OBI OBI HALL

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

At the hall at 7.30pm on the 30th May 2013

AGENDA

Election of the Management Committee and a Special Meeting for alterations to the Association’s constitution.

See the previous 08.05.13 post for details of the Special meeting.

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Parking at the hall.

The Management Committee would like to erect a barrier along the Staves Road boundary on the western side of the hall.

The red line indicates where the barrier will be erected.

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The aim of the barrier is to reduce vehicle access to the area to the side and front of the hall, reserving this area for any outside activities associated with the hall.

The existing star picket and electric fence tape fence

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The Management Committee envisages a barrier similar to the barrier below but with the rail part to be flat on top of the posts making the barrier suitable for sitting on.

These are situated at the junction of Obi Obi Rd and the Kenilworth-Eumundi Road.

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Two types of barrier section construction have been suggested.

1.  Hardwood round posts and railway sleeper seat.

2.  200 x 70mm posts with 200 x 70mm seat.

If any members can help with materials or construction, please contact the Management Committee.

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From the Comments section

From Frank Nolan:

Wow! This brings back very fond memories. In the mid 80’s I was living on Coolabine rd, off  Obi Obi rd, and was playing a regular acoustic guitar gig at Mapleton Pub on Sundays. I used to drive by the old hall all the time and think, what a great place that would be to hold a party. Back then there were a couple of old outhouses as toilets, one of which was almost falling over. The interior of the hall was overrun with pigeons and cow paddy’s. Yes the cows used to walk up the front stairs and through the broken front door.
I approached the farmer up behind the hall and asked if I could rent it for a weekend. He explained that it hadn’t been used in about 20 years and that I would have to talk to another farmer who lived across  the other side of Obi Obi creek. After speaking with that farmer, I secured a date to rent the hall, paid a $6.00 rental fee and gathered a group of friends from the area and proceeded to clean up the hall and get it ready for our event. We rented a couple of portable out houses to supplement the existing one and thus began “The Obi-Doo”. My acoustic duo partner, Jamie, and I played that saturday night along with a 3 piece classic rock band from Brisbane, “Deep Puddle”. We had a pig on a spit, a stew that didn’t turn out so well, but lots of Jack Daniels, beer and a great time. We did it again for the next couple of years and then I moved away from the area, however Jamie continued with the Obi-Doo for a few more years from what I understand.
It is so good to see the hall in its present condition and to know it is still benefitting the local community to this day. It would have been a shame to leave it to the cows.

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Hall hire.

The Obi Obi hall has been listed on the following business directory web sites, which will improve our internet exposure.

Aussieweb, Australian Caterers, Community Hub, Halls for Hire, Local, and Start local.

The Association is also promoting the hall’s services by networking with local community development organisations.

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Tortoises and Turtles

Australian freshwater turtles having paddles or webbed feet designed for swimming are often refered to as freshwater  tortoises, but actual tortoises are terrestrial  and have short thick feet for walking on land. There are no true terrestrial or land tortoises in Australia.

The Mary River turtle

Photo by John Cutmore

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 Turtle fundraising campaign

The Australian Geographic Society, and their Australian Geographic Retail stores, run fundraising campaigns,which are held on a quarterly basis and run for 3 months. The campaign provides funds for scientific and conservation organisations around Australia to  promote their research and work.

The Australian Geographic Society is running a fundraising campaign during May and June this year which will aid the Tairo & District Landcare Group’s campaign to save the Mary River turtle.

To donate visit Aust Geo shops or online via the site below.

www.australiangeographic.com.au/society/campaigns.htm

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The Mary River turtle

Photo by John Cutmore

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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

At the hall at 7.30pm on the 30th May 2013

AGENDA

Election of the Management Committee and a Special Meeting for alterations to the Association’s constitution.

Proposed alterations to the Association’s Model Rules

Two changes to the Association’s constitution are proposed, one relates to a General Meeting held on the 23.07.09 where a motion was passed to amend Clause 7 (2) at a future date, and the other to allow more time for the Management Committee to organize the AGM.

Clause 7 (2) allows the Management Committee on behalf of the Association to accept or reject new applications for Association membership, the motion passed on 23.07.09 proposed that applications for membership, once passed by a Management Committee meeting  are subject to ratification by the Association’s members at the next general meeting.

At present our Model Rules state that an AGM will be held within three months of the end of the Association’s accounting year (31st December). With little Association management activity in January, there are only two months left to carry out the planning of the AGM  and auditing of the Association’s finances, complicated now with required GST returns. The Management Committee feels that a six month period would be more suitable.

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The fire shed building application.

The public notification process has begun with a sign (shown below) soon to be erected at the hall property.

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The 14th of April working bee.

Surprisingly it was sunny,  but with a wedding the following weekend, mowing had to be done.

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Around the water tanks  it was  muddy, sloppy, gooey going.

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But

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The top rail of the tank fence was completed.

