S orry that I am not able to be with you this evening as I am still in hospital recovering from my hip operation.

However I am there in spirit and would like to present my report for the year’s activities of the Tamborine Mountain Little Theatre since our AGM last September.

Despite a few setbacks, we have had a successful year thanks to all those who have volunteered their services to the Theatre.

The Zamia has continued to show that it is a part of our community life and the programmes and organisations that have graced its doors have been well organised by our theatre manager Ian Young. The management of the building has been ably organised by the Zamia management

committee, which comprised Brian Franklin, Pam Marsh, Cath Buckley, Lyn Howard, Julies and Ian Young and myself. Groups using the building included U3A, Tai chi, Zumba, Yoga, Irish Dancers, Dance School, Kung Fu, In your Face Productions, and Acupuncture.

The building continued to be improved, and as well as new curtains on the stage and the finalisation of the dressing room facilities, we were able to organise a Jupiters’ grant of $15,858 which largely paid for the construction

of a storage shed at the side of the building. This had always been included in the original restoration plan but I was able to get the Shire to agree to let us erect is in colour bond steel instead of wood and with the Zamia Sign on this frontage it does not look out of place. The excess costs of the foundations and concreting were funded by the theatre management. We also had a busy bee to line the building. Electricity was connected and shelving and rack for clothes installed. At each busy bee where those valiant members who always turn up, this year Lyn Howard organised a lunch and refreshments which were much appreciated.

Brian Franklin and I directed a new farce - Fox on the Fairway by American writer Ken Ludwig, with a great cast of new and familiar faces. We had great audiences who hugely appreciated the golf course antics of the cast which included Gavin Jobson, Bronson Ramminger, Linda Simister, Jessica

Bennetts, Peter Lancaster and Cath Buckley.

Barbara Lassiter organised the premier of the latest Inspector Drake Film which was a hoot and slightly shorter than the last epic which had its premier in the UK here and in new Zealand.

Karen Higginbottom and Vivienne McPherson organised some successful Theatre Sports activities with Wade Robinson and his crew performing a great night out for theatre sports enthusiasts on the mountain. Sadly this activity was unable to continue, as it was great fun for those who did participate.

In October we were saddened by the demise of our friend Jim Marsh who left us for another performance elsewhere. The theatre rallied round as it always does and a great wake for Jim was held in the theatre with many of this friends and admirers crowding out the theatre. Jim, you are missed by us all. A tree to his memory has been planned in the grounds of the theatre. The theatre has this year hosted both wakes and weddings as a good community hall should.

Our social secretary Pam Hawthorne organised visits to Gold Coast theatre and we were able to see our member Tony Hall in There’s a Burglar in my bed and Our Man from Havana at Javeenbah. A group also attended a production of Hair at Spotlight.

The March production of Any Number Can Die, a play directed by member Joan Stalker-Brown in Beenleigh was unable to continue due to logistics, but thanks for the offer, Joan. Joan will direct Funny Money by Ray Cooney in November. Other activities have included Dance Kaleidoscope, a regency plethora of dance, costume and jewellery making, as well as other activities undertaken in that age, such as cards, story telling, and a session devoted to the gruesome aspects of Regency surgery.

Movies on the Mountains, organised by John St Clair, have been very successful

with audience numbers building and dare I say it, profit being made. Thanks, Graham!

As well, Jennifer McConaghy suggested we start a film club showing on a Sunday evening and asking members for suggestions for films that would have an appeal to a select audience rather than the general public. This idea was well received and the club is meeting once a month. Nearly forty new members were attracted to join, and these of course are now paid up members of the theatre groups, another potential audience for our plays.

The final production for the year was How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn. A very complex set which involved simultaneous action by two entirely different families on the same stage stretched the imagination and involvement of every cast member. Director Annie Lotocki, who started off the production was, unfortunately, unable to continue after her initial setting of the moves, and director Brian Franklin stepped into the breach producing a professional

performance from the cast. Cath Buckley, John St Clair, Linda Simister and Barry Chatel , Karyn Ferguson and Benjamin Swinburne are to be congratulated on their fine performances.

Special thanks to my committee this year. Brian Franklin, our stalwart secretary; Barbara Lassiter, web master supreme and organ-iser of the ticketing service for our shows as well as the newsletter and all other things she takes on; husband Graham, kept us in line when we tried to spend too much; and Pam Marsh helped him cook the books—whoops - organise the audit most admirably; Ian Young, our Theatre Manager, who kept the money flowing in; and partner Julie who kept him in line, as well as giving so much input into our meetings; Cath Buckley, member of many years, who also had much input into our deliberations; and Lyn Howard, our providore who organised repairs to the building, kept the larder full, and fed us when we needed her culinary skills (bet you wished you lived a few kilometres further away from the theatre at time, Lyn). Publicity Officer, Barbara Proudman must also be thanked for giving us so much publicity in her Tamborine Times Newsletter. In addition there was John St Clair, movie organiser, builder, concreter, set constructor; and Owen Buckley who was also here when needed. Ian Buckberry was always ready to lend a hand and invest his carpentry skills into the theatre; and, so many other members who turned up regularly for busy bees, too many to be named individually. Thank you all.

Well, the year is now over, and I retire from my Presidency knowing that with the help of all our members and the extra put in by our stalwarts, the Zamia will continue to be well used and TMLT will continue to function well as it has since its in-ception many years ago. I wish the new committee and my successor a happy and productive year.

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Warrick Bailey