2023 AGM

Snare's Crested Penguins
Photo: L. Oliver

Linda enjoying the below 0° weather
with some mates
Photo: N. Crepin

Our AGM was well attended as usual. The formal business was dealt with quickly and we got onto the highlight of the evening -

"Macquarie Island and the Sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand 

- and the adventure there and back"

presented by Linda Oliver. The heat of Queensland was forgotten as we became engrossed in the landscape and wildlife of these remote and blizzard-swept islands. We were amazed at how close she could get to the penguins, albatross, and parrots (Yes, parrots in the Antarctic!)

View over Macquarie Island bluffs
(with a small view of King penguins
on the beach below)
Photo: M. Murphy - in the Public domain

Royal Penguins
Photo: L. Oliver

This was followed by a brief account by Keith McCosh of a project highlighting the once vast Rosewood Scrub to our north.

Keith explaining the expanse
of the Rosewood Scrub
Photo: N. Crepin

P.S. The usual gang was re-elected except for a Secretary, Linda resigning from that position. However a replacement has stepped forward since the AGM!

AGM - Boonah 19 March 2022

35th Anniversary Cake

Presidents Report for 2021/22

In spite of COVID we had a good year. We only cancelled one outing and generally kept safe. We normally spread out like “brown’s cows” so social distancing is not a problem – no mosh pits for us.
If you remember the AGM from last year, Darren Schneider highlighted EJ Smith from Kalbar. And nobody has found a Basket-nest Spider yet.

We seemed to go far and wide this last year. Helidon Hills, Glen Rock, World’s End Pocket, and Stanthorpe. Closer to home we had field outings at Carneys Creek, Spicer’s Gap, Wyaralong and Black Rock Scrub. And don’t forget the Shed Day when the Stenzels told us about all the rare things in their herbarium.

The Club has new insurance through Queensland Water and Land Carers (QWALC) at a great saving to members. Because of this we hope to keep a higher cash balance for contingencies and also subsidize the occasional bus trip. Fees will remain the same.

Our secretary Mary won’t be continuing in the role and we would like to thank her enormously for filling the role this last year.

This coming year we may have a few extra outings for members to enjoy. Stephen is arranging for some mid-week trips, and I am organizing some special visits to Land for Wildlife properties. 

My thanks go to all the executive members and leaders of field outings. Thanks to all members who make field outings so enjoyable. You all do a great job and we have a great club.

AGM Report - 19th March 2022

The Cake

Our 35th AGM was the usual social evening with much chatter and laughter. The official part of the evening was soon over; reports given and officers elected. The only changes in the committee are that Secretary Mary Corbett has resigned (Thanks, Mary, for all your work throughout the past term.) Also Tricia Shields resigned from the committee after six straight years and a couple of other years. 

Jan Glazebrook ably assisted by Denis Cox, both co-authors of “Mangroves to Mountains” and  members of Logan Branch of Native Plants Queensland, gave an illuminating talk on “Small Plants of the Peaks of Boonah”.

Then it was time for supper, starting with the celebratory 35th Anniversary cake.

Jan giving her talk on
"Small Plants of the Peaks of Boonah"

Attentive FFNC members
at the AGM talk by Jan Glazebrook

March - AGM: Saturday, 19th March 2022, The Outlook Boonah

Note: members it's time to pay your dues for 2022

Time: 6.15 pm for 6.30 pm start

Where: The Outlook, 4001 Ipswich Boonah Rd, Boonah. Due to lifting of COVID restrictions we are now in the Conference Room.

Activities:  

• Reports for the 2021 year 
• Election of Executive positions for 2022.
• Guest Speaker - Jan Glazebrook, a Maroon girl who now lives in the Logan area, and husband Denis Cox. Jan and Denis will give us a talk on the “Small Plants of the Peaks of Boonah”. They are co-authors of “Mangroves to Mountains” and are members of the Logan Branch of Native Plants Queensland. 

So, this will be very interesting. Come prepared to be carried up onto the many rhyolite peaks of the Fassifern to discover the wide variety of little plants hiding there.

• Supper

What to Bring: items for the display table - your fossils, your fallen bird nests, plants, cuttings for identification, anything you would like to share.

Members - Please bring a platter of finger food for the buffet supper table and also please bring along your own coffee/tea cup. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Upon Arrival: Please register in the Attendance Book and pay your $4 per person to cover venue hire. 

AGM - Boonah, 21 March 2020

CANCELLED! 
Time: 6 pm for 6.30pm start

Kalbar, EJ ("Kalbar") Smith's patch

Where: Baptist Hall, cnr Church & Macquarie Streets, Boonah

What to Bring: a plate of supper to share, show-&-tell.

Upon Arrival: Please register in the Attendance Book and pay your $4 per person participant fee (This helps to pay for the hire of the hall.) 

Agenda:

• Executive reports
• Voting for the executive positions for 2020 (Noela's latest stretch as secretary has been for 10 years and she is retiring.)
• Guest Speaker: Darryn Schneider whose topic is 'EJ ("Kalbar") Smith who was a naturalist in the Fassifern in the 1920s, '30s and '40s. 
• This will be followed by supper and socializing with time to view the interesting items and photos.

AGM

Our AGM in March was a very enjoyable affair. The official business was dealt with efficiently and we were able to settle down to the interesting and informative talk by Megan Prance on fungi.    

Megan Prance giving her talk

Some of the facts from her talk were: 

• Of the many thousands of fungi found all over Australia, only a comparatively small number have been identified.
• Plants and trees form a relationship with fungi and together they produce specialised roots known as mycorrhiza. (Mycorrhiza = fungus + root) This association produces essential nutrients for both the fungi and the plant and it also provides protection for the plant against disease and soil borne organisms. This Mycorrhiza is also essential for the growth of many of our native terrestrial orchids.
• Fungi is a major source of food for many of our small marsupials such as small wallabies, potoroos, bandicoots and wombats. Some birds also include fungi in their diet. 
•  Even though wood chips used as mulch in the suburban garden leads to the appearance of many interesting and colourful fungi, its use changes the ecosystem.   Using local garden mulch is much better for the environment because of the important role fungi plays in plant ecology.  Wood chip is sourced from a completely different environment so its use promotes a fungi which is foreign to the plants it is going to associate with.

Megan & Noela discussing the beautiful display Noela created

This was followed by many questions, and much discussion over a wonderful supper supplied by members.

GUEST SPEAKER: Megan Prance "Fabulous Fungi and some Photography"

The formal part of the meeting will be, as is our custom, quite short, followed by -

Megan Prance speaking at the Lockyer Valley
Land for Wildlife Forum

GUEST SPEAKER:  Megan Prance "Fabulous Fungi and some Photography"

Megan became seriously interested in fungi & photography in 2007 after seeing a magnificent Stinkhorn while on a bush walk at Lamington National Park. It took 6 months to find out what it was. To learn about macro fungi she joined Queensland Mycological Society. 

She is a former nurse and has an Applied Science Degree majoring in Biology. She currently works at
Queensland Herbarium assisting with the Fungal Collection, the new DNA lab and  running the Botanical library. Megan is past president of Wolston & Centenary Catchments Inc. With Dr Sapphire McMullan-Fisher she conducted a fungal survey of West Brisbane Fungi in 2014-15.

The annual general meeting of the Fassifern Field Naturalists Club Inc. will be held at 6.30pm on Saturday, 19th March 2016 in the Boonah Baptist Hall, corner of Church and Macquarie Streets, Boonah.

This will be followed by our guest speaker, supper and socializing with time to view the interesting items and photos brought in by members.

Admission for members and non-members is $4 and includes supper.