It is my pleasure to produce this report for the Highlights newsletter.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING:

A successful Annual General Meeting was held in the Remuera Golf Club on 21 August last. It was nice to see the number of people who attended and both myself and fellow Councillors were grateful for the kind and friendly manner with which we were received. It was very good to see three members of the East Hamilton Club driving up to Auckland to attend and take an active part in proceedings.

With regards to the two remits that were before the meeting, the remit relating to the time schedule for elections was carried however the other remits were defeated. I thank the Paremata Socius club for presenting their remits which were debated and as a result of information received by Council, this matter will be brought up next year when the new legislation should be in place.

ELECTION OF COUNCILLORS:

The Returning Officer for FNZI, Pauline Lawrence has recently sent out to clubs in Districts D10, D30, D40 and D80, nominations for Councillors for these Districts. Sadly, Bryan McKenzie from District 30 and Tony Newton will not be standing so new members are required for these two positions.

Hopefully a member will be found for District 10 which has been without a Councillor for some time. If any member wishes to consider offering themselves for Election and require further information, please contact Councillors or myself for information as to what is required for these positions. These days Councillors speak positively about the experience of contributing to the oversight of Friendship Clubs throughout New Zealand.

GENERAL MATTERS:

The Council is concerned that although subscriptions were due for payment after 30 April, there are some 14 clubs who have not paid. The Council members would appreciate if those clubs in default paid their dues as soon as possible.

I would like to thank my fellow Councillors for the support and assistance at the AGM. My job has been made easier by the manner in which we have formed a good team that is able to assist clubs readily and efficiently when required. Thanks also to our Administrator, Rosemarie, not only for her duties as scribe at the meeting, but all the papers that were required for the meeting.

At this time, I would like to thank Peter McEniery for his assistance making the arrangements for the accommodation for Councillors, venue and travel assistance. Our thanks also go to members of the St Johns Remuera Friendship Club for their assistance as Greeters etc at the AGM venue.

Graeme Pierson Chairman FNZI
28 August 2019

Webmaster's Corner

Some of you will have noticed in the past, when logging in at our website, that your browser (the programme you use to access the internet) gave warnings that “this website is not secure”, or something similar. Some of you queried me in the past and my response always was that we “are not the Bank of England” so we have little to worry about (in terms of internet security; we wish we had the money!).

Now things have changed. Online security is rapidly becoming more complex (because of the bad guys) and defence more important. There is now an international effort to make all websites secure by providing free encryption of data traffic from and to a website. We have recently installed this, and you will not see any of these annoying messages anymore.

You will notice that in the address bar of your browser our website address is now https://fnzi.nz instead of http://fnzi.nz. So, there is an “s” after http. Most browsers also show a little padlock icon next to the address, which also indicates that our website is now secure. What this means is that when you login, your username and password are encrypted and thus cannot easily be deciphered anymore. If anyone had “stolen” that information in the past, they could have done very little with it, so it was never a high priority for us anyway. As I said, we are not a bank.

There are various levels of security, but the version we have is quite enough. Your bank for instance will have the highest level of internet security, although the only thing you see is only the “https” in their address.

Internet banking
Talking about online banking, I have some advice that has nothing to do with the above but may be useful anyway. I am aware that many, in our age group in particular, are afraid to use the online banking that all banks now provide. And rightly so, because if someone else has access to your online account, they can steal your money with a few clicks. But that does not mean that internet banking is inherently unsafe. Far from it, although there are differences between banks.
(In comparison, I find ATM machines very unsafe and I avoid them like the plague. Go to your bank when you need cash).

I use internet banking all the time and couldn’t live without it. The key however is to keep your login details safe.
Some simple rules:
1. ONLY access your bank account from one computer in your home (not a phone). NEVER do this in the library or any other public place. Not even from your own laptop when you are using a public Wi-Fi.
2. Browser programmes often ask if you want to save the password, which is very helpful if you have many different logins at different websites (like me, and I couldn’t live without it either). but NEVER save your password for your banking login. If someone has infiltrated your computer (via the internet), they may be able to find those saved passwords, so never save any password that is really important.

I know the login details for my bank accounts by heart. If you do not fully trust your memory, then write it on a piece of paper but keep that somewhere hidden near that computer. Banks in New Zealand now have additional levels of security when logging in besides just a username or account number and a password. This may differ between banks and these systems get more sophisticated all the time.

