Horowhenua Savage Club

Hello fellow members.

Our final club day for the year is on 10^th of November, let’s see if we can make it another one to remember. Break out the best thing you did this year and get in touch with me to book your place on the programme. (3672239). The choir has selected 5 of the best from this year plus an old favourite.

I am planning to have a major clear out of the lean to over the Christmas break including a reduction to about one quarter of the current stock of garments and hats etc. If there are any items that you donated and would like to have back please collect them over the next three weeks. After that I will sort out what is to be kept and the ‘discards’ will be available for you to select anything you would like to keep as a memento. 

Our October concert had the smallest audience ever even though there were several newcomers. We had apologies from Norma, Jack, Maureen, Tommy, Rosemary, Dorothy, Peter and Tony so we were well down on our regulars. 

Fortunately Hazel came along on very short notice and gave us two splendid piano items. The first was a Brahms Prelude and although  I didn’t hear what the second was, it was pretty good stuff. We also had Lesley Anne with two lovely songs sung accapella. Sue with her Ukulele gave us three songs (Blue Suede Shoes, Green Door and Frankie and Johnny) and I accompanied her on my guitar, doing an occasional bit of vocal back up. 

From our members we the choir with audience support in the opening and closing brackets followed by Charlie with ‘Cruising Down the River’. Beverley accompanied herself with ‘Vespers’ (Christopher Robin is saying his prayers) and “People”. She didn’t use a microphone and she was singing towards the piano yet she was audible throughout the hall so she obviously has a wonderfully powerful voice. Great work Beverly. Graham used the CD player to accompany his songs, but he had to admit that the first was a bit too highly keyed. We have all been there buddy. The second was well within his range. Jim had two brackets – the first being two songs with his Saxophone ‘Arrivederci Roma’ and ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’  and the second bracket of two with his guitar ‘Baby Blue’ and ‘King of the Road’. Evelyn won the raffle for a supermarket voucher and Charlie won a block of chocolate with the winning door ticket.

And now for the serious stuff - the Annual General Meeting:

Firstly if you look at the date on your membership card – don’t - because it is wrong. I am going to Brisbane in the middle of November for my nephew’s wedding where I am expected to say a few words, so I won’t be here for the traditional  third Tuesday, and the committee have agreed to defer it until TUESDAY 27^TH NOVEMBER AT 7:30 PM at the Savage Club hall. Our Christmas dinner will be at the Cobb and Co at 5:00 that same evening.

The agenda will be

Confirmation of the minutes of the last AGM and matters arising

President’s report

Financial report 

Election of officers

General business.

Nominations have been received for committee members:

Alice Hammond, Zona May, Graham Robertson, Jack Shailer, Rosemary and Tommy Wilson, Charlie o’Regan. 

Some of the committee members have been nominated for the same special roles that they currently hold:

Alice - Kai steward,

Graham - Events bookings and scheduling

Jack Shailer -  Hall management.

Tommy – programme organiser

I am proposing that Jim Lawrence retains the president’s position for a fourth year, and that we elect a Vice President who is to take up the Presidency  for 2020.  I am happy to continue as Secretary and Treasurer.

We are happy to have more people on the committee: nominations will be taken from the floor, but please ensure that you speak to anyone you propose to nominate beforehand to confirm that they are happy to serve. 

Please contact me if you have any matter of general business that you like to have on the agenda.

We will be discussing the proposed Hall Hireage agreement copies of which will be available at the meeting.

Ross Nicholson,   Secretary

Hello fellow members.

Spring is here now so it is time for us to break out some new songs. I hope you are all looking out something fresh for our next concert on October 13^th. Get in touch with me to book your place on the programme. (3672239)

Our September concert had its focus on our own members and potential members with no invited performers.   The whole hall supported the opening and closing brackets, and from where I was at the front it was pretty powerful. Really good. Norma had a booking down at the town hall at 3:00 so she was first up with three items – accompanying Dorothy with Lara’s theme and “When I fall in Love”; her own medley of Abba songs (my request) and then Dorothy and me doing “Buttons and Bows”. 

