Cobh Flower and Horticulture Club

Newsletter – February 2003

A.G.M

This meeting was held in January in the Prayer and Pastoral Centre. Fourteen members attended. The Committee for the year 2003 is as follows

· The venue for future meetings will be Bella Vista House Hotel, Bishop’s Road.

· The programme for 2003 will include a mix of gardening/horticulture and flower arranging demonstrations and speakers. An education day and some worknights will be included. The usual Outing, Dinner, Mass for deceased members, the Christmas Demonstration and Christmas Party will take place. A mini outing to a local garden will be arranged for members only.

· Participation in the European Congress of Carilloneurs in St. Colman’s Cathedral in September 2003 will involve all members.

· The Newsletter will continue to be distributed free of charge – but without photos, these will be available on the website.

· The Annual Subscription for 2003 will be 20 Euro. Visitors will pay 5 Euro for attendance at individual meetings. This sum will also apply to non-members attending the Annual Dinner, Outing etc.

· The Horticulture Competitions will continue to be held at the monthly meetings. One Decorative Competition will take place – in May, following a teaching demonstration the previous month. However, for those with a competitive streak – a Mini-show will be held in June.

Details of all the above will be publicised in the Schedule of Events which will be available at the March meeting. The details of each meeting are always published in advance, in Charlie Wilkins column in the Saturday Examiner, on posters around the town and in the Great Island and Parish Newsletters. You may also get up to date on what’s happening in the club by consulting the Website at: http://homepage.eircom.net/~cfhc

Thanks: The Committee and members of the club are very grateful to all who helped in the running of events during the past year. The jobs can be very time consuming and many members may not be aware of what is involved. Thanks are due to all those who worked so hard to make 2002 such a successful year.

President and Vice-President: This office involves the directing of everybody and everything that goes on in the club. She must be aware of what each job entails and ensures that every detail is attended to. In effect she is a secretary, treasurer, P.R.O. etc. The buck stops here and she is responsible at the end of the day for all activities of the club. The Vice-President helps her in this role. (Thanks to Eileen Coleman and Margot Allen for the work in 2002) A Bertie and Celia oops sorry, Mary Harney combination perhaps!!

Secretary and Assistant Secretary: She is responsible to the President and handles the administrative matters in the club. She keeps the minutes of the meetings, sends and receives all correspondence. When the committee has decided on the content of the meetings and activities of the club for the year, the secretary then contacts all demonstrators etc. she may have to juggle the events around to suit dates, times, venues etc. Often demonstrators are not available and many more phone calls may have to be made to find a replacement. The Schedule of Events is then printed and distributed to members. She is responsible for contacting members and informing them of activities. She arranges and books venues for meetings and dinners, she organises the programme for outings to gardens and garden centres, books the bus, the hotel, and makes out the menu forms. She liases with all parties concerned. She is the contact person for queries and the fall guy for lots of things! The Assistant Secretary helps her in this role – she needs it.!!!!(Thanks to Helen O’Reilly and Mary Coleman for the work in 2002)

Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer: The treasurer is responsible for all financial matters. She collects the annual subscriptions, the visitor’s fees, the dinner and outing monies, tickets for the Christmas demonstration etc. She pays all bills – insurance, rent, demonstrators fees, entries to gardens, hotels, bus, entries to shows, flowers for Church and other work undertaken by the club. She is very busy during the Club Show – taking entry money for the different classes, paying the prize money, the judges fees, repairs to trophies, rent for premises. She is responsible for the accountancy of all monies in the club, she collects the raffle money, sales/bits table money, and she must ensure that all others involved with club money have sufficient change to carry out their activities. She must balance the books and deal with the banks, she presents an account at each committee meeting and a year end report at the A.G.M. The Assistant Treasurer helps her in this role. (Thanks to Carmel Raftery and Maura Curtin for their work during 2002) Charlie McCreevy could learn a thing or two from our treasurers.!!!!

P.R.O. She ensures that the general public is aware of the existence of the club and its activities. She does this by printing and putting up posters around the town in advance of the monthly meeting. She sends a notice to the two local Newsletters, and to Charlie Wilkins column in the Examiner. This is normally done by e-mail or letter. She sends notices of the Gala Christmas Demonstration and the Biennial Show to other clubs and ensures that posters are distributed in other towns. She deals with any publicity or press releases. She needs to know everything - she is the Hilda Ogden of the club!! (Thanks to Maura Curtin for her work in 2002)

