June 2024

PRESIDENTS REPORT JUNE 2024

From the flight Deck

President’s Report June 2024

Introduction: I have managed to put off a President’s report long enough so that now the report for the Annual General Meeting to be held on 18 June 2024 can double up as a newsletter report as well.

As with Kevin Jones’s report for the 2023 AGM our biggest concern is still membership and the size of the club going forward. Yes, we are getting new members but a significant portion of new members who have recently joined do not regularly attend. A survey initiated last year to attempt to ascertain what direction members would like the club to go was relatively poorly responded to and generally the status quo was the preferred option, with a little adjustment in the ratio of club days to luncheons. Our return to the Chateau on the Park has been well accepted and the quality of the meals is good. Our first luncheon at the Brevet Lounge after the AGM will allow us to ascertain the progress Pulp Kitchen has made recently, as the standard of their lunches previously had deteriorated somewhat.

Finances: Our finances remain very healthy and will be reported on by our outgoing Treasurer, Peter Foster. The strong financial position the Club is in is due to Peter’s oversight, and the club owes Peter a great debt of gratitude for the effort he has put in over the last ten years. As most are aware Peter has had some health issues in recent times and has recently resigned as the Club Treasurer. Kenn Cox has been appointed to take over from Peter as the Treasurer and will be available for election at the AGM. Thanks Kenn.

Committee: As indicated above, Peter Foster recently resigned as Treasurer and Kenn Cox was appointed by the Executive Committee to carry out the Treasurer’s duties, until the AGM in accordance with our Constitution and Rules. Also, in accordance with Club Rules Russ Cross has agreed to be appointed to the Committee.  Again, in accordance with the Club Rules all Committee members shall retire at the AGM but shall be eligible for re-election. Except for Peter, all current Committee members have indicated they are prepared to serve another term.

Sir Keith Park: This exercise ultimately proved to be an exercise in total frustration dealing with NZTA. The initiative for naming something after Sir Keith Park was several years old, with it first being raised by Gary Wright during John Lay’s tenure as President. Following discussions, it was decided to seek the naming of the SH1 bridge over Memorial Avenue by Christchurch International Airport after Sir Keith Park. A submission went to NZTA on 01 August 2023, which incidentally was not even acknowledged until a follow-up requesting confirmation that the submission had in fact been received was received some time later. Several emails were sent over subsequent months trying to ascertain progress. It was extremely difficult and frustrating that we received very little information on that progress. Ultimately an approach was made to the Minister of Transport seeking assistance. An answer from NZTA was received very soon thereafter on 1 February 2024, in which NZTA unfortunately denied our submission claiming the bridge already had a name, “The Gateway Bridge”. Part of their response is in italics below:

“While the bridge portion of the overpass structure holds generic naming convention, the structure as

an entity (in combination with the architectural elements) is known as the Gateway Bridge. The

Gateway Bridge holds its own significance and legacies, and for this reason NZTA has decided to

decline your request.

“I appreciate that this is not the outcome the Brevet Club had hoped for, however NZTA remains open

to consider other structures the Club may identify for renaming. I am happy to arrange a meeting for

the Club with NZTA officials, should you wish to discuss this decision and have a discussion on

alternative options”.

We will arrange a meeting with NZTA to discuss alternative options.

Air Force Museum: Recent discussions have indicated that perhaps the relationship between the Brevet Club and the Air Force Museum is not entirely understood by members. I will attempt to lay out in abbreviated form the discussions which took place with the Air Force Museum without losing the intent. As a background, when the Brevet Club premises were taken back by the Airport the Club ended up with a bank balance of approximately $1.4m.

1998: The Brevet Club moved away from the Airport facility and entered into an agreement with Wigram Manor (No. 1 Officers Mess) to hold their social functions. However, the rooms were deemed too small to accommodate all members in one space at one time, and the Club was keen to re-establish a permanent home.

2001:  The Club had been a major supporter of the Museum over the years and approached the Museum Trust Board with a proposal to extend the café to accommodate the Club’s social afternoons and dinners and the Club would fund the extension. Plans were drawn up by architects for a cost estimate. The estimate came to $410,000 for the basic structure, without furniture or fittings, which the Club was not prepared to spend. The Board was approached to contribute funds themselves which they could not justify. Expressions of interest from catering companies were also sought to ascertain if there was a market, but the feedback was not positive, and the project stalled.

2002:  Following a change in Museum Director talks resumed with the Museum. The former Base Wigram recreation library was a space in the Museum which had proved to be problematic, A proposal was put to the Club and in the agreement the Club undertook a BN to fit out the space (Brevet Lounge) and any funds left over from the $250,000 assigned to the project would be put towards the installation of a lift.

