and pack-rafting. I’m fully supportive of the scholarship fund as this helps the Club member personally but also in-turn helps other Club members and the Club itself as we have people with more expertise and knowledge leading our trips. If you would like more information about the scholarship fund please see https://wtmc.org.nz/training/scholarships/.
Upcoming Trips
As usual we have an excellent range of trips coming up in the near future. There are tramps planned to the Tararua and Ruahine Forest Parks. We also have some alpine and ski trips planned. There is also another day trip (the Zelandia fenceline track) plus a leadership course being run by Chief Guide Anne and assisted by Tash. I’ve signed up to the PizzHistoric glamping trip to Holdsworth later this month. I’m so pleased to see such a varied and active schedule – we really are so lucky in our Club that we have people willing to lead such great trips. I urge you to sign-up for something so you can continue to benefit from being a part of our Club.
Upcoming Meetings
Our schedule of regular Club meetings continues. We are holding a Bake Off competition on the 24th of August. Bring along your home-cooked tramping related treats for what promises to be a fun evening. Please see https://wtmc.org.nz/event/wtmc-bake-off-2/ for more information. I always find the guest speakers at the meetings to be interesting so come along to support the guest speakers.
75th Anniversary
Meredith, Jo and Gina continue to work on the arrangements for the Club’s 75th Anniversary celebrations in the week of 4-6 November. There will be a dinner at the James Cook hotel on Friday 4 November and then an easy social tramp to Paua Hut on the Saturday followed by a BBQ on the Sunday. Please contact anniversary@wtmc to register your interest or to offer to help during the anniversary weekend. Invitations to these events will be going out shortly.
Final words
Thanks for reading my column. I hope this has given you an update on what we are up to in the Club. Hopefully you will be able to participate in some of the activities coming up soon.
If you have any comments please contact me