National Committee

President Traven Searle 

(0061) 7831 1731

Vice President John Groombridge 

(North Island)          (04) 589 5461

Vice President Joyce Fleming 

(South Island)         (03) 322 7990

Secretary Jackie Caldwell 

 

Treasurer John Groombridge 

(04) 589 5461

Members 

Ian Bushett(04) 237 0193 

John Lowe(06) 752 7915 

Steve Wilkinson(03) 325 3316 

Correspondence should be mailed to the official FBG address

LOCAL CONTACTS

Auckland Jan Winn 

(09) 482 0134

Tauranga Ted Lidgard 

(07) 542 2344

Waikato Roger Morris 

(07) 856 8857

Taranaki John Lowe 

(06) 752 7915 

Hawkes Bay Murray Ennor 

(06) 879 6988

Sthn Hawkes Bay Hugh Bowles 

(06) 374 6238

Wellington Meryl Baker 

(04) 528 7010

Linda Geeves

(04) 478 4820

Christchurch Joyce Fleming 

(03) 322 7990

Steve Wilkinson

(03) 325 3316

 

National Committee Election

The response to the call for nominations for the National Committee was overwhelming, well, not quite!

Only enough nominations were received to fill the positions available, and several of the nominees are present members of the National Committee.

It may seem strange to be receiving Voting Papers when there are only sufficient nominations to fill the vacancies, but it is important that members have the opportunity to exercise their right to accept or oppose the appointment of any nominee.

We have included a window envelope for the return of your Voting Slip, please fold it so that the return address shows through the window, seal it, add a stamp, and put it in the mail to arrive by 10 August 1996. The un-opened envelopes will be given to an independent scrutineer to be counted. The results will be published in the September / October newsletter.

A brief biography of each nominee has been included to assist members cast their vote.

Preserving our Place in the Sun

The Mission of the Department of Conservation is to conserve the heritage of New Zealand for the benefit of present and future generations. This involves conservation of natural and historic resources, sensitive and sustainable use of these resources, and public awareness of and support for the conservation ethic.

DoC’s management of coastal areas includes reducing pollution, controlling pests and weeds, dealing with fires and erosion, and looking after marine mammals, sea birds and other wildlife. The department also prepares policies to guide councils in the wise use and management of coastal resources.

DoC's priorities are firstly conservation, and secondly to provide facilities for outdoor recreation. To carry out its work the department relies on the co-operation of the wider community, with both individuals and groups working on conservation projects. People help by cleaning up beaches, planting native trees and upgrading tracks.

Most of the beaches administered by DoC which are easily accessible are in our Beach Guide, and comprise almost a third of our listed beaches, mainly because DoC has no by-law requiring people to be clothed.

Yet DoC has no mandate to provide for minority groups. If a conflict arose between naked and the clothed, we are the ones who would miss out. If we do nothing for DoC we can hardly expect them to do anything for us. We freely use their facilities, but what are we giving in return?

Beaches are to us what a sun club is to club nudists. In a sun club members work together to keep their grounds in good order. What are we doing for our beaches? In an age of user-pays takers are not welcome.

Jackie Caldwell

Biographies

To assist voters deciding the worth of nominees listed on their Voting Paper, the following is a brief biography of those listed (in alphabetical order).

Ian Bushett has been a member since 1991 and is a current member of the National Committee. Ian has been an active member of the Wellington group and has recently added the responsibility of becoming the father of a baby girl.

Jackie Caldwell has been a member since 1976, and has spent many years as Secretary and newsletter compiler while living in Auckland; Jackie has been responsible for developing the Beach Guide into our most sort after publication. Recently Jackie has returned to the job of Secretary.

Joyce Fleming has been a member since 1980 and has been dedicated to promoting the Free Beach Group on the South Island, writing articles in the NZ Naturist, and arranging interesting events for Christchurch members. Joyce has recently been the South Island Vice President.

