Friendship Force groups meet up

VISITORS: Members of the Gisborne Friendship Force at Wanganui's Cosmopolitan Club. PICTURE / SUPPLIED

There is something very special about an internal exchange between Friendship Force (FF) clubs in New Zealand.
Wanganui FF has just hosted members of the Gisborne FF for four days filled with fun, information and fellowship.
They arrived at the clubrooms at 4pm on Thursday and were greeted and taken to their host homes to settle in and get to know each other. A mini-bus tour of Whanganui's high-lights was organised for the Friday. What a promotional opportunity this was to laud our wonderful climate (the days were glorious and sunny) and our city's architectural and natural beauty. It was gratifying to overhear such gems as, "My perception of Whanganui has completely changed. I love it", "What amazing changes since we last visited X years ago" and "The Bason Gardens are delightful and so easy to access and get around". That evening we celebrated their visit and our club's 33rd birthday with a pot luck dinner at our clubrooms.
I'm sure our visitors will be letting their friends and acquaintances know of our city's attractions.
On Saturday we travelled to Feilding for the annual "Nuts & Bolts" day. This is a gathering of Friendship Force members from the clubs within the central and lower North Island. In these meetings we get to learn more about our worldwide organisation as well as catching up with friends, many of whom may have travelled overseas with us or who have been our hosts or visitors during exchanges. That night we enjoyed good company and food at the Cosmopolitan Club.
Sunday was a day where our hosts said what they would like to do before gathering for afternoon coffee at Pukeko's Nest. That evening, some hosts and guests got together for a "bring your own" takeaway meal or a soup and toast meal.
Reciprocity is part of the Friendship Force experience and our Gisborne friends are already talking about organising a visit for us. Early on the Monday our guests left for home. They are shortly to host a group from Japan on a language exchange. Gisborne shared their thoughts and planning for this week with us as we, too, are hosting a Language Exchange with Japan in September. Would you be interested in learning more or even offering to host? No need to feel fearful. In our club:
¦ The planning is all done
¦ The activities are all organised
¦ We have a "wrap-around" approach to new members and include them in family meals during the exchange.
¦ We work as a group and ensure down-time for hosts.
¦If this adventure interests you, contact Ngaire at 3456514 or email gnbarlow@xtra.co.nz.
And check out these websites: www.friendshipforce.org.nz or www.thefriendshipforce.org.