Ian – Page 30 – Taieri Recreational Tramping Club

North Taieri Church, Boulder Hill

25/10/2000. North Taieri Church to Boulder Hill. Leaders: Les W, Ray, Mary M.

Bus Trip, Earnscleugh Road

4/10/2000. Bus Trip, Earnscleugh Road. Leaders: Joan H, Ian, Colleen.

Davies Track, Jim Freeman

20/9/2000. Davies, formerly Warburton – Jim Freeman’s Track from Booth Road. Leaders: Lex, Elaine, Ann.

Annual General Meeting Minutes 17/8/2000

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Taieri Recreational Tramping Club held at 1.30 p.m. 17 August 2000 at the Mosgiel Presbyterian Church Hall.

The President Les Smith welcomed 40 members to the 13th Annual General Meeting.

Apologies:

G and D Such, E Blackburn, W McLen, W Hunt, C Williams, H Leslie, N and D Moir, S Robertson, L Woodfield, J Thomson, A and B Landrebe, I Morrison, M Young.

Moved that apologies be accepted, C Gamble, 2nd M Vaughan.

Minutes of the 1999 AGM were read and confirmed. Moved C Gamble, 2nd B Harvey.

Matters arising:
Age Limit 55 to 50. Les advised that the discretion to admit members under the age of 55 be continued by the committee.

President’s Report:

The President read his report and moved its adoption. 2nd C Gamble.

Financial Report:

The Treasurer presented the annual financial report and balance sheet. A surplus of $479.20 is in the trading a/c. A credit balance of $634.73 is in the ANZ Serious Saver a/c.

A recommendation that the subs be held at $5.00 was moved N Taiaroa 2nd M Winefield.

N Taiaroa moved that the Auditor’s fee be increased to $30.00 and that Mr McGhie re re-appointed as Auditor. 2nd by P Chisholm.

N Taiaroa moved the financial report be adopted. 2nd L Smith.

Election of Officers:

President: C Gamble. Proposed L Smith. 2nd W Bathgate.

Vice President: D Moir. Proposed L Smith. 2nd B McIntosh.

Sec/Treas. W Taiaroa. Proposed L Smith. 2nd J Shaw.

Immediate Past President: L Smith.

Committee:

L Wiffen. Proposed L Smith, 2nd M Vaughan.

P McLean. Proposed L Smith, 2nd M Vaughan.

J Hobbs. Proposed L Smith, 2nd M Vaughan.

I Fleming. Proposed J Shaw, 2nd R Heenan.

President Les thanked Ray Wiggins for his contribution to committee work.

He congratulated club office holders on their election.

He thanked all members of the 1999 committee for their work during the year organising walks, outings and social occasions.

General Business:

Youth Hostel Membership:
The use of this membership was available to all members and inquiries for venues and its use was available from the secretary.

Age On the Go:

Advice of the mass walk on 229 September 2000 was given.

Track Choices:

Joan Hobbs spoke about tracks known to members in specific areas such as Brighton and Portobello and other areas should be given to them to recce and they in turn should be forthcoming in proposing and exploring new opportunities. All members were asked to bring forward tramps to help those organising the weekly programme.

Programme: Geo Haggie and R Heenan offered their services to the organisers of the tramping programme.

Peg Chisholm thanked the club for the support she had received during the year.

Winter Start Times:
A stimulated discussion on the starting times for the winter programme was led by Ray Wiggins. He requested the time revert from 9am to 9.30am. After much discussion the main points were cars travelling on frosty mornings from outlying areas believed the extra 1/2 hour would be beneficial from a safety point of view. Several members opposed the later starting times as they believed it reduced the available tramping times.

Moved I Fleming 2nd Joan Hobbs that the winter start timee be 9.30am.

D Taiaroa moved an amendment that the alternative group start at 9.30am. R Thompson 2nd this.

Further discussion took place and main points were a splitting of the group and what would be the start time on the combined tramp.

The amendment was put and lost.

The motion was put and a majority voted for the motion which was: The Winter Programme for June, July and August all walks to commence at 9.30am.

