The President Claude Grealy welcomed everyone and explained that the morning would commence with the General Meeting, and be followed afterwards by a presentation from Rosalind Miranda about her adventure around the Western Pacific.
A Minutes Silence for the victims of the train crash:
However, firstly he asked everyone to stand for a minutes silence in remembrance of those who had lost their lives in the high speed train crash. After that he explained that he would write to the Alcaldesa, on behalf of all the members, to convey our condolences to our Spanish neighbours, and also our thanks to the emergency services for their work during the Dana.
General Meeting:
Firstly, the Vice President Margaret March reported that the next Executive Committee sponsored event would be our Pre-Christmas Bash on 30 November at Carrasco. She and Gillian are working on the details and will issue them soon. Margaret also spoke about using WhatsApp for issuing the newsletter. She and Peter Bayliss have found an AI solution and are looking for some volunteers to try it – an email will be issued shortly.
Secondly the Treasurer Henrik Rasmussen reported that by the end of the year we will probably have spent all that we gained in membership fees, leaving a small but positive balance going into the new year.
The Membership Secretary, Jim Short, reported that our membership was now 1,095, of which 198 were new. Some people have difficulty paying by card, but this is resolved if they pay by bank transfer. He said that Sandra Von Esbeck was doing a wonderful job running the New Members Group, with new members continuing to attend her meetings on an ongoing basis.
The Secretary, Gillian Flaxman reported that she was working with Margaret in the organisation of the various Committee sponsored events during the year. She also spoke about the diverse range of locations that Groups meet, from public to private, and many create their own individual challenges, which she assists to manage, particularly public spaces that involve booking in Spanish. Coordination between the Groups Coordinator and herself is ongoing. She reminded members that they can contact any member of the committee with enquiries of suggestions, using the contact form on the website.
Groups Coordinator, Mike Frost was unable to attend in person, so the President read his report. Mike explained that we now have 43 Groups on the website. That is less than last reported. The Spanish Language Group run by Heidi after many years of wonderful service has now stopped. Also the Occasional Snooker has presently stopped due to the loss of access to the snooker table in the Community Centre DAR. The Line Dancing Group has stopped due to insufficient interest from members. However, on a positive note, a new Mah Jong Connections Group has been able to start as Suzanne Campbell has agreed to take on the Group Leader role – thank you Suzanne!
There have been lots of travel taking place over the past months, one of the highlights being a trip to Morocco, including Rabat, Fez and Casablanca. Mike would welcome any ideas from members for future trips. Mike also reported that he had been working with Krystyna Stefancyk to organise a U3A Christmas Day Lunch, which is now fully booked. (PS. there have been cancellations since this was said)
We had a disappointing turnout, but if you scroll down to the last picture with this article, you will see that some famous Hollywood stars somehow arrived for the photo! Strange that – AI is getting into everything. (It’s a joke, ok?).
Presentation by Rosalind Miranda:
Rosalind gave a wonderful presentation on her “Four-Year Not-always Pacific, Sail Around the Western Pacific, from April 1973 to December 1976” which was an astonishing adventure in her tiny boat, with primitive navigation system, no crew to stay on watch.
The trip involved stopping off in places to work and fund her onward journey.
She visited a diverse range of islands, from well populated to islands inhabited by tribes that practiced cannabalism up to relatively recently.
She had stressful moments with customs and caused panic in Taiwan! Overall every sailor’s dream (or nightmare).
See you all on the 30th in Carrascos – Put it in your Diary NOW!
Report by the President. Photos by Linda G
