Arrival music was kindly provided by Adrian Blok who has a Technics organ at home and has his own unique style of 'playing by numbers'. However Adrian does it, it sounds pretty good and we appreciate the practice you had put in Adrian as Trudy tells me you were very nervous about playing for your Club friends. You needn't have worried Adrian, we enjoyed your music very much.
Ninety-odd years young and showing us his years of experience and love of music - Adrian Blok!
Club Night was our AGM and so the evening commenced with the AGM which lasted about 45 minutes. We were sad to lose Phyl and Jack Briscoe from the Committee after many years of devoted service to the Club looking after kitchen duties but they assure us they will remain loyal members of the Club.
However, it was very pleasing that Delyse Whorwood has accepted the nomination to the Committee and will take over the kitchen duties with kind assistance from Barbara McNab and Marlene Forrest. Thank you Delyse, we know you are a busy lady with the other charitable activities that you undertake.
Retiring Committee Member Phyl Briscoe receiving flowers and appreciation from Club President, Gordon Sutherland, for the wonderful years of service to the Club managing the logistics of kitchen duties with husband Jack Briscoe who is also retiring from the Committee. Thank you both most heartily for all your devoted service.
Photo courtesy of Club Secretary, Colleen Kerr.
It was very pleasing to reward our past-President and his wife with Life membership of the Club. George and Jean Watt have given many years of devoted service to the Club as well as volunteering to play for the St Anne's Club for the Blind over many years. George and Jean continue on the Committee and continue to do a great job at the entry door welcoming our members and visitors as well as organizing the raffle and looking after the members' names badges. We wish you many more years to enjoy the wonderful world of music.
George & Jean Watt receiving Life Membership congratulations by Club President Gordon Sutherland. Photo courtesy of Club Secretary, Colleen Kerr.
Because of the AGM, the evening was truncated somewhat but nevertheless it was pleasing that we had 36 members present and 3 visitors - thank you for making the effort to attend and thus ensuring that we had a quorum to conduct the AGM. 
Trudy encouraging husband, Adrian, as he plays the arrival music for the Club for our half-hour prologue.
To get the show on the road, Marlene Forrest, long-time member of the Club and President of the Creative Keyboard Club of Browns Bay, entertained us on the Clavinova. 
Marlene has a Clavinova CVP-307 at home and so she was well able to play a couple of pieces making use of the rhythm and styles built-into the Club's digital piano. Very smooth and enjoyable as always Marlene - thank you.
Next up we squeezed-in a visitor from Japan, Mari, who entertained us on the Club's Technics GA3 organ with the assistance of Peter Littlejohn who helped push the buttons to orchestrate the music for Mari. 
It was really entertaining to have Mari play the upper manual melody line whilst Peter played the chords on the lower manual - very nice, I don't remember the GA3 being used for a duet before! Mari then went 'solo' for three quick numbers including a popular Japanese song. Really lovely Mari.
We wish Mari a safe trip back to Japan in about a weeks time and hope she will visit us again some time in the future.
After a refreshments break it was time for the raffle draw. A set of hand-turned wooden containers made by member Colin Crann and donated to the Club for raffle prizes. The prize was won by Aileen Davidson - well done Aileen and thank you Colin for your generous donation to help Club funds. Gordon Sutherland, Club President, reminded everybody that we have an invite to the Organ Society of NZ Inc in April and an invite to the Creative Keyboard Club in June. More details can be found in the right-hand resources column if you scroll-down to our Club's Musical Activities Calendar.
Next up to entertain us we had Ngaire McRae who played the Clavinova in straight piano fashion and very nicely too - well done Ngaire. Ngaire had been suffering from a cold so it was appreciated that she made the effort to attend and play her committed slot.
Again, Len Osbourne had a house-full of family visiting for dinner which meant Len was double-booked as he had kindly accepted the invite to play at the Club. So once again, thanks Len for making the effort to come along and thrill us with your great mastery of the GA3 - Len has one of these babies at home (a GA1 I believe).
I hope dinner was not dried-up (or all eaten-up) by the time you got home!
Thanks Len - always a pleasure to hear you play for us.
Next to play for us was Ian Jackson, Ian is a very modest fellow who insists that he is announced as first and foremost a drummer not a pianist. All the writer can say is that if learning to play the drums will make me sound as good on the Clavinova then bring it on! Ian has his own instinctive style of playing and concentrating on a blues style with lots of individuality thrown-in - it is always a pleasure to hear you play Ian (piano or drums) so thank you once again for thrilling us. Must have been good as "Noddy's" head and feet were gyrating to the beat! (Don't even think of asking!).
Last and certainly not least, it was a pleasure to invite our past-President and newly designated Life Member, George Watt, to play for us. 
George chose to play the GA3 this evening and selected a couple of pieces by Tony Back. It was a lovely nostalgia trip back about 15 years ago when Tony Back came over to NZ to promote the Yamaha EL series of organs for Music Houses of NZ Limited (the local Yamaha agents). The writer was honoured to receive follow-up hand-written music scripts from Tony over succeeding years and it is sad that Tony prematurely passed-away about two years ago. Anyway, thank you George for the 'memory' and your superb interpretation of Tony Back's original compositions. A fine way to round off a great night of music albeit a little abbreviated by the necessity of the AGM.
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