No Newsletter this month - Presidents report

Lyndele is away so we won't have one of her fantastic newsletters this month.
Instead here is my report with information from the recent committee meeting, a note from the Festival convenors and more. 
C. 

We are well into the year now and what a great start.
The Festival of Pots was a huge success as is reflected by the amount of positive feedback we have received. Our sales were also up by 25% on the 2023 festival. Thank you to all of you who are right behind this. We cannot do this without members input and in particular the core group of people who make this work so well. The reason we can provide the facilities we have without having to run raffles or whatever else clubs do to raise funds is because of this Festival and our members.
This year we will be looking at painting the building- including doing the fantastic Moller design that you will see on the red notice board. We are in the process of fixing up the drive with a more permanent solution this time! We have attended to many drainage issues (thanks to Kaleb) and we have bought a new Shimpo kiln.
 
Thank you to those who came along or contributed via email to the Members meeting on the 18th . It was a well attended and very positive meeting with lots of valuable feedback.


Points raised that have been recorded are -

• Establish a Social committee - including reintroducing club days with consideration to those who have weekday commitments:
• Look at more casual workshops - run these evenings or weekends.
• Consider offering a scholarship to members.
• Concern was raised about the pressure on the kiln team. For now, they are happy, but they will continue to monitor the work coming through.
• Members felt there was pressure on the glazing area when classes are in session and also glazing and asked that classes use only one of the tables in the glaze room. The education team and committee will consider this at the next meeting.
• Data collection and analysis - Megan Fitzpatrick has offered to collate data relating to member club use (establish if there are choke points – in relation to membership capping).
• Communication - Members felt they needed to be better informed - Suggestion that a club information page be built - has all information in one place for members to access. This can include dates of events – workshops etc, minutes, accounts, goings on ie: roadworks, building painting, maintenance etc. 
• Do we look at employing an administrator?
• Members will be asked to take part in a survey to enable the committee/club to understand better the needs of members. We are hoping to have the information collated for the AGM.
• Membership cap – do we? - (to be included in the members survey for the AGM)
• It was suggested that we digitise our entry system. This will be further investigated.

 
* Some of the topics above will be brought to the AGM on the 19 th May so please put this date in your diary.

HOUSEKEEPING: -

Classes started back early February and are now in full swing. These run through to the last week of March and first week of April.

Clare is now considering workshops for the next 6 months. Keep an eye on the website and notice board for these.

The club is offering a Pit firing and a Raku firing for members only– dates later in the newsletter. Thank you to Paula and Rod for running these. These are not workshops, but the managers have offered to hold a revision session a week before the date to go over the how to’s!           - Information on confirmation of enrollment.
 
As mentioned earlier we have had ongoing plumbing issues, and we are very grateful to Kaleb – (Bespoke plumbing – contact details below) who has come to our rescue. We need to get these issues fixed before we can complete the driveway and carpark upgrade. Thanks to Rob for overseeing this.
 
We are still desperately seeking someone to take on the Rooms manager role. This does not mean you do the work but manage the people who have been allocated areas.
Our cleaner Teri is doing a fantastic job, however she is having to do more and more hours cleaning up after you all. Please think about this. This is a cost to the club. The kitchen is one area that we all need to be onto. If you make a mess - in the microwave, on the bench, table, oven etc clean it up please. Please remember to wipe down the area in the workroom you have used and dry off with a towel. Too often I see benches that may have been wiped with a damp cloth, but this has not removed the clay that ends up as dry clay dust smeared over the top. When you are wiping your bench area remember to wipe down your cupboard front too (if you have one) . We are trying to eliminate (as much as possible) clay dust as this is the cause of many illnesses. And if you see anything that needs doing please don’t just walk on by.
 
Social Events manager. Those who attended the members meeting indicated they would like more club social activity, so we are looking for someone to take on the role of organising social times/events.
The gallery has an opening on the first Thursday of each month 5.30pm - 7pm. (with the exception of this month being a leap year!). This is a great time to get-together and to also support the exhibiting artist.

Kylie continues to update and improve our website. Under the resources tab you can now find the clay ordering details and links to useful videos. 
 
Cubbies! – Rob and Brent, with a team,  have been busy organising the clearing out of the storeroom off the kitchen. We have relocated the cleaning cupboard and once the room has had a lick of paint it will be lined with new cupboards for members. Stephanie is managing this so please let her know if you would like a cubby. Please note these need to be used and not used as dead storage. We cannot accommodate everyone so if you have a cupboard that you are not using, please vacate it and let Stephanie know.
 
Kaleb is fabricating 2 more clay traps for the sinks in the wheel classroom. It has been a problem with large amounts of clay going down the sinks – this contributing to our drainage issues. The twin tubs outside the glazing room are an area that is also of concern as there is not a trap here so please do not wash clay down these tubs.

Raku storage shed – Many thanks to Anne for erecting this shed for our Raku equipment.  This will free up room in the storerooms making it easier to access our events equipment in future.
 
And a big thankyou to our new member, Mark Keown who has taken on Equipment maintenance. He has been kept busy with the slab rollers which needed a bit of serious attention!
 
Health and Safety – Dean identified a faulty wire on one of the wheels and asked had the electrician (Dale) in to check all of our electrical equipment.
 
Bench fridge/ damp cupboard – Thanks to Paula and Ralph for acquiring and collecting the bench fridge. – now located in the wheel room. We do need damp cupboards for the main room so please let Rob know if you know of any large fridges or cupboards..
 
Gas Kiln - Neil Hey and his team welcome new members to the gas firing team. If you are interested in learning and upskilling here, please contact Neil.
All Teams and Team leaders are listed on the red notice board.
 
That’s it from me.
 I will be away from the 7th until the 25th March.  Sue and the Committee are here to help, or I am only an email away if you have a specific concern.
 
All the best everyone and thank you again for all your effort with the Festival.
– Caitlin


FESTIVAL OF POTS AND GARDEN ART 2024
 
The weather was kind. People came, sometimes in great numbers. Friday was a bit overwhelming with over a thousand through before lunch. Artist’s sales were outstanding $308,938.97. The café did a      roaring trade. With 116 exhibitors, 35 were new, and over 5544 paying adults it became the biggest and best festival the club has run. A big thank you to all the members and friends of the club who worked hard to make it a great success. We can’t run an event like this without all hands on board, so well done!
The demonstrations and giving people a hands-on experience was very popular this year. Moving them to a new location worked well. A request for also having them on the Friday will be considered for 2025. Having a separate member’s car park and creating more space for disabled parking proved very worthwhile.
A de-brief of this year’s festival is being planned for later this month. If you would like to provide specific feedback to be considered please email Wendi Lindsay (Festival Administrator) [email protected] and thank you to those who have already submitted their thoughts.
- from the Festival convenors.                      
        
This month we Welcome our new member:  Angela Francis


Calendar dates
  Pit firing - 23rd March $15 pp (this covers wood and materials used). Rod G and Paula A.
 Club Raku -  20th April (with 27th being the fallback should it rain).     Rod G. 
 AGM 19th May 3.30pm

For those who may need a great plumber, here is Kalebs contact information.