2003:  In return for funding most of the fit-out, the Board agreed to allow the Club ten years use of the facilities at the Museum at no cost. A formal agreement in the form of a “Contract for use of RNZAF Museum Facilities” was signed on 19 June 2003 by Peter Adamson and Terrence Gardiner for the Board, and Nevill Staples and Norman Bidwell for the Club. It is worth noting here that at that time the Club had closed off membership, and was expecting to gradually wind up with few active members left at the end of the ten-year term. At that point the Club indicated to the Museum that any residual funds held would be made available for Museum development.

2013:  To ensure the Club had continued use of the facilities they had made their home a new agreement was required. Membership of the Club had been opened again, with the rules of membership as currently in place. It was stated then that the new arrangements needed to be flexible enough to cover changed circumstances, while still protecting the interests of both the Club and the Museum. A simple memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was drawn up and signed on 1 June 2013 by Therese Angelo of the Museum and Kevin Jones and Don Smith of the Club. The MOU took effect from 20 June 2013 and remains in force as long as the Club membership remains restricted to military aircrew only and the rules stay as they are.

It should be noted that in the MOU provision is made for:

• Ongoing gratis use of the Brevet Lounge on the same basis as the previous agreement.
• No fixed term to the MOU.
• Cost sharing arrangements for cleaning, maintenance, and replacement and/or repair of equipment. (This has not been applied by the Museum.)
• Arrangements for the use of the Atrium and other spaces as required.
• Arrangements for the annual Battle of Britain service.
• The Museum can use the Brevet Lounge on a normal Club day as long as one month’s prior notice is given. (This has never been exercised).
• Club members do not have the right of access to the Brevet Lounge at times other than normal social afternoons unless prior arrangements have been made with the Museum.

An informal review is regularly carried out with the Museum, and although the review having taken place is noted in the Committee meeting minutes, as no alterations to the MOU have been required there are no minutes or signatures. Our good relationship with the Museum is mutually beneficial and I believe should continue in the same vein.

I am sorry I have been rather long-winded, but I felt that the Club’s, and the Museum’s position needed a thorough explanation to remove any doubts that may exist.

Museum Television Gift:   Some years ago, the Museum approached the Club in relation to funding TV monitor equipment, in line with what had been suggested previously investigating ways the Club could assist the Museum, considering the beneficial arrangements the Club has with Museum. The initial request was to possibly fund one TV monitor of the two that the Museum wished to have in the Museum, one fixed in the Donaldson room and one portable unit for use in the rest of the Museum. The Museum had approached the Club as they felt that the Ministry of Defence would more than likely only fund one of the units they would have liked. In the end MOD funded both monitors so the request lapsed.

Towards the end of 2023 the Museum approached the Club as to the possibility that the Club could fund another TV monitor unit for two reasons. Firstly, the portable unit they already had was in fact too large to fit in the lift to be taken downstairs and secondly the unit already purchased was going out of production, and for commonality a new unit of the same make would be preferable. The Club committee agreed that this was a reasonable request, and the Museum was given the go-ahead to purchase, and the Club would fund it. Through the valuable input of the Peter Foster a mechanism to save the GST element of the purchase has been met. The TV monitor unit will have an inscription on it that it was funded by the generosity of The Brevet Club (Canterbury) Inc.

Finally, I would like to thank Kevin Jones and John Lay for their sage advice at various times over the last year, and the Committee members for their dedication. Just let us all double our efforts to recruit new members and to keep our Club viable.

Cheers

Graeme

REMINDER

Next luncheon 18^th June, will be buffet in the Club Lounge, immediately after the AGM which starts at 1200.  Please advise and pay Kevin or Diann $25 pp by Friday 14^th June.

I love stories like this:

This relates to the development of the Airspeed Ambassador which had an eventful life marked by a number of incidents.  Production prototype G-ALFR suffered a serious accident on 13 November 1950, when being flown by company test pilot Ron Clear to explore handling at extreme centre of gravity positions. On finals to land, Clear found he had run out of elevator control. The nosewheel hit the grass extremely hard, following which both engines detached and shot off down the runway. Nobody was killed or even injured and the aircraft was repaired and flying again within weeks, which at least demonstrated the design’s strength and resilience.  A sequel to this was a company event some weeks later, when Clear was congratulated for his airmanship and presented with a ship’s engine room telegraph with its handle set to “finished with engines”!

We are not alone!

Keith Jolly, Editor

The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance