Fuchiarama

Fuchsiarama 2008 Dunedin March 6-9

Thursday
The Dunedin folk had gone to no end of trouble to ensure we received a great welcome to this Edinburgh of the South, with a 'Tam O'Shanter' and a bag of goodies, brochures etc. Their own club shirts were most impressive and enabled us to find locals when needed. Once unpacked a short rest and a time to catch our breath it was down to the ground floor in the venerable Leviathan lift for a finger food meal. This was a great time for a chat and the decibel level soon rose to close to the legal limit.

Friday
In the words of the old song it was "Down to the railway early in the morning" Three trains no less were decked out in the Taieri Gorge livery -which one was ours? That was soon sorted out and we climbed aboard and hunted for our allotted seats. Like a bunch of school kids we quickly re arranged the seating so that we could sit with our mates.
Soon we were off clanking through suburban Dunedin, past Carisbrook then through the first of many tunnels to Wingatui. From here we headed off onto the private branch line and started to wind our way through the Taieri Gorge climbing steadily as we went. What spectacular views from the train which followed the line as it snaked through along a shelf cut in the rocky hillside! One cannot help but admire the men who created this railway with little more than pick, shovel, blasting powder and wheel barrows. Living in little more than tents in the harsh Central Otago winter must have been arduous in the extreme. Bridges, viaducts and tunnels gave us cause to admire their grit and determination.
A commentary kept us informed about the various features of the landscape and the struggles of farmers trying to eke out a living in an unforgiving climate. The journey from Dunedin to Middlemarch is one that all those on the train would thoroughly recommend to others. There is no more spectacular scenery to be had anywhere in the world.

The buffet tea on Friday night was a great success. After a day on the train our appetites were keen. It was not long before those feeding us were calling for reserve supplies from the kitchen to ensure that those who were last in the queue did not go hungry.

Saturday - The AGM of the National Fuchsia Society of New Zealand.

Giving a full account of proceedings would run into several pages. This report will just concentrate on the aspects likely to be of interest to the majority of club members and world wide fuchsia growers.The meeting began at 10 a.m. as the hotel dining room was open for meals until this time. This meant that the business to be covered was dealt with in rather less time than is customary. No doubt many would consider this a good thing but I wonder whether there was time to cover all aspects of the societies' work adequately.
The meeting commenced with the usual niceties such as the welcome from the Dunedin Fuchsia group by Veronica Macmillan and the reply by the president, Trevor Gamblin. Members of the executive and the delegates were introduced and the president spelled out the rules by which the meeting was to be conducted.
After the apologies there was time to stand and remember those members who had passed away during the year, In particular Ted Sweetman and Harry Balderstone, two former presidents also Linda Donaldson and Alan Moore.
In his annual report the president-Trevor Gamblin reminded members that next year would be our 25th anniversary year and wondered how easy it would be to continue mounting AGMs and Fuchsiaramas in the future. He asked us to rate our groups performance against the aims and objectives of the society. These are set out below:
# To promote the interest of fuchsias to all parts of New Zealand.
# To assist and educate fuchsia enthusiasts throughout NZ (Mount displays, shows, demonstrations, open gardens-the secretary reported one where 80 people visited and three new members gained.
# To collaborate with all fuchsia societies world wide. (Web site and newsletters. Any others?)
# To encourage social interaction between affiliated groups. (Nelson and Marlborough. Any others?)
# To raise the percentage of correctly named fuchsias. (Support the fuchsia registrar Elaine Baldwin).

