CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2008

This is my first AGM as Chairman, marking the end of a full and I feel satisfactory year for the Hardy Orchid Society. In an age when society membership tends to be falling, as Celia Wright our membership secretary will detail our numbers are steadily rising. We must not look on this as a cause for complacency and are always open to your opinions on what we could do differently or in addition.

As you know we have 3 types of formally arranged meetings of which this is of course one. Our lecture meetings at Kidlington, Wisley and Harrogate have a growing attendance and wide range of topics for talks, we rely largely on society members to talk but are delighted to welcome outside speakers as well. This meeting hosts the flower show, I know growers are having a difficult time this year due to the cold spring but we are grateful to those who have brought plants for the rest of us to admire and also to John Grimshaw for giving us the benefit of his expertise as judge. I would also like to thank Malcolm Brownsword for taking on the running of the plant show; I know that when Malcolm agrees to take on a responsibility he gives it his full effort and so I am additionally delighted that he has agreed to stand for election to the committee.

The Wisley meeting hosts the photographic competition always enthusiastically entered. We will need to give attention to the changing use from film to digital, but still many members like their reels of film. My thanks to Tony Hughes for running the competition last autumn; in the absence of any one else my wife Christine is prepared to run the competition this year but we would be happy to have a volunteer to take it into the digital age. For both these meetings we are grateful to Maren Talbot who has organised the venues and done all the housekeeping.

At the end of the summer we go to Harlow Carr in Harrogate, where the northerners ensure we have a relaxed and friendly day. The talks with a northern flavour are excellent and this venue is bursting at the seams. However there is intention to build a larger lecture hall in Harlow Carr so we plan to stick with Harrogate.

The second group of meetings are the field meetings which we hold round the country during the orchid flowering season. We try to choose times and places when there is a range of species in flower as with Norman Heywood's trip to Fontmell Down and Alan Gendle's to the Lancashire coast. However often a spectacular colony of plants makes it worth travelling for just one species as with Martin Jackson's trip to see the Valleys of Anacamptis morio in the Derbyshire Dales, Mike Parson's for the Ophrys sphegodes  on the Kent coast and Nigel Johnson's to Hampshire for Epipactis longifolia. Most of these trips are getting booked up so do contact the organiser soon if you want to go. Also we would like you to take us to your favourite orchid locality next year. Please contact me for that. Remember the field trips not only introduce you to different localities and what they have to offer but also enable you to spend the day with other orchid enthusiasts.

The third group of meetings are the Hardy Orchid Committee meetings. This is where an exclusive group of society members meet 3 times a year rotating around each other's homes, we have lunch admire each other's gardens and efforts at growing orchids and enjoy the company of fellow enthusiasts. Here I have good and bad news for you. The bad is that you need to be elected to join this group and come to these meetings. The good is that there are vacancies in the committee and we would like you to stand and join us. I assure you, you will enjoy it; yes there is work to be done, the society does not run itself but the contacts and friendships make it all worthwhile.

Most pressing is our need for a new secretary; Richard Manuel has been on the committee for most of this century and has asked to step down. The secretary’s job is largely as minute secretary but also to answer the differing queries that come in. We all liaise over that. I would love to have a volunteer from the floor, or a small slip of paper or do come and talk to me or other committee members afterwards to discuss what is needed.

I would just like to tell you about our other committee members, Celia and Maren I have already mentioned, Maren has also taken on the role of publicity officer. Celia as membership secretary is usually first contact for members, she is able to liaise with the treasurer by going down the circular staircase of their windmill where Iain has his lair. The windmill is the engine room of the society.

I haven't mentioned the Journal, our flagship; suffice it to say that thanks to Mike Gasson it is excellent. Mike also does an excellent job chivvying me to get things done as they need to go into the proofs before he goes off to find another rarity in Germany.

We are delighted that our President, professor Richard Bateman will stay in post for another year, we often have reason to be thankful for his experience and professional guidance.

I am sure you will have looked at our website; Bill Temple maintains that. It is always up to date and easily accessible. Bill is also our Conservation Officer; we need to involve ourselves in conservation issues only too often.

Barry Tattersall has been distributing your journals for the last few years; he has now come to the end of his allocated time and is stepping down. I would like to thank Barry for the work and support he has put in.

Iain Wright has volunteered to take on this task in addition to the treasurer's, in anticipation of ending his 3 years tenure next year.

Phil Seaton runs our seed and fungus bank. Phil is fully employed elsewhere so we do ask those using his services to be patient!

The last post for me to mention is vice chair. I have two years further in post as Chairman, provided you vote for me. Celia Wright has agreed to stand for Vice Chairman if that meets with your agreement. I would strongly recommend her, Celia always has a firm grasp of an issue and will guide the society wisely.

It is most important that I thank all the committee for their hard work and support to the society and to myself.

I am sorry to have gone on so long but enjoy the day, enjoy the Hardy Orchid Society and do get involved.

David Hughes