MVB Bulletin # 30 July 17 2012
Winter Wonderland
Falls Creek was blanketed in 20cm of overnight snowfall when we visited on Sunday July 15. It was one of those Sunday mornings when you would usually open an eyelid lookout the window and roll over in bed. But MVB skiers are made of stern stuff! Braving the elements was richly rewarding.
Historical NE Victorian Walks
A group of 10 took the opportunity to explore Kelly and Police Caves Eldorado last Sat July 14 led by Mick Webster. We were not disappointed. Armed with a book, maps and local knowledge we completed a 13km circuit with a fair bit of off track walking - scrub bashing was probably a more appropriate description in some parts.
We were immersed in history and excited to hear the anecdotes and points of interest explained by Mick. The Police Cave is a fascinating location complete with artefacts in the form of broken glass believed to be broken beer bottles.
Last Sunday Hans successfully uncovered an unknown and previously unexplored location in our area - Mt Ochtertyre - mount what? I hear you say - studying the photo below you may well come to the conclusion that sometimes what consitutes a mountain is rather loosely defined! But nevertheless it just goes to show Hans will go just about anywhere to find and place a geocache!
Whats On
Evening Walks
This Thursday July 19 evening Peter is offering a warming fire, a glass of mulled wine, a bbq and short walk to be held at Jamison Drive Baranduda reserve. Note the change of venue as the Kiewa river is flooding again. Once again female club members are massively over represented in the bookings for this event- from my perspective Ive got to say we must be doing something right!
Just a reminder that if in doubt about an event details the website is always the place to go to see the details of the most up to date events program.
Weekend Walks
Hans has an amazing program of easy walks almost always spiked with geocaching scheduled for the next 3 months. Of immediate interest are the following for the coming weekend:
Mount Sugarloaf reserve - easy - saturday July 21
Old Coach Road Part 2 - medium - sunday July 22
Snow Sports
Come and try some skiing or snowshoeing for beginners this saturday July 21
and again saturday July 28.
The proposed snow camping activity has been rescheduled to the weekend of August 11-12.
Website Blogs
The website now has the capability of members submitting journal/diary type entries about any or all of the business that the club engages in. Take the time to explore the options under the Blogs menu - if youve been on a club event and want to put up a few comments about it you are highly encouraged to do so. Note there are blog categories for all event types and that you must be logged in to the website to achieve this. The first item under blogs is Add Blog Entry - choose this to write something and choose the appropriate category. If it all seems too hard you can simply send an email to blog@mvb.org.au and this will then be published in the appropriate blog category (after being checked by me).
More about blogging in later bulletins.
Membership Renewal
If you are unsure as to when you are financial with the MVB you can log into the club website and go to the Members menu item and choose My Profile and then the Membership tab. The financial status field tells you when your membership is due for renewal. For most people that will be due on July 1st -we really need subscriptions rolling in to remain viable as a club. If you need help with membership, logging in or doing anything else with the website please contact me.
To renew choose the Join, Renew Membership now menu path. Complete and submit the risk form and then proceed to the Join, Membership Fees page
Please note that renewing members should complete and submit an annual acknowledgement of risks form. This only needs to be done once and then releases you from having to sign a risk form for each event. If youve recently renewed and missed the acknowledgement of risk form you can find it here
Regards,
Tony Marsh
Secretary
Murray Valley Bushwalkers Inc
MVB Bulletin # 29 July 10 2012
Welcome to two new members - Claire Sandford and Deidre Elridge-Doyle both of whom joined Peter and 10 others for a fantastic full moon walk on Nail Can Hill recently. The next evening walk will be on Thursday July 19.
Over a dozen members and guests enjoyed a great bbq on the Murray in perfect weather after the Farmers Market last Saturday. The large number of apologies received indicated it was a busy time for lots of people.
Consequently we didnt get the numbers required for a quorum for the AGM;so it was adjourned to be reconvened at another date to be determined. As we are a new club the rules that apply to incorporated bodies mean that we have 6 months grace to complete the adjourned AGM. If you click the photo below you will see we may have a second pet mascot for the club by the name of Woody! And no his owners are not starving him - the skinny look is in the genes of this breed. Which reminds me of a time in NZ where I met one of these dogs (and his owner) - knowing full well what it was I just wanted to hear a Kiwi pronounce the breed name. "He's a whuppet mate, a whuppet" was his reply much to my mirth. You've got to love those Kiwi accents!
Hans and Peter again staffed a stall at the Farmers Market on Saturday July 7 from 8am to midday -it was very cold but sunny and with stalls dispensing hot soup and freshly baked bread we enjoyed the occasion. Once again there was a lot of interest generated by the photo display particularly and lots of postcards were distributed.
