160 Members attended our AGM/Mid Winter Lunch at the Commerce Club on 8 June at which we confirmed our officers and committee for the next financial year. We were treated to the usual excellent Christmas themed buffet meal followed by a very interesting talk by our Guest Speaker, Marisa Ruhter, Boeing Field Service, Auckland.
Marisa provides on-site technical support for Air New Zealand, Airwork and the Royal New Zealand Airforce and her talk and accompanying slide show covered the Boeing company relationship with New Zealand from its origins back in the early days of the 20th century to the present day. Who knew that William E. Boeing’s first commercial airplane found its way to the Walsh Brothers Flying School at Mission Bay (and may still be lying buried under North Head!).
Her slide show featured historic photos of these early aircraft and their manufacture plus photos of every Douglas and Boeing commercial airplane operated by our company up to the present day.
Interested members asked a number of questions after the talk to which Marisa had no immediate answer but has come back them retrospectively:-
Q: Were any DC-10’s built after the Boeing / McDonnell Douglas merger?
A: No, production of the DC-10 ended 1989, prior to the Boeing merger in 1997.
Q: Do any of William E. Boeing’s direct descendants still work for Boeing?
A: No, and sadly, William E. Boeing Jr., philanthropist and real estate developer, passed away on 8 January 2015.
Q: What was Mr. William E. Boeing’s exact role in founding the Boeing Company?
A: Here is a link to a short biography of William E Boeing.
There is also a lot of historical information and video clips on the Boeing website here.
President’s Report
It is very heartening to see that the Club's membership has grown from 477 members as at 31 March 2015 to 602 members as at 30 May 2016, an increase of 26 percent.
This sizeable increase can in no small measure be attributed to the interest created by the Club's lunch in July last year celebrating Air New Zealand's 75th Anniversary where, by the way, we had 404 guests. We remain grateful to the Company for the generous support that it provided to make that event such a success.
Today we have 161 guests attending this Annual General Meeting and mid-year lunch. Thank you for your support.
During this last financial year we have organised a visit to the Glenbrook Steel Mills which attracted 16 participants and a visit to the Devonport Naval Base which drew 30 people. We should thank John Hooper for organising these events. The Committee wonders why these events are so modestly supported and would welcome any suggestions you have for improving support and diversifying the range of events offered to the club.
Finally I would like to thank your Committee for their dedicated work in organising activities which allows you to enjoy the company of your old workmates .
Jo Foged - President