Victoria Lapidary and Mineral Society > 2021

Year: 2021

It’s time to renew your membership!

Posted on by Becci Simmons

It is a curiosity that membership of the Victoria Lapidary and Mineral Society (VLMS) runs from January 1st to December 31st of the year, no matter which date you originally joined the club. As a result of this everyone’s membership is due for renewal.


I would like to send all the membership information to the BCLS in the 1st week of January, so please take the opportunity of renewing as soon as you can.


You can renew your membership by one of the following:


1. filling out this google form Victoria Lapidary and Mineral Society Membership Application 2023
2. filling out a paper form at the Christmas Dinner

3. by printing this pdf Application form and mailing it and a cheque to: VLMS Membership Secretary, 4711 Kasani PlaceVictoria, V9C 4C7

If you joined the club this year as a new member and paid fees for this year, those fees will be applied to next year’s membership and you do not need to pay again, however you do need to fill in the form for 2022 to indicate you wish to continue with the membership. This is a one-time special circumstance due to the Covid situation.

Payment can be made by one of the following:

1. e-transfer to treasurer@vlms.ca – use a security question where the answer is “membership” such as “what is this for?”

2. by cheque sent by mail or in person at the Christmas dinner

3. by cash in person at the Christmas dinner

Your membership fee to the Victoria Lapidary and Mineral Society (VLMS) includes a membership of the British Columbia Lapidary Society (BCLS), which in turn is a member of the Gem and Mineral Federation of Canada (the “GMFC” and the Outdoor Recreation Council (the “ORC”). As a member you are welcome to join their events, shows and field trips which you can find through the link above. Your fees also go to insurance coverage for participation in club meetings, field trips and events.

If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me, membership@vlms.ca

Da Vinci BBQ and Member’s Meeting, September 13th, 2021

Posted on by Becci Simmons

Because we hadn’t seen each other for over a year (thanks, Covid) we used the September meeting to have a BBQ and social instead of the usual Monday Members’ meeing.  We are rentedc the upstairs room of the Da Vinci Centrefor the evening and bought in Lori, from Lori’s Little Kitchen  to run a BBQ from the parking lot at the club’s expense. 

The plan was to provide a time and space where we could catch up with each other after a long hiatus and share the tall stories of what we’ve been doing to fulfill our rock cravings over the last year and a half when we haven’t been able to meet in person. Members were encouraged to bring rocks/ photos of rocks and indulge your passion (for rocks)

Click on the photos to see bigger images as a slideshow.

Changes to the Board of Directors

Posted on by Becci Simmons

For a variety of reasons a number of people on the board of directors have stepped down from their positions over the last month. On Tuesday the Board of Directors held an extraordinary meeting to fill vacant positions. From our club bylaws:

A quorum for a meeting of the BOD shall be five.

and:

Vacancies – The BOD may appoint a regular or honorary member to fill a vacancy (however caused) on the BOD and that director may serve until the next annual general meeting.

The board has made the following appointments which will stand until the general membership is able to meet at an annual general meeting to elect the board for 2022 (hopefully in January).

  • President – John Andersen (president@vlms.ca)
  • VIce President – Yvan Gagnon (vicepresident@vlms.ca)
  • Member at Large – Susannah Andersen (susannah.andersen@vlms.ca)
  • Workshop Manager – Doug McLeod (lapidaryworkshop@vlms.ca)

Gary Brooke, our long-standing Laphound News editor would like to pass on the torch. He has agreed to continue in the position until the AGM, but if you have the time and interest in taking on this valued job, please email the board at bod-elected-appointed-2020@vlms.ca

We are also looking for a Junior Island Zone Rep to work with David Jackson and Sarah Hamilton on co-ordinating with other clubs on the island. (The Island Zone positions rotate in March, not January). If you are interested in learning more please email the board at bod-elected-appointed-2020@vlms.ca

Field trip: Koksilah River, May 16th

Posted on by Becci Simmons

4 members went on the field trip to the Burnt Bridge area of the Koksilah river near Shawnigan. This is an area to find double-headed quartz crystals tubeworm fossils.

“What you are looking for are silicate rich sandstones that have been trapped between the fault lines skipping across the far side of the river; unlike the Duncan variety of crystals these are in hard rock and will need to be dug out. Also you can find marble, and fossils in the creek.

The 4 of us had a great time, and found some great samples.” – Sean Maier

The group met at Ice Cream Mountain in Goldstream and the trip lasted from 9am to 3:30pm

Field trip: Ralph Mines, Goldstream, April 18th

Posted on by Becci Simmons

6 people joined the field trip to an old mine site called the Ralph Mine behind the Goldstream Campsite. The hike involved a a fairly rigorous climb up a hillside to a gated mine shaft. It isn’t possible to enter the mine, but in the area they found clinozoisite (a cousin of epidote and tanzanite), bornite (peacock ore) and some malachite.

The meeting place was at the Ice Cream Mountain ice-cream shop at 10 am. See map link below