L Smith advised Three Mile Hill would be closed from September 11th until November 3rd.

C Gamble advised of the revised method of calculating costs of transport for weekly tramps.

J Roy: A file of maps and information was received from the Roy family for the club’s use.

Publicity. Ray Wiggins was thanked for his reports to the local paper and particularly the Pounawea Camp report.

Naseby Camp. TO be held 3rd, 4th and 5th November 2000.

Xmas Function to be held 6th December.

Bev Harvey thanked the committee for the work on organising tramps during the year and emphasised the recreational aspect of the club’s activities. She also appealed for more members to seek out new walks.

Gifts. Les Smith presented a gift voucher for Maria Gamble in appreciation of her typing work during the year.

R Wiggins presented the out-going President with a gift and commented humorously on his brick-building activities and their relationship to the construction of a Strong Club.

Annual Report 17/8/2000

TAIERI RECREATIONAL TRAMPING CLUB

ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000

17th AUGUST 2000

On again it is my privilege to present to you this, the 13th Annual Report of the Taieri Recreational Tramping Club. It has been quite a low key year for the Committee with no extraordinary events occurring that needed drastic action.

It has been quite a sad year for the club, in that we have lost two well liked and respected members. Jack Roy had been a very active participant in club affairs and tramped with the club for many years and his knowledge of the outdoors and all aspects of tramping were well known They won’t be many of us who haven’t asked Jack for information about various tracks around the area when we’ve had to do recces. He is, and will be, greatly missed. Sylvia Williams was a more recent member but during her time with us she merged in the the club and became friends with everyone. Our thoughts are with the families of Jack and Sylvia, and especially Claude, who has continued to be an active member of our group. We must also spare a thought for our past member, Hugh Dickson. Hugh had been a member of the club for many years and it was only recently that he and Judith chose to resign.

On a happier note, I would like to congratulate Peg Chisholm, Joyce Shaw, Dot Taiaroa and Mary Maxwell on winning their battles with inness and we hope their recovery continues to be positive.

I would like to thank the committee, who have always made themselves available to discuss any issues and for organising all events for the club. Thanks again to the track committee for their input. Anyone who would like to serve on this group would be most welcome.

The tramps this year have mostly been enjoyable and interesting – the weather affecting 3 main tramps and 1 alternative. From 22nd Sept. 1999 unti 2nd Aug. 2000, 345 people attended the main tramps, an average of 14 each tramp day. 364 attended the alternative, an average of 14, and 220 attended the monthly combine tramp, an average of 22. These figures are generally equal to lat year’s figures.

There have been 3 camps during the last 12 months. 24 people enjoyed a very pleasant camp at Twizel in November last year. 28 attended and had gret fun at Te Anau in March this year, and another 25 at Pounawea in May. All these camps proving most popular.

46 members enjoyed a bus trip and a day’s tramping at Lawrence, organised by Don Hunter.

40 people were present at our Xmas tramp and picnic lunch at Berwick Forest, courtesy of the Otago Youth Adventure Trues. 40 members ad partners enjoyed our Xmas dinner at Outram Hotel.

The mid-winter walk and dinner at Arthur Daly’s at Green Island drew an attendance of 52 familiar faces, where the highlight of the year took place. This being the presentation of a chainsaw from the proprietor of Arthur Daly’s, Mr McCorrigan, much to the delight of the track-clearing committee.

I have already spoken of our appreciation of the track clearing people, but I would like to make special mention of a real track clearing enthusiast, who not only works along with our own group, but is known to be often out track clearing with other clubs and groups. That peroson,s if cours, Bob Heenan. So Bob, many thanks for all the hours you have contributed tokeeping tracks and pathways open, so others can benefit and enjoy their recreation.

Thanks to Les Wiffen for keeping the roll each Wednesday and organising car rides.

Thanks to Ray Wiggins for maintaining the Library and assisting with publicity. As you may known, Ray is not standing this trm for committee, so thanks Ray, for your contribution.

