07/05/2026
AGM complete!
We've held our Annual General Meeting and what a year it's been for the band!
From our President's report: Another busy summer calendar supporting many local community events, countless weekend practices, and our triumphant return to the National Championships in March after a sixteen-year break.
We had a very successful competition season. The feedback from judges and other bands about our improvement throughout the year was incredibly encouraging.
Performing our MSR, Medley and Street March at Nationals was a significant milestone for the band.
An immense amount of work has gone into fundraising - hundreds of raffle tickets sold, hours of splitting, stacking and delivering firewood, and many grant applications submitted.
We're incredibly grateful to our grant contributors and community organisations whose generous support has equipped our band and enabled our success.
Thank you to all our members, supporters, musical officers, our committee, fundraising teams, and of course the greater Wairarapa community for investing in us.
We wouldn't be here without you!
Now, our appointments for the year ahead and awards:
Leadership Team
President: Hunter Nielsen
Vice President: Natasha Senior
Secretary: Laurence Stephenson
Treasurer: Stephanie Rix
Non-playing members: Malissa Nielsen, Karen Monks
Playing Member: Kathryn Boyles
Custodian: Malissa Nielsen
Musical Officers
Pipe Major: Louisa Slack
Pipe Sargent: Natasha Senior
Pipe Corporal: Lawrence Cheetham
Drum Major: John Hart
Drum Sergeant: Hunter Nielsen
Drum Corporals: Chris Deterling, Holly Monks
Life Members
We are thrilled to announce two new life members - Roger Stuart and Gary Nielsen.
Roger Stuart has been involved with the Wairarapa Fern and Thistle Pipe Band from the very beginning in the 1960s. Roger, thank you for your lifetime of service to the band. Your decades of dedication have shaped who we are today, and we look forward to many more years with you as part of our band family.
Gary Nielsen grew up around the band - his father was a drummer - though Gary's first instrument was actually the chanter! He joined the band as an adult learner on side drum in the late 1990s and went on to serve as Drum Sergeant for over a decade, influencing and teaching countless learners. Gary continues to be an active member who always goes above and beyond.
Your dedication to this band over so many years is truly appreciated.
Band Awards
Most Improved Learners: Kathryn Boyles and Nisim Ben Haim
Most Improved Drummers: Rivka Ben Haim and Holly Monks
Most Improved Pipers: Kit Thomson and Amelia Sutherland
Contributors of the Year: Gary Nielsen and Karen Monks
This year we've seen incredible contributions across the board, and we're honoured to share the Contributor of the Year award between Gary Nielsen and Karen Monks.
Karen has played so many roles over the past 12 months - band photographer, social media manager, firewood dispatcher, Summer School camp mum, and so much more. Her dedication behind the scenes keeps our band running smoothly.
Gary has quite literally shed blood, sweat and tears launching the band's firewood fundraising campaign. He's split, cut and delivered countless loads himself, set up our connection with a local firewood supplier, and organized numerous working bees to keep the fundraiser going strong.
Gary and Karen, thank you for your hard work and dedication to our band.
Onwards!
After the official meeting, we had a wonderful round the circle chat to check in with everybody, talk about setting some big hairy audacious goals, and maybe some secret projects!
Exciting times ahead! ππ
