GREETINGS TO ALL
OUR MARCH MEETING WILL BE:
DATE: Sunday 27 MARCH 2011
TIME: 12:30 PM – Start time for a shared lunch
VENUE: ARTS VILLAGE (RAVE) – Eric Bridgman Lounge
This month we have the pleasure of having Sue White from the Rotorua District Council as our guest speaker. Sue’s position at Council is Community Services Officer and part of her portfolio includes looking after Rotorua Sister City Relationships. In October last year the Mayor sent her as his representative to attend the World Historical and Cultural Cities Expo in Nanjing, China. Although Nanjing is not a Sister City it is in the same province as our Sister City which is Wuzhong in the District of Suzhou. Rotorua has had an economic link with Nanjing through the Nanjing- Rotorua Town Development. She will be speaking on the expo and share some of her impressions about the complexity of China and the incredible cultural heritage.
She has been with the Council for 5 years, 4 years in her current role. Prior to that she taught English at the Rotorua English Language Academy.
Sue is very enthusiastic about the sister city relationships and I am sure we will have a most interesting and enjoyable afternoon. Bring a friend and something to share at our social luncheon before the speaker.
UP AND COMING MEETINGS
Our April meeting will be our AGM and will be held on Sunday 17 APRIL due to Easter Week-end being the following week-end. There will be no speaker just business regarding the future of the organisation. May’s meeting is Sunday 22 May and our guest speaker is Su Ellis and Family from Hamilton. They lived in various places in China from 1998 to early 2008, more about them later and then 26 June, Barbara Gatley will speak about her “walking” tour of China. As you can see we will be having some interesting guest speakers after the AGM so come and support us at the AGM as well. We need your input.
EVENTS OUTSIDE ROTORUA
A Combined Spring Festival Dinner (this is China’s Spring !) is being held by Hibiscus Coast and Auckland Branches on Wednesday 23 March 7 p.m. at the Royal Garden Restaurant, 3-7 Shakespeare Road, Milford, North Shore. Cost to members is $ 10. and Non-members is $35. For details and bookings contact Teri France at [email protected] or telephone (09)428-5268. Guest of Honour will be Chinese Consul General Mme. Liao and her staff. They will be featuring Chen Xiyao, famous guzheng player in China. He is incredible, I heard him play last year. There will be an Auction as well, all to raise money for the Christchurch earthquake fund.
It appears that all money raised for the Christchurch earthquake fund will have to go into the general funds and not specifically to the members of the China Friendship Society because of our constitution.
