This being my first year as your president of the WPA I must thank everyone for making the work load relatively stress free, it is great to have a dedicated group of people on the same page to help promote this interesting sport.
I must single out and thank Noeline Corley for all the (behind the scenes) Secretarial work and of course Val Clark for minute taking duties. Michael Rocks for yet another year (this time as Treasurer only) and the Tournament team Graeme Morris, Claire Wilson with Claire Bradburn.
Big thanks to all the delegates that represented their clubs throughout the year and voiced the opinions and concerns of every player interested. Also all the people that help out at tournaments; Umpires, organisers, score keepers, catering personnel etc. The one member of your WPA team that has a major part in the publicity and goes unnoticed is our Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Youtube and Web Master guru Michael Rocks. Thank you Michael.
This last year has seen a lot of activity in Pétanque with top quality tournaments and hosting of the Chanticleer Challenge. Well done to all the players.
The reopening of Naenae Terrain (old Park Ave); the Avalon Terrain getting a face lift; Maidstone Park now have a second terrain beside their main one are a few sidelines that are worth a mention.
PNZ brought a coach, Kant Petchaboon over from Thailand to spend 3 days in our area and 54 of our members received his valuable training. Two of our coaches qualified as level 1 FIPJP.
Again this year Pétanque has lost friends and colleagues and on behalf of the Association I would like to pass on our condolences to the families.
It is great to see the WPA squad gain players in the coaching sessions that can hopefully move into a playing position representing our Association in future tournaments. The greatest achievement in any sport is to play for your country and this squad is the first step on your ladder to becoming a New Zealand rep.
Graeme Millard
President