Swiss club news - Swiss Society Of New Zealand

HELVETIA
MAGAZINE OF THE SWISS SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND
YE A R
APRIL/MAY 2013
79
Eiger, Mönch und Jungfrau...
HIGHLIGHTS:
 Swiss Alps - JungfrauAletsch
 ASO elections
 Swiss Society AGM
INSIDE:
From the Editor
2
ASO in NZ
3
Blüemlisalp ire Summernacht
4
Swiss Society AGM
5
Special celebrations
6
Biometric passports
7
AGM minutes 2012
8-9
Non-Swiss perspective
10
Kids’ corner
11
Easter colouring
competition
12
Jungfrau-Aletsch fun
tips
13
Swiss club news
Surely everyone’s heart beats a bit faster at
reading the names of these mighty
mountains. The Eiger, Mönch und Jungfrau,
together with the Great Aletsch Glacier,
undoubtedly form the most spectacular
alpine landscape in the heart of Switzerland
and Europe. The names of the mountains Eiger (ogre), Mönch (monk) and Jungfrau
(virgin) alone get our imagination going. The
famous North face of the Eiger is the
pinnacle (literally) of many aspiring climbers.
From an early time, the mountains and
environs attracted visitors from all over the
world. British mountaineers started to scale
the main peaks of the Bernese Alps from the
early 19th century. The first ascent of the
Eiger via its west flank was made by Swiss
guides Christian Almer and Peter Bohren,
and Irishman Charles Barrington on 11
August 1858. The 1,800m high North face
was first climbed in 1938 by an AustrianGerman expedition.
While the Eiger North face is out of bounds
for most people, the exciting story of early
mountain pioneers is re-told on the two-hour
Eiger North Face Trail. This trail connects the
Allmendhubel with the Spielbodenalp and is
accessible from Mürren.
With good binoculars, it is quite possible to
spot some live action, as climbers attempt
the North face on an almost daily basis.
Climbers on the Eiger’s North face can also
be watched through telescopes from the
Kleine Scheidegg over which the North face
towers. From the Kleine Scheidegg, visitors
are able to explore the region further. The
Jungfrau track rail enters the Eiger via a
tunnel, where two internal stations provide
access to viewing-windows in the
mountainside. The railway terminates at the
Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in
Europe located between the Mönch and the
Jungfrau. From here, visitors gain astounding
views of the Bernese Alps and the elegantly
sweeping Great Aletsch Glacier.
The rocky landscape of the the Eiger, Mönch
und Jungfrau forms part of a vast UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Established in 2001
and expanded again in 2007, the site
encompasses some 824 square kilometres of
rock, ice and alpine vegetation. The resulting
“Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch” UNESCO
World Heritage Site contains nearly all of the
Bernese High Alps between the cantons of
Berne and Valais.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiger, http://whc.unesco.org/en/
list/1037, http://www.jungfraualetsch.ch
14 - 18
Photo gallery
19
Swiss club news
20
Chuchichäschtli/
Garden diary
21
Health corner
22
Obituary / Swiss news
23
Swiss Alps - JungfrauAletsch
24
Eiger, Moench und Jungfrau
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Eiger,_M%C3%B6nch_und_Jungfrau.jpg (Photo by Steinmann)
www.swiss.org.nz
APRIL—MAY
2013
From the new
EditorPresident and Editor
Dear Helvetia Readers
It has been a wonderful sunny summer
this year, especially for those who
enjoy the outdoors and swimming.
However, it has been more difficult for
farmers among you who have faced a
serious drought in parts of the country.
With autumn approaching, we hope for
decent rain to soak your pastures.
The last two months have been a busy
time for the Swiss clubs around New
Zealand, with lots of different events
taking place. Have a look at the club
news starting on page 14 and see
what everyone has been up to. One
thing is certain: A lot of cervelats and
bratwursts have been devoured!
The next two months will bring some
special days, the first being of course
April Fool’s Day. Easter and Mother’s
Day will follow, and I wish you
enjoyable celebrations.
The first ballots of the year took place
in Switzerland in early March (page
23). These were open to Swiss
expatriates via e-voting, and I wonder
whether any of you took an active part.
Switzerland’s direct democratic system
is truly unique in the world. It allows
Swiss citizens to shape legislation and
constitutional changes directly through
initiatives and referenda.
What a
difference from the representative
democracy here in New Zealand,
where elected representatives make
decisions on our behalf - some good,
and some not so good. Having been
an active voter in Switzerland during
younger years, I do wish on occasions
I could have my say here!
Some critics argue that the direct
democracy in Switzerland curtails
decisive action by the government and
produces washed-down versions of
the original proposals. On the other
hand, collaborative decision-making
can produce much more stable and
longer-lasting policies and laws.
Biometric passports:
Are you still
wondering what the fuss is all about?
The Embassy has provided more
information about them and also about
alternative options for obtaining them
HELVETIA
(page 7). Some of you will have taken
advantage of the mobile passport unit
which has recently travelled the
country and it would be great to hear
more about your experience.
Good news: Two of our members have
come forward to offer their services as
ASO delegates for New Zealand. They
will stand for election at the
forthcoming AGM (page 3). We look
forward to meeting you in Hamilton on
Queen’s Birthday weekend!
Last but not least, I would like to thank
David Latham who has offered his
support with publishing the Helvetia you are a saviour! Big thanks also go
to Peter Deutschle for his professional
advice on layout.
Wishing you a mellow
autumn
Munchable Helvetia Mooted
As another way of improving the
environmental friendliness of the
Helvetia, the Helvetia Team is
considering its publication in edible
form. Of course, we know that we
have to be very careful about the
toxicity of ingredients.
The newly
available process includes ingredients
such as corn starch, vegetable oil, gum
arabic, water and citric acid cooked
into a stodgy paste. The paste is
poured on to thin sheets under silk
meshes containing the impressions of
the different headlines, pictures and
articles.
Printing takes a few hours overnight –
several seconds to print each page
and slightly longer to dry. The finished
product even has a light vanilla scent.
Cinnamon is another option. Printing
costs remain the same because of the
cheapness of the materials used.
Keep your eyes peeled and taste buds
ready!
Swiss Society of New Zealand Inc.
Patron
President/
Secretary
Vice President
Editor
Treasurer
Riflemaster
H. E. Dr Marion Weichelt Krupski
Tanja Latham-Zurbruegg, 45 Kinross Street, Blockhouse Bay,
Auckland 0600. Ph 09 627 8777. E-mail: latham@zurbruegg.co.nz
Marcel Rüedi, 25 Beverley Crescent, RD 1 Whangarei 0179
Ph 02 7490 1836. E-mail: ruedi@orcon.net.nz
Susie Wood, PO Box 65206 Mairangi Bay Auckland 0745.
Ph 09 4736098. E-mail: editor@swiss.org.nz
Carmen Fitzi-Gordon, 2 Coldham Crescent, St. Johns, Auckland 1072.
Ph 09 528 0903. E-mail: c _and_ ian@xtra.co.nz
Ernst Lanz, 23 Hawaiian Parade, Arkles Bay, Whangaparaoa 0932.
Ph 09 428 5687. Email: lanzfamily@slingshot.co.nz
Delegates to the Swiss Abroad Conference in Switzerland
Delegate
Deputy Delegate
Othmar Hebler, 9 Larlin Heights, RD 15, Hawera 4675. Ph 06 278 6878
Emanuel Zust, 41 Cheltenham Drive, Kapiti Village, Paraparaumu 5032
Ph 04 905 0017
Secretaries of the Swiss Clubs
Auckland
Hamilton
Taranaki
Wellington
Heidi Wilson, 53 Rothesay Bay Road, Rothesay Bay, Auckland 0630.
Ph 094789751. E-mail: heidi.wilson@hotmail.com
Anita Zuber, PO Box 24061, Hamilton 3253.
Mob 027 498 5170. E-mail: zuber@xtra.co.nz
Marianne Drummond, 508 Salisbury Road, RD 24, Stratford 4394.
Ph 06 7628 757. E-mail: littleacres@xtra.co.nz
Odile Stotzer, 24 Fitzherbert Street, Alicetown, Lower Hutt 5010.
Ph 04 586 3095. E mail: odilestotzer@gmx.net
Swiss Government Representatives
Embassy of
Switzerland
Consulate
of Switzerland
Level 12, Maritime Towers, 10 Custom House Quay, Wellington 6140.
E-mail: wel.vertretung@eda.admin.ch
Website: www.eda.admin.ch/wellington
Peter Deutschle, 3 Marine Parade, Herne Bay, Auckland 1011.
Ph 09 366 0403. E-mail: auckland@honrep.ch
PAGE
3
Association for the Swiss Abroad (ASO) in New Zealand
Election of new
representatives
Resume Peter Ehrler
I was born in Stratford 1953. Between
1956 and 1964, we lived in Switzerland.
Between 1964 and 1971, I went to Francis
Douglas College in New Plymouth. In
1971, I went back to Switzerland and
became an Air Traffic Controller at Zürich
Airport. In 2009, at the age of 55, I retired
and returned to New Zealand with my wife
in 2010. We have two children. Our
daughter Lisa, 30, married and lives in
Switzerland and our son Philipp, 28, has
just taken up a position as a First Officer
with Air Pacific and lives in Fiji.
Othmar Hebler and Mani Zust have
been our ASO representatives for the
last four years and their term is coming
to an end. On behalf of the Swiss
Society, I would like to thank Othmar
and Mani very much for their
dedication in representing the Swiss
Abroad in New Zealand.
At our forthcoming AGM in Hamilton,
we will need to elect two new
representatives for the ASO. I am
pleased to announce that Peter Ehrler
from New Plymouth has volunteered to
stand as Swiss Delegate and Peter
Canziani from Turangi for the Deputy.
Please read through Peter Ehrler’s
resume before the election. Peter
Canziani will be introducing himself at
the AGM before the election.
The application process is now closed
and the election of the new delegates
will be held during the AGM in
Hamilton on 2nd June.
Tanja Latham-Zurbruegg
President, Swiss Society of New Zealand
Concerns over tax and banking
The Swiss Abroad community has
vowed to fight any discrimination by
financial institutions. The Council of
the Swiss Abroad called on the
government to ensure that Swiss
banks no longer refuse to open
accounts or manage assets for Swiss
expats. At a recent meeting in Bern, it
also stressed that bank fees must not
be excessive.
The move comes as expats in the US
or with dual American and Swiss
nationality in particular face being
shunned by Swiss banks. The issue of
tax compliance and a perceived
discrimination of certain Swiss
expatriate bank clients came to the
fore in 2008 in the context of the global
financial crisis. The Swiss Abroad
Council has voted on several
resolutions over the years.
Extracted from www.swissinfo.ch (8 March 2013)
During my time as an Air Traffic Controller,
I advanced to Daily Operations Manager
for Zürich Tower and Approach Radar. In
the 38 years while in Switzerland, I was
also politically active and was vice mayor for 5 years, as well as president of a
political party in Bremgarten, Aargau, for 8 years. I have also done some military
service, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Swiss Air Force.
I would love to take on the challenge as the New Zealand representative for the
OSA. Having lived in Switzerland for many years and with my “birth roots” here in
New Zealand, I am well aware of our needs and the problems Swiss might have
here, not only the older generation, but the younger generation as well. I
personally think that it is very important to make our issues known in Switzerland
and try to find solutions that satisfy the needs and expectations of the Swiss
community in New Zealand. AHV, voluntary AHV for Swiss residents living in New
Zealand, bank fees, internet voting, student exchange and education in
Switzerland are just a few topics that I find worthwhile pursuing.
Please note that Peter’s detailed CV is available from Tanja Latham-Zurbruegg by
e-mail on request.