Linda Geeves joined the Free Beach Group 1993, and has been Wellington Chair for the last two years. Linda's prime interest is two young highly active boys and a tolerant husband.

John Groombridge has been a member of the Group since 1978, and has been recently filled the positions of Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, and Vice President (North Island). Interests include native plants, ham radio, etc, also a member of Rotota Sun Club.

John Lowe has been a member since 1976 and was for several years the Wellington area organiser. After spending time on Norfolk Island and Australia, John returned to NZ, and has been responsible for the setting up of our computer database.

George North joined the Free Beach Group 1992, he is an active member of the Christchurch group. George lives near the beach and has be pro-active in establishing his presence on the beach. He is interested in rock climbing and tramping.

 

1996 Rally Success

The May/June issue of Five Acres, official newsletter of the Wellington Sun Club, reports that the 1996 NZNF Rally held on their grounds was a great success from every angle. The Rally provided the incentive to develop their grounds to even better standards, and publicity in the March issue of More magazine. The financial reward was "a $10,000 clear profit for the club".

NZNF Meeting

A meeting of NZNF executives was held in Auckland over the Queens birthday weekend. The topics were many and varied, and the following is a brief summary of the subjects covered.

Regional Clubs

Clubs join together to form a region; eg: Auckland has a regional base where clubs join together for Inter-Club activities, sports, and socials. Each month over the Summer seasons Auckland Sun, Counties, Hibiscus Coast and Auckland Outdoor participate and rotate the club that holds the events. By clubs joining together in regional zones, communication is streamlined, and members through their club newsletter are informed of what is happening in the Federation and the direction of the nudist movement. The Federation will need the name of your 'Promotions" person, who will be responsible for the on-going communication between the clubs in your area to pass on relevant details.

Photographs and the Privacy Act

There has been some discussion on the privacy of photographs. To clarity the situation, and to place members minds at ease, Federation President, Brent Thomson, will be investigating the position, and will be passed on his findings through the Regional Communication System.

0800 number

We have received quite a few phone calls to date, but like all new systems they need to be looked at for cost and effectiveness of the service. We have a need to expand on what we are currently offering and make the system more friendly. Here is the opportunity for your club to participate.

Ideas include: when a caller phones in on the 0800 number, they are given a selection of choices; ie: push 1 for information on a North Island club. They then have a choice of Auckland region, Taupo region, Lower North Island region. Push 2 for information on the South Island, with the same options being offered for regions in the South Island. When the caller goes into the second choice, they will have the option of speaking directly to the Clubs Membership person, or speaking with Fern who will direct the caller to a Club near their area. Fern will be able to place the call in the Club through the 0800 number, incurring no cost to the caller. The 0800 number will be widely advertised in the Women's Weekly, Listener, Herald and other areas where maximum coverage is guaranteed. The cost of setting up the 0800 number and the advertising will be partially covered by the Percy Cousins Trust and partially by clubs around New Zealand. (Approximately $3.00 per club member.)

Naturist Magazine

Clubs in New Zealand are not supporting the

magazine as well as they can. There will be a Photo

Competition and a Creative Writing Competition to encourage members to use the best form of advertising for their club.

Creative Writing: contributions could be poems, short stories, events - with photos to give a background for the article (which could be used as a caption?).

Photography Competition: Action shots, nudists playing sports, mixed nude and clothed at the club, home, beach, holiday, etc, long distance shots and close ups. With a few words explaining the event. Ensure that the mix of sexes and ages, portray the right information to the prospective new member. Clubs also need to encourage their members to subscribe to the magazine. The cost of subscription per year is only $26.20 total cost. You can receive back issues at the reduced rate of $15.00 for 25 issues with each new subscriptions. Write to Naturist Magazine PO Box 2925, Auckland.

Thesaurus Time

The word rally means: bring together especially what has been scattered, come together, assemble outdoor, Tennis lively exchange of strokes.

We thought it might be interesting to seek alternative names. Send any interesting or funny suggestions to Delia; c/- PO Box 95235, Swanson, Auckland.

