Our annual general meeting will take place on Tuesday 25 May at 6.15pm in Whistling Sisters on Taranaki St. We encourage all current members and anyone wishing to join the club to attend.

We'll be discussing the year gone, our plans for the coming year, and we're also looking to fill some positions on the committee. You can find a full list of committee roles and responsiblities through the link below. If you're interested in getting involved, flick a message to president@wellingtongaa.com.

Rumour has it your complimentary 130-year anniversary t-shirts will be available for collection on the night. But there's only one way to find out for sure...
 

Sneak peek of our 130-year t-shirts
 

Plans to mark the 130-year anniversary of Gaelic games in Wellington have been ramping up recently. As you may have heard by now, we'll be celebrating this grand milestone with our friends from Hutt Valley Irish Society at a celebration day on Saturday 12 June.

The day will commence with some games at Awakāirangi Park in Upper Hutt. Our good friends from the Canterbury hurling team will be travelling up to challenge our recently crowned NZ-champion hurlers. We'll also stage a past vs present men’s football match, and a women’s football game.

Following the games, an evening of celebrations is promised at the Hutt Valley Irish Society on Raroa Road.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you with any ideas or memories that you’d like to share with us. You can do so by filling out the survey through the link below. It would be great if you could share the survey with any past players/members. Contact 130@wellingtongaa.com for further info and you can also visit our website.
 

A camogie game in Wellington, 1957. Source: Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand
 

 

The 2020/21 season was one of our most successful in recent years, and we certainly celebrated it in style at our awards night held at D4 on Featherston on Saturday 17 April.

There was a bumper crowd of close to 100 in attendance, among them our good friends from the Hutt Valley Irish Society and Deputy Ambassador of Ireland in NZ, Faran Foley. 

The club achieved a rare feat with teams across the four codes winning silverware during the season, so there was no shortage of shiny silverware on display. The evening also saw us celebrate a number of individuals who stood out on and off the pitch over the past year. 

Tiaré Verenitani was duly named club person of the year for her trojan work during her first year on the committee. Trevor Mangan was the recipient of a club recognition award for his service to the club in recent years, most notably as the women's football coach. Ten other award recipients are listed below. Congratulations to each of you.

Some beautiful photos of the evening can be viewed on our Facebook page. Thanks to Paul Hodgson of Paulo Pics NZ for the great images of the occasion.

 

 

Club Person of the Year    Tiaré Verenitani 

President's Choice    Enda Costello
Club Recognition Award    Trevor Mangan
Referees' Choice    Mick Joyce
Camogie Most Improved    Leona O'Donovan
Camogie Player of the Year    Marie Ní Nualláin
Women's football Most Improved    Charlotte Adam
Women's football Player of the Year    Noleen Donlon
Hurling Most Improved    Michael Archer
Hurling Player of the Year    Shane Bourke
Men's football Most Improved    Chris McKibbin
Men's football Player of the Year    John Bobs Daly

We had an enjoyable outing at Newtown festival on Sunday 11 April. As always, it was great to talk to the good folk of Wellington about the greatest sports in the world. Many thanks to everyone who gave a helping hand on the day. To those of you we chatted with and signed up to this newsletter – fáilte (welcome). We send this newsletter out monthly, but you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter or visit our website for more regular club news.
 

Our stall at Newtown festival on Sunday 11 April

 

It was great to see a piece on our NZ Championships double feature in the GAA's May newsletter. You can check it out on page 55 through the link below.
 

Your 2020/21 committee met on Tuesday 4 May for their final planning/debriefing session of the season. Among the items discussed were the upcoming AGM, our 130-year celebrations in June, the end-of-year club stocktake (if you have any club gear/equipment, please return it), and each member's take on their role in the committee over the last year.
 

The 2020/21 committee's final planning/debriefing session of the season. (L-R): Denise Durkin, John Bobs Daly, Tiaré Verenitani, Bryan 'Badger' Downes, Ronan O'Malley, Davey Rynne, Ken Lee, Damien Farrelly and Enda Costello. Photographer: Kate McCarthy
 

Check out the links below for the latest news from the region's Irish community:

We're interested in acquiring more sponsors, so if you or anyone you know would be interested in a sponsorship opportunity with a thriving sports club in the capital, please get in touch with pro@wellingtongaa.com. We would be happy to discuss a suitable sponsorship package with you.