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WARRNAMBOOL GEM CLUB ACTIVITIES

2009 Activities
April 10 - 13 (easter). Gemboree in Horsham! The club is planning a group booking so if you are interested in attending a great event, close to home, reserve this date on your calender. Details at the club rooms!
2008 Activities
September or October: the club is planning a trip to view the mineral collection at the museum in Melb. We will be attending the Nunawading gem show on the saturday before going to the museum on the Sunday morning. Accomodation is being arranged at the 'Melbourne Oasis YHA' for the saturday night ($37); transport has yet to be finalised but will either be private vehicles or a mini-bus.
May 2-5 A number of club members attended the 2008 Palmer Rockerama in S.A. John & Gillian, Janice & Keith, Brian, Sarah, Tarna, Alan, Jenni, Chris, Janice and John enjoyed the great weather and the large number of tailgaters. Members had a good time (who spent a lot of money in the first few hours John?), with several members taking part in the metal detecting competition. All Warrnambool members who took part in the competition came away with a prize as a result of their efforts. Special mention must be made of Tarna Alexander and Alan Wood who were 'over the moon' when they won metal detectors. And in a pleasant change this year, Alan Wood managed to avoid getting sick, much to the relief of Jenni!


Brian Alexander at the Palmer Rockerama	John Chivers at his stall

Janice Krause at her fossil's stall	Keith & Janice Fisher discovered their van was for sale, without their knowledge!
	LEFT: Warrnambool Gem Club members displaying their prizes from the metal detecting competition. A very happy group!

April 29 Club member John Adams has passed away suddenly at South West Healthcare. John was a member of the club in it's early days and has been an enthusiastic member again over the last few years. He was faceting at the club workshop on Saturday (26th) before falling ill at home the following day. Club members will miss John's friendly face around the club and offer their condolences to John's family.

April 16 Club meeting
April 6 MORTLAKE FIELD TRIP A great days fossicking, in perfect weather conditions, was had by club members at the quarry today. Matthew started the day off well, finding a very impressive gemmy bomb soon after arriving at the quarry. Jenni found a great bomb, close to Keith's feet as he was explaining to new members what they should be looking for. How did you miss that one Keith? Several club members, both old and young, had good finds during the day.


Volcanic bomb with Peridot found by Matthew	Gemmy volcanic bomb picked up by Jenni.

Matthew with his volcanic bomb!

April 4    Our life member Bill Rodgers celebrated his 97th birthday with club members. Happy Birthday Bill!

March 20 - 25    Gemboree in Murray Bridge S.A. Nine club members travelled over to the Gemboree for a get together with other rockhounds. The weather was fine, sunny and 'mid-twenties' during the days, though' brisk' first thing in the mornings.
    Other Victorian clubs were present, and myself, Ted & Val found ourselves camped between members from the Glen Waverly club and the Nunawading club. Many rockhounds from other states were present (QLD, N.S.W, W.A) as well as the South Australians. A great group of friendly people!
    Meals were well catered for, and toilets and showers were excellent. Tail-gaters were numerous and the two main halls had an excellent combination of displays and traders.
    Congratulations to Chris Ahyee on his win in the open section (fossils)!


General view of some of the campers	Steam machinery display

Tailgating area	Larry tailgating

Janice tailgating	Part of one of the main halls

Part of one of the main halls	Display cases

Display case	Novelty case

Display of stone aircraft	Stone carvings

Minerals in display case	Chris Ahyee's first prize in Open fossil section

The importance of a good diet!	Some club members relaxing after a 'long day'.

    One of the great things about these gemborees is the chance to obtain new information about equipment (new and old) , lapidary techniques and competitions. Be sure to attend the next Gemboree in Horsham, Vic. next year!

March 19    Club meeting. The club has purchased a 'as new' Robilt 8" grinding/trimsaw combination unit for the very reasonable price of $100! Also, the club has had a set of tubular steel mining ladders plus a diff. based winch donated to it. These items will be offered for sale to club members at a nominal price at the march meeting!

February 20    Club meeting. Show discussed, new members welcomed. Several members travelling to the Gemkhana on 9/3/08. A group of members will be spending several days at the Gemboree at Murray Bridge next month.