Erik Vermaat, webmaster fnzi.nz

From the Administrator’s Desk

I was privileged to be invited by the FNZI Council to attend the 5th Annual General Meeting of Friendship New Zealand Incorporated (FNZI) held recently in Auckland. My visit to Auckland from my home in North Canterbury provided the opportunity for me to meet with the FNZI Councillors and representatives of the FNZI Friendship clubs who attended the meeting.

Chatting with officers and members from the various clubs represented was especially enjoyable, particularly as I have had considerable phone and email contact with many in recent years. It was great to put faces to names! Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I was unable to meet all who attended the AGM and this is regretted.

Council prior to start of AGM (at right)

The preparations leading up to the AGM kept me busy over recent weeks however, it is expected that once the minutes from the AGM are finalised and available on the FNZI website my focus will be on completing formal acknowledgement to member clubs of their affiliation fee payments for the 2019 – 2020 year.

To ensure that club members remain covered under the FNZI insurances and receive the benefits provided, I encourage any club which has not yet paid their FNZI Affiliation Fees to do so. The 2019 – 2020 payment form is available for downloading from the FNZI website, https://fnzi.nz Please contact me should you require the form to be emailed to you.

Recently I have received enquiries from various branch offices of Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) regarding updating of their records. In view of these enquiries I suggest that club secretaries contact their local CAB to ensure that the records for their club are current and correct. Having a listing on the CAB database will help promote your club and assist with the recruitment of new members.

Sincerely
Rosemarie Shaw  

AGM Attendees above: L-R Val Simpson (Mt Hobson Ladies), Fern Mackenzie (Henderson Falls) Peter McEniery (D20 Councillor) and Barbara Cantle (Henderson Falls)

New Plymouth Mens

A group of 25 members of the New Plymouth Friendship Club were given a guided tour of the new Powerco’s Network Operations Centre recently. This $5 million complex is designed to withstand a one in 2,500-year earthquake and is one of only two in Taranaki, the other being at Taranaki Base Hospital.The visitors were split into four groups and given detailed explanations of the work of the NOC teams by Network Operations manager Phil Marsh, Network co-ordination manager Dean Stevenson,

Network release and reporting manager, Jo Frederick and Electricity switching co-ordinator, Haden Power. Club secretary Barry Dryden said the members were impressed with the new facility and the level of technology available. 

“We appreciate the opportunity to visit the complex and everyone now has a better appreciation of the work involved in managing Powerco’s network,” he said.

Customer and communications manager, Oli Vincent, said it was great to share a bit about Powerco’s history, focus for the future and the challenges of managing the network.
“This is the first time we have welcomed members of the community to our new facility which is a great engagement opportunity,” he said. “If anyone else in Powerco is approached by community groups interested in finding out more about what we do, please let the Customer and
Communication team know.”

(Acknowledgement: Peter Bingham, PowerCo Communications Advisor, for photographs and article.)

Above: Michael Reid and Joanne Frederick from Powerco explain release planning to members of the New Plymouth Men's Friendship Club.

Woolston

The Woolston Club recently went to the Toy Factory in Christchurch which was really a museum full of fascinating toys from long ago. It is expanding all the time and is planning to move to larger premises fairly soon.

Tairua

Keith Upton, the Outings Co-ordinator has been hard at work and has not only organised a weekly movie night, but also trips to Auckland and Tauranga to see shows and as far afield as Rotorua for adventure activities. Above is the Canopy Tour and below a harbour cruise. 

Rangiora Ladies

This club’s 33rd birthday celebrations took on a slightly different theme when the local Red Cross shop let them select clothing items from the local store and committee members were the models for a parade.

Committee members also provided a beautiful morning tea and the birthday cake was cut by one of their older, Nancy Walker (at right), who was a member of the first committee.

It was a lovely morning enjoyed by all with a lot of laughs along the way.

Sumner Redcliffs

On 1 July around thirty members from the Sumner/Redcliffs Friendship Club headed into the Chateau on the Park hotel in Christchurch for a mid-winter Christmas celebration.

