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National President’s Notebook February 2010

2010 YEAR OF THE TIGER

Chinese New Year is on 14 February this year when we commence the Chinese Year of the Tiger. People born in the year of the tiger are lucky, powerful, proud, aggressive, courageous, a good leader, vivacious, impulsive, dignified and handsome!

REWI ALLEY COTTAGE VISIT

Great that two branches over the holiday period visited Rewi’s cottage. Members of the Whanganui Branch, so President Dave Feickert reports, were taken by a local farmer to Rewi Alley’s former farm to find members of Rewi Alley’s family & Manawatu Branch in residence.

SHANGHAI EXPO

The Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries has invited a delegation of five Society members to attend the World Expo at the time of NZ’s Honour Day, 9 July 2010 for four or five days. Delegates will be responsible for their international travel expenses. Accommodation, other costs within Shanghai will be met by Shanghai Youxie.

This invitation is because we assisted with Shanghai Youxie delegations to NZ during 2009, and they wish to further strengthen relations between our two organisations. Contact your Branch President for a nomination form if you would like to be considered for this. Nominations close 14 February. Also, a few family members may come at their own expense.

2010 GARDEN TOUR

The April / May Society Tour two week tour is filling fast. It visits southern China’s most beautiful gardens and historical sites. Contact Des Kearns at House of Travel 0800 808025 if you considering going.

YOUXIE VISITORS

We will have the pleasure of hosting a delegation of two from Youxie this coming May, arriving in Auckland on Friday 21 May in time to come to our Hamilton Conference and Annual Meeting. From there they will have six days to visit branches and have requested to go to both islands, allowing for 3 or so branch visits. Can branches urgently advise if they are able to arrange a branch visit & home host our guests as part of our exchange arrangement.

The delegation is Mr Wang Hongqiang, Deputy Director General, (54) in charge of Latin America Affairs and Mr Xu Fenghua, (45) Division Director, American & Oceanian Affairs Department. Mr Xu studied in NZ 12 years ago and Mr Wang visited here 4 years ago.

PROMINENT PERSONS DELEGATION 2010

We have now been advised that this year’s Prominent Persons and Society Leaders Delegation will visit China from September 6th to 15th. The biannual Friendship Cities Conference will be held in Shanghai on 7-9 September during which time a visit to the expo will be arranged. From there our delegation of ten people will then go to another city, most likely in Jiangxi Province, for the Friendship Forum during September 11 – 12th, followed by visits and sightseeing to other places. This early warning of arrangements is to enable us to be able to make approaches to prominent people in our communities to join the delegation.

REWI ALLEY SCHOLAR 2010

The Christchurch Polytech, CPIT, advise that Wang Xiaohong, of Shandan Bailie School begins her studies in English and some computing, on 1 February.

GANSU DELEGATION

This delegation will now visit New Zealand for ten days during March and Dave Bromwich is making arrangements for them on our behalf. The five person delegation is led by the Vice-Mayor of Zhangye City (north of and has oversight of Shandan), various education officials and including Zhao Wencheng of Shandan Bailie School.

HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS …to Nelson President June Clark and her husband, Arnold, on their 50 years of smooth sailing in marriage.

Naku na,

Eric Livingstone, National President