Naomi gave us an insight into her life as a writer in which much of her work is writing and publishing books reflecting the life of an individual in a family. Many of these individuals are old and the family wished to have record of their lives and of the wider family. 

Naomi started as a journalist in Christchurch and after 16 years moved to Dunedin. She had a neighbour (Syd) who was a character and after getting to know him better thought his story was well worth telling. She has gone on to write many books and due to age of her subjects she needed to be very patient and understanding of their reminiscences. Each book generally takes 4 – 6 months. Naomi has a website www.waterunderthebridge.nz . The name coming from the old saying.

With Bill Thompson’s resignation from the club, President Lisa asked us if we could take over the position of Wellbeing Officer (previously known as Almoner). We support the concept of the dual role because it gives members a choice of whom to approach and also allows for continuity in the absence of one of us. 

The role may evolve over time but essentially it has communication and co-ordination functions. If a member is having personal or family issues of any sort and is happy to have the club know about it, we can be approached by them or another member and we can pass the message on to the President, Board or the wider club as appropriate. A fitting response can then be made. 

We don’t want this to be a formal process or for people’s privacy to be disturbed. If there is a need and a member wishes to respond to it independently, that is obviously acceptable as well. We are happy to receive feedback as to how the role should operate. We are here and ready to be contacted. 

Gaye Wright and Craig Radford