The day was very cool and grey, almost drizzling – a great day to be heading out to lunch with a group of friends. While some members travelled by car, Sumner have a community van which groups can hire for events, so their President became a chauffeur for the day.

The dining area is large with views on one side out to the garden and lawn area. On the other side the view was of a large pond with plants and water features – all very relaxing. Conversation was non-stop throughout the meal which lifted everybody’s spirits on such a gloomy day.

The main course choices were between slow roasted pork belly, grilled chicken, beef mignons, or crumbed dory. All meals were served with seasonal vegetables. People commented about the delicious hot food and table service which was great.

Dessert was a choice between crème brulee and traditional Christmas pud with brandy sauce. Most people chose to have dessert so obviously diets were left at home.

Everybody left the venue in good spirits as the dining room had been a hive of activity and conversation for the two hours we were there - all appreciating the lovely food and wonderful atmosphere.

Devon Ladies

On 27 June, Devon Ladies Friendship Club held their mid-winter lunch at the Westend Bowling Club which was attended by 52 members. The tables had been beautifully decorated the day before by some of the Committee members. They enjoyed a beautiful lunch followed by apple crumble and were then treated to a very amusing skit done by Club members entitled “A Broadcasting Fruit Salad.  The ladies dressed up as a musician, cook, bus driver, nurse and a broadcaster.

From left to right are: Hazel Stevens, Glenys Horsfall, Glenys Capstick, President Colleen Baird (nurse) and June Jamieson.

Te Puke

The Te Puke Friendship Club with a membership of 84 members recently celebrated 36 years since the club was formed by having a luncheon at the Oak Tree restaurant in Tauranga. There was a good turnout of members and Club President Barbara Bishop was pleased to welcome several ex-members and partners to the gathering as well. Members enjoyed a good catch up with old friends.

The club has been fortunate to have hosted a number of very good speakers over the past year, covering topics such as:
- Workplace Drug and alcohol testing— Penny Penaro from Resultz Group
- Bay of Plenty Rugby Union organisation—Pat Rae Referee Manager
- Around the world in 90 days—Pat Webb, Girl Guide LeaderAustralasia’s first woman firefighter—Annie Barrie, Firefighter
- The Acorn Foundation—Margo McCool
- Zero Waste Network—Marty Hoffart
- Fashion Parade organised by Lynettes of Te Puke

Talks from members have been very interesting - hearing what they have done in their lives and careers before retirement.

Kawerau

The Kawerau Club were invited to participate in a Mini Expo recently, and it turned out to be a very worthwhile day as they acquired several new members as a result.

Kawerau & Districts Aging in Place Inc (KADAP Inc) and the Waterwheel Historic Trust jointly hosted the day to showcase organisations that have a focus on activities and services for Senior Citizens in Kawerau.

It has been noted that although there is a good range of clubs, groups, organisations, service providers, amenities and activities available here in town, people are not always aware of what each group offers or how they can be accessed.

The day brought together approximately 30 different clubs including, travel, keep fit, musical, dance, interest and social groups. There was no charge or cost to participants to showcase their organisation and no cost to the public to attend. Approximately 250 people attended and were able to gather promotional material and talk to a representative of any of the groups present.

Kamo

The Kamo Friendship Club is a club for men living in the northern part of Whangarei City. They currently have 54 members and meet on the second Wednesday of each month (except January), when they enjoy the usual ‘cuppa’ and speakers

In addition to this, on the third Wednesday for 10 months of the year and weather permitting, a number of members and partners meet at 9.30am to enjoy a leisurely ramble along one of the many tracks and walkways that abound in and around Whangarei. Although a count has never been officially kept, it is possible that some 100 plus rambles have been organised over recent years. Lasting for 1-2 hours, a leisurely pace is set and places of historical, botanical or geological interest are enjoyed.

Highlights of each ramble are the barbecued sausages, coffee or tea and sometimes even muffins/Anzac biscuits at the end of the trek. The instigator and organiser of the rambles is life member PF (Mick) Collier who does a remarkable job with his interesting and varied choice of venues. Gathering around the barbecue enables members to chat and to enjoy additional leisure time together.

