“Two-thirds of the planet is covered in water so two-thirds of one’s time should be spent fishing ……..”
Oh! for a perfect world
Well after that profound statement we need to get back to reality.
Welcome to spring and for many the start of the new fishing season – may it be a good one for you and may that be reflected in heaps of applications streaming into this office for consideration of Annual Awards, Pins, Certificates and maybe even Records. Don’t forget to encourage your Junior Members to get involved in this process. Webmasters this is your responsibility to encourage members.
Many Clubs will have recently held, or will soon hold, their Annual General Meetings. We at your National Office trust that these will be successful, your committees will be full of enthusiastic members and your forthcoming season great for your club. Don’t forget to get those affiliation renewals in – still a lot more to come yet – and would be great if we saw lots of new club members on those schedules.
Don’t forget also to update all your club details on the two websites. I know I keep harping on about these but this is the communication and information source of today and unless you club is on it, it is you who are missing out. A quick glance recently showed that still the majority of clubs are NOT using these FREE sites. Contact me for details regarding access. Those sites again are www.nzaca.co.nz and the organisations section of www.fishing.net.nz. I receive heaps of emails which are addressed to particular clubs but their publicised email address, on the websites, is the NZACA one. These need to be corrected urgently.
The latest edition of our electronic Newsletter, Tidelines, is out. Everyone in your club who has an email address should be in receipt of this great read. If they haven’t received a copy then please let me know ASAP and I will arrange for their address to go on the database. You need the latest version (7.0) of Adobe Reader to open Tidelines but this is a free download off the Internet.
Talking about communication – have you seen the latest issue of the Fishing Coast to Coast ? Good article in there by our own Mark Roberts on the Rotorua Fishing & Casting Club. Many other great articles in this good mag’ too. Don’t forget the other major publication also, and long time supporters of this Association – the NZ Fishing News. In there is our regular NZACA column by Greg Smeal, our club liaison and promotions man. Greg needs more info’ from Clubs for his articles – so send these in.
This months issue of NZ Fishing News also has a good article on “Shared Fisheries” as seen from the perspective of the Option4 group – this is well worth reading as we are going to hear more about this matter.
The obituaries regarding the late Max Hetherington should also be read – we are going to miss the work of this guy.
New website for your perusal – www.fish4nz.co.nz
Last mailing we sent out a “return form” for completion and sending back giving details of a liaison person Greg can use for contact regarding his column in the NZ Fishing News. We had 5 returns only from the whole club membership – very disappointing – but it is not to late !
This mail-out there is another paper we would like completed and returned. This one is an update and confirmation of email addresses. It is quite self explanatory, so please check it, complete it and send it back. PLEASE PLEASE
2007 NATIONALS
We have just heard that the same weekend as our Nationals in New Plymouth will be the very popular WOMAD Festival. This means accommodation will be tight and at a premium so if clubs have not booked their accommodation for next March they better get on to it straight away to avoid disappointment or being stuck with higher-priced options.
Nationals Seeding – you know about tennis players being seeded and similar in golf and may other sports, well we have produced a seeding schedule for our Nationals based on the past three years results. This will be soon be on-line on www.nzaca.co.nz and in the near future we will send out the full schedule to clubs. It is hoped that competitors will see this as an opportunity and encouragement to attend the next Nationals to defend their seeded position or improve on it. Based over three years results it means one can justifiably boast about their place on this list whether it is for fishing or casting. Why don’t clubs strive to see how many places they can gain say in the top ten or whatever. Here is a chance of additional competition – no prizes or awards – but the mana and prestige of your place on the list. So come on and give it a go and the Nationals in March 2007 in New Plymouth is your next opportunity to either get on the list or improve/defend your placing.
If you are not receiving regular updates from the New Plymouth Organising Committee for next years Nationals please let me know ASAP
50th.Anniversary – Badge order was sent out last mailing. Remember this will be only a limited production run so important you get your orders in. In conjunction with this celebration there will be produced a booklet looking back over the past 50 years. If your club has historical antidotes which may be of interest to include please forward these to me ASAP. There will possibly be available specially embroidered shirts available.
In this mailing there is a discussion paper that we would like your comments and feed-back on. This paper produced by Greg Smeal with input from Stewart Hogg and the Executive should provoke interesting discussion and debate. Important your club has an input into this. So again please don’t just put this to one side and let it be overlooked.
The other enclosure is from a new venture and on-line tackle shop called Kiwi Tackle Club. The Executive have given their support and endorsement to this. You will see that there are incentives available to encourage membership and there is nothing stopping a club itself becoming a member and reaping the rewards as their individual club members, or others, join up. As time goes by we will be hearing more about this enterprise and you are encouraged to check their website or contact Don Boddie direct to find out more. There are some long-term benefits for recreational fishing when this gets full steam up. Make it a subject of discussion at a club meeting and put it in your Club Newsletters. (which by the way I would like a copy of – put me on your mailing list if it is not already – as well as all of the other clubs in the Association – and post it on the websites)
A Reminder – a few months ago the Wairoa North Clyde Surfcasting Cub put out a challenge to all clubs to donate $50 (or more) to help fund our Members Manual. O far only one Club has risen to the challenge – what about your club ?
I even suggested some “wealthy” clubs may like to sponsor a total section – does not cost much really – maybe a good way of helping celebrate our 50th !! So com’n let’s get behind this challenge put out Wairoa North Clyde. More info’ from me if required.
Well that’s my lot again for this month – much to read, act upon and return – remember this is YOUR ASSOCIATION and it is only as good as YOU make it.
Graeme Dawber
YOUR Association Secretary
