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Nelson Branch Newsletter – May, 2011

100

No. 3 – May, 2011

 

~ Next meeting ~

A Celebration of 20 Years of the Nelson Branch

 

Yes! The first meeting of the Nelson Branch of New Zealand China Friendship Society was in May, 1991.

We will mark the occasion in May, 2011 with a party atmosphere at our usual venue. Members are being asked to recall their stories of earlier years of branch activities and share anecdotes related to their friendship with China. In addition, there will be a sales table and an auction of Chinese treasures to raise funds for our special project in Songjiazhuang Village.

We extend a warm welcome back to those who have not been recently involved and ask all members to invite interested friends to come along to this celebration. The evening will begin with drinks and nibbles, so the main meal, brought in by the Golden Bell Restaurant, will be a little later than usual.

You are asked to bring some Chinese artifacts or memorabilia for sale, and also bring your cheque books or cash so you can purchase some articles for yourself or for gifts for family and friends. It is only seven months to Christmas! We already have a range of donated articles, but it would be great to have lots more for direct sale or auction.

So …… please bring friends, treasures, memories and anecdotes to our 20th anniversary meeting.

And …… remember Barbara Markland needs committed names and numbers for the meal ($12 each member and guest) by Tuesday 10 May.

 

Friday 13 May .. Hearing House .. 5:30 pm

To arrange catering please ring:

Barbara Markland Ph. 544 4712 by Tuesday 10 May

or e-mail: [email protected]

2011 SUBSCRIPTIONS: It was agreed at the AGM that our subscriptions should remain unchanged and these are now due – please make sure you let us know if any of your details have changed when you pay your sub – subscription forms will be available at the meeting. Thanks very much to those who have paid already.

Single $15     Couple $25      School $25      Corporate $30

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING held at Hearing House on 25 March (so they can be taken as read on the 13th):

Welcome: 29 members and guests were welcomed by President Christine Ward. Special welcome to Michael Crampton who will be joining the NZCFS April tour.

Apologies: 14 apologies were accepted.

Minutes: Minutes of the last branch meeting were accepted as a true and correct record.

General Business:

• Members were advised that 11 people would be taking part in the April tour which will be led by Royden Smith.

• Mike Rodwell was thanked for the banner he has made for the branch. Kevin Symns translated the characters and assisted all present to attempt the Chinese.

• Chinese Garden Bridge: The meeting was advised that the building of the bridge is under way. It was suggested that the 20th anniversary celebrations of the branch could be timed to coincide with the opening of the bridge.

• National Conference: There will be many interesting speakers at conference. Registration forms will be out soon.

• Earthquake: Some members of the Christchurch branch have been badly affected. While we are not able to give branch funds, members can make direct donations. It is hoped that a large donation received from the Chinese Peoples’ Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (Youxie) will be distributed through the Rewi Alley Cultural Centre.

• Library: Bruce introduced novels set in China, including “Good Women of China”.

• Sister City: Christine had attended a meeting of the Sister City Coordinating Group Committee. Maryan Street, Labour List MP, had visited Huangshi.

The meeting closed at 6:05 p.m.

Guest speakers were Kathy Beatson, Projects Liaison, and Sally Warren, who had recently participated in a projects tour. Most of those present were surprised at the scale and scope of the projects.

LAST MEETING: The focus for our last meeting was on our NZCFS projects and how these contribute to rural development activities in China. Kathy Beatson, Nelson Branch Projects Coordinator, first brought us up-to-date on what is happening in the various rural projects which we support. Her report was printed and handed out to the members present, and we are publishing it below so we can appreciate the overview again. Thanks, Kathy!

The second part of the presentation was a comprehensive and fascinating overview of last October’s Projects Tour, led by Dave Bromwich and enjoyed by our own Sally Warren. The photographs were superb and we were able to participate in the journey along with Sally as she informed and entertained. We hear a whisper that some more of our members, inspired by Sally’s story, are hoping to do the projects tour with Dave later this year. One of the first village visits was to Songjiazhuang where Sally met the village elders and handed over our gift quilt, so beautifully made by President Christine, for the new clinic. Thanks, Sally, for a delightful insight into the NZCFS projects in rural China.

