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Patrick Spottiswood, Director of Globe Education will be speaker. This will be a very interesting occasion and we urge members to advise the President if they wish to attend.

There are a lot of events happening around the region during these months including a film adaptation of Noel Coward's play Easy Virtue at the Light House Cinema, 52 Beach Street, Petone on Monday 13 July, 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. start. Cost $13 includes light refreshments. Tickets from Roy Hewson, 568-6449, roy.hewson@xtra.co.nz. Payment by 8 July.

Guided tours of St James Theatre and the Opera House will be held on Saturday 8 & 15 August from 11-2 p.m.

Check the brochure for further details about what's happening in the region - copies will be available at the meeting.

March meeting

David Luke spoke about Terawhiti, the sheep and cattle station situated on the southern Wellington coast, and what life would have been like in the early days of this settlement. He referred to his family's foundry business whose machinery was used in the 1870s by the gold-mining companies; the part played by coastal shipping companies in maintaining supplies and contact; and the wreck of the SS Penguin in the area in February 1890. David used a large map and historical photographs to illustrate his talk.

Annual subscriptions now due

WE include an invoice for your annual subscription. Please note that the Society is a registered charity with the Charities Commission Ref. CC26840 and therefore any donations, $5 and over, made to the Society can be claimed for a tax refund. We have amended our subscription invoice to take this change into account. Please bring along your subscription and remittance slip to the AGM meeting - or if you are unable to come, please post it to PO Box 17-196, Karori.

Penguin Memorial Fund

An opportunity for members to show support and appreciation for the work that Deirdre Wogan has done in promoting both the Penguin Walk, and the work the Society does. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the wreck of the Penguin, plinths and plaques, which commemorate the graves of five victims who had no memorial in the cemetery have been installed, free of charge by the City Council. Deirdre herself has also contributed a significant amount, together with a number of organisations that she has spoken to, but there is a considerable shortfall in the cost of making the memorials. Any deficit in donations must be born by the Society. Therefore all contributions to this important memorial will be gratefully received.

Tribute

We were saddened to learn of the death of James (Jim) Brodie on Saturday 11 April 2009.

Jim became a member of the Society in December 1985, but even before he joined he had written an article for The Stockade in 1973 entitled The Maori inhabitants of Western Wellington; he also spoke to the Society on the topic. Jim was editor of The Stockade for 11 years from 1994 and during that time he also contributed numerous articles on a variety of subjects. He also wrote and published Terawhiti and the Goldfields in 1986. Jim was very influential in planning the contents of the history projects.

When he moved to Levin in 2004 to live with family he continued to assist with the editing and to share his knowledge and expertise. Unfortunately health problems forced him to relinquish any further active involvement in the project. However he was always very interested in hearing about the project and always very supportive.

We extend our sympathy to his family. Our President and several members attended Jim's funeral and Judith spoke on his contribution to our Society.

The History Project

We are pleased to advise that after discussions with publisher Roger Steele of Steele Roberts, we have invited him to be responsible for publishing out book on The History of Karori and its People. Currently we are selecting photographs from the Alexander Turnbull library for inclusion in the book but there is still much work to be done. If any members have indexing skills and would be prepared to do this task, please speak to our President Judith Burch -

476-4400 or email artybees@actrix.co.nz.

Resignations from the Committee

Robin Ormerod, who had edited The Stockade and been a member of the committee since 2005, has advised that due to persistent health problems she will not be seeking re-election. We appreciate the contribution Robin had made and wish her a speedy recovery to full health. She will remain a member of the Society and we look forward to welcoming her to future meetings. We are delighted that committee member Catherine Hodder will take over as editor of The Stockade.

Glennis Poschich, who took over as Treasurer from Frances Sutton last year, is not seeking re-election this year. Her other work commitments leave her insufficient time to devote to the Treasurer's role. Glennis will also remain a member of the Society.

We are seeking nominations from members who are prepared to take on this role which, although is not arduous, is important for the Society. We would also like nominations for new members to join the committee - please give nominations to Hen ry Brittain before the AGM, His address is: henry.brittain@xtra.co.nz.

See you 7.45 p.m. at the AGM Tuesday 2 June 2009

Supper will be provided