Proposed changes to the Society Games Rules
The Swiss Society Committee is proposing the following three amendments to the
rules for Medal and Cowbell competitions.
1.
Under General Rules where it says “Results are to be forwarded to the Society Riflemaster as soon as possible after each event, but no later than the
end of June each year”, the proposal is to change it to end of May, so that
the medals can be ordered at the beginning of June. With a bit of luck, we
can get them made before the Medal maker goes on holiday and the clubs
can present them to the winners on 1st August.
2.
For the Shooting competition, we would like to divide the categories into
four; Men, Ladies, Junior Girls and Junior Boys, in the hope to attract a few
more junior shooters.
3.
The same for the Shotput. Girls and Boys should be in separate categories
and awarded medals for each group.
The Society Committee would like to have a discussion on these proposed
changes with the Society Members at the next AGM and have a show of hands.
Ernst Lanz - Riflemaster, Swiss Society
APRIL—MAY
2013
Blüemlisalp ire Summernacht
A few times in my life someone joked: Maybe you are from
the milkman? And every time I could say: Actually, I am!
My dad was not only the milkman but also the baker of our
village: Kiental, a beautiful village at the foot of the majestic
Blüemlisalp. My great great-grandmother built the bakery in
the late 1800s. Apparently, the women in my family were
always emancipated, which, in those days, wasn’t always
pleasing the rest of the villagers.
It was my great-grandmother Adeline, another
entrepreneurial Zurbruegg daughter, who decided to rent a
small hut in Golderli to open a little grocery store and
restaurant for the farmers who stayed up on the mountain
during the summer months.
And so it all began: In 1925, they celebrated the grand
opening of the new Golderli, an alpine restaurant and lodge
with some rooms for guests to stay the night, as well as a
grocery store for which my great great-grandfather would
deliver the bread and goods 2-3 times a week.
In summer, the Golderli area would turn into a bustling little
village, with hundreds of hikers stopping by. There was even
an alpine school for the farmers’ kids which opened for 3
months of the year. Golderli also has a tiny little chapel to
celebrate Sunday mass – it has two rows of benches and
seats for no more than 10 people inside. A real picturesque
landmark.
A few years later, Alice married the Knorrli sales
representative, but she remained the boss and heart and
soul of the Golderli for over 65 years. Her grand-daughter,
my cousin Trixi, took over the Golderli in the 90s, but it was
eventually sold a few years later – a sad end of an era of the
Zurbruegg family.
I wouldn’t want to miss the wonderful memories I have of the
Golderli in those days. I spent many, many Saturdays and
Sundays up there with my dad who had to deliver bread and
other supplies on a daily basis during the busy summer
season.
The first postcard of Golderli – in the background is the majestic
Blüemlisalp
The farmers would walk their cows up to the Griesalp every
spring; a journey that would take 6-10 hours for some.
Beautifully decorated little Christmas trees were on the cows’
heads and huge, loud bells around their necks.
We used to get up in the middle of the night for every
“Alpaufzug”, to wave from the window and acknowledge their
amazing parade.
Their walk up to the Griesalp was also the steepest post bus
route in Europe, requiring purpose-built busses to make it up
the gorge. This is a really impressive journey at a gradient of
28%.
I still remember the days when the hairpin curves were too
tight for the busses to go round in one go, so they had to
reverse a couple of times to manoeuvre the vehicle around
the bends.
After a few years, the roaring trade had outgrown the little
store my great-grandmother ran. This was about the same
time when my great aunt Alice Zurbruegg returned from her
trip to England – one of the only ladies in Kiental who could
speak English and travelled in those days.
As she wasn’t married at the time, her mother decided to
build the “Golderli” for her, which she could run as her own
business.
HELVETIA
The grand opening of the Golderli in 1925 – the small hut lower down
on the right hand side was the “old” Golderli
My great aunt Alice was blind for the last ten years of her life
and died at the age of 99. The last time I visited her, she still
insisted on speaking English to me, since I was following her
footsteps and just returned from my overseas travels.
By Tanja Latham-Zurbruegg
Griesalp and Golderli – the farthest end of
the valley Kiental in the Bernese Alps
became part of the UNESCO
World Heritage Jungfrau–Aletsch–
Bietschhorn Site in 2004.
PAGE
5
Swiss Society AGM—Hamilton
Invitation
Swiss Society of New Zealand AGM
to the Swiss Society of New Zealand’s AGM in
Hamilton for all Swiss Club and
Swiss Society Members
The Swiss Society invites all members and
friends to attend the Annual General Meeting
Sunday, 2nd June 2013 at 3.00pm
at Matangi Hall, Tauwhare Road, Hamilton
Queen’s Birthday Weekend 1st & 2nd June 2013
Your Hamilton Swiss Club is hosting this year’s Swiss
Society AGM and is looking forward to an exciting weekend
with you.
PROGRAMME:
AGENDA:
1.
2.
3.
Saturday 1st June from 5.30pm venue Matangi Hall
Happy Hour followed by dinner for our guests who
have travelled on that day. Cost approx. $12 per
person
Sunday 2nd June
10am - Interclub Cowbell Competition (bowls, cards
and shot-put) / venue to be confirmed
1pm - Lunch for everyone at the Matangi Hall
2.30pm - Afternoon tea
3pm - AGM
5pm - Happy Hour
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
6pm - Berner Abend followed by entertainment cost $25 per person
Register now with your Swiss Club Secretary or for Swiss
Society only members, register with your Swiss Society
Secretary. Check for further information on our
www.swiss.org.nz website.
We look forward to seeing many of you on the Queen’s
Birthday Weekend!
15.
16.
17.
Welcome by the President
Apologies
Address by the Patron of the Society, the
Ambassador of Switzerland
Appointment of Scrutineers
Minutes of the previous AGM, held on 3rd June 2012,
and matters arising
Obituaries
President’s Report and matters arising
Editor’s Report and matters arising
Treasurer’s Report and matters arising
Riflemaster’s Report and matters arising
Delegate for Swiss Abroad’s Report and matters
arising
Setting of Subscriptions 2013/14
Society Games / proposed rule amendment
Election of Officers (Swiss Society: President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor,
Riflemaster,Committee members and new Delegates
for Swiss Abroad)
General Business, including Club Reports
Date and Venue for Society AGM 2014
Meeting Closure
Please refer to page 3 to find out about proposed changes to Swiss
Society Games Rules.
APRIL—MAY
2013
Special celebrations
Special birthday celebrations
The Swiss Society and Helvetia Team congratulate both Joseph Keiser and Hilda Iten most
cordially on their 90th birthday: Joseph celebrated his birthday on 11 February and Hilda hers on
20 March. We also congratulate Nelly Steinemann, our fabulous ladies’ choir mistress and
Auckland club news editor on her 70th birthday, and Herbert Staeheli, the Hamilton Swiss club’s
President for over 35 years, on his 60th birthday.
We hope you all had a truly enjoyable day amidst family and friends, and wish you happiness and
good health for the coming years. We thank you for the important contributions you have made to
your clubs and the Swiss Society over the years. Without you, we would not be where we are
today and would not have had half the fun! A Toast to you all!
Mother‘s Day
Brief an die Mutter aus der Ferne
Wenn ich nur ein Vöglein wär‘,
käm’ ich zu dir geflogen,
über Tal und Berge her
mit dem Wind gezogen!
Brächte selber meinen Gruss
Unter Lust und Scherzen,
gäbe dir den schönsten Kuss,
froh an deinem Herzen.
Leider soll’s nicht also sein.
Hier, in weiter Ferne,
richt’ ich meinen Blick allein
Auf zum Herrn der Sterne.
Kindlich flehe ich ihn an
Um sein treues Walten,
mög’ er dich auf deiner Bahn
lange noch erhalten!
Dir gehört mein Herz allein,
dir soll’s ewig schlagen! Oh, wie herrlich müsst’ es sein,
könnt’ ich’s dir selber sagen.
Über Tal und Berge her
mit dem Wind gezogen –
wenn ich nur ein Vöglein wär’,
käm’ ich zu dir geflogen!
From the 19th Century
Contributed by Edith Hess
Hilde Iten
Born in 1923
on a little farm
near Lucerne
as the eldest
of seven girls,
Hilde
has
always looked
after people.
She made a
career
in
hospitality,
working in hotels and restaurants in
Switzerland before going to England
on her big OE in the early 50s. She
wanted an adventure and didn’t stop
when she got there, continuing on her
travels to Australia. Hilde landed in
Sydney, then went on to Adelaide,
where she bumped into a handsome
Swiss man called Hans. They married
and came to Auckland on their
honeymoon in 1960, with the
intention of staying if they liked
it...and they did.
When they first arrived they boarded
in Arch Hill until they could find work
and save up for a house. She and
Hans moved into their first home in
Mt Eden while Hilde was pregnant
with their first child, Andrew and had
Lilllian three years later. Their son
Andrew remembers hearing how
when they first arrived, they were told
not to bother with the Swiss Club
because all it entailed was men
playing cards and women knitting!
However, a chance encounter with
the Swiss Club president of the time
in the local barber shop persuaded
them to see for themselves and Hilde
and Hans have been stalwart
members of the club ever since.
Zum Muttertag
(Source: www.upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/
Herztorte_zum_Muttertag.jpg: Photo Josef Türk Jun.)
HELVETI
Until recently, Hilde has always
helped in the background ensuring
people are welcome and well fed,
often found with her hands in the sink
doing the dishes! Hilde is well-known
for her generosity of spirit as well as
her baking, particularly her apple
strudel. She has become a keen Jass
player, and there’s alway a pack of
cards near, in case there’s an
opportunity to have a game or two.
Hilde’s known for her big heart - for
decades there’s been a steady
stream of visitors turning up on her
doorstep, knowing there’s a warm
welcome for them, no matter how
distant the connection. One couple
visiting New Zealand needed
witnesses for their wedding, Hilde
and Hans stepped in, and they have
been firm friends ever since. Her
hospitality is legendary, with plenty of
home-made baking to share along
with a cup of coffee and the latest
news.
Hilde has had a life-long interest in
natural remedies and herbs, long
before it was fashionable, and is
always happy to share her findings
with others and keep exploring new
ideas. She is also a keen gardener
and amateur winemaker - using the
fruits from her garden.
Ties with Switzerland have remained
strong - until recently she’s made
regular visits to see her sisters and
old friends, with the added incentive
of seeing her daughter Lillian, who
has lived in Switzerland for the last
25 years.
Happy 90th birthday Hilde, wishing
you many happy returns!
By Andrew and Lillian Iten
PAGE
7
Swiss Embassy news: Biometric passports
The following article provided by the Swiss Embassy in
Wellington addresses two key questions related to the new
biometric passports:
 Why a biometric passport was introduced
 Why you must come in person to the Embassy to get
a new passport
As many old, non-biometric passports expire and many
questions pop up, the Embassy would like to explain why in
2010 a biometric Swiss passport was introduced and why
Swiss citizens must come in person to the Embassy to get
their new biometric passport. The Embassy acknowledges
that the introduction of biometric passports has increased the
time, cost and effort for many Swiss citizens living abroad to
renew or newly establish their passports. This is particularly
true for those citizens living in remote areas.
WHY A BIOMETRIC PASSPORT?
The introduction of biometric passports needs to be seen in
the wider context of worldwide efforts to increase security
and identification procedures in international travel after 9/11.
In fact, many western countries nowadays have biometric
passports. The introduction of biometric passports form part
of the obligations Switzerland has as a member of the
Schengen Association Agreement.
In Switzerland, the introduction of biometric passports was
proposed by the Federal Council and approved by
Parliament in 2008. The decision was subsequently
challenged by a referendum. On 19 May 2009, the Swiss
population approved the introduction of biometric passports.