Sexual Harassment

Is out there, and we should not turn our backs on it. We need to be aware that both sexes may at some time be harassed. A simple "No thank-you", should suffice, however, if this does not deter the offender, then talk to your committee so that the situation may be shared and a solution achieved.

Abridged from a bulletin issued by Delia Adams, NZNF Public Relations Officer, Phone: 09 6242433. (Her phone is always available with call minder to take your message).

R16 Rating Dropped!

The Film and Literature Board of Review has reviewed the R16 rating on Naturist Life New Zealand magazine, and reclassified it as unrestricted.

Naturist Life publisher, Nobilangelo Ceramalus had asked the board to review its original decision two years ago when the magazine was first published. In its latest decision the Review Board said the publication was genuinely interested in promoting family values, health and naturism, and could not be read salaciously.

The statement said "Although it contains pictures of nudity, the depiction of nudity alone does not violate the Films, Video and Publications Act 1993, and in the context of magazines, does not violate the Act."

 

Ngatuhoa 97

Ngatuhoa 97 will be from Saturday 18 January to Monday 27 January 1997.

1996/97 NZNF Rally

Auckland Outdoor Health Club will be the hosts for the 1996/97 NZNF Rally on their grounds. The theme for the Rally is CAMELOT, and is set for 28 December 1996 to 3 January 1997.

The invitation states: "All Knights of pure heart and Maidens of unsullied virtue are hereby summoned to the Court of Camelot to pay homage to the King and Queen, and join the Knights of knightly valour and nightly revelry. Attendees from the provinces are requested to clothe themselves (when required) in finements representative of their knightly orders, especially in the New Year."

The final costs have not been determined yet, but AOHC is accepting $30 deposits for those wishing to book an early site, and a $10 discount will be given to those who have paid in full by 31 October 1996. Cheques should be made payable to AOHC Rally, Box 95-235, Swanson, Auckland.

Wellington Notes

 

Mid-Winter Celebration

On Saturday 22 June a number of Wellington FBGers gathered at Barry's home to celebrate the middle of Winter. Following a warm-up and pep-talks the brave set off to test the waters of Wellington Harbour off Petone Beach. In spite of the weather and the water being very cold, a good time was had by all participants before they retreated back to the warmth.

Blood circulation restored, we indulged in the delights of a shared meal and mulled wine, followed by a soak in the spa pool. Some completed the night by playing canasta, and accepted an invitation to doss down for the night.

Now that we have passed the shortest day, roll on Summer!

Rick Baker

Christchurch Activities

Joyce has just returned from her northern hemisphere summer holiday so Christchurch members wishing to tell her what has been arranged in her absence are asked to phone. Maybe you have some plans or ideas you can pass on.

Visiting Wellington?

Wellington members invite visitors to the region to join them at their regular monthly Swim nights and Spa Evenings.

Swim nights are every second Sunday of the month (until November) at Cannon's Creek Pool, Bedford Street, Porirua. From 6pm to 8pm, bring something to barbecue.

The spas are on the forth Saturday each month at the Kilbirnie Aquatic Centre from 6pm to 7pm. There's a "KFC" nearby for a snack afterwards.

Swim-night Special!

Free Skin Spot Checks

A professional skin specialist sympathetic to our lifestyle will be at the Cannon's Creek Pool, Porirua, swim night Sunday 14 July for anyone wishing to have spots or any other skin problems checked.

This will be a free consultation. Any need for remediable or further investigative consultations can be referred to your own GP or to the specialist later. Feel free to bring family or friends if they have any concerns about moles, or any other spots.

We have asked the pool management to ensure that the hot pool is Hot tonight.

A Health Germ

A "Get well soon wish" to our "old friend" Raymond Gifford who has suffered a mild stroke and is convalescing in Wellington Hospital (Ward 2).

We wish Raymond a speedy recovery, and hope that by the time you read this Raymond, you will be home mending, and when Summer arrives we will see you back at Breaker Bay.