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Thanks to all those who attended the Club’s AGM. It was a short and succinct meeting, with all the important matters passed or discussed promptly. For those that couldn’t attend:
Financial Report, a copy of which has been corrected for the $3K compensation and will be uploaded to the Club website if you wish to review it.
Election of Officers, including a new Secretary, welcome Gordon.
Subscriptions are to remain at $25 for the 24/25 financial year.
General Business:
Gary Milicich asked whether the Club had any relationships with wholesalers regarding the purchase of wine. The answer is that we do not currently.
Wayne advised that he is responsible for renewing the Club’s liquor license.
Wayne raised the topic of mid- and end-of-year dinners and noted that attendance numbers have dropped slightly over the last year. Members were asked to please let any of the committee members know if they had any suggestions.
A bus trip to the Wairarapa for club members was raised, and it was explained that our last one had been for the 40th anniversary of the Club and was a lot of work, especially when trying to co-ordinate with trains, etc
The supper put on by committee members was enjoyed, and so was the socialising.
Please ensure your subscription of $25, due on 1st July, is paid soon. Remember, we don’t send out an invoice. Thanks.
Special General Meeting
At the August Monthly Meeting, for the first 10 minutes, we will hold an SGM to discuss and pass some small changes to the Club’s Constitution. These changes will be circulated shortly and are an update to the wording as it is at present.
Heating
We hope everyone appreciates the new heating in the hall.
Support appreciated
It was great to have everyone help with the tables and chairs at the start of last month’s meeting and take the same down after the meeting. Also, taking the table’s contents: spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen. Could we please continue this new routine?
Setting-up
Please note, we can’t arrive to do the setting up activities any earlier than 7:30 pm as we interrupt the cleaner(s) schedule, as they are often in the hall until 7:30 pm.
It is usual for a President’s Report to be EITHER comprehensive and an ordeal OR for it to be cryptically short and to the point. So it seems in this most unusual of years that short is best. As such this should allow the AGM to proceed swiftly so as to enjoy the wines from the club cellar and the supper on offer tonight.
It has been my absolute privilege to have been the club’s President this year. I want to begin by thanking most sincerely all of youas valued club members for your support in a trying year. For your subscriptions, of course, but particularly for your support at the scheduled tastings and sundry other monthly events such as the dinners and annual club BBQ. Our membership has held upwell again this year. This despite all the pressures our communities and families have endured. Last year I reflected at some length in my report on the impact for the club of the pandemic so I will quickly move on from that. Again this has been a challenging year for all of us but through the club activities we have generated good company and a focus for interest in a time of lockdowns. Most particularly theattendance numbers at tastings and dinners have been regularly and phenomenally good which signals there must be something right about the way tastings are delivered, enjoying the company of friend and the functioning of the club. So, to all of you my thanks.
May I briefly review the tastings and activities [11] that we have been able to achieve for these past 12 challenging months. Tastings included Mahi Wines (Marlborough), Western Australia by Keith Tibble (Eurovintage agency), Butterworth (Gladstone Wairarapa), Crater Rim (Waipara), Portugal (Confidant agency), the Gold Medal wines from the NZ International Wine Show (2021), a celebration of Pinot (club members) as well as dinners at La Marche Frances and Juniper as well at the club’s January BBQ
I wish to extend the club’s thanks to the wineries, presenters and agencies that have supported the club during a year that has been challenging for their businesses, where labour restrictions, lockdowns, cancellations and social distancing have impacted us all. At least three wineries were unable to present in 2021 but have indicated they are keen to return for 2022/2023 and we are organising with them
As well as thanks to the meeting presenters and the tasting organisers, it is the committee that also deserves our appreciationfor their work for the club. As a group they have met regularly and communicated frequently with each other in most constructive manner. This has been the prime reason for tastings continuing to happen when withdrawals have occurred or organisation of meetings has hit road blocks or come up against Covid limitations. Without naming committee members, because you know all of those involved – our secretarial servicing, our financial management, our newsletter communications with members, the meeting venue organisation efforts and suppers, cellar management, the facilitation of the tasting programme and deliveries have all kept pace and been successfully undertaken without there seeming to have been any hitches at all – even though there have been a few, and one cancellation. It has been a demanding time organisationally but the efforts of the 8 person committee have shone through and for that I wish to sincerely thank them one and all for their efforts on behalf of the club membership.
I am thrilled to report that the committee collectively has indicated a willingness to continue to serve the club for a further year and I am indeed grateful for that. The committee’s co-operation, sharing of the load and their special skills and interests continue to be the cornerstone of how we have managed to keep this great little club moving forward, fulfilling its wine appreciation objectives whilst providing a source of company, regular meetings and the occasional glasses of vino. Being Wellington’s premier and enduring wine society for over forty years is no mean feat. It is you as members, and the committee’s efforts, that have ensured that this continues to be the Cellar Club reality. We will move next to the election of the club’s officers. My best wishes to all club members as you navigate the societal challenges we are all facing.
Subscriptions are due 1st July and usually confirmed at the AGM. An additional wrinkle is that we won’t be having a July dinner so the opportunity to pay your subscription with the dinner payment has also been lost.
So to make things easier this year, it has been agreed that the subscription will remain at $25 and you will be asked to pay it directly into our bank account – 06 0541 0056031 00.
Wayne will send out an email requesting payment much closer to the date.
You can breathe a sigh of relief. The real Editor is back.
Mind you as I sit here preparing this newsletter it is 4.50 pm yet almost dark, the rain is lashing on the roof and pouring over the side of the spouting outside the door, and the temperature is a balmy 8°, and to top it all off the Golf course was closed because of flooding. Where are the deserts of the UAE when you need them.
Just to answer Wayne’s question from the last month, yes we did have the opportunity to sample a couple of wines while we travelled. The cruise ship did not have a particularly good selection. We had a Grant Burge early in the cruise but it quickly disappeared off the wine list as did a number of others, and the selection became quite limited. We were able to sample a couple of Maltese wines, and two from Spain when we stopped in Barcelona. These were OK without being special. After paying between 9 and 12 $US for a glass (and not a particularly generous one) on the ship, we were probably overwhelmed by the significantly lesser price for bottles purchased onshore.
Events & subscription renewal
It’s that time of year again when we have several issues to deal with associated with the two upcoming tastings and renewal of subscriptions. Attached to the June dinner event you will find an attached payment advice form and the menu from Trade Kitchen.
Please complete the form and bring it to the June tasting or send to Wayne. Note that we are asking that you complete details of your requirements for the July dinner. This will make it easier for the restaurant on the night. And please check out the survey question. Of course, we are also asking you to part with some of your hard earned money but that is sort of normal for us.
See you next week, with another great tasting in store.
We are coming into a great second half of the year for club members. With the line-up over the next few months including Foxes Island, dinner at Logan Brown, and then Peter Lehmann, Squawking Magpie and Jane Hunter. Phew.
Dinner & subs
There are a couple of attachments to this newsletter. There is a payment advice which includes the June meeting, the July dinner and, it’s that time of year again, subscriptions. Please print off the form and bring it to next week’s tasting. Alternatively, you can arrange payment direct to the Club bank account as set out on the form.
Dinner menu
Also attached is the menu for the July dinner. No point trying to resist it, just come along.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE JOHNSONVILLE COMMUNITY CENTRE, 3 FRANKMOORE AVENUE, JOHNSONVILLE WEDNESDAY, 13 MAY 2014, COMMENCING AT 8pm
Please give some thought to any proposals you might want to introduce for the meeting, and if you would like to make a nomination for anyone to represent the club on the committee. We are always eager for new talent, ideas and different points of view.
As always members will be provided with a light supper and the opportunity to sample some wines from our cellar after the formal part of the evening. We will send out a formal notice and documents closer to the meeting in accordance with our Club rules.
AGENDA
Apologies
Confirmation of the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting for the year 2013/14 held on Wednesday, 14th May 2014
Matters Arising
Financial Report for the Year 2014/15
Membership Report for the Year 2014/15
President’s Report for the Year 2014/15
Notices of Motion
Election of Officers and Committee for the year 2015/16
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Committee
Subscriptions
General Business
At the conclusion of the AGM, supper will be served, accompanied by wines from the Club’s cellar.
We apologise to members for the lack of a newsletter last month.
If you read these newsletters you will know that your editor was “swanning off” in USA & Canada while poor Wayne had work related and home problems to cope with.
Never mind we are back in business this month with a couple of great events coming up.
We were pleased that Francesca was able to attend the July Dinner when her life membership was formalised. Congratulations Francesca.
Programme changes roll on
In the June newsletter, I mentioned a couple of changes. The late change to the Cuba Street Bistro was a success.
Moving on though the astute among you will also have noticed that this month’s meeting is also a change from that previously notified. There was a misunderstanding about scheduling with Millton.
Cangrande have stepped in and as you will have noted have offered a great chance to sample some high-quality Italian wines.
And I have already mentioned Villa Maria coming in for October. Some members of your committee have had to step up and do a great deal of negotiating to re-arrange the programme at short notice. Congratulations for the great work.
Subscriptions
A friendly reminder that subscriptions are due. Wayne will be happy to accept subs at next week’s meeting.
In addition, membership cards will be available at that meeting.
The annual subscription of $25 is now due. If you are one of the 41 people that has already paid your subscription, we thank you for your promptness. We will have your membership card at the August tasting to give to you unless you ask for it to be mailed out in the meantime. These cards will be also available to life members at this tasting. If you are entitled to a card and do not attend the tasting, we will post it to you instead.
If you have not paid your subscription you will receive an email reminder from our treasurer Wayne to that affect. It will also detail your payment options and request that you contact the club if you are intending to resign this financial year. We hope you don’t, unless you are moving out of the area
July Dinner
Some comments on the July dinner are included in “Glancing Back”. Bistro 107 has indicated that they would appreciate feedback from Club members about the evening. If you would like to make a comment please email me, and I will pass them on to Bistro 107.
Wynns Presentation
This is a prestigious presentation, but do take care, it is quite a large tasting range.