The decision – although far from being uncontroversial – was
part of the democratic decision making process and backed
by the majority of the Swiss population.
WHY DO I NEED TO TRAVEL TO GET MY BIOMETRIC
PASSPORT?
For a biometric passport, the Embassy needs your
biometrics, i.e. your photo, your fingerprints and your
signature. The Embassy can only be assured of your identity
if you come in person. This is also why the Embassy asks
you to bring along proof of identity such as your old passport,
identity card or a valid foreign identity document.
To get a new passport, you must apply to the Swiss
Embassy in Wellington. However, you can request via the
Embassy that your biometrics (photo, fingerprints, signature)
are recorded at another Swiss representation or at a
passport office in Switzerland. For example, if you travel to
Sydney, you can request to have your biometrics recorded at
the Consulate-General in Sydney. Or if you travel to
Switzerland, you can request to have your biometrics
recorded at a passport office of your choice. Even if you want
to have your biometrics recorded at another Swiss
representation or at a passport office in Switzerland, you still
must apply for a new passport through the Swiss Embassy
in Wellington.
Once your application for a new passport is filed and once
your biometrics are recorded, it takes up to 12 working
weeks for the passport to be produced in Switzerland. If you
have changed your name through marriage or otherwise, you
must register this with the Swiss Embassy in Wellington
before you apply for your new passport.
Your new passport will be sent directly to you if your old
passport was cancelled when your biometrics were recorded.
If your old passport has not been cancelled, your new
passport will be sent to the Swiss Embassy in Wellington.
You can then either mail or bring your old passport to the
Embassy to get it cancelled, and your new passport will be
sent back to you or given to you in person.
It is not possible to extend the validity of a non-biometric
passport. Electronic passports, such as the new New
Zealand passport, do not contain biometric data. This is why
New Zealanders do not have to have their fingerprints or a
biometric photo taken to get a new passport.
APRIL—MAY
2013
AGM minutes from 2012
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting
of the Swiss Society of New Zealand Inc.
Held at the Massey Athletic Club Hall, Massey,
hosted by the Auckland Swiss Club on 3 June 2012
The meeting opens at 2pm.
1 Welcome
Roland Schütz, the Society president, welcomes everyone to
the AGM of the Swiss Society of New Zealand and thanks the
Auckland Swiss club for hosting the event.
The Cowbell Competition is very important – and he is pleased
that the Wellington club has won it, though only just, with
Ausjassen.
The president asks all Society members to sign the attendance
book. If you take part in the discussion, please tell us your name
and the club you belong to and speak loud, so that everybody
can hear you.
2 Apologies
From the Auckland club: Sid Melville, Fidel and Berta Good
From the Hamilton club: Beatrice Leuenberger, Anita and
Walter Zuber, Richard Wehrli
From the Taranaki club: Irene Biddle, Walter and Myrtha
Seifert, Othmar Hebler, Marianne and Adrian Drummond, Zeno
von Hospenthal
From the Wellington club: Max and Rosina Fuhrer
Paul Amstalden moves that the apologies be accepted and
Herbert Stäheli seconds it.
3 Appointment of Scrutineers
Mark Kiser nominates Herbert Stäheli, and Rinaldo Rust
seconds it. Marcel Rüedi nominates Adrian Blaser, and Heidi
Wilson seconds it.
4 Minutes
The minutes of the previous AGM, held in Wellington on 5 June
2011, were printed in the May 2012 Helvetia. Copies of the
minutes also lie on the tables. The president allows a few
minutes to read them, then Peter Canziani moves that these
minutes are a true and correct record, and Adrian Blaser
seconds it.
5 Obituaries
Sadly, a few Society members have passed away in the past
twelve months. They are from the Auckland Swiss Club: Elfie
Holzgang, Joan Schwarz. From the Hamilton Swiss Club:
HELVETIA
Robert Blättler, Mary Flühler, Leoni Oettli, Ernst Rust, Hans
Schurmann. From the Taranaki Swiss Club: Berta Zimmermann,
Colin Wilson, Berni Meier, Doreen Schuler.
Would everyone please stand for a moment’s silence in
remembrance of these past members and friends - thank you.
6 President’s Report
Roland Schütz is pleased to pass the Swiss Society on to the
Auckland Club, as the Wellington five years’ term is coming to
an end. It was an honour, but also a big commitment. He also
thanks Max Fuhrer, who was vice president, and acknowledges
the work of the Helvetia team who had produced the Helvetia
always on time. He then points out that the Swiss Society and
the Swiss clubs are there to conserve and promote Swiss
tradition and culture, and to support each other in an
emergency. Marcel Rüedi moves that the report be accepted,
and Herbert Stäheli seconds it.
7 Editor’s Report
Trudi Brühlmann is relieved that the publication of the Helvetia
now goes to Auckland. Publishing a Helvetia every second
month would have been much more fun; doing it every month
was sometimes a bit of a struggle.
She thanks Heidi Amelung for her great work and her dedication
to always produce an attractive, well presented Helvetia, and for
all the other work Heidi did behind the scene. She also
apologizes for mistakes in the Helvetia and thanks the readers
for being so polite about them. A big thank you goes to the
advertisers for their support and to the club secretaries, who
always send their contributions in on time and forward address
changes. It makes life much easier.
She moves that her report be accepted, and Marcel Rüedi
seconds it.
8 Treasurer’s Report
Heidi Amelung explains the figures on the balance sheet. The
financial situation looks positive; we made a donation to the Red
Cross Christchurch Earthquake Appeal. The subscriptions don’t
quite cover the printing and posting of the Helvetia, but there is
additional money from interest and from advertising.
The Helvetia was printed for the same price for all five years,
and the printing team was always reliable and helpful.
As we are not asking for grants, an auditor is not needed. Heidi
Amelung thanks John Alderdice who checked the accounts for
us. Heidi moves that the report be accepted, and Rinaldo
seconds it.
PAGE
9
AGM minutes from 2012 cont.
9 Delegate of the Swiss Abroad’s Report
Othmar Hebler is overseas due to a family emergency. His
report will be printed in the July Helvetia. He will represent New
Zealand at the 89th Auslandschweizer-Kongress in Lausanne,
17th – 19th August.
10 Riflemaster’s Report
Mark Kiser reports that the competitions for the medals have
gone well. Compiling the results is a major exercise, but the
medals should be ready for distribution on 1 st August. He thanks
Marianne Drummond and Walter Seifert for their help. He
moves that his report be accepted. Marcel Rüedi seconds it.
In the Steinstossen/Kugelstossen discussion, it is argued that
the traditional Swiss sport is Steinstossen, not Kugelstossen,
but it is agreed that women should have a lighter stone. The
proposed new rules are accepted. The Stein/Kugel has to be
thrown over the shoulder; that should go without saying, but this
will be formulated in the new sports rules, just to make sure.
The rule that the marked line must not be overstepped before
the stone hits the ground will have to be observed more
carefully in the future. Marcel Rüedi will send the new rules to
all the clubs.
13.2 Club Reports
13 General Business
Taranaki: The Taranaki president Othmar Hebler is overseas;
Leo Zehnder reads Othmar’s report. The club has 270
members. Participation in the club’s events is strong, especially
in shooting, fondue and in the picnic with up to 400 guests! The
club has a strong, active committee.
Auckland: The Auckland president Marcel Rüedi reports that
the club has about 150 addresses, mostly couples and families.
Jass has become popular and attracts all ages. Samichlaus is
always very popular and had an audience of over 60 children.
Shooting is getting stronger, too. The Market Day was again a
highlight in the club year – all possible thanks to a dedicated
committee.
Hamilton: The Hamilton president Herbert Stäheli reports on
very successful card evenings, with an average of 40 players,
and successful events such as the picnic and 1 st August at
lunch time rather than in the evening. The fondue is another big
event. He praises his hard-working committee and the many
other helpers.
Wellington: The new Wellington president Murray Simons
reports that the Wellington Swiss club is much smaller than the
other clubs, with only about 60 addresses; nevertheless, the
events are always a great success. He especially mentions the
1st August Fire on the Beach that attracts Swiss who otherwise
don’t come to functions. The Wellington Club has an informal
young mothers’ group, and the committee members are mainly
people from the next generation. The Fondue Evenings, the
National Day Dinner and Christmas are the other main
functions.
13.1 Rules for Society Competition
14 Date and Venue for the Society AGM 2013
Marcel Rüedi has rewritten the rules for Jassen, and the old and
the proposed new rules were published in the February
Helvetia.
The Hamilton president Herbert Stäheli invites everybody to
Hamilton for the Swiss Society AGM on Queen’s Birthday
weekend 2013.
For Jassen, the proposed new rules are accepted. Hans Iten
would like to do Schieber in the Medal Competition. The
assembly agrees to leave it up to the individual clubs how they
want to play. In the Cowbell Competition, Schieber is played.
15 Meeting Closure
11 Setting of Helvetia Subscriptions 2012/2013
Heidi Amelung suggests that the Helvetia subscriptions
should stay the same, i.e. $25. Marcel Rüedi moves it, and
Mark Kiser seconds it.
12 Election of Officers
The Swiss Society needs a new team, a team from Auckland.
President: Tanja Latham-Zurbrügg,
Leuenberger, seconded by Adrian Blaser
moved
by
Heinz
Vice President: Marcel Rüedi, moved by Henry Werffeli,
seconded by Peter Canziani
Treasurer: Carmen Fitzi Gordon, moved by Marcel Rüedi,
seconded by Herbert Stäheli
Secretary: Tanja Latham-Zurbrügg, moved by Mark Kiser,
seconded by Edith Hess
Editor: Susie Wood; Susie says she can only accept if the
Helvetia will be published every second month instead of the
present 10 issues per year; moved by Heidi Wilson and
seconded by Renate Meyer
Riflemaster: Ernst Lanz, moved by Hans Iten, seconded by
Henry Werffeli.
The meeting closes at 4 pm. The president Roland Schütz
wishes everybody a great evening and then a safe trip home.
APRIL—MAY
2013
The non Swiss perspective
The Jungfrau, Eiger and Mönch are a trio of imposing
mountains that lord over the Berner Oberland. They are
majestic in appearance, menacing in nature and awesome in
scale.
Throughout history, man has felt the need to conquer all
obstacles nature placed in his way.
Cast your mind back to 1865. In case you don’t remember,
I’ll set the scene…
Interlaken, The Beer Garden at the recently opened VictoriaJungfrau Hotel, summer, a group of young men having a
“few” gets talking…
“Hey, you fellas, remember what a complete mission it was
to get to the top of the Jungfrau?”
“Sure,” the others replied.
“Well… I reckon it would be cool to build a train up there. It
shouldn’t be too hard. We just dig tunnels where we need
to. I reckon the longest tunnel will be about 7km long. No
worries. I know some people who know some people…”
This conversation carried on for the rest of the evening.
Gradually, a plan was made.
Sadly, this particular plan did not pan out in the end. I
believe it had something to do with insufficient financing.
Apparently it’s quite an expensive thing to dig tunnels inside
mountains. Who knew?
Eventually, a tunnel with a train track was built. A fellow
called Adolf Guyer-Zeller began construction in 1896. The
whole project took 16 years.
Back to modern times…
I rode the Jungfraubahn in the summer of 1999 or 2000. I
don’t quite remember when. The train takes you through
some of the most exquisite scenery I’ve ever seen. I won’t
bore you with the details except to point out that I did see a
real St. Bernard dog, complete with a small barrel of Kirsch.
(At least I hope it was Kirsch).
