Conchology Section
Auckland Museum Institute

President's Report
It was great catching up with everyone after the Christmas Break. What a successful meeting with Allan Limpus updating us on New Zealand Alcithoe. We were all delighted to see Allan from Australia and also those people who travelled to join us — including Hunt Seelye from Whangarei, Bob and Betty Grange from Houhora, Ann and Derrick Crosby from Whakatane, Alan Peterson from Howick and Russell Hodgson from Parnell.
We had a record attendance of 31!

Margaret Morley accepted, on behalf of the Auckland Museum, a signed copy of Allan’s book. The Club also purchased a copy, please contact Gladys Goulstone for loan details.

We all missed Bruce Hazelwood and know how much he would have enjoyed the meeting. Thank you to those who shared happy memories of Bruce.

Thank you also to those who brought trays of shells to view.

March Meeting
This will be held on Tuesday, 14th March 2006 at Epsom Community Centre, 202 Gillies Avenue, Epsom. You are welcome to arrive from 7.00 pm with the meeting commencing at 7.30 pm — great chance to catch up with fellow club members, lucky door prize, shells to buy—come along!

Our Chairman and Speaker for the evening will be Chris Horne on the subject of Evolution. Please bring along a tray of shells that show a variation within a single species or group or closely related species or a shell showing some special adaptation. Look forward to seeing you there.

Bon Voyage
Four of our members (Heather Smith, Betty Headford, Nancy Smith and Gladys Goulstone) have submitted their apologies for the upcoming March meeting as they will be attending the Australian National Shell Show on March 11th and 12th in Sydney. We wish them all safe travel and an enjoyable time ... and look forward to their wonderful stories, photographs (and maybe a trophy or two!) upon their return.

Subscriptions
For those who have paid your annual fees a receipt is enclosed (if you haven’t already received same). For those who are yet to pay, please forward your cheque to our Treasurer, Neville Hudson as soon as possible. We would love to have all outstanding monies received by 28th February 2006.

Secretary
I have now officially entered the 21st Century and have connected to the Internet — my email address is kevandjan@slingshot.co.nz. If you have any thoughts, ideas, requests, photos that you wish to have included in the newsletter please feel free to email me at the above address on or before the 25th of each month as I intend to have newsletters prepared and mailed by the end of each month (all going according to plan!). If you would prefer to have your newsletter emailed rather than posted, please also advise.

Shell Auction
The Shell Auction will be held on Saturday, 29th April 2006 at the Albany Hall. Rae Sneddon’s interesting shell collection is to be auctioned and we enclose preliminary listings for your leisurely perusal.

April Meeting
Future notice for our upcoming meeting on April 11th which will be preceded by a Committee meeting at 6.00 pm during which we shall discuss and finalise plans for the auction. The Club meeting will include sharing information about the Far North and a report back from the Aussie Tourists!

Reminder — 75th Edition of Poirieria
We would really love personal interest stories — even a paragraph would be appreciated of your thoughts, details from events that you attended, anecdotes, memories of the 75th weekend. If you wish to contribute please send your items as hard copies, ie typed and ready for publication remembering to leave appropriate spaces for any figures/photos to Tony and Jenny. It cannot be guaranteed that your photos will be printed in colour because of the cost.

Congratulations
Our congratulations to Glenys Stace who is a finalist for the New Zealand Post Book Award for he non-fiction book "Blue New Zealand" - well done Glenys.

Items of Interest
Margaret Morley would like to see any shells of the black slug Melanochlamys cylindrica that you have in your collection. Please bring any to a shell meeting on a short term loan.
If you live on the North Shore and the only thing holding you back from attending a meeting is transport, then please give Jan a call on 444 8460 and I’d love to assist if possible.
There has been interest by a few members in ambergris (whale ambergris or grey amber). We would love to have someone educate us further on this substance and wondered whether anyone in the club had any ambergris that they had found, or would like to speak on this topic. Please contact either Heather, Jan or Peter in this regard.
Accessory valve: small, third external valve or plate as in Pholas and Barnea.

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