The editor of the National Link made a plea for contributions from members. He said the February issue was nearly cancelled because of insufficient material coming to hand.. The webmaster reported similar problems to the editor and asked for regular contributions from branches. He asked that one person in each branch be responsible for reports and programs so that these can be posted and shared by all. The treasurer reported an excess of income over expenditure and indicated that the society would have continued in the black even without the generous donation from Procumbens. Membership numbers continue to decline with the total decreasing from 377 in 2006 to 348 in 2007.
The continued subscription to Fuchsia Research International was discussed. As it published highly technical papers little of it was of interest to the majority of our members. Balancing this was the need to support research into fuchsia species. It was agreed to continue subscribing to FRI.
Wellington reported that the Sweetman's collection of fuchsias had been distributed among its members. A list of these fuchsias has been passed on to Elaine Baldwin, registrar, for inclusion in the national register. All fuchsias grown in New Zealand should be included in this list.
Information on the future of fuchsia calendars indicated that these will no longer be produced by Procumbens Publishing. Wellington branch propose to underwrite a fuchsia calendar as a tribute to Ted Sweetman for 2009 but this is almost certain to be the last. Support for this was sought from branches and members were called on to resell calendars so that Wellington are not left out of pocket. Any profits will go to the National Society.
Concern was expressed about the decline in membership numbers in many groups and ways of boosting numbers were suggested-Publicity, Shows, Plant stalls, Links with Horticultural Societies, Open gardens to public.
A number of certificates were presented to those who passed judging exams and it was hoped that more members would take advantage of seminars leading to taking the exams. (Ten sat the exam - four passed)
Members approved a recommendation that subscriptions remain as for the previous year.
There was unanimous agreement to the suggestion that Alison Sweetman be asked to accept the position of Patron to the Society.
The offer of Fuchsia 2000 to host the AGM in 2009 was accepted and the meeting heard that Independents in Timaru were looking at the possibility of hosting the next Fuchsiarama in 2010.
Information was sought regarding a plant resulting from a cross between F. procumbens and F. excorticata.

Saturday Night ............ A Highland Affair.............. Fuchsiarama Dinner.

The whereabouts of the dinner was kept a closely guarded secret but as we left the hotel a sign on the bus suggested that it might well be in Mosgiel, a suburb of Dunedin. Actually the destination turned out to be the Mosgiel railway station which like so many similar stations was enjoying a new life as a restaurant. Members played their part in the occasion by featuring some aspect of Scottish dress in their apparel- a badge a tie, a sash, a tam o shanter, even a couple wearing kilts.
The meal began with the haggis being piped in procession and the sword bearer, our illustrious president, doing his best to scare the wits out of all present by waving the sword perilously close to members heads. Perhaps he should use a sword rather than a gavel to control the next AGM?
"Haute cuisine" I believe means fine food and although there was no sign of this particular, tricky to grow, hybrid fuchsia the real fine food was certainly there in abundance. The evening continued with a round of Scottish songs sung by all and then the carpets were rolled up for dancing. The evening concluded appropriately enough with Auld Lang Syne.

Sunday
Hard to believe Fuchsiarama is coming to an end. Everyone took the opportunity to have a look at the sights of the city. We chose to spend some time in the butterfly house at the Otago museum-a memorable experience.
The barbeque, ended up being in the hotel dining room as the Dunedin weather which had behaved its self so far started to look doubtful. So it was time for farewells and to look forward to meeting in 2009 in New Plymouth.

In Retrospect
Full credit must go to the Otago group for the preparation and planning put into running Fuchsiarama. They left no stone unturned to ensure we all had a wonderful time. Sure the Leviathan was showing its century plus age, but it was comfortable, convenient, central, not too expensive and the meals were great.
While it may not be possible to better 2008 perhaps some alternatives might be worth considering. Fuchsiarama should be fun, and so it was, but the intervening AGMs could well look for something innovative and to a greater extent fuchsia related as part of the program.
One suggestion would be a judging experience. Those present could be divided into small groups and each in turn give places to a display of fuchsias. These could then be compared with the results of an accredited judge.

Stopping the Rot
Much has been said about the declining membership. Why is this? How do we continue to provide new fuchsia experiences and education for our members? Should we explore the species area more fully? What efforts do we make to seek out new and younger members? Are we too narrow in including just fuchsias? Is the pass rate for judges (4 out of 10) a disincentive for members to try? Should there be three grades of judges instead of two, with a lower level that is easier to pass? The alternative to innovation seems to be extinction. Which is it to be?

Comments and suggestions in italics are those of the webmaster and not necessarily those of the society at large. D.McI.