The final portion of the train ride takes you past windows at
the Eigerwand (Eiger face) and Eismeer (sea of ice), where
Construction of the Jungfraubahn
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
you are given the opportunity to take photos. At some point
during the trip, the train is climbing at a grade of 1:4. That’s
25% in Swiss. I think Herr Guyer-Zeller and his successors
enjoyed a private joke at the expense of travelers. See, they
made the seats in the train as smooth as possible. When
you have a rear facing seat on the ascent, you need to hold
on tight so as not to slide off the seat and join the young and
frail piled up at the back of the train car.
At the top, it’s everything you expect. There is a massive
glacier; and some mountain climbers who, I suppose, suffer
from Diderodromophobia - fear of trains, railroads or train
travel.
You will also find: A restaurant, skiing, an observatory and
an ice-cave cut into the glacier.
I found it a bit difficult to draw breath up there. At the
Jungfrau Bahnhof (3,454m), effective available oxygen in the
air you breathe is approximately 35% less than at sea level.
If you have the opportunity to visit the “Top Of the World”
then take it. The Jungfrau will not disappoint you.
By David Latham
Sources: http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/phobia-dictionary.html, http://www.victoriajungfrau.ch/inform/history/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfrau_railway, http://
Consigli della Nonna (Grandma’s hints):
Una manciata di sale di cucina sciolto in un bicchiere
d'acqua tiepida e versato in lavatrice, sostituisce
l'ammorbidente.
imbevuto d'aceto.
A handful of kitchen salt dissolved in a glass of lukewarm
water and poured into the washing machine replaces the
softener.
Solo ora vi accorgete che il vostro deodorante e
terminato? Provate a sostituirlo con un batuffolo di
cotone imbevuto di succo di limone.
Per eliminare l'odore di bruciato nell'aria, bollite alcuni
spicchi di limone in un po' d'acqua.
Have you just noticed that your
deodorant is finished? Try to
substitute it with cotton buds soaked in
lemon juice.
To eliminate the smell of burned things in the air, stew
some slices of lemon in a little water.
Per evitare che i formaggi non diventano secchi, non
dovete far altro che avvolgerli in un strofinaccio
HELVETIA
To stop cheese from getting dry, all you need to do is wrap
it in a cloth soaked with vinegar.
By Ursula Nixon
PAGE
Kids’ corner: Easter is coming!
Learning about
Easter smileys
Easter eggs
How many Easter eggs can you
put in an empty basket?
Only one – after that it’s not
empty any more!
The precise origin of the ancient
custom of decorating eggs is not
known. Some people think that the
blooming of many flowers in spring
coincides with the use of the fertility
symbol of eggs. Eggs boiled with
some flowers change their color,
bringing the spring into the homes.
Many Christians of the Eastern
Orthodox Church to this day typically
dye their Easter eggs red, the color of
blood. Through this, they recognize
the blood of the sacrificed Christ. The
egg shell also symbolises Christ’s
empty tomb.
German Protestants wanted to retain
the Catholic custom of eating colored
eggs for Easter, but did not want to
introduce their children to the Catholic
rite of fasting. Eggs were forbidden to
Catholics during the fast of Lent, which
was the reason for the abundance of
eggs at Easter time.
Why shouldn’t you tell an Easter
egg a joke?
It might crack up!
How does Easter end?
With the letter R!
What’s yellow, has long ears, and
grows on trees?
The Easter Bunana!
What do you get if you pour hot
water down a rabbit hole?
Hot cross bunnies!
What's the difference between a
counterfeit dollar bill and a crazy
rabbit?
One is bad money, the other is a
mad bunny!
The idea of an egg-laying bunny came
to America in the 18th century.
German immigrants in the
Pennsylvania Dutch area told their
children about the "Osterhase".
“Hase” means "hare", not rabbit!
In Northwest European folklore, the
"Easter Bunny" indeed is a hare, not a
rabbit. According to the legend, only
good children received gifts of colored
eggs in the nests made with their caps
and bonnets before Easter.
In 1835, Jakob Grimm described
similar myths in Germany itself. Grimm
suggested that these derived from
legends of the Germanic goddess
“Ostara”.
Contributed by Adrian Blaser
Extracted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Bunny
Easter puzzle
11
APRIL—MAY
2013
Easter egg colouring competition
Well done!
Congratulations to all our fantastic artists who sent in such lovely and
creative colouring pictures. You all did such a great job. We loved
receiving your pictures and thanks very much to your mums and dads
for sending them in.
As a very special thank you for your hard work, you will each be
receiving a Gingerbread Easter Bunny made by “Gretel‘s Gingerbread”“
here in Auckland.
Happy Easter from everyone on the Helvetia Team!
Joshua Hurschler, 5, Tirau
Kira Sharma, 5, Wellington
Vincent Maisey, 5, Marlborourgh
Daniel Drummond, 9, Stratford
Did you know?
Did you know?
The first Easter Bunny legend was documented in
the 1500s. By 1680, the first story about a rabbit
laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was
published.
The tradition of making nests for the rabbit to lay
its eggs in soon followed. Eventually, nests became
decorated baskets and colorful eggs were
swapped for candy, treats and other small gifts.
The first colouring in books printed in the USA
were inspired in part by a Swiss teacher called,
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and his student
Friedrich Fröbel. Thanks to Herr Pestalozzi, most
people in Switzerland could read and write by
1830. This is quite an achievement when you
think that at the same time, in England less than
half of grown ups could write!
http://news.discovery.com/history/what-does-easter-bunny-come-haveto-do-easter-120406.htm
Luca Latham, 8, Auckland
HELVETIA
Cedric Blaser, 6½, Auckland
Amara Wisler, 6, Hamilton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloring_book, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Literacy
Sascha Latham, 4, Auckland
Richard Drummond, 7, Stratford
PAGE
13
Fun tips Jungfrau-Aletsch
Tip No. 1: Enjoy a day at the Pro Natura Center
Aletsch
The Pro Natura Center is located in Villa Cassel in the canton
of Valais amid the magnificent mountain landscape
surrounding the protected areas of the Aletsch Forest and
the Great Aletsch Glacier. It is also the gateway to the
UNESCO World Heritage Site Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch.
Tip Nr. 3: First Flyer - fun for all ages!!!
The dream of swishing through the air comes true with the
First Flyer in the Jungfrau region. With the First Flyer you can
fly up to 90 miles an hour down the valley. The adrenaline
rush is guaranteed in winter and summer! Get your tickets
by entering the keyword ‘First Flieger’ into the search box on
www.jungfrau.ch.
The Centre offers exhibitions and guided tours, organises
events and rents out rooms at the beautiful Villa Cassel,
starting from CHF 50.- per room. Bookings for groups are
available as well.
Source: www.pronatura-aletsch.ch
First flyer in action
www.ausflugsziele.ch/schweiz/ausflug.asp?linkid=1401
Villa Cassel
www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Switzerland/West/Valais/Riederalp/photo825660.htm
Tip No. 2: Ice Caves at the Aletsch Glacier
Take the gondola from the Greicheralp to the Mossfluo
(reached via Mörel/Riederalp in the canton of Valais). Walk
to the glacier and along its shore to deep blue ice caves.
There, feel the breath of the "eternal ice" up close. An
unforgettable experience!!!
Guided tours from CHF 30.Find heaps more information, including for unguided tours
and other things you can do in the area on
www.jungfraualetsch.ch.
Chuderwälsch (Swiss Dialect)
 Eeber – no ice or snow on the road
 eender – before, likely
 ennet – beyond, over there
 einewäg – anyhow, anyway
 erbudlä, ersuufä – to drown
 erschtno – besides
 extra – on purpose
 e Eignä – a strange person
 en Guete – enjoy your meal!
 Eiertätsch – Omellete
APRIL—MAY
2013
Swiss club news
TARANAKI
SWISS CLUB
Past Events
In February, keglen re-commenced with
a good muster for the first Thursday
night … Johnny is looking forward to
seeing a few more people in the months
to come. Prior to the picnic, the men
tidied up the club house exterior by water
blasting and touching up the paint work,
and Johnny of course manicured the
lawns … thanks guys for your
tremendous work … the grounds and
buildings looked great!!! Johnny even
managed to get rid of the wasps … huge
thanks Johnny; they were a curse last
year!!!
On February 9th, the Wellington Swiss
Club members ventured north to contest
the semi-final of the Cowbell competition
against us. It was great to see so many
of them make the effort to come, and we
hope that they enjoyed their stay with us
… even if for a few, it was a short time!!!
Everyone enjoyed a barbequed
bratwurst or cervelat for lunch and then
the serious business started.
The
shooters headed for the shed and the
shot putters went to the petanque area to
show their muscles. Well … I can say
that we did out-muscle the city-ites in the
shot put … but the other events were
very evenly contested.
Six competitors from each club
participated in the shot put, with Chris
Jordan from Wellington throwing the
furthest … Antoni Sherman was our
strongest competitor and our remaining
throwers weren’t far behind. So that was
one discipline under our belt … now to
the shooting and keglen.
In the
shooting, five competitors shot 72 …
Theres Scherrer and Hans Kueng from
Wellington and our own Lou Butler,
Remigi Zimmermann and Marlies Hebler
… however we won overall by one
point!!! That definitely wasn’t a walkover!!!
Meanwhile, the keglen was underway
with a fierce battle taking place … the
highest score was achieved by Sam
Simons from Wellington with 47 points,
with Chris Jordan one point behind on
46. Taranaki’s highest score came from
Peter Canziani with 46 points, followed
closely by our keglen master Johnny
Bishop and Marcus Rufer, both with 44
points. As always, Mathias Seifert loves
to skittle last … everyone was holding
their breath … and he scored 43 points
HELVETIA
to ensure we won the keglen by one
point overall!!! Well done to all the
competitors for taking part and ensuring
that a close battle was well fought!!! As
we had already won three disciplines, it
was decided not to play the competition
jassen … and those who wished could
play a friendly game.
Many thanks Wellington for coming up to
contest the semi-final; friendly rivalry and
good sportsmanship prevailed, and
everyone seemed to enjoy their sports.
In the evening, a dinner of cold cuts,
cheese and salads, followed by a
dessert was enjoyed by about 35 – 40
people. Many thanks to everyone who
participated or helped to make the day
so enjoyable.
Taranaki members, please remember to
put the bus trip to Hamilton for the AGM
of the Swiss Society and final of the
Cowbell competition into your calendars,
so that we can put up a good fight
against either Hamilton or Auckland.
On Sunday 10th February, we held our
annual picnic on a beautiful, sunny day
… as always in Taranaki!!!
Many
members from the Wellington Swiss
Club stayed on … and together with our
own members, we also enjoyed the
company of people from Canada and
Switzerland, as well as the Ambassador
of Switzerland to New Zealand, Dr
Marion Weichelt-Krupski and her family.
Thank you so much for coming Marion; it
was great seeing you again and we hope
that you and your family enjoyed seeing
a little of our beautiful province, as well
as our picnic!!! Once again, we enjoyed
a huge crowd … it is so hard to estimate,
but many people believe that the crowd
was bigger than last year … who
knows???!!! Thank you to Classic Hits
(radio) for advertising our picnic on the
“Community Notice Board” … many
people commented on hearing the ads
… and we enjoyed the company of many
non-Swiss due to this advertising. The
main thing is that people seemed to
enjoy themselves and took part in many
of the activities provided!!! Mark was in
charge of the fishing again, and had
many people giving the games a go …
thanks Mark - you do a terrific job. A
HUGE THANKS to Reg and Rose
Tecofsky who brought their bouncy
castle and merry-go-round to the picnic
for so many children to enjoy … we are
truly appreciative of your big effort and
we hope that the children were wellbehaved!!! Marcus, once again, had the
shot put under control with a few helpers
(thanks to all of you for your time) … the
winners were: Men - Mathias Sempach
from Switzerland, ladies – Chelsea Heal
(following in the footsteps of her aunty
Karen who has won the trophy many
times … I hear you just kept going until
you had a winning score, Chelsea …
good on you for perseverance!!!) … but
Chelsea was only 2cm ahead of Sonja
Werder (what a tight contest!!!) and the
juniors – Toni Hess. Thanks to all the
participants.
During this time the
barbeque was going flat-stick … the
bratwurst and cervelats were selling like
hot cakes … about 70 – 75kg were
barbequed … many thanks to Doreen,
Heidi, Erna, Johnny, Leo, Walter and
Marianne … you all did a great job!!! To
New World Stratford … many thanks
for donating the bread for the barbeque
… we really appreciate your
sponsorship.
Next door, the liquid
refreshments and ice creams were
selling fast too … thanks to Mathias and
Adrian for manning the bar. The distant
noise of a helicopter could be heard, and
Richard and Jolanda from Heliview were
making an appearance … several people
took the opportunity to view the district
from up above, and everyone enjoyed
their experience … many thanks to you
for coming to our picnic and providing
our spectators with something else to do.
Now the Schwingen was under way …
many thanks to Othmar for organising
this event … our great referee from
Switzerland Thomas Ulrich was kept
busy with the senior and junior
participants fighting their battles hard.
Grateful thanks to Martin, Silvia and
Andrea
for
undertaking
the
administrative duties to ensure our
records are kept accurately.
After
several bouts, the winners were
announced … the seniors’ division was
finally won by Stefan Sempach from
Switzerland (boy, he won all the
trophies!!!) with his brother Mathias
second, and another Swiss tourist,
Mathias
Siegenthaler,
third.
Unfortunately many of our own wrestlers
were unable to compete due to prior
commitments, so we’ll look forward to
more of our own contingent battling it out
next year!!!
There were eighteen
contestants in the juniors, varying in age
quite a bit … our Ambassador’s son,
Kasimir, took part too, and we hope that
you enjoyed this challenge … it was
great seeing all the juniors doing their
best. The eventual winner was Jonas
Padrutt … from Taranaki … yes; we did
have a local boy winning on the day!!!
Well done, Jonas … and last year’s’
winner Paul Whakatutu was runner-up …
thank you to all the juniors for
participating … we really appreciate
seeing you take part and enjoying
yourselves. We hope your arm is better
Jarod and that you will take part again
next year. Our grateful thanks to Alan
PAGE
15
Swiss club news
and Maryanne Forsyth who regularly
come as first aid officers to our picnic …
we really appreciate you giving up a day
to attend our function. Once again, the
Schwingen was the highlight of the day
… and we would like to thank all
competitors for taking part and ensuring
that our spectators had some wonderful
entertainment!!!
During the Schwingen, our popular
tombola tickets were sold … and they
sold so quickly this year … no doubt due
to our two main sponsors … thank you
very much to the Swiss Deli for
providing two hams and to Heliview
for donating a short helicopter ride for
FIVE people!!! Your sponsorship was
greatly appreciated. Maya Stutz and
Margrit Gut won the hams … so if you’re
hungry, give them a call … oops, sorry
by the time you read this they’re
probably all eaten!!! Gary Preston was
the very lucky winner of the helicopter
rides and enjoyed the ride every bit. So
next time you want to do something
different, ring Heliview and go for a
flight … or call in to the Swiss Deli
and buy some delectable fine meats!!!
Once again, thank you both for your
support. Thank you to Erna and Heidi
for organising the prizes and to the
ladies who sold the tickets.
It was wonderful to see our very own
Zeno playing the accordion again … well
done, Zeno, you’ve mastered your new
“girlfriend” very well!!! We wouldn’t even
have known that you hadn’t played for
quite some time!!! A big thank you to our
talented musicians who played live
music all day … Peter Canziani who
makes the effort to come from Turangi
every picnic (and other events we
hold!!!), Zeno and Maria … thank you
very much for the entertainment which
everyone really appreciates.
Club Tee-shirts – Erna and Heidi, with
the help of Therese Orchard, organised
new club shirts … a men’s navy polo
shirt, a royal blue ladies shirt, and
children’s blue tee-shirts … they look
really smart … and many people took the
opportunity to purchase some. Thanks
ladies for your great effort. If anyone
would like to purchase one of these nice
shirts, please ring Erna on 06 272 6438.
Late afternoon, people continued to
enjoy a chat outside while having a drink
or two. Everyone was relaxing after a
hard day’s work … but it’s so rewarding
to organise an event when people enjoy
themselves. After packing everything
away, we all enjoyed delicious spaghetti
bolognaise (such a welcome change
from barbequed meats!!!) and salads …
thank you to everyone who contributed
to the dinner … it was a wonderful way
to end a great day.
On behalf of the committee, I would like
to thank everyone who attended the
weekend’s functions for their valuable
support … it was wonderful seeing so
many people … many of whom we
hadn’t seen for some time … others who
we see regularly … it really makes our
work a pleasure!!! Thank you also to
those outside the committee who help in
any way … we really appreciate your
valuable assistance. THANK YOU!!!
The following Thursday, the committee
ladies gave the hall a good clean … but
even with all the people attending the
picnic, going through the hall and using
the toilets, the hall wasn’t really too
grubby … but it just looks so much nicer
after a good scrubbing!!! Thank you very
much ladies for your great work!!! After
the clean-up, we had a delicious pot-luck
finger lunch … an excellent way to finish
off!!!
On the 28th of February, the Singing
Group hosted the Hawera Ladies Probus
Club
for lunch,
followed
by
entertainment. They were truly a great
bunch of ladies to entertain … you could
have heard a pin drop. By the sounds of
it, everyone enjoyed the meal and our
performance. Thank you to the ladies
who provided delicious salads and
sweets; without you we would be lost!!!
On the 4th of March, we held our AGM
with twenty-seven people attending.
Othmar welcomed everyone and
thanked them for their interest in our
Club. It was decided that subscriptions
will increase by $5.00 to $15.00 per
person from 2014. Currently, our
subscriptions only just pay our insurance
premiums and it was felt that most of our
running expenses should also be
covered – rates, water rates, power and
administrative expenses. At $15.00 I
would think that we’re one of the
cheapest clubs around!!! The Taranaki
Electricity Trust and TSB Community
Trust were thanked for their generous
donations, allowing us to keep our
building and grounds well maintained.
Othmar thanked all those people who
have helped and contributed to our Club
in any way during the past year. We
elected a new Patron, Lou Butler,
although he was conspicuous by his
absence!!!
Lou has made a huge
contribution to our Club over many
years, and this accolade recognises his
valuable input.
After a little bit of
persuasion by Othmar, Lou accepted the
honour, very humbly. Congratulations
Lou!!!
There being little general
business left, the meeting was soon
over. A delicious supper was enjoyed by
all.
On the 11th of March, the executive
planned the programme for the coming
year. We hope that you will enjoy what
we have put together … much the same
as previous years … and please put the
dates into your calendar so that we have
as many people as possible attending
our functions. Thank you. You should
receive your calendar of events,
newsletter and subscription notice in the
next few weeks. If for some reason you
don’t receive them, please give Marianne
a call.
On the 12th of March, a good contingent
of Taranaki Swiss Club members made
the trip to Wellington to attend Max
Fuhrer’s funeral. Max and Rosina hosted
our club many times at their place prior
to the Wellington Swiss Club purchasing
their own premises, and we really
appreciated their kindness. They also
headed to Taranaki several times to
attend various functions. On behalf of
the Taranaki Swiss Club, we offer our
sincere condolences to Rosina and
family on the loss of Max, our dear friend
from the Wellington Swiss Club.
Future Events
April
4 & 18 Keglen at 8.00pm. Please make
an appearance; Johnny would love to
see you.
The more, the merrier!!!
Johnny has indicated that this will be last
year at the helm. As the saying goes,
let’s make it a good one so he goes out
with a bang!!!
Should anyone be
interested in taking on the keglen
masters’ job, please talk to Johnny or a
committee member.
14 & 21 Jassen will recommence at
1.15pm. As the numbers in Euchre
declined last year, we are going to try
having board games (which will include
various card games), so please do come
along and support the club.
On the 21st of April, Mark will also be
hosting the Society / Championship
Shoot from 1.00pm. So if you’re not into
cards or board games, come and give
the shooting a go.
May
2 & 16 Keglen again … go on, make
the effort!!!
4 Fondue Evening – a delicious meal of
fondue and / or sausages and salad will
be served from 6.00pm to 8.00pm.
Come and enjoy a great meal, a drink or
two, and good company. To assist with
catering, please book numbers with
Marianne, Heidi or Marlies by the 27th of
April. Many thanks.
19 We will be holding our Swiss Society
competitions from 10.00am. There is a
separate section for juniors, so parents /
APRIL—MAY
2013
Swiss club news
grandparents please bring along your
children. There are beautiful medals to
be won for the top 20% of participants in
every discipline.
From 1.00pm, the
Championship Shoot may also be done.
Bring your own lunch and make a day of
it!!!
26 Cards / board games from 1.15pm.
Join us!!!
fast the points are added and how sharp
the short term memory is when it comes
to remembering the trumps that have
gone and the ones that are still in the
game. Sometimes it borders on
clairvoyance: How can you work out
where the missing trumps are? It’s all
practice, I’m assured. Well come and
practice! TB
June
1 – 3 We will be travelling to Hamilton
by bus to participate in the AGM of the
Swiss Society of New Zealand and also
in the final of the Cowbell competition.
Please join us for a fun-filled weekend.
Your early booking with Othmar or
Marianne would be appreciated.
9/10 February: Cowbell Competition
and Picnic in Taranaki
WELLINGTON
SWISS CLUB
Past events
27 January: BBQ and Kegelbahn
opening
Now it is official: we have our own
Kegelbahn at the Wellington Swiss
clubhouse! We had to wait until the
BBQ to officially christen it when our
president Murray presented Hans
Scherrer with a bottle of wine. Peter
Hynes had constructed a new gate
and planted the flagpole, Heinz Jaeggi
donated the impressive slabs for the
outdoor tables and seats, Peter Hynes
and Hans Kueng finished off the
Kegelbahn with a coat of special paint
– a big thank you to them all! The way
to honour their work is to use our
Kegelbahn now!
Jake Williams was in charge of raising
the flag, which he mastered very well.
We also tried to improve our skills on
the Kegelbahn, in preparation to the
Cowbell semi-finals in Taranaki two
weeks later. Two very well behaved
dogs joined our party. Candy showed
us how patient and tolerant St.
Bernard dogs can be!
3 February : Jassen
We are a solid group of dedicated
Jassers. We take it seriously, but not too
seriously, and there is always time for a
cup of coffee at the beginning and half
way through. Jassen keeps the brain
active; it never ceases to amaze me how
HELVETIA
Quite a few Wellingtonians went to the
Cowbell Competition in Taranaki. One
sure thing: We will not keep the Cowbell
this year. We did lose in every single
discipline, but never by far!
It was my first visit to the Taranaki Swiss
Club. I was in for a few surprises. The
road from Wellington to Kaponga is long,
especially between Whanganui and
Manaia. But then the volcano seems to
appear out of nowhere, making the
scenery startling. I did not need to be
afraid of getting lost, as there are street
signs indicating the way to the club
house! The Swiss Club is a big part of
the local community. Everywhere I went,
people were mentioning the Swiss Club
event that Sunday. Plus, everybody
seems to be Swiss there! Well, without
hyperbole, you keep coming across
people who will tell you about their link to
Switzerland, be it a grandfather or a
spouse. The Taranaki Club members
were very welcoming, and we enjoyed
their hospitality and their cuisine.