Maori Hill

Last year the Club decided to try a different format to the regular monthly trip: one month a coffee morning at a local café, the next month a trip usually followed by lunch together, and the third month a movie. This has proven to be very successful and members are encouraged to bring partners and /or friends to the movie outings.  Earlier this year they enjoyed a trip to Woodside Manor and were treated to the most amazing eclectic collections ranging from vintage cars, buildings, china, furniture and even part of the former Pixietown - still in working order! The first pixies were created in the 1930’s and produced in a Nelson factory before they were sold to the Dunedin DIC department store in the 1950’s where they were a Christmas attraction for about 40 years until the store closed in the early 1990’s. They are now part of a display in the Otago Settlers Museum.

The movie outing in April was “Daffodils” at the Metro- a trip back to the 1950’s and in May they had their annual preview of fashion, courtesy of Farmers (and many members were seen in the store afterwards).

In June they visited OCHO, the craft chocolate factory established after the closure of Cadbury’s. Their business continues to grow, and it was interesting to be shown a video, taken on a tour of the factory and then treated to tastings of the different chocolate produced.
Club membership is steady at 90 with new members most meetings and the club prides itself on providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Te Rapa

Thirteen club members attended a mid-winter trip to the Waikato Museum to see the “CUT! Costume & The Cinema” exhibition. They were fortunate to have a commentary from Heather Hamilton, the Education Officer for the Museum, who walked members around this excellent exhibition which had secured the exclusive rights to the collection. The costumes are works of art - from Jane Eyre’s wedding dress and veil to Johnny Depp’s, Jack Sparrow costume. Members delighted at the individual gorgeous fabrics, woven, sewn, embroidered into costumes designed for stage and screen stars of the age. They then retreated to ‘The Bank’ for an excellent lunch hoping to visit more exhibitions at this first-class Museum as they are presented.

Heather De Groen spoke to members about the work undertaken aboard the “Hope Africa” medical ship and of her experiences working as a nurse onboard this ship when it was in Madagascar. Many words can be used to describe her experiences - demanding, sophisticated, wonderful, amazing, emotional and to some, gruesome.

The overall message though was the joy and delight of the patients was never more so than on the face of a young lad who had major surgery on both his knees and was able to stand up and walk albeit on crutches for the first time.
Heather stayed on for lunch and a number of members enjoyed talking to her on a more casual basis.

The Club has since received a lovely message from Africa Mercy thanking them for their donation to provide support in bringing healing and hope to the people of West Africa through the Mercy Ship Project.

Otaki

Recently Sir Jon Trimmer and Roger Booth were guest speakers at the Otaki Club where they spoke about a recently published book celebrating Sir Jon’s dance career.

Sir Jon Trimmer is a Kapiti, Wellington, and New Zealand dance legend. His timespan and durability are unique in world ballet. This is his story covering –

• The fledging years of NZ Ballet with Poul Gnatt and Russell Kerr
• His training in London’s Royal Ballet School
• His international performing with Sadler’s Wells, Australian Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet
• Performing alongside Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev
• His long faithful vigil alongside his dancing wife Lady Jacqui with Royal New Zealand Ballet
• How did he leap so high?
• How on earth did his body keep up with such constant physical demands?
• How did he reinvent himself as a character performer?

Takapuna

Members recently celebrated a mid-year Christmas lunch at Cheltenham Beach, Auckland.

Above are: Catherine Martelli, Judy Murray, Jill Nicholson, Jan Newman, President Sandra Thompson and Secretary Marie Green.

Also attending were: L-R Wendy and Peter Dempsey with David (Life member) and Elizabeth Thomson.

Sunnyhills Combined

Local resident Lynn Kidd was the guest speaker at Sunnyhills recently. Lynn is the guru on “I am Sorted” – useful information to guide people through getting their personal affairs – health, finances and legal matters all documented and up to date for someone to take over when they are no longer able to manage their affairs.

Lynn has written a workbook on this important ‘housekeeping’ topic which is available through email – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Paremata Socius

On a very wet and windy day members made the trip up to Wrights Hill Fortress which is a counter bombardment coastal artillery battery in the Karori suburb of Wellington built between 1942 and 1947.

Going through the tunnels was a very sobering and thought provoking for members. These tunnels are very dark, wet and cold. at one stage the tour guide turned the lights off, which left members thinking they had ever been in such a dark place.