January 25-27    Our Gem show was held over the weekend and was very successful (see the report on the club shows page)

2007 Activities

December 2    Congratulations are extended to club member Darren Lucas ,who has just successfully completed the first year of his Gemmology course. Darren scored well in both theory and practice and will be continuing the course in 2008. Well done Darren!

November 21        The club held it's A.G.M. last night and is pleased to announce the election of Jenni Wood as club president for 2007 - 2008. Janice Fisher continues as club secretary and Kay Keen as treasurer.   The club christmas picnic will be held on the 9th of December at Janice and Keith's home at mid-day.
                               Club members were sad to hear of the 'passing away' of Sheila Tims recently. Sheila was a major driver in the formation of the club some 40 years ago.

September 29 - October 1    The inaugural Kyabrum Rockarama and Craft Show was held at the Kyabrum Showgrounds from Saturday to Monday, with camping and trading on site. The crowd was limited (it may have had something to do with the AFL Grand Final being played that weekend) but club members had a good time and look forward to the 2008 kyabrum show.


George in his cooking apron	Warrnambool club members relaxing

Kevin & Betty's site	George, Chris & Janice at the 'auction'

August The club has been fortunate to purchase an excellent selection of tumbled stones from the collection of Mrs Mathieson (formerly of the Terang Gem Club). The collection contains a large number of stones from the 'Moonlight Heads' gem field, including a considerable number of 'moon agates'. Mineral specimens and display cases were also included in the purchase. The 'moon agates' will form part of the clubs permanent collection.
The club has also been fortunate to have equipmen, which belonged to a former member, Roy Coleman, donated to the club by his children. Roy, and his wife Alma, were life members of the club. The equipment includes display cases and a large automatic-feed diamond saw.
Several club members met up at the Anakie gem show in Qld. The weather was lovely and good crowds were in attendance.


There were many traders at the show	Great weather at Anakie!

Some good quality boulder opal on sale	Club member 'Dicky' at Anakie.
	The photo at the left shows the sand quarry at Tingha, near Inverell in N.S.W., where for a small charge you can collect quartz crystals, smokey quartz and rutilated quartz. It is simply a matter of standing at the end of the conveyer belt, with a shovel, to collect the crystals as they tumble off the end of the belt.

July 1 Members celebrated Allan White's birthday with a party/lunch in Port Fairy. Some 25 members had a great afternoon during which Allan was presented with his life membership of the club.


Allan White @ his birthday party	Darren and Kelsea

Alan & Jenni Wood (rhs)	Birthday cake

Matthew, Allan and Heather	John & Gillian, Alan, Reece

May 4 - 6    Eleven club members attended the Palmer Rockarama near Mannum, S.A. over the weekend. Most members drove over to Palmer on the thursday, encountering heavy rain for the first part of the trip before experiencing sand storms in the latter part of the trip! There were strong N.W. head winds all the way.
    At Palmer John Chivers had some 'fun' erecting his tent in the strong winds but eventually won out with some help from his friends. Most of the Warrnambool members were located in a group which was great. Since last year the Murraylands Gem and Mineral Club have installed a new toilet and shower block (beside their clubrooms at the show site) which was appreciated by all.
    Friday was a windy day with scattered showers. Traders/stall holders moved around the show buying and swapping mineral specimens etc. John Chivers, Brian Alexander and Alan Wood were each busy buying minerals as well as making some sales. Chris Ahyee and Janice had their 'fossils' stall set up in the large marquee and appeared to be doing good business. In the evening the Gemclub plus local groups catered for those wishing to purchase their tea. A slide show covering central/north/west Australia was held in the hall.
    Saturday was warmer, sunnier and less windy; with a reasonable number of members of the public wandering around the show. Our club members reported good sales (as did most of the traders I spoke to), although 'John C." still seemed to be buying as much as he was selling! Jenny Wood looked after John's stall during some of his many buying forays but she admits her knowledge of minerals is 'limited'. One customer was heard to ask Jenny 'what is this mineral' to which Jenny replied 'it is a rock'. When asked what sort of rock, Jenny replied it is a 'rock rock'!
    Alan Wood had a very good day when he was able to purchase a 10" automatic diamond saw unit plus a gemmaster vibro-lap for $500 (he was lucky he had Jenny there to 'bank-roll' him). He will now need to get his new shed built to accomodate these items! Once again 'Woody' received many compliments on the standard of his wire-wrapped jewellery.
    Saturday evening saw the 'auction' take place with spirited bidding for many of the items. Items up for auctions included mineral specimens, gemstones, toys, lapidary equipment, food, lots of shampoo and many other varied and wonderful items. Kym Locheal once again did an excellent job as an auctioneer despite having his arm in a sling (as a result of an altercation with some steam powered equipment). Brian Alexander was a busy bidder throughout the evening which was enjoyed by all who attended. After the auction quite a few club members spent a few hours discussing fossicking etc around the fires outside the main hall. A great night all up.
    Sunday dawned fine and calm. A major feature of the sunday of the show is the metal detecting competition. This attracts entrants of all ages and a large number of adults and juniors took part. The competition includes many opportunities to wind prizes/awards and the prize giving ceremony on sunday afternoon is a popular time at the show. Warrnambool members Brian Alexander and Alan Wood both received prizes on the day.
    The final part of the weekend is the 'show' on sunday night, which is invariably a highlight of the weekend. Kym Locheal once again played a big part in the show which included a starring performance by the 'Village People'. Jenny Wood starred in a follow up version of the 'Village People' and also told a great joke while up on the stage.
    Monday saw most people heading home, this time with strong tail winds. Overall a great weekend!