Wellington children were kindly invited to
watch milking cows for the first time in
their life. Quite an experience for an
urban toddler to watch cows happily
stepping in and out of the carrousel and
then walking away to get their treat! We
also got a peek around the Dawson Falls
Lodge, beautifully decorated with Swiss
motifs which reminded me of some
Swiss mountain houses.
On Sunday, we enjoyed the picnic party
and I watched my first Schwingen
tournament ever! It was my first visit to
the Taranaki Swiss club, but certainly not
my last!
24 February: Family Day
allowed some too!).
Last but not least, we had the surprise
visit of our friends Othmar and Marlies
from Taranaki, who stopped by on their
way to Wellington to deliver Zwetschge
(pruneaux!). Much appreciated. A big
thanks to Heinz and Trix for this happy
day! OS
3rd March: Jassen
Again, we have two tables of dedicated
Jassers. What a surprise: We also have
overseas visitors! Margaretha and her
son Jaden accompany (grand)father
Hans to the clubhouse, and while Hans
has a good game of cards, Margaretha
enjoys catching up and Jaden practices
Fahnenschwingen. He is a talent, it
seems! We would have room for a third
table and enough cake for another four
players: Maybe next time? TB
One of the happy Jassers this
Sunday was Max Fuhrer. On the
way home he said he and Rosina
planned to go to Hawkes Bay for a
family reunion, to celebrate his 85th
birthday. And three days later, we
heard the sad news that Max had
passed away.
Max and Rosina joined the
Wellington Swiss Club very early on,
and Max and Rosina’s property in
Ohariu Valley was home to our club
for decades. Not only did they offer
their property to the club for free;
they also looked after it for us,
mowed the lawn, provided firewood,
and whatever we forgot to take
along, we could borrow from their
kitchen.
Max and Rosina became patrons of
the Wellington Swiss Club and
saved the club probably more than
once. Even after they sold their
property in Ohariu Valley, they
stayed committed to the club. We
wish to express our sincere
condolences to the Fuhrer family.
An obituary will follow in the next
Helvetia. tb
The favourite family event of the year!
The sun was shining that day, as it has
been all summer. We had a wonderful
day at the Jaeggi’s property, barbequing,
watching the kids in the paddling pool
and on a treasure hunt.
Future events
This year, the kids had to find the statues
“hidden” alongside the place. They
searched with enthusiasm and were
rewarded with ice-blocks (parents were
20th April: AGM
7th April: Jassen
The hard core Jassers will be contacted;
everybody else is more than welcome to
join us at 1pm at the clubhouse. TB
This year, the AGM will be in the
afternoon, to make travel more
PAGE
17
Swiss club news
convenient for all. You should all have
received your invitation by now,
alongside the minutes of last year's
meetings. Give me a call (ph. 586 3095)
if you have not received it. We will
discuss the five year plan and financial
options and ideas of events for the
coming year. OS
5th May: Jassen
The hard core Jassers will be contacted;
everybody else is more than welcome to
join us at 1pm at the clubhouse. tb
18th May: Fondue Night
Do not miss this first fondue of the year!
It will be served from 6.30pm on
Saturday 18 May. More details to follow.
OS
HAMILTON
SWISS CLUB
Past Events
The 50 metre competition was held on
Saturday 23rd February at the Elmigers’
property again and I would like to thank
Ueli and Erika for their support in making
this another pleasant outing, thank you
to both of you. The turnout was fantastic
and the weather was kind too, with the
temperature rising as the morning
passed. We had 26 shooters, of which 8
were juniors and 6 senior ladies. It was
so pleasing to see all the new and an old
faces - the top scores were not that
brilliant, but I think Nadia Cooper with
67pts showed the best improvement of
all. The top four scores were 72, 71, 69
and 67 pts, making this a total of 279 pts
for the inter-club competition. Thank you
very much to all participants, the club
appreciates your input, and I hope we
will see you all and more again next
year.
Please remember that the 300 metre
shooting weekend is only a few weeks
away and I hope to see you all there.
This competition takes place in
Kaukapakapa on the 18th and 19th of
May. For more information, please call
Hans
on
021
658733
or
Verena_vetsch@hotmail.com
Looking forward to getting swamped with
email or calls!! Hans Vetsch
(Riflemaster)
The Annual Picnic was held on Sunday
24th February at the Newstead School,
and again we had a great turnout and
amazing weather. To start with, there
didn’t seem to be many people there, but
as the day went on, more and more
turned up. The grilled Bratwurst and
Cervelats were popular as always and as
soon as the cakes were served, we had
quite big queues.
Thank you to
everyone who did baking and in
particular to Gritli and Renaldo Rust, who
again brought along a big box of
Fasnachtkuechli. We were also treated
to some alphorn playing which was much
appreciated. The children enjoyed lots
of time in the pool and on the adventure
playground. When Rae and Vitus
rounded up the children for some sack
races, it was great to see the
enthusiasm, despite very hot conditions.
They were all treated to iceblocks and
chocolates, compliments of the club.
some strong men!).
For further
information or if you would like to
compete, contact Herbert Staheli on 07
847 7220 (Swisscraft), or on Mobile
021 962 708.
Sunday, 21 April – Annual General
Meeting - The AGM will this year be held
at the conclusion of the Cowbell
competitions, commencing approx.
4.00pm, at the Swisscraft premises. The
committee would really appreciate your
feedback on both past and future events,
as well as any other thoughts or
comments, so please come along.
Refreshments and snacks will be served
at the conclusion of the meeting.
Monday 15 April 11am and Tuesday
23rd April 6.15pm – the film “Sister” will
be screening at the Lido Cinema in
White Cross Orchard from Te Teko
delivered ordered boxes of prunes
which went down very well.
Many
thanks again for coming to our Picnic
and providing this service. A lot of
people queued up for fresh sausages to
take home, so lots of sales were made
on the day and everyone had a chance
to stock up on some traditional Swiss
favourites. Many thanks to all the
committee and the extra helpers
throughout the day. This is always a big
day and lots of hard work, so any extra
offers of help are always much
appreciated.
Congratulations to all the winners and
all the many participants. We had 36
adults and 5 juniors for the bowling, 10
men, 2 ladies and 4 juniors for the
shotput, and 12 men, 6 ladies and 8
juniors for the shooting held on the
previous day.
Trophy winners:
Shot Put Cup
Bruno Rufer
22.75 m
Shooting Cup
Hans Vetsch
72 pts
Bowling Cup
Vitus Achermann
26 pts
Bowling – Ladies’ Teapot
Willettta Staheli
16 pts
Bowling – Junior Trophy, under 13
Toby Hafliger
22 pts
Trophies and medals will be handed out
at our Fondue Evening in September. -AZ
Future events
Sunday, 21 April – Cowbell Semi-final
Competitions, Hamilton vs Auckland, at
the Swisscraft premises. Participants are
needed to compete in bowling, cards
and/or shot-put (where we’d appreciate
Dr. Veronika Isler
PhD, PGDip(Clin)Psych, Member of NZ
Psych Soc and NZICP
REGISTERED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Ph: (07) 8238190 (Hamilton)
Cell: 021 457 944
Offices in Ohaupo and Hamilton
APRIL—MAY
2013
Swiss club news
Centre Place
Hamilton.
on
Bryce
Street
in
This film is part of the French Film
Festival and most members will have
received a letter from the Embassy,
including some information about this
film. The setting is in the Swiss Alps and
the film is in French, with English
subtitles. If you are interested, please
book your tickets at the cinema early and
make this a gathering for our Swiss
community. You can purchase
refreshments (wine, coffee, etc.) to take
in with you, and there is an opportunity to
arrive early and mix and mingle with
fellow Swiss.
Weekend 18/19 May – 300 meter
Shooting for Hamilton Members at the
Auckland Swiss Farm Clubhouse.
Shooters - please contact Hans Vetsch
as soon as possible to book for this
weekend, by e-mail hans@newtech.co.nz or phone 07 855 3294
(home) or 021 658733 (mobile). Hans
will then liaise with everyone who has
booked regarding food and transport,
and can answer any questions. A good
crowd of “old and new“ shooters is most
welcome at this popular event.
9 June – our club has received an
invitation to compete at the Australian
Jass Championship in Mudgeeraba,
Gold Coast, Queensland. There will be
a Swiss Dinner and Folkloric Show. You
can register via their website: http://
TinyURL.com/AJC2013 or email
tari@swiss.org.au.
AZ
AUCKLAND
SWISS CLUB
Past events
Friday 1 February 2013 Pub night,
Blankenberge Beer Café Takapuna
13 people were there and celebrated
Tobi Blaser’s 13th Birthday in the year
13. What a lot of luck all in one event!
Best wishes to you Tobi.
Saturday 2 February: Working bee at
the farm
A lot has been happening at the farm,
thanks to all those hard workers. We (the
kitchen crew) were particularly pleased
to have water with pressure, thanks to
new tank arrangements and pumps.
Albert was busy fitting tiles into the new
kitchen. Another project of the day was
reversing some changes the TV crew
HELVETIA
had made a few years ago, so we will be
able to use the plastic coverings again
on the walls, should the weather turn
nasty. It will give us an opportunity to use
the farm further into autumn or even
winter. The new oven proved very useful
again – once we had sorted out a few
buttons and switches. 21 workers then
enjoyed Edith’s lunch, a variation on the
theme ‘Zwieble- Chäs- ZwetschgeWähe’. As Edith was not actually there
on the day, I took all the credit, totally
undeserved.
Friday 08 February Jass
We all enjoyed resuming our favourite
game after the summer break. The skills
were still there. As a special treat, Renat
offered us some of his Nelson wine to
taste.
Louis
Carmen
Wallimann
Gordon
4267
4100
Annagret
Nelly
Hansruedi
Franz
Adrian
Neil
Fidel
Amelia
Marie-Theres
Ernst
Heidi
Berta
Walter
Emil
Edith
Hilda
Hans
Renat
Matthew
Wolf
Steinemann
Wolf
Krieger
Blaser
Kaiser
Good
Fitzi
Melville
Lanz
Wilson
Good
Haller
Tellenbach
Hess
Iten
Iten
Nussbaumer
Kaiser
3996
3993
3968
3955
3910
3887
3881
3863
3809
3804
3741
3706
3679
3673
3454
3385
3370
3359
3328
Saturday 09 February: Sleepover at
the farm before the Swiss Day Out:
Once again – the crowd was not huge,
the two families who made it thoroughly
enjoyed the experience of a night in the
wild, away from the hustle and bustle of
the city.
Sunday 10 February: Swiss Day Out –
and Society Games
On another bright summer Sunday,
about fifty members had a good go at
some traditional Swiss sports: Kegeln (9pin bowling), shooting, shotput
(Steinstossen, ‘throwing stones’).
This time, there was also the option of
‘Kugel-Stossen’, using bowls that are
ever so heavy, I can testify! We liked the
barbequed Swiss sausages and yummy
sweet treats, including the famous
Cremeschnitten (to call them custard
slices does not do them justice). The
turnout was not as big as at other times,
so we are keen to find out how to make
this event even more attractive next
year.
Sunday 24 February: Beach Party at
Long Bay
Long Bay is such a popular place,
especially in this never ending summer.
30 of us had a good catch-up with the
Swiss/ Kiwi group.
Friday 01 March: Pub night in Mt Eden
C.A.C Bar 26 Normandy Rd Mt Eden
http://www.cacbar.co.nz/
We had 11 people turning up at the Pub.
Six of them had their “premiere” and we
hope they liked the evening. The bar
located in the historic 1920s bluestone
building that once housed the Colonial
Ammunition Company was quite
impressive. The food however was a bit
different from what we had expected.
