One of the highlights for the year for us here in Otago was our May Day event where many visitors from Christchurch to Invercargill along with members of our own Guild spent a Saturday in May taking part in the many different options available to them.

These included a 'contemporary' room where interesting bits were produced using heat guns, soldering bolts, bubble wrap, tyvec, paints etc. This gave much food for thought. We also made beaded tassels, pine needle baskets, smocked balls, mini flower pictures, ribbon embroidery, and a drawn thread bookmark. Eight children also made embroidered panels which were attached to jute bags and looked very smart.

Our annual exhibition, held in September, is always a climax to our year's work. The theme was bags and what a wonderful variety was displayed. Our challenge for the year was a tassel and some amazing creations were produced

Guest exhibitor was Gay Eaton who had a very interesting display of some of her precise work produced over a long number of years. Life membership was awarded to Gay in recognition of her commitment to the advancement of embroidery skills.

Wanaka School celebrated its 20 th year in March and our congratulations to Gay who established it and still runs it with a committee. Some 400 women participate in approximately 21 classes over a two-day weekend in March each year. It is one event not to be missed. The week following Wanaka School extra classes were held in Dunedin with Australian embroiderer Jane Nicholas.

We had two talks at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery . In March Sean Brosnahan spoke about the lives of the women who wore the fabulous frocks in the recent display at the Settlers Museum and in September Dr Jane Malthus gave an illustrated talk on accessories, especially bags.

To hear the history of women's bags in the western world was fascinating. There is endless scope for embroiderers to make and embellish bags - we have been doing it for centuries. Our involvement with the Art Gallery also included four workshops held over two weekends (one in February and one in March) in association with the Pre-Raphaelite Exhibition. Each workshop was based on the style of the art works on loan from the Tate Gallery in London .

Our July winter outing to the Otago Settlers' Museum was a feast for the senses. We shared a lunch with our speakers and the staff and then members of the public joined us to look at and discuss amazing embroidered and textile treasurers either belonging to the museum or brought in by those present.

We also had a real treat at one of our meetings when Alison Meldrum brought along the fabulous bedspread given to Sir John Ross and his wife Margaret (Alison's husband's great, great grandparents) by the residents of Halkirk , Scotland in 1911. The bedspread will be sent back to Halkirk, which is where the 968 named as making the quilt come from.

Kath and I had a wonderful time at the Conference on the North Shore in July. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with so many like-minded folk and learned heaps from talking with them. It was great to be at the social functions and also at the meeting to be able to put faces to the names of people elected to ANZEG Executive.

We also enjoyed the two classes we each participated in and learned lots from them - Kath has already shown some of us how to make the beaded brooches from one class she did.

Two of our long-time members passed away - Mary Dunn, aged 91 in September and in October we were saddened by the sudden death of Florence Milne - one of our Guild's most willing and helpful members. Florence epitomised what every Guild member should be - loyal and dedicated to learning, sharing and passing on her knowledge of embroidery.

Carol Montgomery retired after an outstanding three years as President. Carol led us well with her friendly and outgoing personality. She spent many hours at her desk, put many hours of hard work and thought into Guild matters and talked things over before making decisions which made for a happy, inclusive group of stitchers.

Marion Caffell