Mannum show, 2007 view to east	Mannum show, 2007 view to west

Brian and Sarah Alexander's stall	Alan Wood and John Chivers' stalls

Chris and Janice had an impressive fossil stall in the marquee.	The saturday night auction was well supported (enjoy the shampoo Brian).

Warrnambool Club members Sarah, Darien, Karen, Alan and Brian (L to R) at the auction.	Darien, Tarna, Brian and Sarah Alexander ready for the detector competition held on sunday.

Alan Wood ready for the competition	Tarna & Darien Alexander in the detecting competiton

Kym Locheal conducting the prize presentations for the metal detecting competition.	Alan Wood (checkered shirt) at prize ceremony

Sarah Alexander receiving her prize.	Tarna Alexander receives her award.

The 'village people' at the sunday night show.	Jenny Wood (left) as a member of the 'Village People'

Jenny got into the mood of the night as a member of the 'Village People', version 2!	The steam machinery display provided a window into the past.

The Volvo car display on sunday created a lot of interest.	The stalls and eating area in front of the club rooms.

April 4    Bill Rodgers had his 96th birthday. Bill is our most senior club member and maintains a keen interest in lapidary and mineral matters. Happy birthday bill!

March 10 -12    Victorian Gemkana at Ballarat Greyhound Racing Track Complex, Moreshead Park, Rubicon St. Ballarat. A large number of our club members attended the Gemkhana and had a great weekend. Larry had a good time tail gating and several club members returned with cutting and faceting material to use in the club workshop.

February 21    Wed.    Monthly meeting at 7-30 in club rooms!

January 17   Wed.    Club workshop reopens for 2007. First meeting for year at 7-30 p.m.

2006 Activities

(Previous years 2005 2004)

December 10. Club breakup for year. A good turn up at Keith and Janices' place at Woodford! (A big thank you must go to Keith and Janice for making their place available) The weather was perfect for our bbq and all members seemed to enjoy themselves. Male members were very interested in Woody's new roof-top camper ( a real bargain at under $600 new). All members wished Alan White the best as he recovers from his operation. Get well soon Alan, we are missing your cheery presence!
Have a good Christmas everyone!


John, Alan & other club members at bbq	Larry, Keith, Brian at bbq

Karen, Janice & Graham in action!	Matt, John and Jacob at bbq

January 27 -29 Warrnambool Gem Club Inc. Biennial Gem Show

The club held its biennial gem show over the weekend. The show was most successful and a report can be found on our club shows page.

April 2 - 4 Visit by York Peninsula Gem Club to Warrnambool.

    Seven members of the York club arrived in Warrnambool on Saturday afternoon, 1/4/06, and made themselves at home in cabins at the local C.P. at the beach. On the Sunday, with 'Jock" and 'Robert' leading them they joined Warrnambool members at Tarrone quarry where they fossicked a selection of calcite and aragonite specimens from the basalt boulders in the quarry.
    On Monday the two clubs arrived at the Mt Shadwell quarry to fossick for peridot. Upon arrival we found that there were fossickers from Qld, W.A. and N.S.W at the quarry already, digging away for the peridot. Unfortunately the weather turned wet by mid-day and only a few pieces of gem peridot were found. The clubs enjoyed a pleasant BBQ lunch together before retuning to the quarry where a few more specimens were found.
    Tuesday was a finer, sunnier day and with the better light fossickers from both clubs started to find 'cutters' as well as various micro-mounts. By the end of the day most of the visitors had experienced some success in their fossicking, topped off by a nice relaxed lunch at Alan Woods residence where we viewed some of his impressive collection of finds over the years.