By Erika Lanz-Wetli
Friday 08 March Jass, Danish House
We had a record turnout of 25 players
and finished playing in record time
around 10.30pm. Congratulations on a
record score Heinz! But the best of all:
We celebrated the 90th Birthday of Hildi
Iten. Wonderful to see you in such good
health and sharp as! Does the secret lie
in all these herbs?
Heinz
Lynne
Hansruedi
Heidi
Fidel
Erwin
Marie-Theres
Hans
Annagret
Louis
Neil
Carmen
Emil
Ian
Walter
Erwin
Franz
Nelly
Berta
Andrew
Matthew
Hilda
Adrian
Edith
Othmar
Frei
Dunphy
Wolf
Wilson
Good
Knechtle
Melville
Iten
Wolf
Wallimann
Kaiser
Gordon
Tellenbach
Gordon
Haller
Steiner
Krieger
Steinemann
Good
Iten
Kaiser
Iten
Blaser
Hess
Wyss
4375
4063
4019
4001
3983
3952
3930
3920
3903
3887
3794
3786
3759
3653
3642
3639
3638
3626
3600
3600
3562
3549
3462
3440
3417
PAGE
19
Swiss club photo gallery
In Hamilton...
Vreni and Rösli serving coffee
Andrea Hebler crowning our senior champion,
Stefan Sempach
Jake Williams raises the flag
Hans giving Heidi some tips
Candy the St. Bernard
In Taranaki...
Our Ambassador, Marion Weichelt-Krupski
presented Stefan Sempach with the trophy and
calf (kindly donated by Heidi Werder), watched
by runners-up Mathias Sempach and Mathias
Siegenthaler
In Auckland...
Time for a catch up
In Wellington...
Official opening of the Kegelbahn: Murray
thanks Hans
Zeno making his first appearance playing the
accordion for some time, with Peter Canziani
Richard and Jolanda from Heliview enjoying a
well-earned break ... thanks for your support!
Beach Party—Long Bay
Picnic, Steistose, Alex
APRIL—MAY
2013
Swiss club news
Future events, April and May
Friday 05 April from 8pm: Pub night in
Howick, Basalt, 127 Picton St Howick
(corner Picton and Moore Streets)
By special recommendation from Alex
and Martin – they ought to know - we
meet at the most popular bar in Howick!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Friday 12 April 7.30pm sharp: Jassen,
Danish House, Rockridge Ave,
Penrose
We hope the good turnout lasts, which
means you get to know and play with lots
of different people, and have less of a
chance to draw the ‘short straw’ – being
left out for one of the six rounds. Mind
you, for me that’s often a good thing, at
least I am assured to get my 628 points!
Sunday 21 April: Cowbell Semi Final
in Hamilton
Come and help us win the Semi-Final
against Hamilton. We need all the
muscle power to throw the stone, the
brainpower and luck in cards and
everyone for kegeln (9-pin bowling).
Please let us know if you can help and
travel to Hamilton. We always get treated
very nicely there, with morning tea, lunch
and afternoon tea, before travelling back
to Auckland again. If we can secure the
win, we will have a go at the Cowbell
Competition at the AGM held in Hamilton
over the Queen’s Birthday weekend.
your friends along, they’ll love the
flavour. See also separate advertisement
in this edition of Helvetia. You might still
be lucky enough to book a stall so
please
contact
Tanja
at:
swissmarket@swiss.org.nz or 021 101
4432.
What’s happening from June
onward – mark your calendar
Weekend 1-3 June: Swiss Society AGM
in Hamilton See separate articles in this
Helvetia.
Friday 07 June: Pub night
Friday 14 June (and every 2nd Friday
of the month): Jass at the Danish house
Saturday 06 July: Fondue Night at the
Danish house
Saturday 27 July: Swiss National Day
celebration at the Danish house
Thursday 01 August 6pm: Bonfire at
the Swiss farm, always popular.
Other news: Vandalism at the farm
Friday 03 May 6.30pm: Film evening at
the Danish house
After a light meal, you will be treated to a
Swiss film, details to follow.
Just before Xmas, Henry installed our
new water system at the Swiss farm.
There is a new pump house where the
water from the big concrete tank is
filtered and pumped into the 1000 litre
header tank. From there, it feeds into the
different lines that go to the toilet block or
the house, with a branch feeding the
outdoor taps. On the first weekend in
March, one of our members who rented
the farm for the weekend went there on
Friday to bring a car load of material, and
found the pipes between the pump
house and the main lines GONE,
inclusive of the brass isolation valves.
She called me and instead of attending
the pub night, I went to the farm to
assess the damage. We had a quick
meeting to see if we could hook up the
tank (still there at that point) directly so
that they could at least use the toilets.
But by the next morning, the new tank
was gone too. It’s so devastating to have
so much work going into the water
system upgrade to get more pressure,
only to have it all destroyed by some
vandals in a single weekend!
Friday 10 May 7.30pm sharp: Jassen
at the Danish House
Another evening of fun and games, with
some frustrations no doubt.
We will have to rethink how we re-instate
the water tank. We will keep you posted.
At least the insurance company has
accepted the claim. By Adrian Blaser
Saturday 11 May 8am to 3pm: SWISS
MARKET DAY, Danish House, 6
Rockridge Ave, Penrose
You will have received your invitation –
and may get another reminder or two.
Don’t miss this highlight of the Swiss
year, you will be surprised how many
Swiss and European goodies you can
find right in the heart of Auckland. Take
New members
Monday 29 April 7.30pm:
Annual
General Meeting Auckland Swiss
Club, Danish House, 6 Rockridge Ave,
Penrose
We need you there to help us run this
great club. Give us your valuable input.
Or better still, consider filling one of the
vacancies in the committee. It’s not that
arduous and mostly a lot of fun. The
meeting will be followed by a delicious
supper.
You will receive a formal
invitation soon.
HELVETIA
We warmly welcome to our club Daryl
and Joanna Birchler, and Beat and
Sheree Lacy-Goehring, with Sebastian.
Looking forward to meeting you soon.
We hope you enjoy a bit of home away
from home.
Nelly Steinemann, newsletter editor
SWISS KONDITOREI BERN
Bakery & Pastry
Do you feel like eating real Swiss/
German breads, tasty and healthy?
German Sourdough, Butterzopf,
Walliser Bread, Kibbled Rye, Walnut
Bread, Tasty White Bread, Basler
Bread,
or chose from a wide range of rolls,
inclusive Laugenrolls.
In the sweet range we offer
Blackforest Cake, Bienenstich,
Chocolate Truffle Cake, Quark
Cheesecake, Fruit Flans, Patisserie,
seasonal specialities and much more.
We are using local and often
organic ingredients.
Retail sale at our bakery
PAGE
21
Chuchichäschtli (Kitchen cupboard)
Berner Haselnuss Leckerli (Bernese Hazelnut Leckerli)
The Bernese Haselnuss Leckerli is a
sweet that is first described in the 1835
Neues Berner Kochbuch, a cookbook
by Lina Rytz.
During the 19th and early 20th century,
Bernese cookbooks record numerous
recipes for Haselnuss Leckerli or
Berner Leckerli. These indicate that
the sweet was initially only produced in
the small Leckerli form, with the larger
rectangular forms (Lebkuchen or
Gingerbread) coming into use only in
the second half of the 20th century.
The now more common name of
Haselnusslebkuchen was first used in
a 194 6 bak e r's man ual. The
Lebkuchen's expensive ingredients
such as hazelnuts and sugar suggest
that it was always a gift article and a
holiday sweet, as up to the later 19th
century, sugar was largely
unaffordable for the Bernese working
class.
Haselnusslebkuchen continue to be
made by bakers in the entire canton of
Berne during December. In the city of
Berne, where tourists provide for a
steady demand, they can be bought all
year round.
Recipe
Preparation
This recipe is for a moist dough without
flour that is only barely baked, so that
the Leckerli stay fresh for a long time
in an airproof container.
 Add all ingredients except egg whites
In Berne, cookie forms in the shape of
bears are traditionally used to cut out
cookies. However, any simple cookie
forms can be used. Care needs to be
taken with the finer forms such as
stars, as tips are prone to break off. It
is also convenient to simply cut the
dough into little squares.
 Put hazelnut dough into fridge to cool
Ingredients




180g ground hazelnuts
into a bowl
 Gradually add egg whites and mix
into a moist dough
for at least 24 hours.
Finishing
 Roll out hazelnut dough on sugar to
1 cm thickness
 Cut into squares or use any kind of
cookie form to cut out shapes
 Bake Leckerli at 200°C for about 1215 minutes.
Contributed by Edith Hess
180g ground almonds
180g sugar
50g glazed orange peel, finely
chopped
 50g glazed lemon peel, finely
chopped
 1 pinch cinnamon
 1 ½ TBSP honey
 3 egg whites
Berner Haselnuss Leckerli
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berner_Haselnusslebkuchen,
www.so.ch/fileadmin/internet/vwd/vlbzw/pdf/hws/
Haselnusslebkuchen.pdf (Bildungszentrum Wallierhof)
Garden Diary: Gardening in April/May
Hopefully the drought is over and
gardens are no longer suffering from
the dry weather. The soil should be
sufficiently moist enough to dig and
plant new trees and shrubs.
Rake up all your fallen leaves for
compost, or fill up rubbish bags and
leave somewhere sheltered to rot
down and add to the garden at a later
date.
Sow and plant a few crops each of
mixed brassicas such as red cabbage,
cauli, broccoli and cold hardy greens
such as Bok Choy or Wong Bok. Sow
broad beans, peas, kale, spinach and
silverbeet to last over winter by
harvesting a few leaves at a time.
Scarlet runner beans are better left to
die back naturally on the frame, so
wait until the leaves are fully brown,
then trim off at the base, as they will
grow another year.
Baby carrots and beets can also go in
now as they are quick maturing in 5060 days. Mound up leeks and keep
celery/celeriac growing strongly with
regular doses of liquid manure. Save
the best of your outer garlic cloves to
replant in June/July.
Sow and plant winter lettuce and
harvest yams once the tops die down
after the frosts, then dig up and store
in paper bags or sacks. Frosts deal to
fungal diseases and lingering pests
like white cabbage butterfly
caterpillars, as well as sweeten the
flavour of parsnips, celeriac, kale and
swedes, so don't harvest until after the
first frosts if you can wait.
Rig up a poly-tunnel to keep salads
and herbs sheltered over winter. Sow
spring onions in clumps rather than
rows so that you have a bunch to pick
when you need them.
Check all your stored pumpkins,
onions and garlic for any rot, and use
any damaged ones first.
If you choose to wait until spring to
plant again, sow a green manure crop
such as broad beans or lupins to dig
in, or lay a thick layer of mulch or straw
to stop any run off and protect garden
beds.
By Melissa Lanz
APRIL—MAY
2013
Health corner
Aromatherapy – the
world of fragrances
I’m pretty sure you all have heard
about aromatherapy before. It seems
to be very trendy nowadays. Today,
many lotions, candles and beauty
products are sold as "Aromatherapy."
However, many of these products
contain synthetic fragrances that do
not have the same properties as the
essential oils used in aromatherapy.
In fact, the history of aromatherapy
goes back a few thousand years.
Did you know that the ancient
Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks
and Romans used essential oils for
therapeutic purposes for nearly
6,000 years?
The Egyptians used essential oils for
bathing, massage and for embalming
their dead nearly 6000 years ago. The
Greek Hippocrates, the father of
modern medicine, used aromatherapy
baths and scented massage. He even
employed aromatic fumigations to rid
Athens of the plague. Essential oils
were also commonly used for spiritual,
therapeutic, hygienic and ritualistic
purposes.
