with Aunty Rata
Kia ora fellow trampers
The end of the year is nigh and my focus on sharing recipes with you is also starting to wane.
Mostly this is because thanks to the efforts of Megan Sety, Illona Keenan, Kevin Cole, Amanda Wells, Steve Austin and the rest of the team the Club now has an online collection of recipes. Go to the WTMC website and click on “publications” in the main menu and you will find the link to the recipes. Any feedback is most welcome as are fresh recipes or new twists on old favourites. In the New Year I may stray into tramping baking. I’m on the hunt for that elusive bomb proof recipe for Tararua biscuits.
While you are out in the hills over the holiday period, reflecting on the year that was and speculating on what 2011 will bring, spare a thought for WTMC. Lots of us will be on Xmas trips with other Club members, people who we met through the Club and we now count as our mates. We all get lots out of the Club whether it be shared transport, new friends, new skills and experiences, great photos and memories, cheap gear hire or blisters. Clubs like ours only survive and thrive if the people in them share the many tasks involved in keeping the ship sailing.
What are you going to contribute in 2011?
Here are my starters for 10:
- Lead a trip or two – great way to practice new skills and meet new people
- Encourage friends and acquaintances to come and join the Club – this is a great way to share the load of running the Club and to bring on board new people with different skills and experiences. Also, the more people who join the easier it is to keep costs down.
- Volunteer to help out on the front desk on Wednesday nights or in the back room supervising gear hire and return – this is a great way to meet new people and learn about the Club and our supply of gear. Check out the ice hammers – awesome! 4 Offer to do a slideshow or organise a social event – great way to ensure Wednesday nights are interesting and to practice your public speaking. It is dark and you don’t have to look at the audience because you are behind them. You get to choose the biscuits.
- More at home not dealing with people face to face? Maybe you would like to collect trip statistics or help out as a Club contact person for trips – great way to find out what is going on without having to talk to anyone.
- If you are an experienced outdoors type you may be able to help out with the Club instruction courses such as Bushcraft, Snowcraft and the Leadership course or help organise external providers to run courses such as outdoor first aid. If so, the Chief Guide and/or Assistant Chief Guide would love to hear from you.
- Write up your trips for the Club newsletter or journal (plus photos of course)– great way to hone your creative writing skills and ensure there is a lasting record of your cool trip told from your perspective.
- Learn to drive the Club vans and run the Club Lodge – these are fun and practical ways to contribute to the smooth running of the Club. We always need competent drivers to occupy our special heated and padded driving seats and people who are experienced in the art of allocating bunks and delegating toilet cleaning and washing up to people hanging out in our palatial batch up at Ruapehu
- If you like meetings or want to get experience working in groups there are lots of groups the WTMC is represented on or could be – from the Whakapapa ski field hut committee to the FMC. There is also a Tararua huts committee I believe or something similar. There are also several sub-committees that report to the Club Committee – great way to contribute in a specialised area such as Lodge administration and getting our trips organised each week. A natural groupie? Talk to someone on the Committee. 10 Perhaps leadership and getting stuff done is your thing or you think it could be. We are always looking for diligent, hardworking, resilient, smart people with lots of enthusiasm and bright ideas to go onto the Club Committee and the global search for a new President will commence in 2011.
Have a safe and enjoyable summer break. Make sure you come back refreshed and relaxed. 2011 presents lots of great opportunities.