Classes have started and the clubrooms are getting busy. The Committee met last Thursday (17th ) and while the club is going well, we acknowledge that we need more help. The club is now 130 members and with this number comes an increase in the workload. At the moment this is falling to the committee and teams' managers. All the teams need help so please check the roster on the white board and contact a team leader if you can help. We are still looking for someone to manage "Teams".

The job description is yet to be defined and can be done with the person who, hopefully, puts their hand up. The Teams' manager is there to be a support to the specific team managers and to represent their concerns and requests to the committee. If you think you can help, please contact me (Caitlin) or Stephanie. 

Derryn, although now living some distance away from Otaki, has kindly agreed to continue managing the OPC "Pop up" events. The Equine market on the 5th of March (9am - 5pm) will be a very popular event and Derryn will set up the ceramics sales tables outside the Gallery- weather permitting. These events are very good exposure for the club and a great fundraiser. Please support this by bringing along your pots for sale. There are registration forms on the sign-in desk. If you have any queries, please telephone Derryn 027 465 7536. It would also be good to have members working in the rooms during this time. 

Sandra and Yvonne's exhibition is a wonderful collection of work constructed using a variety of methods. Sandra's pots cover a wide range of techniques including the very earthy Obvara firing method. Yvonne uses a range of materials to create her paintings. Brent Craigs exhibition will open this coming Thursday at 5.30pm all are welcome. 

Rod is organising an ''Adult classes" exhibition for October. This is a fantastic opportunity to see the work that is made and comes out of these classes. I look forward to seeing the creations. 

We are always looking for ways to raise funds for the club and especially now given the cancellation of the Festival 2022. If you have any ideas that could be a good fundraiser for the club, please let us know. 

I would like to make a Jigger and Jolly for the purpose of making a small range of domestic­ware that the club can sell. If you have any engineering expertise and could help, please let me know. 

For progress on the Smisek kilns go to 
their website: https://www.thekilnsattehoro.co.nz/ 

CLASSES - Emily Friedlander: 
Classes have got off to a good start. White boards are being installed in the classrooms for class notices and another board for tutor instruction. Options are being explored to hold extra classes to cater to the growing waiting list and this means we are on the lookout for new tutors. If you think you could take a class please contact Emily. 

WORKSHOPS -Margaret Hunt: 
Suggestions for workshops are being explored. Margaret has a few in the pipeline so keep an eye on your email advising of these. 

CLAY/GLAZES/KILNS-Rod Graham: 
Clay is well stocked. New clay KP8 (porcelain) has had good feedback. Glaze chemicals are getting harder to come by and prices are increasing so please be careful when using them. Trevor Wright has completed the work on the electric kilns and all are now running well. 

TOTE MODERN GALLERY - Paula Archibald: New shelves and pinboards have been installed in the Gallery. Thank you to the few who turned up to help paint and install. Neil, Wendy, Jojo, Bryan and Brent (and Brents spray gun which made short work of the painting) - this could not have happened without your help. 
We are asking that member's work in the gallery is to be rotated every 3 months. Please take your work away if it has not sold within that time replace it with fresh work. Don't forget to mark your registration form accordingly. 

ROOMS - Kaye Stead: 
We have a new cleaner - Riteria (Teri) Ruru. Please be considerate if you are working in the rooms when Teri is there - usually on a Sunday. 

Please remember to clean up after you .... That is wipe the surface with wet cloth and dry off with towel. If you use a towel or canvas and it needs washing please rinse /scrub it in the outside tubs and hang over the rack to dry. 

CLEANING BEES - Jojo Hare: 
A new roster has been posted on the notice board in the kitchen. Please put your name down for the date that suits you. If you are not able to do weekends, please contact Jojo. There will be other tasks that you can do as your cleaning bee. Remember also that you must let Jojo know if you cannot make the cleaning bee you have selected. 

EVENTS 
As we had no offers of help with the midyear event we have had to scrap this idea. 
Rod and Caitlin are to meet with Anam Cara management to discuss booking for the 2023 Festival of pots. 

OTAKI PONY CLUB 
Rally evenings are Wednesday evenings 5pm 
to 7.45pm: 2 March, 16 March and 30 March and 13 April and 27 April. The Gymkhana date has been changed to Saturday 12 March from 9am to 1 pm. A fundraising evening will be held on Thursday 10 March 4pm to 8pm. There will be someone on the gate at each of the above dates for entry and exit. Please be mindful of the horses, drive SLOWLY and give way to any horses close to or crossing the driveway The Racing Authority has mandated that any person entering the racecourse grounds must be vaccinated. 

Please share our Facebook page. This is a very effective (and free) way to advertise our club events and happenings. 

​Caitlin Taylor
President 

​We have a new exhibition starting on 3 March.

Brent Craig - Potter
Ernest Papps - Artist

Opening night will be Thursday, 3 March at 5.30pm.    We would love to see you and your friends at the opening.

​Annual General Meeting Sunday 22nd May 6.30pm at the Club Rooms. This is your opportunity to review what has happened in the past year, the plans for this year and beyond and to elect in the new committee. It is also a chance to have your say and directly contribute to the club's future direction so do please come along.

Welcome to 2022 everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Summer break and now are ready for all that 2022 holds for you. 

The club got off to a cracking start. Derryn and Lynne ran the Gallery over the race days - 5th and 13th Jan - ably assisted by their team. Family race day on the 5th was buzzing and the Gallery was a hit. These days are extremely valuable to the club not just for the exposure it gives but also for members to get involved and have their work on show. We were fortunate that the weather allowed for display tables to be set up outside. A huge thank you to everyone who helped here. 

These events were followed by the Summer School. As you all know the 2022 Festival of Pots and Garden Art had been postponed and the club is dependent to some extent on the funds this raises. Our kilns and equipment and the upkeep of these are all funded by money raised from this event. With this in mind Kathryn and Jenny came up with the idea of a Summer School and from there on it was a whirlwind. Allie joined the team and there was no stopping them. It was a mountain of work setting this up in such a short time frame, but what an amazing 2 weeks.

This was an incredible event for the club, and we are discussing whether this might be something we can run again. We had people come from all over New Zealand to attend the classes and the feedback has been incredibly positive and supportive. For a first-time event it was amazing how well everything ran. A huge thanks to Jenny T, Allie, and Kathryn, to those who stepped in to help, and to the all the tutors. 

One of the things that has come out of this is that club day (Thursdays) is a great day for demonstrations. We are hoping this will continue and if you have a particular type of work that you are willing to demonstrate please let me know. Club days were originally set up for members to get-together to share ideas and discuss latest discoveries and generally have a good social time. 
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It would be lovely to get this going again. If you would be interested in managing this, please get in touch.