The club is a great way to get into the outdoors and meet outdoors people. Both are equally important, because a wilderness experience is made even better when it is shared with a group of friends.

Getting people out tramping is the primary goal of the club. However with greater pressures on student free time due to fees, increased workloads and part time jobs, many people think that they don’t have time to go tramping. I urge you to try and make the time, for at no other time in your life are you likely to have so many opportunities to get into the outdoors.

Its not impossible to make time to get into the hills, it just takes a bit of organisation and planning. I have just completed a double degree, during which I worked part-time. A heavy workload, but I still managed to get out tramping at least fifteen times a year.

The outdoors can teach you things which no lecture or book can. It teaches you about the environment, leadership, self-reliance, organisation and teamwork skills. The value of the development of these skills and experiences extends beyond tramping to all aspects of your life. Employers are now looking for more than just people who can calculate solutions to mathematical equations. They are looking for people who can think for themselves, who are self-reliant and have leadership and teamwork skills. Outdoor sports, and tramping in particular, are great ways to develop such skills.

At this point I would just like to put in a plug for the committee. We are always looking for new talent and ideas for the club committee. So if you feel that you have something to offer or contribute, and would like to be part of the club committee then please contact either Rene or myself. We are looking for at least half a dozen people for the positions that will be elected at the AGM this term. They are TROG Editor, Newsletter Editor, Social Officer, Gear Locker Officers & Environment Officers. It looks great on your CV!

The increased pressure on student time is a challenge that the club will have to meet in the coming years for it is unlikely to go away; if anything it is only likely to increase. One way the club plans to respond to it this year is to place more emphasis on day, and night and a day trips. The latter is where you drive up to the mountains on the Saturday or Friday night, often camping next to some hot springs, (generally Maruia or Silvia Flats) then do a day trip the next day. These trips give you the chance to enjoy a break away in the mountains, but leave a day free for study or work.

One other issue of "change" facing the club in 1999 is the decision whether or not to incorporate. For club members there will be no discernible change to the club except the word ‘Inc’ would be added to the club name. Sam, last years president, investigated the issue and summed up the issue as follows:

"Becoming an incorporated society would give the club a separate legal existence, independent of the Student’s Association. This would give us more autonomy in dealing with external funding agencies such as the Hillary Commission, confer certain tax advantages on the club’s bank accounts and would mean we legally own our assets such as the gear locker contents. At present these are technically the property of the Student’s Association. Incorporating would require the consent of at least 50% of the membership, as well as the UCSA, and would probably involve some redrafting of the constitution. Also, we’d get a nice official stamp called a Common Seal (not something that smells bad and lives in the sea around Fiordland!) which we would use to sign official documents. The Canoe Club has recently become incorporated for the above reasons."

The only real cost of incorporating would be the initial registration fee of $200. As Sam outlined however we need a 50% majority to support the motion. The issue will be put to the vote at the AGM so please come along. I promise it will be as brief as possible, and take no more than five minutes.

Hope to see you all out in the hills in 1999.