Carterton

Carterton’s committee - they are front left to right: -
Judy Pawson, Heather Crawford, Vivienne Hawken (Secretary), Rob Weaver (President), Jeanne Emery, Maureen Leach, Jennie Spink, Lesley Leckie, Ian Ward (Treasurer).

Tasman Bay

Most people followed the events of the Nelson fires through the newspapers and TV, but none fully appreciated the full extent of the massive co-ordination and logistics effort that went on in the background to bring the fire under control. This was the main thrust of the talk delivered by Ian Reade, Principal Rural Fire Officer for Nelson Tasman. Ian explained how the weather and ground fuel conditions crated the high fire risk situation leading up to the first fire, then walked the members through the subsequent events as they unfolded.

The fire authorities are constantly looking at new ways to improve their ability to respond to wildfires. Drones are now used at night to gather data and this information is passed onto the ground crews the next morning. The purchase of a larger fixed wing aircraft with a much greater water carrying capacity is also being considered. Having heavy machinery loaded on transporters ready to go over long weekends (during period of high fire danger) could improve the response time. However, as Ian pointed out, the focus needs to be on fire prevention.

The Nelson/Marlborough Forest Industry Working Group has now put in place ‘Fire Prevention Guidelines. Businesses who activities have the potential to start forest fires (roadside mowers, agricultural disking, etc) can now readily access updates on the current fire danger status. These guidelines also include a range of fire danger codes which determine the amount of fire-fighting equipment needed on site and the hours that can be worked.

Fitzroy Ladies

The Fitzroy Ladies Friendship Club celebrated midwinter this July by enjoying a delicious morning tea with a Scottish theme. A raffle was run with two winners from each table gaining a potted cyclamen. Some members wore kilts, tartan scarves or Scottish clasps and badges. The group was delightfully entertained by Peter Galvin who played the bagpipes, sang Scottish songs and delivered a funny rendition of a Pam Ayers poem. Plenty of chat and laughter made for a happy morning.

Torbay

Torbay Friendship Club is on a roll! For many years the target of 100 total members had remained elusive.

A record number of inductions was made at the General meeting in June topping that target.

Guest speakers engaged for the monthly general meetings are varied and always interesting:

• May - Jan Airey on hand therapy
• June - Barry Ferguson "Florist to the Stars". In New York he had designed floral installations for the glitterati including Billy Joel and Steven Spielberg to name but two.
• July - Erica Stanford our local MP, representing the most beautiful electorate in the country!
• August - Dave Veart on coastal fortifications on North Shore, Auckland
"Headache Clinic", Rome and Auckland Zoo are topics for the remaining meetings 2019.

Hokonui Focus

The Hokonui Focus club held their mid-winter luncheon on 10 July, but this year was just a little different. This year, after months of subterfuge and scheming, they presented a Life Membership to not just one stalwart of the club, but four. On hand to do the honours was District Councillor, Tony Newton who did a superb job, trying not to repeat himself for all four recipients.

This Club was started way back by Gore Rotarians and was chartered by Probus in September 1992, it proved so popular that membership was capped at 300 with a substantial waiting list. Attendance at that time averaged at about 140 to 150 at each meeting, (currently attendance sits around 110 to 130).

The first recipient was EION SADLIER, who incidentally was at that first meeting, and still works in the background to assist the club.

The second recipient was LEX KEITH who along with his wife Joan, was invited to join us in 1999. Lex was heavily involved in the difficult negotiations with the PSPL (Probus) into what is today known as the Hokonui Focus Club.

The third recipient was REX SHALLARD who along with his wife Jenny joined the club in 2008, joining the Committee in 2010 when his position was to welcome members to the meeting. In 2011 he organised the speakers every month, in 2013 he was elected as President. Rex also assisted Lex in the transfer from the PSPL to the club it is today.

The fourth recipient was COLLEEN WHITEFIELD. Unbeknown to Colleen, her family turned up for the presentation. Colleen was President in 2012 when the changeover was happening. She admits that there were some differences of opinion with both Lex and Rex, but all came out well in the end. Colleen was the Trip Convenor and along with her husband Bill escorted a trip around the North Island in 2011 and South Island the year after. Other trips included Queenstown and a boat ride on the Earnslaw, Te Anau, excellent mystery trips, as well as shows and many more destinations.

