Feberation AGM report

ONE of the most popular events in Wellington’s social calendar in recent years could be revived in 2008.

The Wellington Sports Federation held a Summer Spectacular at the town’s rugby club for three successive years, attracting thousands of people.

Now, after a two-year break, the federation is looking to stage the event – a combination of stalls, sideshows and demonstrations – again this August.

The federation, comprising 15 sports clubs from the Wellington area, has a new chairman after Bob Bowrah took over from Ken Bird at last Thursday’s AGM.

Mr Bowrah said the Summer Spectacular was popular with the people of Wellington, and helped to raise the profile of member clubs as well as boosting their funds.

Mr Bird – who has stepped down to concentrate on his work as chairman of Wellington Foot-ball Club – said that the federation had come a long way since its formation four years ago.

“Since then we’ve managed to notch up a considerable list of achievements.

“As well as our Summer Spec-taculars we’ve held successful Wellington Sports Awards with black tie dinners to mark outstanding achievements in sport in our town.

“We also launched a Bursary Scheme to help our many talented young sportspeople, and boo-sted the facilities and equipment of our member clubs with the provision of grants, the latest of which have gone to the bowling, rugby and football clubs.”

Mr Bird said most notably the federation had played a major role in changing the sporting face of Wellington.

It had been involved in negotiations which eventually led to the new sports hall currently un-der construction at Court Fields Community School.

It had also campaigned successfully for a dog ban on the town’s Playing Field, which it was now looking to extend to other sports fields.

And it had helped to bring the old Beech Grove School playing field back into use as a rugby pitch, hopefully from next season. This would allow the existing rugby pitch on the Playing Field to be used for football in future.

Mr Bird paid tribute to the work of David Jones, who step-ped down as treasurer of the federation at the AGM.

Officers elected: President, His Grace the Duke of Wellington; patrons, Jeremy Browne MP, Martin Pipe, Cllr Andrew Govier; chairman, Bob Bowrah; secretary, Mike Sertin.