Did you know that aromatherapy
was used during World War II?
The French army surgeon Dr. Jean
Valnet used essential oils as
antiseptics.
Did you know that the dawn of the
modern era of aromatherapy is
attributed to the French chemist
Rene Maurice Gattefosse in 1930?
Ga t t e f o u s s e c o i n e d t h e t e r m
aromatherapy for the therapeutic use
of essential oils. He was fascinated by
the benefits of lavender oil in healing
his burnt hand without leaving any
scars. As a result, he started
investigating the effect of other
essential oils for their healing and
psychotherapeutic benefits.
Later, Madame Marguerite Maury
elevated aromatherapy to a holistic
therapy. She started prescribing
essential oils as a remedy for her
patients. She is also credited with the
modern use of essential oils in
massage.
HELVETIA
Did you know that a perfume is
“Aromatherapy” as well?
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant
essential oils or aroma compounds,
fixatives and solvents used to give the
human body a pleasant scent. The
odoriferous compounds that make up
a perfume can be manufactured
synthetically or extracted from plant or
animal sources.
Did you know that every year tons
of essential oils are processed for
food flavours?
The primary markets for essential oils
are the flavour and fragrance
industries, including soft drink, food,
and cosmetic companies. Essential
oils are of value especially to the food
and beverage industries, due to their
uniform quality and lack of colour.
So then, what can you use
aromatherapy for in your daily life?
What is aromatherapy used for by a
therapist?
Very simply: Aromatherapy is the
controlled use of essential oils and
plant essences that are used to
improve physical and emotional
health. Aromatherapy works at a
holistic level. It can be used for
general well-being, help to relieve
stress, muscle aches and pains,
depression, arthritis/gout, skin
problems and much more.
But what are essential oils?
applied by massaging it into the skin.
Aromatic oils pass through the skin
into the bloodstream and release their
amazing effects on the whole system.
Inhalation is the best way to fight a
cold and boost the immune system in
winter. Using essential oils in a burner
helps to keep bugs away, boosts the
immune system, makes you feel
uplifted or relaxed (depends on oil you
use) or just leaves your home with a
pleasant smell. Those are the most
common applications in daily life.
Are essential oils safe to use?
When used appropriately, essential
oils and aromatherapy products are
safe for the entire family. As with all
things in life though, some common
sense precautions should be observed
when using essential oils as they are
highly concentrated.
Safety Precautions
Keep out of the reach of children babies and children are very sensitive
to essential oils and they should be
used in minute amounts. If you are
pregnant, you must seek the advice of
your doctor, midwife or aroma
therapist before using any essential
oils.
Essential oils are highly flammable keep them away from a naked flame.
Only use the best quality oils available
- when in doubt, seek out your nearest
qualified aroma therapist
Essential oils are highly concentrated
essences extracted from aromatic
plants, flowers and trees which
evaporate easily. They are distilled,
expressed or extracted with solvents
from the material of one plant species.
As a general rule, they must be diluted
in a carrier oil, cream or lotion, or
water before they are used on the
body.
Why I like being an Aroma/Massage
Therapist?
And how does Aromatherapy work?
For more information, visit
www.aromayoung.blogspot.com or
find aromayoung on facebook.
Essential oils have a simple molecular
structure and so can easily enter into
the body system.
How to use essential oils?
For an Aromatherapy massage, a
unique blend (essential oil diluted in a
carrier oil) will be mixed especially to
meet your needs. The blend is then
Because of its physical, spiritual and
mental benefits, I am passionate about
giving a quality massage to promote
health and wellbeing, and rejuvenate
my clients. I think there is nothing nicer
than having a happy client walk out of
my clinic, feeling much better than
before.
By Alexandra Jung
PAGE
23
Obituary
Theodor “Ted” Lischer
06-12-1916 ~ 17-07-2012
Ted Lischer was born on July 2nd
1922 in Ruswil, Central Switzerland, to
his parents Theodor and Agatha.
Ted, his three brothers and ten sisters.
He grew up on a medium sized family
dairy farm. There was always something on at the Lischers and Ted learnt
to work hard from a very young age.
Upon leaving school, he helped his
parents on their farm. When he was
20 years old, he enrolled in the Swiss
Army. A few years went by and space
for everyone at home became more
limited. As a result, Ted decided in
1952 to immigrate by boat to New
Zealand, with the full encouragement
from his then future wife Annelis
Williman. On arrival, Ted received the
sad news that his father had died
during his journey to New Zealand.
This was quite hard for Ted.
Ted first settled in the Dargaville district, working on a dairy farm. After a
year, he decided that a move south to
the Waikato was best. At that time,
Annelis also arrived in New Zealand.
They married in Morrinsville and
began their life together working on a
farm in the Tauhei area. Two years
later, they started sharemilking and
became proud parents of their first
child, Barbara. At the end of
November 1956, they tragically lost
Barbara in a car accident at a railway
crossing just outside Morrinsville
township. This was a terrible blow for
the young couple who at the time was
expecting its second child Ursula. In
the following years, Ted and Annelis
added to their family with the birth of
Bernhard and Brigitte.
In 1962, they purchased their own
farm on Alexandra Rd, Manawaru, Te
Aroha. They worked hard to
improve the farm and raise their young
family. Ted was a very good farmer
who was well liked and
respected in the wider community.
Ted was also a good father who was
humble and had a kind manner. He
enjoyed spending time at the family’s
Whangamata family beach house.
Both Ted and Annelis enjoyed the
beach life and relaxing with their
children.
Everyone who has met Ted will
comment on his happy demeanour always smiling, laughing and ready to
share a joke. He showed a genuine
and well meaning interest in other
people's lives, with always a kind
word to say.
In 1992, the family lost Brigitte far too
soon. It was very difficult for both Ted
and Annelis to come to terms
with this.
Ted enjoyed good relationships with
the many sharemilkers he engaged to
run the farm. He treated
them and their families well and with
respect, and gave them space to do
their job. This approach to farm
ownership also enabled Ted to spend
more time at the golf course and
bowling green, and tend his fantastic
vegetable garden.
In 2002, Annelis died at age 83 and
was sorely missed by all, especially
Ted. He continued to live on the
farm for a few more years, but
eventually decided that a move to a
retirement village in Matamata would
be in his best interests. Shortly
afterwards, he met Rose. They got
married and Ted moved to Katikati to
live with Rose. He passed away in
Katikati on November 18th 2012.
Ted is survived by his second wife
Rose, children Ursula and Bernhard,
and grandson Andrew.
I will remember Ted fondly for the
kind, likable man he was. His
pioneering spirit infected me and
helped spur my move to New Zealand.
For that alone, my family and I will
always be indebted to him.
By Walter Wuest
Swiss ballot results out
On 3 March 2103, Swiss citizens voted
on three important issues. Up to
152,000 citizens, including members
of the Swiss expatriate community,
had the option to vote online as part of
an ongoing trial with e-voting.
Limiting corporate pay
packages
A proposal to rein in pay-outs to top
managers and company board
members won an overwhelming
majority of votes. This will give
shareholders a veto right over salaries
and bonuses for the top flight of listed
companies. Tough negotiations are
expected in parliament over the
application of the initiative.
Providing for day care facilities
A proposal to promote the creation of
child day care facilities, boost the
chances of young mothers in the job
market and improve the work-life
balance for families did not succeed.
Despite a majority of voters in favour
of the constitutional amendment, the
proposal failed to win a majority
among the 26 cantons - a rare
occurrence in modern Swiss history.
Urban sprawl
The third issue voted on - a 15-year
freeze on developing areas in a bid to
stop urban sprawl – was passed with a
clear majority of 63 per cent.
Detailed voting results are available on:
www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/va/20130303/index.html
Source: www.swissinfo.ch (4 March 2013)
Unesco Swiss World Heritage Site
Swiss Alps - Jungfrau Aletsch
The Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch
UNESCO World Heritage site is an
outstanding example of the formation
of the High Alps and their glaciers.
The area is globally recognised as an
area of outstanding scenic value. It
has played an important role in
European art, literature,
mountaineering and alpine tourism.
gently sloping valley systems graced
with some of the longest glaciers in
Europe. Among these are of course
the 23 kilometer long and 900 metre
deep Great Aletsch Glacier, and the
less well known Fiescher Glacier.
These have evolved over a very long
time, mostly without human
intervention. They represent “natural
successions” – sequences of plants
and animals across time, altitude and
space.
UNESCO originally included the site
into its exclusive list in 2001. But this
was not enough: In 2007, the site was
expanded into the east and west in
2007, bringing the total area to 824
square kilometres. The site spans the
cantons of Bern in the north and Valais
in the south, and is located about
midway between Interlaken and Brig.
Glaciers have long held a fascination
for mountaineers, who started to keep
records from the 1850s. Unbeknownst
to them, they created valuable data to
help analyse the effects of climate
change on alpine glaciation. The
Aletsch Glacier is currently receding by
30 to 75 metres every year. It is
estimated that between 1850 and
2005, the total glacier surface area
shrank by 40% and the volume
reduced by 60%.
Effects due to recent climate change
however, are evident. They include
the changing tree line of the Aletsch
Forest and new habitats developing in
areas previously covered by ice.
Gateways to the area
A geological storybook
Many alpine municipalities form
gateways for visitors to the area.
Countless roads, trails, cableways, skilifts and mountain railways lead into it.
A dense network of trails traverses the
outer fringes, but its core remains a
sanctum for eagles and mountaineers.
For a map showing the area’s
boundaries and access routes, go to
www.jungfraualetsch.ch/en/besuchensie-das-welterbe.html.
The area includes over nine peaks
exceeding 4000 metres and
surprisingly, this does not include the
Eiger. These peaks demonstrate the
phenomenal powers involved in the
upthrust of great mountain ranges.
This process began 20 - 40 million
years ago, when the northward drifting
African tectonic plate pushed 400
million-year-old crystalline rocks over
younger carbonate rocks.
This
produced an array of unique alpine
features, including horn peaks, glacial
valleys and moraines. Glaciation itself
played an important role in the
formation of these features.
Mountain and glacier galore
The site covers the impressive north
wall of the High Alps including the
Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks. On
the southern side of the Alpine divide,
there are many more peaks including
curious names such as Schreckhorn
(“Fright” Peak) and Wildi Frau (Wild
Woman). These are surrounded by
A great Alpine habitat
There is a great diversity of natural
habitats with unique combinations of
plants and animals.
Sphinx Observatory above the Jungfraujoch, with views of the Great
Aletsch Glacier
www.jungfrau.ch
The alpine vegetation is very different
on the northern and southern side of
the alpine divide, with a much drier
climate prevailing in the south. Above
the timberline, there are extensive
a re as of rho do de n d ron sc ru b
(“Alpenrose” or “ Alpine Rose”), alpine
grassland and tundra vegetation. On
the dry southern slopes, steppe
grasslands prevail.
The alpine fauna includes ibex, lynx,
red deer, roe deer, chamois and
marmot, as well as several reptiles and
amphibians. Alpine birds also abound,
such as golden eagle, kestrel, black
grouse, lammergeier, pygmy owl and
various woodpecker species.
Human heritage
Despite the area’s remoteness, its
human history spans from the Stone
Age to modern times. Old sheep
tracks lead up to the Aletsch
meadows. On the southern slopes,
irrigation channels (“Suonen”) once
brought precious water to lower levels.
Sources:whc.unesco.org/en/list/1037,
www.jungfraualetsch.ch/en/, www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/
UNESCO-World_Heritage/Sites_in_Switzerland/
Alpine Ibex near Lauchernalp (Lötschental)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alpine_Ibex.jpg (Photo by Earth Explorer)