Photo. Left to Right: John Speden, President. Tony Newton, District Councillor, Lex Keith, Rex Shallard, Eion Sadlier, Colleen Whitefield.

Mornington

The former Mornington Men’s Club will now be known as the Mornington Club (affiliated to FNZI) after joining with a local women’s club. At their August meeting Secretary Trevor Croot revealed an excellent advertising flyer for the new combined club that folds in three but also can be used as a poster where appropriate to reach out to the local community.

Their mid-winter dinner was held at the Otago Golf Club and the speaker, Susan Irvine, a Heritage Assessment Advisor of Heritage NZ, gave an excellent and entertaining outline of how and why buildings are deemed to be important to preserve and value.

We are very fortunate to have a very capable visits team who continue to delight all with interesting and informative venues. Recent highlights have been The Otago Daily Times and Ocho Chocolate. This month it will be to the Otago Museum to see the James Cameron – ‘Challenging the Deep’ exhibition which has been well reviewed.

Members have been lucky to hear an excellent and varied range of speakers on many subjects. Recently Dave McPharlane told them about the plight of the Yellow Eyed Penguin population on mainland New Zealand.

A particularly enjoyable visit was to the Otago Daily Times. They were welcomed by the Quality Control Manager of the ODT and his enthusiasm for the newspaper and the company, after having served for more than 42 years, was amazing and contagious. They were shown the old linotype machines and moved through the various floors of the building to see the multitude of departments and the extent of computerisation that now contributes to the production of a modern newspaper.

Members were fortunate to meet with Stephen Jaquiery, the celebrated ODT photographer, who roams far and wide through Otago and Southland taking stunning photos of the countryside and sunrises and sunsets that most people would never experience but could only see by reading the newspaper.

It was also interesting to see the Channel 39 TV studios and to meet the TV Director, who displayed great enthusiasm for the advances that the channel is making in producing local news programmes for Otago and Southland and magazine style programmes, with very sophisticated equipment.

Although they did not get to meet the "Governor" they noted that the Bentley was parked in the carpark, so we knew he was keeping an eye on the continuing production of, unquestionably, the best newspaper in New Zealand and making sure that it was not being reduced to a tabloid format.

Johnsonville

It was a “Right Royal” occasion at the James Cook Hotel when the Johnsonville Friendship Club held its mid-winter lunch on Thursday 20 June.

The theme for the day brought out many tiaras, glittering brooches and pearl necklaces, along with a fur stole or two and a tartan kilt. The court jesters (Arnold and Judy Reagan at left) provided entertainment and the keeper of the corgis rounded up the diners – without help from the dogs.

Nearly 40 Friendship Club members enjoyed a good lunch then turned their minds to a general knowledge quiz.

The mid-winter lunch replaced the normal monthly meeting for the Friendship Club, which provides social activities, interesting speakers and outings for retired men and women in the Johnsonville area.

Amicus

A few months back members of the Amicus Club took a trip to Whanganui and enjoyed the delightful Saturday Market along the riverbank, many boarding the historic Waimarie paddle steamer to explore upriver.

East Hamilton

This year Pat Chamberlain, convenor of the walking group, decided that members could combine useful physical exercise with some aesthetic experiences. Accordingly, he has devised itineraries that have taken the group to explore some of the surprisingly large number of public art pieces to be found in Hamilton.

Here a small group of members are shown in the Waikato Art Museum with Ripples, the sculpture by Neil Dawson, gleaming above the river in the background. Another highlight of the same walk was the bronze statue of Sapper Moore-Jones, the World War 1 NZ war artist and hero who lost his life rescuing others from a hotel fire. Victoria Street has more art to offer. That walk concluded with Pat buying everyone coffee which was drunk while walking through Victoria on the River, the development which makes the most of the Hamilton’s position on the Waikato.

Another Wednesday morning saw the group using their Gold Cards taking the bus to the University of Waikato to admire some of its outdoor art. In fact, the Waikato campus has much beautiful sculpture in its grounds, members were moved by works such as Reflections, Aurei, and Feather. The highlight of the morning was a viewing of the amazing Para Matchitt windows and an impromptu guided tour of the some of the art in the Maori and Indigenous Studies building.

Although they saw much at the University there is still much to see, so another walk through the campus will bring new art experiences. And there is still more to explore in Hamilton generally.