National Fuchsia Society of New Zealand Inc. Home	*Fuchsiarama 2008* *6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, March* *Dunedin* White King	Hosted by The Otago Fuchsia Group. Room for more! If you have a great photo from Fuchsiarama why not share it with other Fuchsia lovers? An email to any member of the executive will locate my email address. Photos should be around 500KB to 600KB. My dial up network will not handle any more. Donald
	Many -but not all of those attending Fuchsiarama 2008 are in this composite photo. Click on the photo for a larger image. Be patient it is a larger than usual image.
Tne National Fuchsia Society of New Zealand Executive 2008/9 L to R Bert Kennerley Vice Presedent Catherine Nunweek Treasurer Jim Kane Editor Marion Prestney Secretary Trevor Gamblin President AGM 2008	Fuchsiarama 2008 Dunedin March 6-9 Thursday The Dunedin folk had gone to no end of trouble to ensure we received a great welcome to this Edinburgh of the South, with a 'Tam O'Shanter' and a bag of goodies, brochures etc. Their own club shirts were most impressive and enabled us to find locals when needed. Once unpacked a short rest and a time to catch our breath it was down to the ground floor in the venerable Leviathan lift for a finger food meal. This was a great time for a chat and the decibel level soon rose to close to the legal limit. Friday In the words of the old song it was "Down to the railway early in the morning" Three trains no less were decked out in the Taieri Gorge livery -which one was ours? That was soon sorted out and we climbed aboard and hunted for our allotted seats. Like a bunch of school kids we quickly re arranged the seating so that we could sit with our mates. Soon we were off clanking through suburban Dunedin, past Carisbrook then through the first of many tunnels to Wingatui. From here we headed off onto the private branch line and started to wind our way through the Taieri Gorge climbing steadily as we went. What spectacular views from the train which followed the line as it snaked through along a shelf cut in the rocky hillside! One cannot help but admire the men who created this railway with little more than pick, shovel, blasting powder and wheel barrows. Living in little more than tents in the harsh Central Otago winter must have been arduous in the extreme. Bridges, viaducts and tunnels gave us cause to admire their grit and determination. A commentary kept us informed about the various features of the landscape and the struggles of farmers trying to eke out a living in an unforgiving climate. The journey from Dunedin to Middlemarch is one that all those on the train would thoroughly recommend to others. There is no more spectacular scenery to be had anywhere in the world. The buffet tea on Friday night was a great success. After a day on the train our appetites were keen. It was not long before those feeding us were calling for reserve supplies from the kitchen to ensure that those who were last in the queue did not go hungry. Saturday - The AGM of the National Fuchsia Society of New Zealand. Giving a full account of proceedings would run into several pages. This report will just concentrate on the aspects likely to be of interest to the majority of club members and world wide fuchsia growers.The meeting began at 10 a.m. as the hotel dining room was open for meals until this time. This meant that the business to be covered was dealt with in rather less time than is customary. No doubt many would consider this a good thing but I wonder whether there was time to cover all aspects of the societies' work adequately. The meeting commenced with the usual niceties such as the welcome from the Dunedin Fuchsia group by Veronica Macmillan and the reply by the president, Trevor Gamblin. Members of the executive and the delegates were introduced and the president spelled out the rules by which the meeting was to be conducted. After the apologies there was time to stand and remember those members who had passed away during the year, In particular Ted Sweetman and Harry Balderstone, two former presidents also Linda Donaldson and Alan Moore. In his annual report the president-Trevor Gamblin reminded members that next year would be our 25th anniversary year and wondered how easy it would be to continue mounting AGMs and Fuchsiaramas in the future. He asked us to rate our groups performance against the aims and objectives of the society. These are set out below: # To promote the interest of fuchsias to all parts of New Zealand. # To assist and educate fuchsia enthusiasts throughout NZ (Mount displays, shows, demonstrations, open gardens-the secretary reported one where 80 people visited and three new members gained. # To collaborate with all fuchsia societies world wide. (Web site and newsletters. Any others?) # To encourage social interaction between affiliated groups. (Nelson and Marlborough. Any others?) # To raise the percentage of correctly named fuchsias. (Support the fuchsia registrar Elaine Baldwin). The editor of the National Link made a plea for contributions from members. He said the February issue was nearly cancelled because of insufficient material coming to hand.. The webmaster reported similar problems to the editor and asked for regular contributions from branches. He asked that one person in each branch be responsible for reports and programs so that these can be posted and shared by all. The treasurer reported an excess of income over expenditure and indicated that the society would have continued in the black even without the generous donation from Procumbens. Membership numbers continue to decline with the