Blogs

Richard's report from the Gold Coast Congress dominates this newsletter with close to 20% of the Te Aroha club travelling across to Oz for the event.

As you can imagine it wasn't all bridge!

Where has everybody gone for their summer holidays?

What has been happening at summer bridge competitions.

Read all about it in the latest newsletter from Richard.

Today (the 1st January 2023) is the first day of semi-retirement for Te Aroha's Richard Solomon after nearly 40 years of service to NZ Bridge.

Attached is the stories and memories about Richard for your interest.

It also appears on the NZBridge website: https://www.nzbridge.co.nz/blog/10859/Farewell-(sort-of)-to-Richard-Solomon

Even bridge stops for Christmas but not for very long afterwards!

Christmas Greetings with some December news and photos, prize winners.... and a little quiz too.

Compliments of the season

Richard

Our three Life Members together for the first time
Warmest congratulations to Beth Vosper who now joins Sonia Crawford and Lesley Quilty as a life member of the Matamata Bridge Club.
Well deserved Beth

Matamata Life Members

Hope you enjoy the attached newsletter.

There’s 2 new Life Members, some really high scores and plenty of socialising
to enjoy...oh, some bridge too!

Richard

oh, if your news has not been featured, that could be because you have not told it to me!

We were sad to hear that Matamata Life Member, Ann Ring, passed away last night. She was over 90 and was still playing regularly at the bridge club ... including last week.

Ann joined the club in the 1960’s and served on the committee from 1972 – 1975 before taking a break before serving on the committee for another 13 years. This included 2 years as Vice-President and 2 years as President. She then took another break before serving for another 5 years from 2008.

Lucille and Ann Ring
Ann Ring (on the right) with friend Lucille Hughes

A total of 22 years of service to the bridge club on the committee.

During her time with the club, she has been a marker (before the advent of the computer) a partner steward and a handicapper. She attended to the flowers and cooked chickens for the tournaments.

Ann was not one to make decisions lightly. She researched things and consulted others before making a decision.

Her name has figured 8 times on the Championship Board and on the Billy Graham Trophy.

This information was taken from her Life Membership citation in 2012 and Ann has continued to feature regularly on the trophies since that time.

For the last 60 years Ann has been gracious, loyal, faithful, generous member of the Matamata Bridge Club and she will be sorely missed by us all.

Life Members: From L-R our life members in 2019, Sonia, Lesley and Ann Ring

sorry late posting it albeit Richard distributed it in October!

If your picture doesn't appear in the newsletter - then you weren't playing at the club this month .... with the exception of Ross Stewart who was there but somehow managed to avoid the camera lens!

What a great night - I can't thank you enough!

Matamata Bridge Club held their annual Benefit Night last night (Thursday 22nd September)

This year our organisation of choice was the Cancer Society.
Through the generosity of our members and the support that we received from our local sister bridge clubs we are absolutely delighted with the amount that we have raised for this good cause that touches so many of us in our own lives.

I would like to thank all our members that donated all the “In the Bag” prizes and all the many and varied Raffles. These same members then supported all these raffles by buying up large. A raffle donated by Hermanna and run at Te Aroha the week before also raised $150. Several individuals from our club also gave cash donations to this cause. I would like to thank all the visitors for coming and supporting us. We had 16 visitors come along on the night from 4 different clubs.

Thank you all very much!!!!!!

There are two people I would like to thank personally.
Beth Vosper – Beth suggested “In the Bag” and then we tossed around ideas on how to run it on the night

She also provided all the super and all the prizes. She was always ready to give me advise and support when I didn’t know what to do.
Colin LeQuesne – Colin spent hours down at the bridge club with me working out how we would run the night and helping to gift wrap the bags. I needed his considerable help on the night to make the evening run smoothly. He then must have spent hours counting the money!!!!

I am so Proud of our Club and our Members – You Are Amazing

Judith Howard
Matamata Club President