Monthly Meeting - AGM and Lockdown Reflections
Tuesday 11 May 2021 – AGM Evening
For the second year in a row the Ruskie members joined our online AGM – this time we are significantly more confident users of technology! We also are now practiced with SurveyMonkey but more of that later!
Anne Artis joined us from Dornoch and introduced the minutes of last year before Helen summarised the Balance sheet – after all our expenses this year we have still returned a profit meaning the bank balance remains healthy. This is entirely down to the donations of members and visitors whose generosity is overwhelming.
Anne gave the Presidents report, reminiscing about the Ruskie fire but welcoming the friendly faces on Zoom. Our speakers for the year ranged from ocean racers to Scottish tales and chocolate brownies; with goodie bags to start the season and also for Christmas which provided our entertainment in December. 2021 started with a hugely popular musical evening, and an introduction to local attraction at Arnprior farm. Knife skills for cooking (and avoiding knives as a police man before becoming General secretary of the SWI!). A final delivery of a single seed potato for our growing competition rounded out the wonderful year and we look forward to meeting up more in the coming season.
Alan Russell, our independent adjudicator, then announced the results of the Surveymonkey ballot. Anne Artis was again voted president which she accepted with grace and a huge sense of responsibility! The committee of Christine Bauer, Liz Black, Pamela Deans, Sheena Gibson, Helen Little, Allison McLeod, Heather Millar and Janice Oman also accepted their positions.
The members then went on to look forward to some events which are hopefully coming up and sharing stories and items which had been made during lockdown. Anne shared the story of her island knit, Liz Dykes with her quilting for beautiful children’s covers and one of a kind extra large pieces, Noreen and her boot liners, Carole who rose to her personal challenge of ‘crafting for a reason’ making hand made items to support StartUp Stirling raising over £1000 to date! Isobel was delighted to report that her potato broke through the earth yesterday and also that she has been reading stories to her grandchildren … Christine shared her small projects (which fit with her attention span during lockdown!) and Catriona has been reroofing her house (not personally!) while painting beautiful items – from golden eggs to multi layers on vases drizzled with methylated spirits which look like marble! Sheena’s cross stich love birds turned out to be a great choice (and gifted to her newly engaged son and soon to be daughter in law!) or Janice’s lockdown tapestry cushion (which was created 28 years ago but lockdown was the final push to finish it!) or Elsies bobble pram blankets which were more urgent to finish before new great grandchildren appear!
Liz Black closed the meeting thanking the members and new committee, wishing everyone a great summer and hoping that we can get together (whether in Ruskie or another larger hall) when the ‘data’ permits it. Stay safe!