Charlie O’Regan sang “Oh what a beautiful morning” which was last sung at our place by Eric. Graham had spoken to Eric earlier in the week and he reported that Eric was doing well in Pahiatua and was back into doing some music with a group over there.  Charlie’s performance went well with lots of audience contribution at the chorus.

Leslie Anne with Hazel on the piano gave us Bob Dylan’s “Blowin in the wind” and “In the Garden” (which imagines Mary’s experience on resurrection day) – a beautiful song. Hazel then played variations on “Guantanamera” on the piano. She was followed by Tommy with his guitar accompanied by his computer and then he was joined by Jim with his saxophone to play “Once in a While” and “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen”.

We had a poem from Liz and closed as usual with the ode.

This week’s committee meeting was a short one with not much to discuss. We have a draft hall hire agreement to discuss with our regular users with a view to having it adopted at the AGM in November. 

That is it for now – cheers

Ross Nicholson

HOROWHENUA SAVAGE CLUB NEWSLETTER

May - June 2018

Hello fellow members. 

Our May concert followed the informal format of the previous one due to Jim being unable to be there. He had an operation on his eye and he will be seeing much better now. We started with the anthem and ode as usual except that with Jim away we had to use “canned music” for the accompaniment. Like last month we distributed the books around the tables for the choir bracket and had everyone sing our songs. Then Norma took the piano and gave us a couple of pieces and we had items from me, Graham, Maureen, Peter and Dorothy (who has re-joined the club). My brother in law Allen Lawrence was visiting and he gave us a couple of songs playing his guitar. That was followed by three songs from the song book and the closing ode. 

We had Jim back for the June concert, but this time Tommy was unable to be there. Liz had to duck off early in order to help her daughter with packing and shifting some gear so she went early in the programme with her poem about winter. Norma not only played her solos with her usual style, but accompanied Beverly in two songs, Dorothy in one song and me and Dorothy in two songs. Talk about earning your afternoon tea. Jim gave us some saxophone items and Tony had his button Accordion. These instrumental items are always a treat. Graham gave us My Way which he does so well that it always sends a shiver down my spine. He also won the raffle which is the first time that I remember him doing so.

The next matinee on our official programme is August 14th but that has been CANCELLED. We will be receiving Waitara on Sunday 22nd August and that will be quite enough effort for us that month. 

Other upcoming events are playouts at

·      Masonic Levin 29 June at 1:30  

·      Te Whanau Levin 6 July at 1:30

·      Inwards raid from Waitara July 22 at 2.00.

At the May committee meeting we covered the following matters-

1.     Bert Metcalfe has completed repairs to the damaged weather board on the south wall, as well as a new handrail on the north end steps.

2.     The contract for the hireage of the hall had quite a bit of discussion. Further discussion will be held at our next meeting.

3.     There has been a fall-off in invitations for us to provide playouts. Perhaps we should be focussing instead on running three bigger concerts per year with more effort going into each one. This to be further thought through.

My trip to Europe announced last newsletter is off. I went to see my sister in Queensland for a week in June instead.

We will be needing volunteers to do some cooking for the Waitara people’s lunch so please put on your thinking cap and let me know what you can do for that occasion. I will be doing some date scones. They are good with red jam and white cream. I need to hear from those of you who can make a superb soup or a succulent sandwich.

That is it for now – cheers

Ross Nicholson

President:                                                                      Secretary:

J (Jim) Lawrence                                                          R (Ross) Nicholson

105 Cedar Drive                                                            3 Avenue North Rd

Paraparaumu 5032                                                        Levin 5170

Ph: 04 905 3559                                                             Ph: 06 367 2239

Mob: 0272415959                                                     email: sandoral@vodofone.co.nz

email: jim.lawrence@paradise.net.nz                                                                                                                    

Hall: Horowhenua Savage Club, 28 Parker Ave, Levin