He thought of placing an advertisement in the local newspaper or erecting a billboard somewhere but Q₁₂ it was the radio that he decided on to reach the most people. You know, other people who might be interested in outdoor pursuits, just basic activities like walking or tramping anything active that could take place in some of the beautiful outdoor settings that this country has to offer.

Q₁₃ Nick was overwhelmed by the response he got, and the club soon grew from a dozen or so friends and enthusiasts to around 200 members 20 years ago and steadily since then to reach a membership of over 2500 now. You don’t have to be a hard and athletes or extreme adventurer on the country, it’s a group that encourages friendship and fellowship through social and recreational activities. The club tries to cater for all levels of maturity and both genders. Q₁₄ In fact, anyone who has the physical ability and a moderate level of health and fitness to participate in open-air activity on a regular basis. I think our youngest member is a five-year-old boy, and our oldest member is a 75-year-old man.

Of course, we have more challenging opportunities for those who are up to it. But all excursions are graded according to level of difficulty, and there will always be something for those families with small children. More about that later. I’m sure you realize that it’s part of the focus of the club to ensure that our natural environment is kept as pristine as possible. We all have a keen interest in conservation, and many of our members contribute their time or give a monetary donation to organizations that work to enhance and beautify our natural heritage.

Okay, now going back to the grades of activity. First of all, tramping. This is very popular with singles and couples without children, but it is certainly not restricted to those groups. Q₁₅ Tramping is arranged for Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the year. Most tramps are of a duration of 3 to 5 hours, depending on the weather and the terrain. And, of course, the time of year. You would need to check the newsletter all the website to find out place and time. And if you wish to participate, phone the coordinator who could give you more information. I’ll move on now to Q₁₆ walking, which is very popular with families but open to everyone, and walks are arranged for every Thursday and every Sunday over the course of the entire year. Walks last no more than three hours. Although the Thursday walks might be shorter and again, you would have to check the newsletter for details of the time and area to meet and get in touch with the walking Q₁₇ organizer to confirm your participation.

Now the Wanderers are what you might call a subgroup off the active outdoor club. This group was set up to cater for the less active, more elderly or families with very young children who still want to enjoy the great outdoors, but without quite so much exertion. Very mind that the length of these activities is Q₁₈ variable, but we’re always home before dark. Any member of the club is welcome to join in their activities on a Sunday, which includes visiting some of our more beautiful parks and botanical gardens, beach walks, picnics, and even boat trips to visit some of the small islands off the coast. Often guided tours can be arranged if there is enough interest. If you’d like to see what the Wanderers are up to, check the website and then phone the leader for more information.

I’ll beg you’re already for that cup of tea now, but before I finish, I really must mention something that could be a lot of fun, a great opportunity to form new or strengthen existing friendships and a chance to explore a part of the country that you may never have seen before.

These are our Q₁₉ mystery weekends. The committee puts a lot of time and effort into the organization of these weekends away not only for health and safety reasons but also to ensure that everything runs smoothly and everyone has a good time. There will be a charge to cover travel and accommodation costs, but apart from that, it’s an affordable and exciting weekend away from the city. For more information call the Q₂₀ chairman of the committee. You will find his phone number in the newsletter. So that’s all I want to say this point. Please enjoy the refreshments and check with others and feel free to ask questions. All the committee members are wearing a lot of red name batches so that easy to find.

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