NEW YEAR GREETINGS
We are already more than a month into another year and it’s a leap year to boot. Our years are usually described as 365 days long but, every fourth year, they add another full day to our calendar on the 29th February.
So, maybe, our years should more correctly be described as 365 days and 6 hours long? Not surprisingly, not only do we need more committee members, but we also need someone to step up for the position as Club President at our Mid-Winter Lunch/AGM on Wednesday 12th June.
What will this 2024 year bring? If we reflect on the last several years with a pandemic, closed borders, Covid 19 tests and life more or less turned upside down, who would have imagined all this just four short years ago? And then there is Climate Change and the enormous impact of two weather events in late January and mid-February 2023 !!! While we may live in somewhat uncertain times, it is how we react and manage these events that will define us both as individuals and as a nation.
RECENT EVENTS
Christmas Lunch
The Christmas Lunch on Wednesday 6 December at the Remuera Club was well attended with 127 members and guests. Our lunch format was changed with our guest speaker - club member Captain Neville Hay (1957-1997: Engineering / Flight Ops) – speaking first. Neville’s address was both entertaining and informative. A transcript of the speech is available for downloaded below. Richard (Dick) Williams, who was unable to attend the earlier lunch at Waipuna Lodge, was presented with his Life Membership badge.
Raffle Prizes comprising two Christmas Hampers, six bottles of wine & four boxes of chocolates were warmly received. The lunch was of the usual good standard and nibbles were added and available during Neville Hay’s address before lunch was served from 12:30. On each lunch table attendees were invited to identify their interest in events/trips by completing a form. Results under individual listings were:
Top was train trips – 52 responses
Then boat trips and vineyards – 40 responses
High teas and MOTAT – 39 responses
Gardens and Theatre shows – 34 responses
Sculptures – 15 responses
Museums – 14 responses
3 wanted to repeat Warbirds
4 wanted to repeat Waipuna Lodge
Hamilton Gardens
Glenbrook Vintage Railway
CURRENT EVENTS
Remember that you must be a fully paid-up member to attend club events.
MOTAT AVIATION HALL
Date: Thursday 18 April 2024
Address 98 Motions Road, Western Springs
Start Time 10:45am Please be on time. Guided tours start at 11.00am and conclude at 12:15pm
Entry Cost FREE for SuperGold Card Holders, but we encourage a gold coin donation to MOTAT. All others – full entry fee applies.
Car Parking available at 98 Motions Road car park. Cost $2 per hour with multiple mobility car parks
Free Tram to MOTAT Transport Museum and Café
Lunch at the Café - own arrangements - or bring your own lunch
Please be sure to book below, as we need to know the number attending in order to arrange sufficient tour guides. Bookings close 31 March.
COMING EVENTS
Please Save the Date
Mid-Winter Lunch/AGM Wednesday 12 June 2024
Christmas Lunch Wednesday 4 December 2024
Full details for the Mid-Winter Lunch/AGM will be advised in our early May newsletter. Venue for both events is the Remuera Club, 27-33 Ohinerau Street, Remuera.
PROPOSED EVENTS
Jane Gifford Yacht cruise from Warkworth Date TBA
Hamilton Gardens Date TBA
EVENT SUGGESTIONS
Vote for a Future Event
0%Westbury Stud Farm
0%Lavender Farm, Karaka
0%Torpedo Naval Museum and Café – Devonport
0%Kelly Tarlton's
You can vote for more than one answer.
NEW MEMBERS
WELCOME
Graham Cornes 1969 2016 Apprentice, Engineering, Line Maint AKL Sec MAS 4y KL/TPE
Graham Dearlove 1969 2016 AvApp,Sec. MAS, Flt Eng DC10, DC8, 747-200 Pilot 767, 747,777
Vicki Stuart 1980 1993 Finance, Staff Travel - Reinstated in remission
Alistair Hoy 1974 1982 Machine Shop 1974-85, Rejoined in Machine shop 1987 -1994
Dave Koefoed 1977 2001 AvApp, Pax Services LAC and Coordination
John Oxley 1970 2001 ADL, NOU, MEL, SYD All MGR Aust - NZ/AN Sales Integ Project
Kevin Jackson 1969 2014 Aircraft Engineer, AKL Airport, Ramp & Outstations
Margaret Holden 2014 2022 Business Development Manager, Air NZ Tandem Travel
Robert Peper 1976 1994 IT Project MGR - Marketing, Flight Scheduling & Crew Management
Bill Rayner 1966 1968 Economics Officer/Finance, Workd Accountant on IBM360
Glen Edwards 1988 2020 Flights Ops - Pilot 737,767,777,A320,787
TRAVEL
More Places to Visit in 2024
Paris Olympics
According to Audrey Hepburn, "Paris is always a good idea”...and as the 2024 Olympics approach, the City of Light is poised to shine brighter than ever. The Olympic opening ceremony will not be held in a stadium, but outdoors, along the River Seine and near the Eiffel Tower. Outdoor swimming and the para-triathlon will be set against the backdrop of the Pont d’Iéna. The Grand Palais, renowned for its vast glass dome, is undergoing an extensive renovation to stage the fencing and taekwondo events. The grand gardens of the Château de Versailles, just outside Paris, will be transformed into a gallery and course for the equestrian events. La Concorde will stage the Olympic debut of break dancing and other sports like skateboarding and three-on-three basketball.
TRAVEL TIP
Tainan, Taiwan
Celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2024, Tainan has become a Taiwan hotspot on the international stage. This southern city has surpassed the capital, Taipei, to boast the highest overall hotel occupancy rate in Taiwan in the past two years.
