66th Annual Conference & 67th National Council Meeting

The 66th Annual Conference and 67th National Council Meeting was held at the Brentwood Hotel in Wellington during the weekend 15-17 March 2013.

Friday Evening

 Official Opening – The President, Dr Simon McMillan, welcomed those present and introduced Her Worship the Mayor of Wellington, Celia Wade-Brown.  In her address, the Mayor referred to the challenges amputees overcame in not letting their adversities hinder what they did and referred in particular to the kayaking in which the youths would be taking part the following day.  Ms. Wade-Brown mentioned the steps the City Council was taking to make Wellington a welcoming place 

for those with disabilities and that it was important to take time to learn of the needs of others.  Ms. Wade-Brown then welcomed delegates and observers to Wellington and officially declared the Conference open.

Marketing Update – The Marketing Officer, Mr. Chris Ross, referred to the progress that had been made in the past year, in particular with Purpose which was now produced in colour and was open to advertisements from sponsors.  The Federation’s page on Facebook continued to be popular.

An Open Forum followed when representatives from each of the nine District Amputee Societies discussed a number of topics and exchanged ideas.

Saturday Morning

At the commencement of the business session, delegates from the Amputee Society of Nelson and Marlborough Inc. made a determined bid to host next year’s conference.  (This was later endorsed by delegates.)

The business session then followed, during which the following officers were elected:  President – Dr Simon McMillan; Vice President – Mr John Ealand; Coordinator/Treasurer – Mrs Lorraine Peacock; Committee – Mr. Wally Garrett, Mr. Rory McSweeney, Mr. Chris Ross, Mrs. Diane Walsh.

Saturday Afternoon

Osseointegration – The Facts – In an endeavour to better inform NZ amputees regarding the Osseointegration procedure, four speakers had been invited to make presentations to the meeting: John McKie (Orthopaedic Surgeon of Christchurch), Joe Brownlee (Orthopaedic Surgeon of Auckland), Graham Flanagan (National Prosthetics Manager, NZ Artificial Limb Service), and Phillip Coulson (recipient of the Osseointegration procedure).  The general discussion which followed, together with a vigorous Question & Answer session, ensured that at the end of the session all those present were more aware of the procedure and the progress of its development within New Zealand.

Saturday Evening

The 17 youths who had taken part in the Give it a Go activities during the day joined the rest of the conference for dinner and an enjoyable social evening, with excellent musical entertainment provided by Ken Te Tau and friends.

Sunday Morning

Focus on Sports – Delegates and observers joined with Give it a Go youths for a presentation by Dr Rod Corban, Performance Psychologist with High Performance Sports NZ.  The title of his address “The Secret of Success and Happiness in Sport and Life – Really?” provided plenty of food for thought.The weekend finished with the 17 youths sharing their experiences of the previous day, with the rafting being the clear favourite.