A Society like ours only exists through friendship and commitment of us all as members and particularly through the executive. Last year was difficult for me and a big thank you to everyone who helped me out.
Thank you to Mike Earle our Secretary and to Treasurer Dave Bromwich, Vice-President, Lou Klinkhamer, and to Maurice Beeby, Janet Kee, Heiko Lade, and Sue Padfield for your hard work on our Executive committee.
Thank you to Tom Paramore, for collecting our subscriptions and organizing the raffle, to Janice Klinkhamer for the ‘cuppa’ at the end of meetings, and to David Xie for technical support.
Thank you to the Hastings District Council for its continuing support including the use of the Chambers for meetings.
Nationally Hawke’s Bay contributes with North Island Vice-president Dave Bromwich, National Secretary Heiko Lade, and National Executive member Sally Russell.
We continue to have a monthly newsletter and meetings and here are some of our highlights of 2012:
- Speakers included Dave Bromwich on the NZCFS tours he leads to China, Heiko Lade and myself on the 2011 Prominent Person Delegation to Beijing, Shandong and Fujian, Liu Guozhong from Shandan Bailie School talked about the evolution of the school and farmer co-operative development in North-West China, Professor Bill Willmott on Missionaries in China 1921 -1952, a personal account, and Cheryl Paget told us about the UK children’s author Arthur Ransome and his connection to Russia and China.
- 2012 was the 60th Anniversary of our Society’s beginning and visitors from China, San Lao, Liu Guozhong and Ma Baoru, all visited Hawke’s Bay as part of their travel to our National Conference in Auckland in May.
- In August a teachers’ delegation from Guilin visited Hastings and our Branch assisted the Sister City Education Link Group with home-hosting and support for the activities and banquet.
- Mid-Winter was celebrated with a social evening, and China’s National Day with a delicious, leisurely yum cha lunch.
- We showed the excellent DVDs, The I-Go King and his Son, The Lion Dance and Tea Culture. Our Branch collection of DVDs is available at meetings for members to borrow on loan and return at the next meeting.
- Unfortunately it was necessary to cancel the International Cultures Day for the first time since 1999 on the advice of the Met Service due to a ‘weather bomb’. A particular thanks to Nina Siers, who coordinated this event with me, as all the preparation still had to take place for the event.
We look forward to another successful year.
Warm Regards
Sally Russell 22 March 2013