total decreasing from 377 in 2006 to 348 in 2007. The continued subscription to Fuchsia Research International was discussed. As it published highly technical papers little of it was of interest to the majority of our members. Balancing this was the need to support research into fuchsia species. It was agreed to continue subscribing to FRI. Wellington reported that the Sweetman's collection of fuchsias had been distributed among its members. A list of these fuchsias has been passed on to Elaine Baldwin, registrar, for inclusion in the national register. All fuchsias grown in New Zealand should be included in this list. Information on the future of fuchsia calendars indicated that these will no longer be produced by Procumbens Publishing. Wellington branch propose to underwrite a fuchsia calendar as a tribute to Ted Sweetman for 2009 but this is almost certain to be the last. Support for this was sought from branches and members were called on to resell calendars so that Wellington are not left out of pocket. Any profits will go to the National Society. Concern was expressed about the decline in membership numbers in many groups and ways of boosting numbers were suggested-Publicity, Shows, Plant stalls, Links with Horticultural Societies, Open gardens to public. A number of certificates were presented to those who passed judging exams and it was hoped that more members would take advantage of seminars leading to taking the exams. (Ten sat the exam - four passed) Members approved a recommendation that subscriptions remain as for the previous year. There was unanimous agreement to the suggestion that Alison Sweetman be asked to accept the position of Patron to the Society. The offer of Fuchsia 2000 to host the AGM in 2009 was accepted and the meeting heard that Independents in Timaru were looking at the possibility of hosting the next Fuchsiarama in 2010. Information was sought regarding a plant resulting from a cross between F. procumbens and F. excorticata. Saturday Night ............ A Highland Affair.............. Fuchsiarama Dinner. The whereabouts of the dinner was kept a closely guarded secret but as we left the hotel a sign on the bus suggested that it might well be in Mosgiel, a suburb of Dunedin. Actually the destination turned out to be the Mosgiel railway station which like so many similar stations was enjoying a new life as a restaurant. Members played their part in the occasion by featuring some aspect of Scottish dress in their apparel- a badge a tie, a sash, a tam o shanter, even a couple wearing kilts. The meal began with the haggis being piped in procession and the sword bearer, our illustrious president, doing his best to scare the wits out of all present by waving the sword perilously close to members heads. Perhaps he should use a sword rather than a gavel to control the next AGM? "Haute cuisine" I believe means fine food and although there was no sign of this particular, tricky to grow, hybrid fuchsia the real fine food was certainly there in abundance. The evening continued with a round of Scottish songs sung by all and then the carpets were rolled up for dancing. The evening concluded appropriately enough with Auld Lang Syne. Sunday Hard to believe Fuchsiarama is coming to an end. Everyone took the opportunity to have a look at the sights of the city. We chose to spend some time in the butterfly house at the Otago museum-a memorable experience. The barbeque, ended up being in the hotel dining room as the Dunedin weather which had behaved its self so far started to look doubtful. So it was time for farewells and to look forward to meeting in 2009 in New Plymouth. In Retrospect Full credit must go to the Otago group for the preparation and planning put into running Fuchsiarama. They left no stone unturned to ensure we all had a wonderful time. Sure the Leviathan was showing its century plus age, but it was comfortable, convenient, central, not too expensive and the meals were great. While it may not be possible to better 2008 perhaps some alternatives might be worth considering. Fuchsiarama should be fun, and so it was, but the intervening AGMs could well look for something innovative and to a greater extent fuchsia related as part of the program. One suggestion would be a judging experience. Those present could be divided into small groups and each in turn give places to a display of fuchsias. These could then be compared with the results of an accredited judge. Stopping the Rot Much has been said about the declining membership. Why is this? How do we continue to provide new fuchsia experiences and education for our members? Should we explore the species area more fully? What efforts do we make to seek out new and younger members? Are we too narrow in including just fuchsias? Is the pass rate for judges (4 out of 10) a disincentive for members to try? Should there be three grades of judges instead of two, with a lower level that is easier to pass? The alternative to innovation seems to be extinction. Which is it to be? Comments and suggestions in italics are those of the webmaster and not necessarily those of the society at large. D.McI.	Dunedin Railway Station A powerful DJ Deisel Electric to pull the train up the steep climb Waiting for train departure Taieri Gorge Railway A stop to view the spectacular scenery as shown below View of the Taieri Gorge River and rail cutting
Piping the haggis Presidential sword bearer ("Oh for one of these at an annual meeting!") Addressing the Haggis		Fun at the Highland Affair Dinner Dance time at Highland Affair Auld Lang Syne at HIghland Affair A moth at rest in the Butterfly House at the Otago museum