What makes it so special? Tainan is considered the street food capital of Taiwan and is loved for its beef soups and oyster omelets, otherworldly natural landscapes (check out Tsao Shan Moon World), scenic sunsets over salt farms, colorful old temples and cool new museums.
TRAVEL TIP
Trans Dinarica Cycle Route, Balkans
Launching in 2024, the Trans Dinarica Cycle Route will be the first and only bike route to link all eight countries of the Western Balkans. The 100-stage trail is designed for cyclists of all abilities and its 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) is made up of quiet asphalt roads, forest trails and bike paths. Riders can enjoy Albania and Croatia’s spectacular coastlines, Kosovo’s national parks, Montenegro’s rugged mountains and lush woodland and sparkling rivers throughout Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia.
TRAVEL TIP
OBITUARIES
George Hale passed away 30 October 2023. George worked from 1940 to 1987 in Engineering.
Jim Haskell passed away end of October 2023. Jim worked from 1967 to 1976 in Flight Operations.
COMMITTEE NEWS
Vacancy
As we head towards our Mid-Winter Lunch/AGM on 12 June, your committee is mindful of the fact that we currently have neither a committee nor club member currently prepared to stand for the position of President - ordinarily a two year term but could be reduced to one year with the option of extending to two years.
Your committee are well aware that the difficulty of any club member volunteering their time on any committee is a universal problem but, with 480 plus members amongst the Air NZ Retired Staff Club Northern, there must be some member/s with the requisite time, skill & desire to support their club and undertake this role. Any current or former committee member or club member considering this opportunity needs to be aware that they will be ably supported by the current President (who will become Immediate Past President in June 2024) as well as your Club Secretary, Treasurer & all the reappointed committee members.
With only six meetings a year, two club lunches & a small number of events/trips (organised by committee members) the position of President is not unduly demanding. Members considering the upcoming position of President are invited to contact either Jo Foged, President or Antoinette Nelson, Secretary or Murray Robertson, Immediate Past President.
Note: At this year’s Mid-Winter Lunch/AGM on 12 June at least one long-serving committee member will be resigning.
President Jo Foged johnjosie.foged@xtra.co.nz Secretary Antoinette Nelson antoinette@outlook.co.nz
Treasurer Gaye Mears gayemears45@gmail.com
Committee Murray Robertson (Past President), Peter Burn, Peter Elmsly, Margaret Holden, Tania Somerville, Maggie Willis
Contact us airnzretirees@gmail.com
NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Your committee has been blessed with the appointment of two new committee members:
Margaret Holden I commenced my career in the travel industry with a 5-year stint working in reservations for Continental Airlines in the late 1970s, when CO was flying into AKL. This was followed by 10 years in the USA establishing and managing 5 retail travel agencies in Tucson, Arizona. I returned to N. Z. in the early 1990s when the agencies were sold, working in sales for CP and AA, who were both flying here at the time. A chance meeting in 1998 with Fairfax Moresby, an industry name many will remember, resulted in a move into corporate sales with the global TMC (travel management company), BTI (Business Travel International). In 2005, I joined another global TMC, American Express Business Travel, as Sales Manager covering the Federal Government market in Canberra. I returned to AKL in 2008 and joined local TMC, Orbit, in a BDM role.
In 2014 I accepted a BDM role with Air NZ Tandem Travel (formerly Business Direct). Tandem operates as a fully independent Business Unit of Air NZ, in a highly competitive TMC environment that includes FCM, CTM, APX and Orbit.
Covid ended business travel and effectively my job in May 2020.
I have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren, ranging in age from 11 to 16. I play golf at least once a week – I’m a member at RAGGC. I also belong to U3A and travel industry networking group SKAL.
Maggie Willis I joined Air NZ in 1971 as a typist/receptionist in the Downtown Booking Office in Customs Street. During my time in the Booking Office I experienced a lot of changes from reservations being made by telephone and telex communications to the introduction of Carina, the first of the desk top computers. Our office moved from Customs Street to the Downtown complex opposite the Ferry Building and around this time the staff from the NAC booking office joined us. We established a Holiday Travel Desk which was a first for the Company and this enabled us to really upsell and earn good commissions from all Airlines, Cruises, Coach Tours and Special Interest Tours. I manned the desk with my colleagues Dennis Mischewski, Sandie Stewart and later John Lawson.
In 1993 I applied for Manager of the Newmarket Travel Centre and ran it until 1997 when I took early retirement. After my retirement I worked part time for a Travel Agency and finally hung up my calculator and atlas in 2018.
Now I live a relaxed life Boating and pheasant shooting with my working Springer Spaniel Coco and husband Mark. Travel is of course a favourite pastime especially cruising – unpack once!
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions are $10 per year. There are currently 82 members who have not yet paid their annual membership subscription for the June 2023 / June 2024 year
NAME BADGES
We encourage you to wear name badges at lunches and on any trips. It makes it so much easier when you know a face but can't quite remember the name that goes with it so please order yours now if you plan to attend any of the events coming up. Cost is $15 for pin-on badge and $20 for magnetic type.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Remember that you must be a fully paid up member to attend club events.
There are three ways to pay into our bank account:
Pay by Direct Credit
Pay by Direct Debit
Account: ANZ 06-0222-0851695-00
Particulars: Your Surname
Code: SUBS
Reference: Your phone number
Pay through your bank by online or phone banking or at a Smart ATM
Any transaction assisted by staff like paying at the counter,
will incur extra fees that will be on-charged to you. However you may receive free assistance with a deposit at a Smart ATM
Pay Online
Pay securely online with POLi Pay
COMPANY NEWS
Regular media releases are published online by Air New Zealand and you can access these from our website under the heading Links.
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