The meeting was held at the very Vera beach!

Belgium, Great Britain, Holland, Germany, France, Ireland, Luxemburg, Italy, Switzeland and Spain have been the venues for the different annual conventions that the Western European countries have been holding since 1974.
Switzerland was going to be the next, but FEN asked for all the INF/FNI events to be held in Spain in order to commemorate the FEN 25th anniversary. Jimmy Geissler, President of the Swiss Federation (SNF), kindly conceded to put its turn off for another year.
The INF agreed for the first time, since its foundation 52 years ago, to hold all the events in the same country. ‘Petanca’ was an exception as our associates are not used to practising this sport. Even so, as the English came to our rescue it was about to take place at Natsun, but it was finally cancelled.
Vera Natura played host to this convention between the 25th and the 28th of May. It is the prerogative of the host country to set the agenda and lead the meetings, hence making these meetings truly interesting.
FEN laid out the present condition of Naturism in our country as far as the law, associations and centres are concerned. CCN and AAPNT triptych leaflets were handed out and the present of Latin-America’s Naturism organization was also reported. The President and two members of the Brazilian Federation attended as guests to put forward their candidacy for the World Congress 2008, thus vying against Italy for the same purpose.
The managers of El Portús, Aurelio Vaquero, and Almanat, Paco Alba, took advantage of the presence of those in charge of Sports, Roger Viola; Youth, Sieglinde Ivo and the Treasurer, Cor Van Herp, to hold bilateral meetings geared towards discussing specifics concerning the World Congress, Youth Camp and the Youth Rally. José Manuel Díaz, FEN Vice-president, had a long talk with Roger on the phone and he sent us the latest details for the Swimming Gala which will be held in Gijón in November. Jan Stuyvesant, from Natsun, and Silvia Nölle the Vera Natura manageres, also joined some of the meetings. Jan invited all present to a snack at the Natsun beach bar stand and Silvia played tour guide for a Naturist stroll round all the house developments. When Hubert, the interpreter left on Saturday afternoon, Silvia helped with the translations, with Michelle.

Jan Stuyvesant, Natsun manager (left side), talking with the INF treasurer, Cor Van Herp and with Aurelio, El Portús manager, during teh aperritve offer by Natsun

An ADN member volunteered his boat to sail round the Manga del Mar Menor with the friends and relatives on board. And yet another, the ADN treasurer, Adolfo, played the role of Secretary at the meetings, due to his perfect knowledge of English. Suka, in her role as our International Public Relations board member, looked out for the little details that could contribute to the comfort of our guests. They showed her their appreciation for a job well done.
This is the second time that Spain holds an Interfederal (El Templo del Sol was the venue in 2003), and we could proudly say that they will be remembered as the best two by many of them. Once again, the local press duly reported about the event.
Spain was at the centre of world Naturism in 2006 and has become the focus of attention for journalists. Hopefully, this may mean a relevant growth in the number of members joining our associations for years to come as an increasing number of people get to know us and our goals.

Ismael Rodrigo, FEN President
Translated by Alberto González Iglesias

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