Another great outcome of the day was confirmation of an article promoting the club in the recently released Visit Albury Wodonga booklet and a page on the Visit Albury Wodonga website. We thank Sue Harper for arranging for this valuable publicity for the club.
We also created and distributed a one page flyer (attached to this message) which gives an overview of proposed club events from now until late October.This is a one off document and will very quickly become out of sync with the website which will always be he place to go to see the most up to date events program.
If you have an idea for an event and cant find a suitable date free dont be put off by what looks like a full program - we are always happy to reschedule an event to make way for a new one that a cub member wants to run. Also with such a large number of easy walking events on the program we would love to hear from any one wanting to "learn the ropes" for event leadership and co-lead with one of the club leaders. More about this in next week's bulletin
The Spot Gps enabled locator beacon device was used recently to send a pre-recorded email message to committee members indicating a safe return home. This was the first in a series of walks Hans is putting on the along the Old Coach Road at Eldorado. Thats the great thing about Spot - it doesnt just sit in someone's pack and never get used
Whats On
Historical NE Victorian Walks
We are very excited about the opportunity to explore the Kelly and Police Caves Eldorado on Sat July 14 especially as we have the services of a local guide very familiar with the area Mick Webster - you can do some preliminary reading on the Eldorado Museum website.
Hans has the knack of uncovering unknown and previously unexplored locations in our area - here is a chance to join him in exploring Mt Ochtertyre on July 15
Peter is pumped after the success of the recently held full moon walk on Nail Can Hill. He is leading another evening walk preceded by a camp fire and bbq at the picnic area on the Kiewa River at Killara on Thursday July 19
Snow Sports
Come and try some skiing or snowshoeing for beginners this sunday July 15 and again saturday July 21
Membership Renewal
If you are unsure as to when you are financial with the MVB you can log into the club website and go to the Members menu item and choose My Profile and then the Membership tab. The financial status field tells you when your membership is due for renewal. For most people that will be due on July 1st. In keeping with our principles of being a paperless association, membership renewal can be done on line. If you need help with logging in or doing anything else with the website please contact me.
Regards,
Tony Marsh
Secretary
Murray Valley Bushwalkers Inc
MVB Bulletin # 27 June 20 2012
The Spot has arrived! We have put some of the money from the grant we received from the City of Wodonga to purchase this GPS and mobile phone enabled device. We intend running some workshops to teach members how to use it. You can read some more about this exciting development here. Thanks to Peter for setting it up for use by the club.
Whats On This Week
Social - Farmers Market
The club will be staffing a stall at the Farmers Market this Saturday June 23 from 8am to midday. If you would like to join us for any period during those hours get in touch with Hans, Peter or Tony. If you turn up at the market come and say hello.
Walk - Mungabareena
Hans is leading an easy 6km afternoon stroll at Mungabareena reserve this Saturday June 23 after the Farmers Market
Walk or Cycle to Wallaby Mine
Hans and Peter are offering this event on Sunday June 24 - you can ride a mountain bike from Beechworth or walk from Twist Creek road Yackandandah - if we get the timing right we will meet for lunch at the mine.
Future Events
Morning stroll Wonga Wetlands June 30
Full moon evening walk Nail Can Hill July 4
Annual General Meeting - Farmers Market July 7
Kelly and Police Caves Eldorado July 14
Recent Events:
Last weekend saw two activites - the social night held at the German Austrian club in Wodonga was a great success with 13 members participating - our group was made to feel very welcome and we expressed our thanks to the staff and indicated we will return for another evening.
A small group walked up Mt Stanley on the Sunday in less than ideal weather conditions
But coffee in Beechworth and a chance to catch up with a legenday geocacher from Chiltern Mick Webster aka Bingley was very much appreciated
A third activity held in the last week was an exploratory walk in Baranduda Parklands south of Ridge Lane helod on Tuesday June 19 led by Peter and Tony. Extensive blackberry control has been carried out in this section by Parklands Albury Wodonga and Baranduda Landcare and has great walking track potential. We will be placing a geocache in this section next Tues June 26.
MVB Abseilers and Climbers
Neil is overseas until middle September when rock activities will resume. In the meantime you can watch videos from previous trips on MVB Abseilers on You Tube or look at some pics on MVB Abseilers on Flickr or our facebook page.
You can read a reports by following this link View Event Reports.
