Welcome to the December President Column. The busy schedule of the Club continues and I’ve been out on two tramps recently : the first to Waiopehu hut and the second on a maintenance trip to Paua hut. This is the final President Column for 2022 and I would like to say thank you to all of many people who have contributed to the Club this year. This includes members of the Committee, the Lodge team, trip leaders, people who have helped in the gear room and with hosting of meetings plus people on the emergency contact roster. With such a large Club we need lots of people to help out and this year I have been pleased to see so many people willing to help out with the running of the Club.
Membership System
David, the Club’s membership officer, has been working hard to introduce a new membership database/system. This is being rolled out early in the new year. This new system will make the membership system more efficient and will reduce the workload on the membership officer and others in the Committee. The new system will allow members to see a directory of other members (this is an opt-in option) and allows member to update their personal information and control what others can view. The reliability and security of the membership system will also be improved. For people who are not able to use an online system there will also be manual processes available. In due course this membership system will also be used for signing-up for Club activities.
Volunteers
We are always looking for people to help out with Club activities. Sarah, our emergency contact organiser, is looking for people to be the emergency contact person. This role is essential for the safe running of Club activities. If you would like more information and/or to volunteer to be on the roster please contact Sarah :
We are also looking for people willing to help out in the gear room and with hosting of Club meetings. There is a roster for both of these roles so it’s not a weekly commitment. Please contact me for details.
We will be looking for new people to serve on the Committee for next year. Please think about this as it’s a way for you to become more involved with the Club and a real way to make changes to how the Club functions. We are having a volunteer evening on 1 March 2023 but you can also get in touch with me for more information.
Committee
The Committee is working with the people from the Lodge to make improvements to the running and medium to long term viability of the Lodge. We will be starting to invest some Club money so we can make a positive return on our money to help pay for Lodge maintenance.
The Committee is also looking at changing the structure of the Committee to make the running of the Club more efficient. This is in the early stages of planning at the moment but we are hoping to have the new structure in-place for approval at the AGM in April.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been able to get out on at least one Club trip per month this year. This has allowed me to be visible to Club members and also see all of the positive aspects of belonging to our Club : the exercise, cameraderie, chance to visit new places, the benefits to physical and mental health.
I hope you all have a chance to relax over the festive season and all the best for the new year.
Tony