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2008 Letters to members
Letter posted to members, 7th February 2008
FRIENDS OF BUCHAN CAVES
CATCH UP NEWSLETTER January 2008
G’Day Friends
Well sometimes AGM’s do not go according to plan. Our scheduled AGM in November started
off well but finally failed during transit to Buchan. First our Secretary had to withdraw on
grounds of infirmary, well the minutes etc were picked up so no worries our AGM will still be.
held. Then enroute to Buchan the President was stricken with Montizuma's curse and you name
it. The AGM was still possible at this stage, until a mobile phone call was received outside the Rosedale
chemist, you guessed it, the Vice President was called overseas at very short notice, so the VP and
Treasurer were also unable to attend. The working bee went ahead as scheduled even if the AGM
didn't.
Results of Working Bee
There was a great turn up of friends for the working bee which took place in Federal Cave. There
were around 27 more track lights installed, and repaired the LED lights that had failed. Apparently
we had received a faulty batch of LEDs from the supplier, which means a lot of extra work and
time for Peter rebuilding the lighting units and FOBC changing the faulty ones. There was
repairs and re-housing of the halogen display lights done. Don’t despair in actual fact the system
is working brilliantly, now with the increased track lighting the cave passages are gently outlined
and it's possible, but not yet recommended, to walk through Federal without headlights.
A "SUN" meter i.e. a solar panel volt meter was installed at the Federal entry. This meter is a
valuable guide to the power available in the cave and being delivered by the solar panel. This
will also be a point of interest for the cave visitors.
As FOBC teams were installing the track lights, followed by a team tidying the wiring
and light areas. Where the tidy up team has finished, the track lights just sprout out beside the track
with no sign of the wiring or fixtures. It will be fabulous when this is the case throughout the cave.
Parks are very happy with the outcome in Federal to date; FOBC has spent close to $30K on the
project. The majority was raised by grants through the Friends organization with help from Parks.
The donation boards in Royal and Federal cave were renovated with new photos and information.
These boards were have been having problems with moisture penetrating the lamination on the photo's,
turning them into smudgy ghosts of the real thing. Hoping to overcome this problem the new
photos and information were printed on photo paper, left to dry for 24 hours, then spray sealed
with clear electronic circuit board varnish, then left to dry again, then double laminated and installed on
the boards and held on by Velcro to make changing information easier - will it all work? Hope so.
To allow Federal to be used for tours over the Christmas New year period a few Friends
stayed on to continue work. One experiment in lighting was to arrange a display sensor
to light the way out of the cave thus giving a different aspect. This worked well and is
something investigate further. By estimate we need only another 3 track lights to
complete the installation. But still lots of detail and tidy up work needed to be done.
NEXT WORKING BEE 15 - 16 MARCH 2008
Come along and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the Federal cave project maturing and
approaching completion. Please contact Erica Baddeley H 9808 7248 by Wednesday the 12th March for catering purposes.
Accommodation: Camping in caves reserve is free. Normal rates apply at Homeleigh. Free accommodation at
Caves House is available for this working bee. Prior bookings are necessary, Erica Baddeley H 9808 7248 by Wednesday the 12th March.
Projected work for March Working Bee
Tidy up the track light wiring
Install more feature lighting
Work on the problem of head clearance lights/warnings
Check on the donation boards/Empty the Royal and Fairy donation
Check the condition of the Potholes and Wilsons Interpretation signs
Free BBQ on the Saturday night - BYOG
Regards your committee
FRIENDS OF BUCHAN CAVES
NOTICE OF OUR 17TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
WHEN - Weekend of 15th and 16th March 2008
WHERE - Homeleigh, Buchan. AGM meeting starting at 7-30pm on 15th March.
BBQ - YES - Commencing at 6pm. BYO drinks. Food provided.
WORKING BEE - this weekend.
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2008 Executive Officer Contact List
Note: The executive will change after the Annual General Meeting on 15th March 2008.
