Category: Club Business

Hello everyone:
Please find the February 2022 edition of the Laphound News below. I’m pleased to meet you and honoured to try to fill Gary’s Brookes’ shoes after his good work over the past years. 
I’m new to lapidary and geology and am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from, and to get to know you, beginning at the March members’ meeting. See you there!
Sincerely, 
Julia Henshall, Laphound News Editor, laphoundnews@vlms.ca

Laphound Newsletter Feb 2022 Vol 65 Issue 1

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

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

The BCLS publishes a calendar each year, featuring 13 photographs of rocks and minerals from British Columbia and the dates of rock shows across the province. The photographs included are determined by way of contest; we’re now happy to announce the opening of the 2019 BCLS Calendar Photo Contest!

The contest is open to all BCLS members.  Enter for a chance to win one of 13 spots on our 2019 calendar. The prize for each photo chosen is a copy of the calendar and a lapidary item valued at not less than $20.  Contest closes Canada Day July 1st 2018.  See full contest rules below or on our website.  Remember, our calendar lists all the BCLS club shows.  Help make our calendar great!

Here is the cover page of the 2018 BCLS calendar… this could be your photo in 2019!

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me by responding to this email.

Regards,

Denise Cullen
BCLS Calendar Coordinator, denisecullen@telus.net

At the monthly meeting Becci Simmons presented this updated website to the membership.  Features include

• new posts to the front page of the website every month
• expanded categories of reporting, including Events, Features, Field Trips, the Workshop
• an expanded Member’s-only area with back issues of the laphound news, minutes of the monthly meetings and other administrational documents
• a forum for discussions (visible to the general public)
• the ability to look at archived posts by month
• a feed from the club facebook group.

Becci also introduced the members’ only mailing list.  When posting to the list, please sign your posts and if you want a private reply, please include your email. Please be aware that if you hit “Reply” to the mailing list, you are emailing everyone on the list. Members are automatically signed up to the list on joining the club but can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of any mailing list email, or by emailing web@vlms.ca and asking to be removed.