Membership Renewal
If you are unsure as to when you are financial with the MVB to you can log into the club website and go to the Members menu item and choose My Profile and then the Membership tab. The financial status field tells you when your membership is due for renewal. For most people that will be due on July 1st. In keeping with our principles of being a paperless association all this can be done on line.
Annual General Meeting
This has been programmed for the 7th July 2012 at the Gateway Village. It will take place after the Farmers Market, will be followed by a bbq and a short walk.
The main part of the AGM is the election of the committee for the next twelve months. Our constitution has determined the size of the committee on the membership, so the next committee shall consist of 6 members:
- President - Tony Marsh has been nominated for this position
- Secretary - Tracey Barkley has been nominated for this position
- Treasurer - Peter Presutti has been nominated for this position
- Events Coordinator - Hans Kaspers has been nominated for this position
- Publicity and Development Coordinator - Nicole Stephens has been nominated for this position
- Website administrator - Neil Brown has been nominated for this position
Nomination Procedures:
- Nominations for these positions can be received until 7 days before the AGM.
- Any member can nominate any other member, so you can even nominate yourself!
- If you nominate another member, please obtain their permission first.
- All nominations have to be published on the website.
Please use the Forum on the website- Suggestion box,
AGM Nominationsto achieve that outcome..
Regards,
Tony Marsh
Secretary
Murray Valley Bushwalkers Inc
MVB Bulletin # 28 June 29 2012
Annual General Meeting Sat July 7 12 midday
Hi all,
We need to have at least 20 members attend next Saturday to establish a quorum to elect a new committee. Fear not - nominations have closed you cannot be conscripted to a committee position. If we dont get the numbers we will have to call another AGM! If its wet we do have access to a covered area.
This will also be an occasion to reflect on our first year achievements and enjoy a free bbq and formalise the committee structure for the next 12 months. Please use this form to rsvp for catering purposes or to submit an apology.
Hans and Peter staffed a stall at the last Farmers Market on Saturday June 23 from 8am to midday - the temperature at 8am would not have been balmy so it was a great effort. There was a lot of interest generated by the photo display particularly and lots of postcards were distributed. We will repeat this on Saturday July 7 after which we will hold the club Annual General Meeting and a bbq in a delightful setting on the river just behind the farmers market venue.
While on the topic of reflection its worthwhile having a scroll (a long way) down the Latest News page on the website if you havent for a while. What an extraordinary program we have offered since the inaugural meeting held on July 7 2012!
Membership Renewal
If you are unsure as to when you are financial with the MVB to you can log into the club website and go to the Members menu item and choose My Profile and then the Membership tab. The financial status field tells you when your membership is due for renewal. For most people that will be due on July 1st. In keeping with our principles of being a paperless association membership renewal can be done on line.
The Spot Gps enabled locator beacon device got a run on Tuesday - if Peter or I had got lost or inextricably tangled in one of the feral blackberry infestations we came across, provided one of us could get a hand to the Spot device attached to Peter's biceps (impossible to ignore after all that weight training he has been doing) we could have been helicoptered to safety in no time. Wouldn't that made for great front page headlines and publicity for MVB!
But what of Spot? isnt that the puppy belongng to your next door neigbour? Well no actually - its a high tech search and rescue device - but dont be scared it doesnt bite - you can read some more about the real Spot here.
Click the photo below of a magnficent southern blue gum that dwarfs Peter under it for more pics of our most recent journey into Baranduda Parklands south
Whats On
Elusive Nail Can Hill Waterfall
If you are lucky enough to have some mid week time for walking at your disposal feel free to join Peter for the search for the Nail Can Hill waterfall on Tuesday July 3 - if its not running now it never will!
Full Moon Walk Wed July 4
Nail Can Hill - middle of winter - full moon - it doesnt get any hotter than this!
AGM 2012
AGM and Farmers Market Saturday July 7
Historical North East Victorian Walks
Join Hans for the start of an extended historical tour over a series of walks of Old Coach Road - Eldorado July 8
And while on the topic of historical walks it doesnt get any better than this.
Join Hans to locate and explore the Kelly and Police Caves on July 14
Hans has the knack of uncovering unknown and previously unexplored locations in our area - here is a chance to joing him in Exploring Mt Ochtertyre on July 15
Snow Sports
The snow has arrived big time this weekend so if you are hanging out to try some skiing or snowshoeing watch for events appearing on the calendar from July 14/15
MVB Abseilers and Climbers
Neil is overseas until middle September when rock activities will resume. In the meantime you can watch videos from previous trips on MVB Abseilers on You Tube or look at some pics on MVB Abseilers on Flickr or our facebook page.
Regards,
Tony Marsh
Secretary
Murray Valley Bushwalkers Inc