Still requires two gates to be made to complete the fence project.

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A birthday party was held at the hall last Saturday.

To date one wedding and two birthday parties have been held at the hall.

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There will be a Management Committee meeting at the Obi Obi hall at 7.30pm  on Thursday, the 9th May. All members and visitors welcome.

In spite of the wet weather, a morning working bee will still be held this coming Sunday, the 14 th April, starting at 9.00 am.

We may have to restrict work to inside the hall.  Completing the fence around the water tanks will be too awkward,  it’s very boggy in that area, but running a poly pipe under the hall for a  tap at the front may be possible, and we can  still re-arrange the under stage storage area. There is a wedding booked starting  from the following Thursday, so a hall cleanup and will have to be carried out. Mowing should be done on Sunday, but the weather!

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Proposed alterations to the Association’s Model Rules

By way of two special resolutions.

Resolution 1. Admission and rejection of members.

Clause 7 (2) states that – Any applicant who receives a majority of the votes of the members of the Management Committee present at the meeting at which such application is being considered shall be accepted as a member to the class of membership applied for.

Amend to – Any applicant who receives a majority of the votes of the members of the Management Committee present at the meeting at which such application is being considered shall be accepted as a member to the class of membership applied for, subject to ratification by the Association’s members at the next general meeting.

Resolution 2. Annual General or General Meetings.

Clause 20 (1) states that –   The annual general meeting shall be held within three months of the close of the financial year.

Amend to – The annual general meeting shall be held within six months of the close of the financial year.

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100th Birthday party

Some suggestions by a member

Decide on a theme. One idea is to celebrate  the milestones over the past 100 years.

Apply to Sunshine Coast Regional Council for a grant to support the  Obi Obi and Kidaman Creek event – try and get enough to pay a music act that is known that could headline the evening – and a firework display.

Look into other funding sources – grants for community groups.

Get local councilors involved.

Contact Sunshine Coast radio stations and get one of them to commit to attend and broadcast live for at least some of the day and hand out stuff (commercial radio stations have stuff to hand out for free).

Invite people such as vintage car clubs, steam engine boffins, local historical societies to set up displays in the hall, local or even Nambour RSL – there must have been a significant number of local families sending their sons off to war – they may have something to display and may want to support the event.

An art competition – come up with a theme that is linked to the 100 years – get sponsorship for prizes.

A pet show or  something that people like to see.

Get someone to come and put on a display, like people with Clydesdale horses.

Advertise for stall holders – fresh produce, preserves, artisans and craft.

Advertise for buskers, have a busking competition – prizes don’t have to be huge.

Use the Mary Vally Voice to get to the wider mary valley community.

Have a bike show and car show.

If it’s a big event, there could be a small entrance fee to make  it more affordable.

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Update on the Council fire shed application.

Sunshine Coast Regional Council has made an information request to the Department of Community Safety (DCS), asking for more information on the siting of the fire shed on a flood plain. The DCS acts on behalf of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) Rural Operations in regard to Rural Fire Brigade properties.

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Immediate Hall needs

1.  A barrier along the Staves Rd hall side of the hall property which would  stop vehicle access to the front and side of the hall, keeping this area for outdoor use. A suggestion is to have something that you can sit on, like the barriers in the resumed area on the junction of Obi Obi rd and Kenilworth/Eumundi Rd at Kenilworth.

2. Make the fire pit more user friendly and safer.

3.  Clean up the old timber on the fire shed site.

4. A ride-on mower.

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The endangered Mary River Turtle.

John and Lynette Cutmore have discovered baby Mary River turtles  in the Obi Obi creek. This is the first definite proof that Mary River Turtles nest and hatch out in the Obi Obi Creek, it was previously thought that they may but the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee (MRCCC) and University of Queensland’s Adjunct Associate Professor Colin Limpus had been unable to find any evidence. The existence of  Mary River Turtles in the Mary River was one of the reasons for the rejection of the Traveston Crossing dam.

Mary river turtle  (Elusor macrurus)

Photo by John Cutmore

When hatched they are about the size of a 50 cent piece, and can live for about 30 years. this turtle is around three months old.

Recently in this locality, larger numbers of older juveniles have been observed, this may it may be due to the number of  dingoes and foxes  shot and trapped. Dingos and foxes take an enormous amount of turtle eggs.

In the 1960s and ’70s, thousands of  turtle eggs were collected along the Mary River catchment, hatched for the pet shop trade and sold as  “penny turtles”.

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Another threatened turtle is the White Throated Snapping Turtle (Elseya albagula)

This turtle was found nesting along Baxter Creek which runs into Obi Obi Creek.

preparing her nesting site

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Turtles lay one clutch per year of around thirteen eggs.

Digging

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White throated turtles eggs have a six month incubation period.

Egg laying

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White throated turtles are mostly herbivore.

Leaving after camouflaging the nest, X marks the nesting site.

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