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Auckland Shell Club |
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Auckland Shell Club |
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June Meeting
The focus families were Tonnidae and Harpidae.
There was a short discussion on this subject, and a good selection of trays brought in by attendees were available for viewing. In particular was a magnificent display of Lyria brought in by Luen Jones.
But the highlight of the evening was a large box full of NZ shells being given away by Heather Smith. The box contained hundreds of matchboxes and other small containers, each with one or more NZ shells and a data label.
In what was effectively a big lucky dip, we spent about an hour eagerly opening the little containers to see what treasures they contained. Even Heather did not know what was there. There were many good shells, some rare species, and everybody came away happy with their haul of goodies.
The shells came from an old collection recently given to Heather by Mrs Rae Stanton (87) who was possibly a member of our club many years ago.
Heather informed us that she will be away for the next 3 meetings. She will be participating in the Keppel Bay and Townsville Shell Shows, then travelling by campervan with twin sister Alison up Australia's west coast from Perth to Broome – a distance of over 2000 km. That trip will take about one month, and on the way they will visit Shark Bay and Monkey Mia. Those locations are renowned for their remarkable sea life which includes whale sharks and friendly dolphins.
We look forward to hearing (and seeing) all about that later this year.
Next Meeting – Tuesday 9th July
Epsom Community Centre, 202 Gillies Avenue, Epsom at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)
Wilma Blom, Curator Marine Invertebrates at Auckland War Memorial Museum will demonstrate the NZ Marine Life app that is now available for Apple devices.
This app is a digital Field Guide to New Zealand's diverse marine life. It combines detailed descriptions with stunning imagery and is a great pocket reference for all ages, whether in the field, at the beach or on a boat.
The app holds descriptions of over 100 species, including rock-pool crustaceans, popular fish and marine mammals, and unusual sea reptiles.
Margaret Morley will talk about her shell collecting experiences on Kawau Island, and we ask attendees to bring along any photos (in digital or print form) of trips you have done.
The focus family will be Epitoniidae, so attendees please bring in a selection of these for viewing.
There will be shells and books for sale and for free, and of course supper at the end of the evening.
All welcome.
Trevor Appleton
Trevor Appleton, a prominent member of the Brisbane Shell Club, passed away on June 13th after battling cancer for six months.
Trevor was a very keen shell collector and a mentor for many Conchologists. He edited and wrote many articles for the Brisbane Shell Club News "The Radula" and he attended and entered in many Shell Shows. He was at our shell show in 2009 and the Wellington Shell Show in 2011. He attended many of the Yeppoon and Townsville Shows and all the National Shows in Australia. He joined the Brisbane Shell Club on all their annual boat trips out to the Great Barrier Reef. He will be a huge loss to the Brisbane Shell Club.
Te Papa Restructure
Last month we mentioned a Campbell Live (TV3) item about the ongoing restructure of our National Museum, Te Papa. In response to that we received an email from Bridget MacDonald, the Senior Corporate Affairs Adviser at Te Papa. The email provides some clarification about what she described as misleading and inaccurate points made in the Campbell Live story.
Bridget's full email can be viewed at http://nz_seashells.tripod.com/TePapa.doc.
Shell Auction – Saturday 26th October
Our annual Shell Auction will be held on Labour Weekend at the Albany Hall.
Sellers please get your lot lists to Peter before the end of August. Lot numbers are limited to 20 per person, but please advise if you would like to put in more than that because room for more may become available.
As usual the club will take a 10% commission on the sale price.
Contact Peter Poortman (petermwp@gmail.com or 09 817 1397) for more information.
Market Place
Our club website (http://nz_seashells.tripod.com) now contains a new "Market Place" section.
We can list any shell related items (shells, books, magazines, collections, etc) either for sale or free giveaway by members or non-members.
We can also advertise your want-list or any shell related items you would like to obtain.
Currently we have three WW collections for sale, showing contact information and numerous photographs.
Contact Peter Poortman (petermwp@gmail.com or 09 817 1397) if you wish to add to this list.
Poirieria Magazine
We welcome contributions to our club magazine "Poirieria".
Anything related to shells or collecting would be greatly appreciated - Eg. shelling trips/finds, personal observations/tips, scientific research, historic anecdotes, a notable washup, etc.
Please email articles to Peter Poortman at petermwp@gmail.com, or post to 26 Pendlebury Street, Green Bay, Auckland 0604.
Club Library
We have an extensive collection of books, magazines, and scientific publications available, as well as a biological microscope.
Other News
. Enclosed is the Members List for 2013.
. Franck Frydman of France is looking for specimens of Haliotis virginea morioria, Haliotis virginea huttoni and Haliotis virginea virginea stewartae for his collection. He has specimen shells for exchange, and will send a list of spares to anybody interested. Franck can be contacted at rf-j-rf@wanadoo.fr.
. Keppel Bay Shell Show, Yeppoon, Queensland, Australia on 6-7/July/2013. For more information, contact Jean Offord on +61 7 4928 3509.
. Townsville Shell Show, Townsville, Queensland, Australia on 20-21/July/2013. For more information, contact Glenda Rowse on +61 7 4773 2817.
. The 10th Australian Shell Show will be held on 7-9th/February/2014 at the Balgowlah RSL Memorial Club 30-38 Ethel Street, Seaforth, Sydney, N.S.W. 2092. For more information email shellshow@sydneyshellclub.net.
. Items of interest for the monthly newsletter are always welcome - email to petermwp@gmail.com, or post to Peter Poortman, 26 Pendlebury Street, Green Bay, Auckland 0604.
