The WA Naturalists’ Club had a good year with meetings on the usual great variety of topics. Our club branches: NS, DRB and KRMB have held their independent meetings and excursions. Our Young Nats group has been under the very capable leadership of Mike Gregson who deservedly received an award recognising his great work. Bushwalking and Nature walks have been capably maintained by Alan Notley and Kate Creed. Kate Creed and Jackie Gregson have continued to produce our newsletter, gathering articles and information, proofreading and putting it all together.
A big achievement of 2011 has been the production and finally the December launch of our colourful new website. And the production and electronic distribution of a colourful picture filled electronic newsletter. This is a product of the technology group who have worked tirelessly in 2011- huge thanks to Jolanda, Margaret, John Luyer, Steve Page, John Abbott and Nicholas Dufty. As they have achieved their aims this group had their last meeting 2 nights ago. Congratulations
Thanks to Elva and her valiant newsletter folding team who battled on folding with their arthritic fingers. Hopefully in future their job will decrease and they can instead take part in the retired and leisured meetings instead as the electronic newsletter becomes more widely distributed
Nicholas Dufty has submitted many conservation submissions on behalf of the Club, in particular Roe Hwy stage 8 and the Commonwealth proposed SW marine reserve network. It’s very important that the Club has a voice on such conservation issues
John Dell has continued to produce a very colourful, interesting and relevant Journal. I hope more of you will consider contributing articles as our observations are becoming increasingly important in this time of climate change. Managing our Club Office and keeping a finger on the pulse are Ruth Luyer our Office manager and the office volunteers Kate Creed, Audrey Bolger as well as Kevn and Peg Griffiths who maintained our property register. Thank you
Our Yunderup Nature Observatory is proving a problem to the Club as there appears to be little interest in excursions there. Suburbia has overtaken the area. We owe great thanks to Rob and Maureen Skeet for continuing to look after and maintain the premises and bookings. Our boat is now quite old and we are having insurance issues with it. The Club will have to make some hard decisions on the Yunderup property this year. If you are concerned and have ideas or suggestions, please email the Office.
Another big issue of 2011: I’m very proud that the Club took up the extraordinary opportunity at the end of 2010 to support Neale Bougher’s application for a 3 year Australian Biological Resources Study Grant when DEC advised that they were not in a position to support this. Neale’s application could not be submitted without a co-funder so he would not even have the opportunity to apply unless a co-funder could be found prepared to commit the substantial sum of $105,000 over 3 years,. Our Club stepped into the breech to allow Neale to apply. It took another nail-biting 6 months to hear that the application was successful. In fact it succeeded over other DEC supported applications precisely because of the WA Nats support community based support! So we have achieved something very special and very important and can be rightfully very proud of our Club. Birds Australia and the WA Wildflower Soc are standing up to be counted for our unique birds and flora, and we are serving a very important role in supporting the Fungi kingdom. I want you all to be assured that this funding has not been taken from Club funds at all. We have received phenomenal financial support from members and were able to hand over the first $35,000 last July without touching Club funds. Your support is immensely valued
Neale has achieved an extraordinary amount while based in recent years at the WA Herbarium. This includes identifying and naming many new fungi species in Western Australia, some of which have been totally new to science, some new to Australia and many new to WA. He has published numerous papers in scientific journals and many reports to clients, and also he has produced the Fungi fieldguide which our Club provided the funds for publishing. This has sold so well there are now only 18 copies available.
Neale tells us that in the first 6 months of the Inocybe fungi project, he has made great progress by developing and setting in place standardised protocols for the text and illustrations for the project’s target product – A volume of the Fungi of Australia.
Funding for the Perth Urban Bushland Fungi project was again very hard to find and the Club contributed so that the project could run a few events to keep a profile. We’d like to keep this project going but it’s not realistic to put any more club funds into it and we are looking further afield for funding. Unfortunately we are suffering from the general lack of interest in all science projects
Regarding Club Premises, this year we have the exciting Opportunity offered by BGPA in their latest management plan for our Club to work towards organising premises with other groups, located within BGPA area
I wish to give thanks to John Gardner for representing the Club on Office Strata management body and to Maureen Gardner, without whom we would not be enjoying our supper after each meeting.
Could we all please offer thanks to retiring Council members Nicholas Dufty, John Luyer, Mike Gregson and Pia Parker.
It’s very clear that our Club rides on many shoulders and there are many people to thank, including all the branch office bearers. If I have not mentioned your contribution here, please forgive me. We always have room and interesting tasks for members to help with. I hope you gain as much from your membership of our group as I have and enjoy enjoying and supporting efforts to value our unique and wonderful WA flora, fauna and fungi.
I’m sure I speak for many of us when I say the comaraderie and friends I have made within the club have enriched my life and I trust the same will be said for you.
Roz Hart
3 February 2012