Bromeliads Down Under - Cairns Australia

Council of Australasian Bromeliad Societies Minutes
at the 14th Australian Conference (Port Macquarie NSW) 21/9/07

Future Conferences Meeting & Council of Societies
Held at 14th Australian Bromeliad Conference, Rydges Hotel Port Macquarie
Date: 21st. September 2007
Present: Societies represented
New Zealand, NSW, Australia, Illawarra, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Ipswich, Queensland, Gold Coast.
Meeting Opened: 4:15pm by Lynn Hudson who thanked Delegates for representing their societies at this meeting.
Olive Frakking took minutes.

COUNCIL OF SOCIETIES
Lynn said it has been suggested to her that there should be some council of Australian bromeliad societies with a representative from each society - probably the President or the Secretary; that they meet officially once or twice a year with most of the interaction by email. Any representative who is not on line would be contacted by snail mail or telephone.
The idea has a lot of merit for things like general society information, new societies, changes of Office Bearers and addresses, qualified bromeliad Judges, conferences, etc. It could be a repository where information was deposited and could easily be sourced. Discussion details were to be shared with all society members, it was not to be a secret society.
It would be invaluable in situations where a collective decision was required, especially for example - in San Diego and the WBC hosting. Lynn stated that when she put her hand up to bring the World Conference to Australia there was no body she could formally obtain sanction from. If there had been she would have obtained it. The vast majority of Australian society members were delighted with her action, just a few complained.
General discussion took place:
(a) Good idea
(b) Perhaps two reps from each group
(c) Happy if email recipient was President/Secretary but would like flexibility for other members to be involved.
(d) Good for a contact circle.
(e) Sharing of ideas.
(f) Once a year meeting – could be held at conference every second year, emailed article in the alternate year. (Lynn suggested here that Bcc should be used on email so that everyone’s email is not flashed around the internet)
(g) Email – Illawarra President Graham Bevan stated that 80% of their members did not care about conferences.
(h) Adam Bodzioch said the Australian BSI Director should be the Facilitator as the head of the council. This was unanimously agreed.

Motion: To include New Zealand that the name of the group be “Council of Australasian Bromeliad Societies”.
Moved: Len Trevor. Seconded: Cheryl Basic. Carried.
Motion: That the current BSI Director always be the head of the council – that Lynn Hudson be the first Facilitator of the Council of Australasian Bromeliad Societies.
Moved: Adam Bodzioch Seconded: Chris Larson Carried

Conference Contact Person:
Lynn explained that she has a very busy nine months ahead of her, and suggested that each society have a contact person to be a Conference contact – a person who holds all the information about the WBC. Lynn said all information would be forwarded to the Secretaries; they could pass it to the conference contact. This will leave the President and Secretary to do their jobs and members could get all information from one person.
(a) Greg Aizlewood said he took on contact person for the Gold Coast society. For those who could not have access to email Greg printed out the information, spoke at each meeting and promoted the Conference. Lynn said this encouraged members to attend.
(b) Illawarra said it would not work for them as no one was interested.
(c) Lynn said some members do not want to be on a committee but are quite happy to do one job.

Len Trevor thanked Lynn for putting Australia on the map. He said we would never have achieved a WBC without her, and was sure she would to continue to lead as she has capably done for the past year.

Meeting close: at 4.55pm.
In closing the meeting, Lynn again thanked delegates for attending.