Singers to celebrate 50th year

The City of Auckland Singers are calling for old members to reunite for their 50th-year celebration later this month. And they’re looking for new future members.

The City Of Auckland Singers is a well-established show choir that focuses mainly on popular music - classic hits from the ‘50s to the present day.

The group also have in their repertoire 20th Century and traditional New Zealand music for more formal events.

They will hold their 50th-year celebration on Saturday, March 18 and they are calling all former members to join them.

Bruce Murray was an original founding member in 1972, at the age of 20, and his wife Sue joined a couple of years later in 1974.

Originally called the Harmoneers, the choir has donned many different uniforms and group names over its 50-year span.

The name was changed to the Bruce Murray Singers before settling upon the City of Auckland Singers.

Sue says the group is very welcoming, tight-knit and vibrant that loves to sing and harmonise.

“The only reason people have left us really is if they’ve shifted out of Auckland or if their health is declining,” she says.

The group practises every week from February to December, with only one week off for a holiday break.

Over the past few years, Covid-19 has made it difficult for the choir to perform their average number of annual shows.

You can find the group singing Christmas carols yearly at MOTAT in December.

The official 50th-year celebra- tion was originally meant to take place at the end of last year, however, was postponed to March 2023.

The choir have completed four overseas tours to date to Italy, Wales and Australia and has been successful in competitions.

The group also travel locally to perform concerts in places such as

Thames and Waiuku.

Performing at concerts, social functions, festivals and local events is their forte. They have sung with other top choirs and bands at major venues in the Auckland region.

“We just enjoy the crowd’s happy faces and love to entertain,” says Sue.

If you have always wanted to join a choir, here’s your chance. The group is currently actively looking for new bass and soprano singers.

“It is a very special group of people, and we are very good at welcoming new people,” says Sue.

If you have previously sung in the City of Auckland Singers choir, Bruce and Sue ask you to contact them regarding the details of the 50th-year reunion.

Bruce can be reached at 0276307497 and Sue at 021549020.

No Such Thing As A Free Lunch At Auckland Council Committee

By LAURA KVIGSTAD, Auckland Council reporter – Funded by New Zealand on Air

An Auckland Council committee chair has shown his colleagues there is no such thing as a free lunch under council’s budget pressures.

At the Planning, Environment and Parks committee on March 2, chair Richard Hills cut the free lunch of the committee as discretionary spending.

This followed the Governing Body making a resolution to encourage cuts to discretionary spending from council, council controlled-organisations and local boards the week prior.

At the time of last week’s resolution, Hills was concerned that councillors did not have a common view of what discretionary spending was.

Before going to lunch, Cr Wayne Walker, who moved the resolution to encourage cuts to discretionary spending, asked who made the decision to cut lunch.

Independent Māori Statutory Board member Tau Henare said to Walker, “come on man, you get paid enough”.

Walker later questioned why councillors had not been told prior.

Hills told Walker that he had emailed councillors a day earlier.

“I decided that lunch is discretionary at least in my committee… other chairs can (make that decision),” Hills said.

Cr Maurice Williamson quipped that the email actually came in the night before but congratulated Hills on the decision.

“I am happy to pay, delighted to pay. Parliament used to have a tab and you did not even pay [at the time]. You just walked up and grabbed something and they put it on your tab,” Williamson said.

Williamson complained that there was not many choices for food around the Town Hall.

“I crossed the road to a food court thinking wow and it is just nothing but Chinese food.

“There is nothing like a roll or a pie or a sandwich.

“If we could have the ability to get the food in I am fine but I do not want it for free.”

Another councillor shouted Uber Eats before the committee continued.