PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2010 (as presented at the 2011 AGM
February 4)
Dear Club Members,
The year 2010 brought an interesting range of speaker topics and club excursions and other activities for both the Main Club and branches. Excursions included an Alfred Cove BBQ, an Easter excursion to Barnong Station, our usual beach sweep, a snorkelling excursion, a geological excursion to Mudurup Rocks at Cottesloe, a “late Easter” excursion to Glenbourne Conservation Farm, Western Swamp Tortoise visit to the zoo and natural habitat, visits to the Kings Park Nursery, Ellis Brook and Dryandra, and many more activities.
A highlight of the year was the Long Range Excursion to the Kimberley, ably and enthusiastically lead by the irrepressible Kevin Coate. We were delighted to have Yvonne, Kevin’s wife along on the trip, and greatly enjoyed her company. This trip also included a wonderful boat tour off the Nth Kimberley coast to the stunning Berkeley River. During the year we also enjoyed two different live animal presentations, being reptiles presented by the Armadale Reptile Centre during the year, and a wonderful raptor display by Raptors WA presented at the Christmas BBQ.
Lectures to members of the club covered topics such as “Thrombolites and Stromatolites”, fungi, “Conservation”, Ocean Currents”, “Kimberley Islands Surveys”, “Kings Park Plant Breeding”, and many others.
The annual Serventy Memorial Lecture was presented by Professor Kevin Keneally, a longstanding club member and past club President – the title of the lecture was “Under a Regent Moon”, and the topic was on the history of pastoral settlement in the Kimberley. The lecture was informative and entertaining, and greatly enjoyed by all. Outstanding students in Natural History fields of study at four universities were once again supported by the club’s Serventy Memorial Fund. The Young Naturalists group under the enthusiastic leadership of Mike Gregson enjoyed an interesting and varied program. The Perth Urban Bushland Fungi Project was unfortunately not adequately funded during the year, however a small number of fungi-based activities were still undertaken, lead by Mycologist Neale Bougher, with assistance from Roz Hart and the usual enthusiastic band of volunteer fungi leaders. We continue to search for sources of funding to enable this valuable project to continue in some form. The Retired and Leisured group undertook a variety of activities, and the Photography and Bushwalking groups continued to undertake interesting and varied programs.
The Club Council looked closely at all the club’s activities, and we continued to work with newsletter editor Kate Creed towards producing an electronic newsletter option, and also at ways to continue to improve our website, working with our webmaster John Luyer. Our thanks to Kate and John for their continued hard work for the club. We set up a websitesub-committee to work with John, and changes and additions to the website have already begun to be incorporated. We welcomed new club member Steve Page, who has come on to the website sub-committee, and is providing valuable expertise and input into website matters. We continue to discuss further website developments, including opportunities for various club branches and other groups to have direct input into their own page on the website, and future opportunities for members to post their own photos on the website. Club members will soon be able to see more improvements and changes. The library continued to expand, under the skilled leadership of Yvonne Paterson, unfortunately, this great resource continued to be under-utilised. Sadly, Yvonne has decided to let go of her role as librarian – she will be missed, and we are very grateful for her enthusiasm and expertise as Club Librarian over such a long time period. We hope that we can find someone willing to take on this interesting and rewarding volunteer position.
The Membership of the club remained fairly static, and we remain open to ideas on how to attract more members – hopefully upgrading some of our communication procedures will assist in attracting and keeping younger members. We are in the process of analysing feedback from club members with regard to our questionnaire on membership and club matters. As I said in my final “Press from the Pres” article, I am also keen to see every club member make an effort to personally invite a family member, friend, or other contact along to at least one club meeting this year.
We had an excursion to our Yunderup Nature Observatory during the year which generated a fair amount of enthusiasm – we have also programmed another Yunderup excursion for a few days in April this year, and hope that this will be well attended. As part of the website development we are adding a Yunderup page, where details of visits and excursions, and ongoing nature observations and sightings can be posted for the enjoyment of all members. In preparation for this report, I had a quick look at what I wrote for last year’s President’s
Report, and noticed that I had inadvertently left out any mention of John Dell’s efforts as Editor of our club journal. I correct that now by acknowledging John’s sterling efforts with the journal over the past two years, and for such a long time now (John has now passed the 20 year mark as Journal Editor). I think the advent of colour images on both the cover of the journal and within articles has greatly enlivened and enhanced the journal, and John can be proud of producing such a quality publication on behalf of the club. Thanks to all those who have contributed articles for the journal, and keep them coming!
During 2010 our club made a number of formal submissions on a variety of issues, including commercial development in Rockingham, a proposed subdivision in the Lake Clifton area, proposed cat legislation, and proposals for the Fitzgerald River National Park. I also attended a working seminar on future management strategies for Bold Park, and offered comments and suggestions on behalf of the club. John Gardner also contributed to this. After many months of effort, we finally managed to achieve a meeting with the then Environment Minister Donna Faragher, to discuss a variety of issues – while we now have anew minister, this was an opportunity to see how the system works, and meet the Minister’s advisors as well. I hope the incoming council pursues a meeting with the new Environment Minister, to make sure that our club continues to have a direct voice with State Government. I suggest that we should have at least one meeting with the incumbent Environment Minister every year, and take advantage of a “direct line” to the Minister during the year on important environmental issues. I feel that pressure to re-visit the possibility of drawing more water from the Yarragadee aquifer is something that is inevitable over time, and this is an example of a matter where our club could create an important ongoing dialogue with the Environment Minister.
Members will be delighted to hear of the recent public announcement that our club patron Barbara York Main has just received the Order of Australia for her services to scientific study, and research into Arachnids and spiders in particular. Our congratulations, Barbara, for your wonderful contribution over such a long period, and your well-deserved honour.
As usual, I thank all the club volunteers – the office bearers and other committee members of the main club and branches, Ruth Luyer, Audrey Bolger and the office team, John Luyer and Kate Creed as mentioned above, Jacquie Gregson for assistance with the newsletter, Elva Letts and her newsletter folding team, Kevn and Peg Griffiths for looking after club equipment, and Rob and Maureen Skeet for maintaining the Yunderup Nature Observatory. John and Maureen Gardner continue to provide great assistance with club activities. I also thank all other members who have assisted with various club activities over the year, and acknowledge those who keep up their membership and provide valuable feedback and ideas, and hope that more of you will put up your hands over time for service as a club council member. At the close of nominations we had not received any nominations for Club President for 2011 – I hope this situation will be rectified either at this AGM or soon after.
It has been an honour and a privilege to have served as President of this great club, and I have found it to be a very interesting and rewarding experience. In vacating the position, and after my second stint on club council, I am also having a break from council duties to apply my time and energy to other matters and pursuits – but you never know, this ageing phoenix may yet arise another day! Thank you to my fellow members of the 2010 Club Council for all your hard work for the club, and everyone else who helped and supported me and the council throughout the year. We have a fair amount of experience among those who have nominated for club council so far, and I know that the club will be in safe hands in 2011. I conclude by wishing you and all club members a peaceful and fulfilling year. Thank you.
Joe Froudist, February 2010