1999-2000 Annual Report
Convenor: Jacqueline Leeden
10th August 2000
As a result of our fantastic forward-looking committee, there are only
beneficial things to be reported in the Annual Report.
Our main drive this year has been to support, educate and inform our membership through continuing monthly meetings with speakers, and the production of a newsletter. Our most sincere thanks go to APS Therapy (New Zealand) who undertook to pay for all postage costs for the newsletter and to the Auckland Division of the Arthritis Foundation, our parent body, who have helped with the printing. With this appreciated support we are now helping people with Fibromyalgia nationwide, including people on the North Shore after their group unfortunately disbanded last Christmas.
Our monthly meetings have been moderately well attended, often depending on the spread of pre-advertising in twenty or so Auckland Community Newspapers. Travel costs, distances and tiredness often prevents people from coming along, even although they truly desire to participate and hear the speakers. This was the basic reason for beginning the newsletter: the decided need for information that could be absorbed at people’s leisure and the newsletters were envisaged to help overcome this problem.
We have also found there is an ever-increasing need for people throughout the country to have information about Fibromyalgia. Many letters, enquiries for copies from around the country and donations have been received to this end and the newsletter account is completely self-sustaining from donations. We produce around 650 - 700 copies at present and our next production is envisaged for October -- November to miss the Christmas hassle. We are starting to receive praise and referrals from specialists and doctors as well as people nationally who appreciate our effort.
At present, the committee is also envisaging a website on the Internet to further fulfill people’s need for informed support. Amber and I are investigating the costs and effort required to build and maintain a National website for people with Fibromyalgia. We are hoping for ongoing advice and help from Janice who is experienced in construction and maintenance of a website, and an interested member Nimali Ekanayake. Initially, this site will reproduce our newsletter and basic information. The project will provide for the ongoing and extending need for information on Fibromyalgia throughout the country.
To this end our databases have increased. Initially Susan Plank did enormous work to collate and update our original member’s addresses. Since then, Amber Geen has made a sterling effort to keep this database updated as well as to include people from the rest of New Zealand. Susan and Amber’s contributions deserve full recognition and our thanks.
Our strong committee this year managed to divide the tasks so no-one was overburdened. At this AGM we say good-bye to Susan & Michael Plank who have now served two years on the committee. We all thank them for their efforts and trust we will still have their contributions on the newsletter, which they inaugurated with me. It was their enthusiasm that encouraged the newsletter to happen in the first place. They have also both been very strong supporters of our Christmas function.
Christmas 1999 saw the committee say goodbye to member: Trish Milton and Community Volunteer: Meg Cull. Trish was hoping to go back into the workforce in the New Year, while Meg shifted to Wellington on her husband’s promotion. Both these people added to our group with their individuality and contributions which were appreciated by everyone – especially Meg’s delicious homemade cooking!
Amber Geen, Kristin Elliott, Janice Roseingrave, Wendy Mays and Elaine Haddon volunteered their talents to help the group in the New Year. I appreciate the contributions all these people have made. Both Wendy and Lainee have been superb helping on alternate meetings with the afternoon tea and suppers. Amber has been my right-hand lady on hospitality and has realised on talents she thought she didn’t possess.
Amber and Janice are marvellous with help on the newsletters, while I thank all the committee, Trevor West and Anne Reynolds for their humour and help with folding and mailouts. They made light of a time-consuming task. However, my most tireless worker must surely be Lainee who I thank individually for her enthusiasm and effort as well as her understanding, fun and fellowship.
Most importantly this year, we have been very fortunate in having experienced help from Kristin Elliott in the role of Secretary-Treasurer. Kristin has kept the books and secretarial work well under control and we have finished this financial year with
We remind members there is a good selection of books on fibromyalgia in the Auckland Division’s library at 50 Omahu Road, Remuera. With many thanks to Janice and Kristin, we now have photocopies of Beth Ediger's books in stock for buying and mailing out in answer to requests for good information. This also helped Pam Antill to handle her requests, as she is very shortstaffed (and overworked!) As the Auckland Division’s health educator, Pam received a promotion to Master Trainer for the Chronic Conditions Course at a July training course in Australia, run by Kate Lorig, the originator of the C C course from Stanford University. Congratulations Pam!
We recommend these seven-week courses in ‘Coping with Chronic Conditions’, run by the Auckland Division at a nominal fee, for anyone who wishes to participate. They are held for small numbers of people in various areas throughout Auckland. This is only one of the services offered by our Support Group’s parent body besides access to national and local newsletters and pamphlets to keep us abreast of information, support both before and after hospitalization and taxi vouchers. As our Support group does not ask for subscriptions, we ask that people please take out membership and join the Arthritis Foundation to ultimately help us.
As well as my committee, I thank Pam Antill for her continuous help and advice for our group. Many of you will not know I was hospitalized twice during recent months and I found strength within people on our committee, as well as unstinting help from everyone to keep the group active.
Most of all, I do thank all our members and must say I have enjoyed our 1999-2000 activities and the interaction with you and everyone on the committee. We have built on our Support group base and consolidated last year's initial publication of 'Positive Living' on both our national and local fronts.
This has been an invigorating year with much forward progress, not only for our group, but also for others with Fibromyalgia throughout New Zealand. Our results show the enthusiasm of our efforts. More importantly, we are looking forward to helping meet the challenges in the future, for our challenged members and others in the community with Fibromyalgia.
Signed:
Jacqueline Leeden
Convenor: Jacqueline Leeden
8th August 2000