PROJECTS UPDATE by Kathy Beatson as presented at the meeting on 25 March, 2011:

Shandan Bailie School – new teacher, Andrew Knight, arrived this month and has a one year contract.

Shandan Bailie School Farm – has completed a 10-year contract. Unfortunately land, vegetation, buildings and infrastructure has been allowed to degenerate, but improvements are being planned.

A new agreement has been signed with Zhao Jiming, with a clear outline of what is expected. Included in the plans are: maintain and improve facilities, orchard replant programme, replacement of some buildings, sinking a new well, opening to foreign visitors, and using facilities for student training purposes.

Shandan Women’s Federation: there are plans to bring an exhibition to Selwyn District, but not before 2012.

Current KOHA Projects:

1. Rural Women’s Health and Family Civilisation, Shaanxi

• the first two steps of the Trainer of Trainer Programme have been achieved

• 63 village ‘backbone’ teams are working to train women in primary health care, including psychological aspects

• health TV programmes produced and shown monthly

• brochures and community posters printed and distributed

• smear test programme has started

• major boost this month to reach all villagers targeted by the project

• environmental health training will be delivered

• first session of stage two training was gynaecology, with health of pregnant women and prevention of foetal harm the main emphasis

• NZCFS will send the next instalment of funds.

2. Dongshan Village Programmes – Quanzhou County, Guangxi Province

Hawke’s Bay Branch Initiative, Women’s Health Issues.
 Project completed in March 2010 but budget was underspent. Final report has been received.

3. Guangxi Rabbit Project – $1280 for Sanzhiyang Village

• 20 families given 3 does and one buck rabbit

• average four birth cycles a year and ten kittens per birth

• potential for 120 rabbits per year

• some will be distributed to other families

• bred for meat – can achieve 4 kilos in 3-4 months

• sell for about 12RMB per kilo.

New Sustainable Development Fund Available to NZCFS through Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

• focuses on economic development

• focus on the Pacific

• aims by 2012/13 to allocate 10% to projects to the rest of the world, including China

• is a full grant scheme with 2 application rounds each year on a contract with MFAT.

Humanitarian Response Fund (HRF)

• NGO’s are pre-selected to work in a specific country

• NZCFS has entered a standing arrangement for relief, recovery, and rehabilitation in China valid to June, 2011

New Sustainable Development Fund Projects

1. Road for Dragonfruit Industry in Buwu, Guangxi ($30,000)

• fully approved and money received

• assist with building a 1.3 km long, 2.5 metre wide, paved track from Buwu village to valley

• will open up 2000 mu (125 ha) of land to establish this high value crop

• after 3 years, at least half the village will have entered this new crop production

• income after 2 years of 700RMB per month is expected

• dragonfruit fruit for 25 years.

2. Establish Model Cooperatives in two districts of Shaanxi Province ($145,000 over 2 years)

• approval in principle received in December, 2010

• establish 8 modern Gungho-style cooperatives in Baoji and Hanzhong districts

• trainer of trainer approach used so further coops can be set up

• partners include NZCFS, Shaanxi WF and Gungho with people from Beijing and Shandan

• field study tour of Shandan to look at successful coop training programmes

• fits NZCFS goal to extend our rural community development projects.

Shaanxi Women’s Federation

• the SWF would like to organise a delegation of six people to NZ for six days, either in May or November

• it would be led by a leader from Shaanxi WF, and include women leaders from civil society and/or government officials looking after women’s welfare

• they have requested visits to Wellington, and two other places we recommend, with some connection to people they met on the 2009 projects tour

• they are interested to meet NZCFS members and branches, and other agencies that may be interested in cooperation with SWF in the areas of women’s issues and development

• they have requested an invitation from NZCFS, with the trip fully funded by the SWF.

