At our committee meeting last night it was decided that the club would continue with our COVID mandate at the present time.  We understand that the Government has lifted the mandates but it is entirely up to each organisation as what they think is appropriate. This will be reviewed again when we go to “green” under the traffic light system.  This means that all persons entering the clubrooms must be vaccinated and wear a mask.

We understand that for some of you this is not what you wanted to hear but for the safety and wellbeing of the majority of our membership we feel that this decision is the correct one.

If you wish to have work fired, please contact the club on otakipotterclub@gmail.com and we will arrange for this to be done.

We are postponing the gas firing scheduled for May 4th as there have been very few pots received so far. The updraft kiln is quite large and typically requires about 140 pots to warrant a firing. There is nothing to indicate that the additional pots still needed will be delivered by the Monday 2nd deadline.

The May firing has been rescheduled as follows:

·         all work on shelves by 12 noon, Monday 9th May

·         loading will be completed Tuesday 10th May from 2pm

·         firing Wednesday 11th May (all day, starting 7.45am, completed about 5pm)

·         unloading Friday 13th May 2pm

​This firing will still be dependent on there being sufficient work to fill the kiln.

A new exhibition at the Tote starts on the 1st April. Two of our long standing members, David Simmonds and Kevin Haste, are the Potters and Jackie Marston is the artist.

Opening night is Thursday, 31 March at 5.30pm  -   all are welcome

The next updraft gas firing, subject to there being enough work to fill the kiln, will be Thursday 24th, March. All work to be on shelves/table on Monday 21st, 5pm for loading Tuesday, unloading Saturday 26th, 2pm.

A few things to note:

• We need an identification mark or number on the base of every pot, a spot of wax on the mark will keep the glaze away and the work will be identifiable and allow the kiln fairies to charge your account;
• Please make your pots with an adequate footring and waxed bottom to protect our new silicone carbide shelves;
• We are firing to cone 10 so check the firing range of the clay you are using. For example, BRT fires up to 1280 degrees so is not suitable as it  leaves deposits of trachite on the shelves

Otaki pottery Club is looking for more teachers to run classes, additional to the eleven that we already have in place. 

We have spaces to run beginner Wheel Classes on Mondays during the day and on Thursday nights. 
​
We have spaces to run beginner Hand Building Classes on Monday and Tuesday nights. Night classes usually start at 7 .00pm but 6.30pm is also a possibility. 
​
If you are interested please contact Emily Friedlander - OPC Adult Class Coordinator by using the form below.

​$200.00 if paid by 30 April 2022 
$220.00 if paid after 30 April 2022 
$110.00 for 6 months to 30 September and $110.00 for 6 months to 31 March 2023 
Please pay your subs to the OPC bank account 
(38-9003-0784227-011) and ensure you have included your name and club number in the particulars/code/ reference. 

​Saturday 23rd April 9:30 to 12:00 
Sunday 31st June 9:30 to 12:00 
Saturday 24th September 9:30 to 12:00 
Saturday 10th December 9:30 to 12:00 
We now have a Sunday cleaning bee for those members that were finding it hard to get to the Saturday. 

Identification mark or number is needed on the base of your pots, a spot of wax on the mark will keep the glaze away and your work identifiable for the kiln fairies to charge your account. 
​
Please make your pots with an adequate foot ring and waxed bottom to protect our new silicon carbide shelves. We are firing to cone 10 so check the firing range of the clay you are using. For example, BRT fires up to 1280 degrees so is not suitable as it will leave deposits of trachyte on the shelves. 

​The next updraft gas firing, subject to there being enough work to fill the kiln, will be Thursday 24th, March, all work to be on shelves/table by Monday 21st, 5pm for loading on Tuesday 22nd, unloading Saturday 26th, 2pm. 

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