Jimmy Kirkpatrick has a Record 320 lathe for sale. 4 years old, great condition, offers in the region of £400. Phone: 07960 982723

After this year’s AGM the committee have been able to enhance the workshop by buying six sets of turning tools, one for each of the smaller lathes, this allows us to make up a slightly larger set, for the largest lathe from the existing stock of turning tools.

Specialist tools will continue to be housed in the racks at the workbench, all the other tools will be sorted and either sold off or kept as reserves in the cabinets.

We have a ‘spare’ chuck now for the occasions when we need to use two on a workpiece or when a piece is half competed and the worker can’t take it off the chuck between sessions.

Over the next week or so Jimmy will process the new stock of abrasives into shorter rolls, he will be able to offer 120, 180, 240, 320, 400 and 600 grit velcro backed quality abrasives.

THE AGM IS WHEN ANNUAL SUBSRIPTIONS ARE DUE, SO IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID YET PLEASE DO SO BEFORE 31ST DECEMBER, AFTER THAT YOU ARE NO LONGER COVERED BY OUR INSURANCE AND CAN NOT USE ANY OF OUR LATHES OR TOOLS.

Senior/ Mature

Colin Marshall (winner)

Junior/ Novice

Galloway Woodturners Chairman’s Annual Report October 2022

After a couple of difficult years when the club was very quiet (remember Covid ?) I am very happy to say that the club has returned back to normal, with good attendances and some new members. Sadly we lost Bobby Lees (not Covid related); our sympathies go out to his wife Anne and the family, and thanks to all the members of Galloway Woodturners who attended the funeral service at Dumfries Baptist Church on 22^nd May. Bobby’s passing is a great loss to us all and his cheery face will be greatly missed.  Otherwise our membership numbers remain strong.

Our evening workshops twice a week have been well attended, and David has restarted the Wednesday afternoon sessions, our monthly meetings are also well attended.

Despite my intention to have the Beginners Courses in the old format of several evenings rather than as a whole day event, those attending favoured the Saturday all day format due to shift work or remnants of Covid caution. That said I have a new Beginners Course starting in the evenings throughout November. In all I have taken four beginners courses and had ten participants.

Last year we had no professional turners visiting any clubs, or doing tours, but some professional turners have missed the face to face interaction and have partly or fully abandoned the Internet based demonstrations, we were very happy to welcome back Gary Lowe, in person for his Professional Demonstration and Masterclass 9 and 10 April. Gary was due to visit us just as the first Lockdown happened, so it was very apt for him to be our first professional visitor, and gave us a sense of ‘picking up where we let off’, which was another major step back to normality. Thanks go to our former chairman Roger Cutler for arranging these turners.

On 13 August Helen Bailey (of Axminster Tools fame) was our other Professional Demonstrator and stayed on for a Masterclass the following day.

Financially we usually break even, or make a small loss (occasionally a very small profit) from these visitors but I feel it is valuable for the club to have them come, partly to give our own (demonstrating) members something to compare themselves against, and often our own compare favourably, but also for everyone to have a professional demonstrate something more advanced, yet still achievable. The demonstration days are well attended, but I would like to see more members take the opportunity to participate in the Masterclasses. Do not be put off by the name; you do not have to be a ‘master’ to attend the class. These days are simply an opportunity to learn a little more, under expert guidance, so that we can be more creative, more confident, or have our stills and talents confirmed by a qualified outsider.

Next year we hope to have more professional demonstrators and reinstate ‘in-house catering’ so that you don’t need to bring your own lunch (the last of the Covid precautions).

Financially we are still comfortable, and our treasurer has kept on top of things. The details are contained in a separate Treasurer’s Report. Jimmy has been good all year keeping us supplied with our essentials at good prices to us and financially supporting the club.

With rising energy prices, expected rent and  insurance bills the committee think it is prudent to raise our annual membership fees from £35 (which was last raised in 2018) to £40, which is still great value at less than 77 pence a week.

From the ranks of our own membership we have enjoyed demonstrations from Roger, Mick, Phil H, plus myself, and at this year’s AGM we have the pleasure of Phil Jones.

On 20^th June I travelled to Prestwick to demonstrate Swanee Whistles at Ayr Woodturners club. Ayr have been very good at sending a car or two of members to swell our numbers occasionally when we have professional demonstrators visit us.

On 16 &17 July we had a table again at Kirkcudbright Country Fair where we demonstrated woodturning and sold a few items, thanks to members who helped out over the two days, especially to Arthur for setting it up for us and to young Fin, and his grandfather Alistair, for taking a great deal of the load off my shoulders and Fin’s demonstration sessions which allowed me to nip off for an ice cream occasionally. Kirkcudbright is a nice event to attend and raises the awareness of Galloway Woodturners, gets us the occasional new member and also offers of wood from people’s gardens.