April 14 - 16 Visit by Southern Rockhounds (S.A.) to Warrnambool

    Some 25 members of the Southern Rockhounds came to search for peridot at Mortlake. Friday dawned sunny and warm, but a cold front was on the way! A combined group from the Warrnambool club and the Southern Rockhounds arrived at Mortlake and proceeded to the quarry to commence fossicking. Some of the Warrnambool members had early success in finding some good gemmy bombs with facetable peridot (Alan Wood found a nice bomb, much to the chagrin of other W'bool members), while our guests from S.A. found a few specimens before a cold south-west change of weather, with rain and a significant 'wind chill factor' arrived on the scene. After a lunch in Mortlake, and with the rain setting in, we decided to call it quits for the day with little to show for our efforts.
    The following day we headed off to Tarrone to fossick for zeolites. Fortunately the weather had improved and we had a successful days fossicking with a lot of nice micromounts being found, as well as some nice larger specimens.
    Sunday we were fortunate to have lovely weather throughout the day when we returned to fossick at Mt Shadwell. Initially finds of peridot were limited but then we started to find some good gemmy bombs. Alan Wood (of the W'bool club) found a very nice bomb with several large "cutters". His find was followed by numerous other finds, including several nice pieces of 'golden peridot' by a number of members from the Warrnambool and Southern Rockhounds clubs. The writer of this report personally found 4 good bombs over the weekend with numerous "cutters" in those bombs. We finished fossicking around 4p.m. before club members enjoyed a nice tea together in Warrnambool.
    Overall, a good weekend, made all the more so by the company of the members of both clubs.


Members of the Southern Rockhounds fossicking at Mt Shadwell.	A volcanic 'bomb' containing gem quality peridot, found by A.Wood on the weekend.

York Peninsula club members fossicking at Tarrone quarry for zeolites.	A specimen of aragonite and calcite from Tarrone quarry.

An aragonite from Tarrone quarry.	A 3.6ct peridot gem from Mt Shadwell.

Peridot in a bomb from Mt Shadwell	Two of the peridot bombs found on the weekend

October 28 The Horsham club visited Mortlake to fossick for peridot.

November 4 The Glen Waverly club visited Mortlake and Lake Keilambete for a fossicking trip. A lot of bombs were broken open at Mt Shadwell with mixed success. Some nice micromounts were found, including some calcites and anorthoclase specimens. (I personally found 6 small peridot cutters in one bomb, the largest producing an 8mm emerald cut). The Glen Waverly folk stayed in Warrnambool, joining Warrnambool club members for apleasant meal out on Satuday night. As one of our club members commented later, "they are a nice bunch of people (the G.W. club members)".

November 11 and 12 Visit to Geelong exhibition

Warrnambool Club members undertook their annual trip to the Geelong Gem show on sunday the 12th, where a good time was had by all. It was great to catch up with the members of the Geelong club. A number of Warrnambool members visited the geelong show on the 11th due to other committments. .

2005 Activities

One of the main events for 2005 was the visit to the 'Palmer Rockerama' in S.A. by a dozen of our club members. We had a great weekend at the Rockerama with the local club showing great hospitality to our members. The 'El Supremo' at Palmer, his HRH Kym, performed fantasticly both on stage and as host, for the time we were there. 'Brian' had great fun in the metal detecting competition and we all enjoyed the field trips organised by the club.


Fossicking for black garnets	Metal detecting competition, a lot of fun for all involved!

Digging for fossils near Mannum	Black marble quarry near Mannum

2004 Activities Back to Top

In January 2004 the club held its biennial gem show at the Archie Graham centre in Timor St. Warrnambool. Some of the display cases from that show are shown below.


Display case of Bill Rogers containing both carved figures and faceted gemstones.	A showcase displaying a variety of agates

A showcase featuring a variety of Australian gemstones.	A display of fossils from around the world

A display of local peridot from Mortlake	A showcase based on Aladdin's cave