NZCFS APRIL TOUR RETURNS: Gwenda Parker, Philippa Reynolds, Royden Smith and new member, Mike Crampton, returned from a wonderfully fascinating NZCFS Discover China Tour on the weekend. Amongst the many highlights were the ancient walled town of Pingyao, the Shaolin Temple martial arts performance (spectacular, like the show in Yangshuo, near Guilin, directed by Zhang Yimou), the beautiful Spring blossoms and peonies, the Terracotta Warriors, two birthday parties and the stunning sights on Huashan (Flower Mountain). MEMBER NEWS: Our thoughts are very much with June and Arnold Clark as they mourn the loss of their middle daughter, Louise, after she lost her long battle with cancer on 26 April. She was musically very gifted and hugely respected by her many students and colleagues – all so superbly demonstrated at her very moving farewell.

The Nelsonians on the recent NZCFS tour very much enjoyed catching up with Li Miaolin (Lillian), her parents, and her 5-month old daughter, Aviva, while we were in Xi’an. Congratulations also go to the proud father, Ivan Kurtovic, who recently completed his doctorate through McGill University, Canada – we very much hope we will see them all reunited in Nelson later this year.

Congratulations and special birthday wishes to President Christine Ward who celebrates her 70th birthday on Friday, 6 May.

HON. MARYAN STREET MP VISITS HUANGSHI: During an official visit to China, Maryan Street, the Labour Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, was able to visit our Sister City, Huangshi, which she notes “was a delight”. She also notes that she was in China “when President Hu Jintao announced China’s generous donation of $US5 million to New Zealand [in response to the earthquake] and I was able to thank every official I met for that gift as well as the immediate dispatch of their Urban Search and Rescue teams. Their loss of 24 young people, who had come to New Zealand to learn English and work towards their aspirations with every expectation of being in one of the best and safest countries in the world, weighed heavily with them. As they expressed their condolences at our losses, I reciprocated with our condolences on their losses. They know about earthquakes. I visited a very dignified memorial in Tangshan to 240,000 people who lost their lives in an earthquake in 1976. Grief and loss are the same the world over.”

NZCFS PROJECTS AND TIBETAN COMMUNITIES TOUR: Dave Bromwich has been working hard on developing a very interesting new itinerary for the 2011 Projects Tour in October. The proposed dates are October 10 to 31, but these may vary by 1-2 days once international flights are finalised.

This tour will visit NZCFS projects in the Baoji district of Shaanxi province, travel through Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan Provinces with a focus on Tibetan communities, as well as spending seven days in Tibet. In Shaanxi, you will meet NZCFS project partners – the Shaanxi Women’s Federation, in Lanzhou you will dine with two NZCFS He Ming Qing scholars, and in Yunnan you will visit a New Zealand venture growing red pears.

The estimated price for 21 days in China is $7100 pp twin share, depending on the exchange rate and final air fares. This is an all up cost, and includes all travel from your New Zealand hometown airport and return. The only extra costs should be the Chinese visa and travel insurance costs. A draft itinerary is included on our website:

https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/5335/nzcfs-projects-and-tibetan-communities-tour-2011/

For further information and expressions of interest, please contact Dave Bromwich: [email protected]

Even if you are unable to travel yourself, we are very dependent on our members spreading the good word about our NZCFS tours. Many of you will have been on these tours before and know what great value they are. So, it would be very much appreciated if you could advertise the tour to all your family, friends and colleagues – those Nelsonians who have been on previous Projects and Communities Tours will very happily endorse them.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2011: The 2011 National Conference and AGM will be hosted by the Wellington Branch from 27-29 May. The theme of the Conference is China & NZ: The Next Decade, indicating an emphasis on looking forward to the future of the friendship between our two countries. The programme is looking very exciting with several interesting speakers and it would be great to see a good contingent from Nelson there this year, especially when it is just a hop across the ditch. Perhaps combine it with a North Island holiday? More details and registration forms are available from:

https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/5386/nzcfs-2011-national-conference-wellington-27-29-may-3/

NEXT BRANCH MEETING: Please mark this date on your calendar and keep it free for our next Branch Meeting in 2011 – Friday, 1 July.

Full PDF newsletter available at:     NZCFSNelsonMay2011