Sales/Bits Table: These ladies are responsible for stocking the sales table with items that club members may wish to buy, or that the club uses in any shows or festivals etc. – oasis, containers, tape, wires etc. These are obtained from the wholesalers and other outlets, VAT has to be added on to everything and a small profit margin is allowed for club funds. The “bits” are plants, which they grow on themselves and pot up ready for sale. They are constantly trying to encourage other members to give cuttings etc. They are particularly busy around the time of the Christmas Demo, buying extra stock and trying to guess “what’s in” for that year, setting up the table and providing enough bodies to deal with the rush. They also bring in “bits” from members gardens such as contorted willow, eucalyptus etc and sell it in bunches. It all takes time to gather, price, arrange, and sell – and of course, make a profit, or the treasurer will be after them! (Thanks to Angela Heffron, Frances Twomey and Nancy O’Donovan for their hard work during 2002)

Raffle: The raffle ladies organise a raffle for every meeting. This involves buying the tickets and the prizes. Sometimes the demonstrator may offer a prize or a member may donate something, but three items are usually offered in the raffle. During the Christmas Demo. a special effort has to be made, as up to 250 people attend and the money collected is donated to a charity. Other ticket sellers are drafted in for that night. The raffle generates a nice profit and is well worth the effort – many of the ladies involved could have made a great career in sales! (Thanks to Nuala Ramsell and Sheila O’Shea for their work during 2002)

Teas: The ladies who supply the teas at the end of every meeting and a special tray of “goodies” for the demonstrator are to be very highly praised. They look after the setting up of the tables and the clearing away and washing up afterwards. During a show they work even harder as they supply “tea and buns” for sale – the treasurer can be seen rubbing her hands together at times like these.!! (Thanks to Helen Bates and Joyce Clifford for their hard work during 2002)

Competitions: Those who look after the monthly competitions ensure that each entry is presented in accordance with the schedule requirements. They take the names of the entrants and accompany the judge during her deliberations. They keep a record of all winners and add up the points to determine the end of year winner who receives a prize – usually presented at the Annual Dinner. (Thanks to Ann Kahn for her work during 2002)

AOIFA Representative: This person attends all AOIFA day-long meetings – usually about 3 a year – and reports back to the club. The meetings take place in a different region every two years. Thurles is the venue for 2003/2004. (Thanks to Mary Coleman and Margot Allen for attending these meetings during 2002)

Flower Arranger Magazine: This person receives the magazine in the post from

England

. She distributes these to all club members who have ordered it for the year. There are 4 editions yearly. She collects the money in advance for the following year

Archives: This person keeps a record of everything that happens in the club during the year. She gathers photos, schedules, show programmes etc. She collates everything in a file for that year (Thanks to Sheila O’Shea for keeping the Archives during 2002)

Honorary Members. Looking after the Honorary Members involves keeping in touch with them, informing them of the activities for the year and delivering the newsletter, dinner menu, outing schedules etc. There are 11 Honorary Members – Ms Eileen Madigan, Ms Angela Kelly, Ms Pauline Phelan, Ms Noreen Ryng, Ms Mary O’Grady, Ms Daisy Moynihan, Ms Eileen McCall, Ms Ann O’Keeffe, Ms Alice Bowen. (Thanks to Maura Curtin for keeping all our Honorary Members up to date during 2002)

Newsletter and Website: The newsletter contains news of the activities and members of the club, dates for your diary, reports of AOIFA meetings attended etc. Members are encouraged to contribute items for publication. For those who have computers the newsletter is available online on the Website – photos can also be viewed here – these include pictures relevant to the newsletter, dinner, outing, shows etc. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. The address of the Website is http://homepage.eircom.net/~cfhc There is a reciprocal link to the AOIFA website, and you may also link with NAFAS, and the only other Flower Club in

Ireland

which is online – the Doddervale Club. (Thanks to Margot Allen (and her live in assistant!!) for keeping members updated during 2002)

Committee: The Committee members play a very important role in the running of the Cobh Flower and Horticulture Club. They attend the committee meetings and discuss the various matters on the agenda, they are first in line when tasks have to be completed and help out in many other ways.

· Thanks are due to Maura Curtin and Angela Heffron who represented the club so ably in the heats of the Inter-Club Competition.

· Thanks also to all members who helped to decorate St Colman’s Cathedral for the various events including the Carillon Congress during the year.

· Thanks to those who helped make the Christmas Gala Demonstration in the Commodore Hotel such a success – those who set up the room, looked after the demonstrator, donated foliage and manned (or even womanned) the sales and bits tables. A special thanks to Mary Roche and Cindy and Mary Coleman/Helen Bates/Helen O’Sullivan/Martha O’Brien who attracted great interest with their craft tables, and to Lana and the two Marys who decorated the mantelpiece. Maria Collins assisted the usual Sales table ladies; Joyce was recruited to drive a hard bargain on the foliage stand! Helen O’Reilly, Nuala, Sheila, Margot, Eileen, Helen Bates, Martha and Helen O’S. all helped to set up during the day.