Our membership stands at 78 and we offer a special welcome to the new members. Don Hunter, Pam Hunt, Evelyn Cooperr and Audrey Kimble, who are having their first year tramping with the club.

I have enjoyed my time on the committee of the club. As Vice-President, and then as President. During that time we have tried always to kep committee business as low key as possible, so I must thank the committee for dispatching with any problems, with the least amount of fuss or aggravation.

Thank you all those who have contributed to make this club the happy club that it is. Thank you. – Les Smith.

Street Walk: Green Cliffs

9/8/2000. Green Cliffs. Leaders: Daphne, Lance and Lois.

Cape Saunders Lighthouse

Cape Saunders Lighthouse and the grave of the two children.

“Cape Saunders on the Otago Peninsula, was named by Captain James Cook after Sir Charles Saunders, the First Lord of the Admiralty, the commander of the fleet which captured Quebec in 1759.

Early shipping into the town of Dunedin via Port Chalmers was hindered because of the lack of lighthouses marking the harbour on the peninsula so often ships arriving from England sailed past the harbour entrance and headed further north. It was not uncommon during the 1850s for ships to spend days searching for the harbour entrance and the Otago Provincial Council recognized the importance of lights so in 1863 appointed James Balfour as Provincial Marine Engineer. It was not before time as in 1860 only 60 vessels had arrived at the port but by 1863 this had increased to 983.

Balfour arrived from Scotland later in 1863 with both the lantern forTaiaroa Head and Cape Saunders (the lanterns from Scotland and lens from France respectably). He immediately set to work designing his first lighthouse for the council at Taiaroa Head and this light was lit on 2 January, 1865. The original light was red to distinguish itself from the proposed light at Cape Saunders.

Meanwhile the Otago Provincial Council had begun planning the lighthouse at Cape Saunders, buying land off the local Maori at a place called Kaimata in 1862 but a lack of funds halted the project.

So the Provincial Government erected a 12 foot white stone beacon on the Cape in 1868. But this proved to be totally inadequate for the job as ships often steamed pass the harbour entrance not having seen the beacon.

The Otago Daily Times was to report on January 13 1865, that the Cape Saunders Light apparatus was displayed at the first New Zealand Exhibition in Dunedin.

After the Marine Board was formed in 1862, James Balfour was appointed Colonial Marine Engineer in 1866 when this board was changed to the Marine Department.

By now the light equipment for Cape Saunders was still idle so it was used at Nugget Point which was lit in 1870.

In 1875, the Marine Department led by John Blackett and Captain Johnson, decided to build a new light at nearby Matakitaki Point which had easier access and was not so exposed to fog. This 28 foot wooden tower similar in design to Akaroa was constructed in 1878 and the light was first lit on 1 January, 1880.

The first Head Keeper was James Nelson, who was transferred from The Brothers lighthouse.

Tragedy was to plague the lighthouse in it’s first few years. In December 1882 Mr. Nelson’s wife died suddenly. As the youngest child of the family was only 20 months old, the Marine Department granted the keepers request to transfer out of the Department into the Customs Department. But before he was transferred on March 19, 1883, the two year old daughter of the Assistant Keeper (Patrick Henaghan) and the youngest child of the Mr. Nelson died when the cow shed they were playing in caught fire. Later another child died of illness and six months later, the son of the new Head Keeper fell over the cliff and broke his wrist.

The wooden tower was replaced in 1954 by a steel latticework tower and a new mains powered electric beacon. However, this tower didn’t last due to salt water corrosion and was replaced again in 1967 with the old lantern room from Kaipara Lighthouse.

The light was fully automated in April 1980.

In June of 2006, the lighthouse was again replaced, this time with a modern aluminum tower. The backup diesel generator was removed and new battery pack was installed to supply backup power if the mains power fails.

The old Kaipara Head lantern room has been sent back to Kaipara where it will be restored.

The lens and lighting equipment is displayed at the Port Chalmers Museum.

DIRECTIONS:

Situated on the Otago Peninsula. Currently a restricted area on private land.

A modern aluminum tower is now in use.