I was also able to promote the club by taking a table, borrowing Bill McCoskry’s lathe that Cheryl kindly donated to us after his death, and demonstrating for three days in August at the Scottish Sheepdogs Trial near Closeburn.

Most recently, on 19 September, we had Clarebrand Rural visit our workshop and I was able to display what we do, and made a little Yew bowl for them. As it was the day of the Queen’s funeral their numbers were very low but they were determined to come anyway as the Queen was their Patron and they felt that she would want them to continue rather than close that evening.

Our AGM is an opportunity for Galloway Woodturners to look back and be content that we have done well. The coming year looks bright and our membership remains strong in numbers and finance.

What makes an organisation like Galloway Woodturners so special is not just numbers of members or numbers on a bank statement but the act that our members all get on well together, encourage each other and extend warm welcomes to new members. Committee members do their ‘bit’ but so do all the members who are generous in giving advice and support to each other, moving chairs and lathes for meetings, wood prep, maintaining  equipment, tools and lathes where necessary. When things get dire there is even a bit of cleaning in the kitchen, toilets and workshop. Please continue doing this, I and other members really appreciate it. The club is in good hands tonight and has a bright future.

It has been a pleasure to be your chairman this past four years. At this AGM the membership are free to elect a new chairman, and I would be happy to retire and heckle from the back row in future years should you so wish.

Rolf Buwert  

2022 Chairman.

I will be holding a Beginner’s Woodturning Course for four evenings from Thursday 3rd November to Thursday 24th November, 7pm to 9pm, at the workshop in Castle Douglas. All previous courses this past year have been intensive all day courses, and this is a transitional course based on the old six week courses I used to run about three years ago, and still featuring on our web site.

I know there are a number of new members who have been waiting a while to attend a Beginner’s Course so would appreciate it if members who have attended my course in the past and want a ‘Refresher Course’ could let me know and I will hold a separate course for you, leaving this course for ‘newbies’ .

The course fee remains at £120 for the four evenings, and includes all materials, but you can bring your own wood and tools if you want.

Let me know fairly soon if you want to attend as spaces will be limited to 5. 

As in previous courses I would be happy to have a volunteer to help me run the course doing the essential tasks such as making the tea, but chiefly a second pair of eyes, and someone who could be ready to provide a sticky plaster or other first aid because you know I don’t do well with external blood (rest assured that in all my years of doing these courses no more than half a dozen drops of blood have escaped collectively across all students, and no other injuries have been sustained) If that volunteer can also help sharpen tools, or even assist student to sharpen tools that would be great and allow me to devote more time to the shavings side of things.

Rolf

AWGB Accredited Tutor

Senior/ Mature

Colin Marshall (winner)

Phil Jones (close second)

Ken Coates

Mick Schofield

[Too awful to show] 

Junior/ Novice

Ken Powers (winner)

Finley Mitchell

Dear All,

I am preparing to open the club workshop on Wednesday afternoons, 1.00 – 3.00pm starting on Wednesday 28th September.

Best wishes,

David

In accordance with our constitution I give notice of the 2022 AGM on Tuesday 11th October 2022, and invite members to submit nominations in accordance with the terms of our constitution. Subscriptions are also due at the AGM, or shortly thereafter.

The AGM should be fairly brief and will be followed by a demonstration of how to make a reversible bowl by our very own Phil Jones.

Rolf Buwert, Chairman

Extract from our constitution:

MEETINGS OF THE CLUB:

• An Annual General Meeting shall be called as soon as possible after the close of the Club’s financial year on the last day of August. A Quorum of the meeting shall be 25 per cent of the paid up membership to include at least two Officers.
• The ordinary business to be transacted at each Annual General Meeting shall be:
  1. To receive and adopt the Chairman’s report of the previous years working.
  2. To receive and adopt the Treasurers report and the statement of account covering the financial affairs of the previous year.
  3. To elect Chairman, Officers and Members of the Committee for the following year.
  4. To elect an Honorary Auditor to verify the financial status of the Club.
  5. To fix the Annual Subscription for the coming year following submission of a Committee recommendation.
  6. Any other business that the Chairman of the AGM may seem fit.

If a vote is required this will be carried out by show of hands by those members who attend the Annual General Meeting. If the vote is too close to determine an accurate result by this method then a secret paper ballot shall be held. A simple majority only is required.

• Notice of the place, time and date of the Annual General Meeting shall be circulated to all paid up members not less than thirty days before the time of the meeting.
• An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by a resolution of the Committee or on the receipt of the written request of at least five members of the Club.
• Motions for the Annual General Meeting must be submitted in writing to the Honorary Secretary fourteen days before the date of the meeting.
• Nominations for all Officer positions and for replacements for retiring ordinary members of the Committee shall be submitted in writing to the Honorary Secretary fourteen days before the time of the Annual General Meeting.

All nominations, proposals or motions for the Annual General meeting must be signed by both Proposer and Seconder, both of whom must be paid up members of the Club.