· The singing “talents” of many members was also evident during 2002! – During the Annual Dinner we were entertained by “Three” (Pat Hurley, Martha O’Brien and Mary Coleman) with a specially commissioned song (apologies to the Boys of Fairhill) written by Margot, and the Santa Claus Choir (Joyce, Nuala, Eileen, Carmel Raftery, Margot and Helen Bates) gave a rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” during the Christmas Party. No encore was requested!!

· Thanks to Maura Curtin who baked a delicious cake for Nodlaig’s 80^th birthday.

· A special word of thanks must go to Pat Hurley (and her live-in gardener) who invited the members to visit her garden during the year. This was a lovely event enjoyed by a good turnout of members, who were also treated to tea and cakes afterwards, prepared by Pat and her sister Mary Dee. Just another of Pat’s numerous talents generously shared.

The term served by the Officers of the Club is normally two years. The committee members are elected annually and the various “jobs” are also allocated annually. It is a good idea for members to attend the AGM and participate more fully in the running of the club; it is most interesting and fulfilling. There is a whole life attached to your “local, friendly flower club” You may be surprised to find that you can no longer remember how you survived before you joined!!! New members are always welcome.

· The Annual Dinner will be held in the Water’s Edge Hotel, on Friday 21^st March 2003. Cost and menus will be available from Joyce Clifford or her assistant Helen O’Reilly at the March meeting.

· Enjoy a visit to Fota House Gardens and indulge yourselves with afternoon tea in the recently opened tearooms.

· Flower Arranging Classes by Mary Coleman AOIFA, will re-commence in the Community College, Cobh, on Thursday nights. Mary had a full complement for last season’s course and if you would like to take part you better get your skates on! Contact Mary at Tel: 4811624 for details.

· Specialist fuchsia nursery dealing in mail order starts its second season with special collections for baskets, upright growth and potwork. Catalogue available – 022-26899.

· Kinsale Flower Club hosts James Burnside NIGFAS for a Flower Arranging Demonstration on 10^th April.

· The next AOIFA meeting will be held in Thurles on 19^th March, 2003. The AOIFA representatives from the club will attend. Those who hold individual membership may also attend.

· The next AOIFA meeting for Presidents and Vice-Presidents will be held in Thurles on 5^th June, 2003.

· The next AOIFA Regional Meeting will be held in Conna on 13^th Sept. This is an open meeting and is held to inform all flower club members of the work done by AOIFA and to encourage them to meet members from other clubs in the region. While Cobh Flower and Horticulture Club is affiliated to AOIFA and two club members attend all meetings, individual membership is also available – cost 10 Euro, payable to Secretary, Emily Whitston McDonald – Tel: 059-9775321.

· A “Snowdrop” week will be held in Altamont Garden Centre, Carlow from 10^th – 16^th March. Further details – Tel: 0503-59444

· A one-day gardening course by Dermot O’Neill and Helen Dillon will be held in the Institute of Engineers in Clyde Rd. Dublin on 22^nd March. Further details Tel: 086-8891798

· Carmel’s G.C Kilworth will hold Flower Arranging Classes beginning on Thursday Feb. 13^th at 10.30 a.m. Tel: 025 27276.

· Verney Naylor will speak on “A Garden for All Seasons” in Ashton School on Thursday, Feb. 13^th at 8 p.m. hosted by Cork G.C.

· Hosford’s Geraniums and G.C. will host three free gardening lectures/demos. on the next four Saturdays.

Things to do – Now

Thompson and Morgan Seed Catalogue available free now from Mr Middleton, 58 Mary St., Dublin 1

Mr Fothergills Catalogue available now – good for unusual seeds, especially geraniums.

A book entitled “Germinating Times” (also Thompson and Morgan) is recommended. Cost 1.20 Euro.

1. Seeds for children or the inexperienced gardener – “Seeds on a tape” Seedpack……..mark out child’s name etc with tape. Flowers will grow in that pattern!

3. “Throw and Grow” Seedpack. Literally do what it says – small, medium and tall flowers.

Next Meeting of Cobh Flower and Horticulture Club

The next meeting will be held on Monday 3^rd March, 2003 in Bella Vista House Hotel at 8 p.m. Mr Jim Dennison from Limerick will give an illustrated talk entitled “Victorian Fern Craze and Fern Cultivation for Irish Gardens”

Horticultural Competitions for March 3^rd meeting

1. Collection of 5 daffodils or narcissi. Mixed.

2. One bloom floating in water.

3. One stem of flowering shrub.

Bella Vista House Hotel. You are requested to park on the Bishop’s Road. The entrance to the meeting room is on the lowest level at the front of the building and not through the hotel itself.

Your subscription of 20 Euro is now due – please give it to Treasurer Maura Curtin or her assistant Carmel Power.