Namibia Bird Club
MinutesforANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Held on Tuesday 21st February2017 at 19H00
NAMIBIA SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY, WINDHOEK
- WELCOME, ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES
The chairperson, Gudrun Middendorff, welcomed everyone present.
Please see attendance and apologies list attached.
- CONSTITUTION OF MEETING
The notice and the announcement of this year’s AGM has been sent out well in time and with 31 members being present the meeting was declared constitutional.
- EXTENSION OF AGENDA
No new matters were added to the Agenda that had been distributed ahead of the meeting.
- APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting held on 9 March 2016 had been mailed to all members. There being no amendments Dieter Ludwig proposed to accept the minutes and Sonja Bartlewski seconded the motion.
- ADOPTION OF REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON
Gudrun Middendorffread the Chairperson’s report (see attached report)
The report was unanimously accepted.
- ADOPTION OF ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2016
Gertrud Piek made a presentation on the Namibia Bird Club financial statements for 2016 as well as an analysis of the financials for the past few years.
The financial statements had been sent out by mail for everyone’s perusal.
The bird club funds increased by 28% from 2015 with our investments amounting to N$56,059at end of 2016 and the current cash assets of N$ 32,817.The major income source for the club continues to be membership fees (N$22,990) followed by fund raising efforts – namely the Bio Market (N$15,380) and sale of 2017 Calendars (N$11,827). The club ran the coffee and cake stall twice in 2016.The complete financials are attached.
All members were thanked for their continuing support – especially those who help at the Bio Market as this not only brings income, but also increases the exposure of the club.
The proposal to accept the financial statements was made by Jennie Lates and seconded by Alrun zur Strassen.
- ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Holger Kolger’s, Alrun Zur Strassen’s and Jennie Late’s term as members of the Committee had come to an end but all three were willing to stand for re-election. The meeting re-elected these three members to the Committee.
- GENERAL
8.1 Donations:
Liz Komen from Narrec received N$ 5,000.00
Sandra Dantu’s Penguin Rescue N$ 5,000.00
Sonja Bartlewski’s Wild Bird Hospital N$ 5,000.00
Jessica Kemper’s Penguin Rescue N$ 5,000.00
The bird club actively supports these rehab stations.
8.2 Invite to conduct Atlassing in Zambezi Region:
Mr. Adolf Waidelich, Manager of Livingstone’s Camp invited members of the club to come and do atlassing in Nkasa Lupala National Park in the Zambezi Region. He also very generously offered free accommodatiopn at Livingstone’s Camp for this exercise.
8.3Calendar and new members
Meryl Butcher gave some feedback on the 2017 calendar for consideration when making the 2018 calendar. She also encouraged the committee to make efforts to reach out to young Namibians to try and get them more interested in birds.
8.4Bird Posters
All present were encouraged to take copies of the newly printed educational Bird Posters – for Owls, Large Birds of Prey and Parrots of Namibia.
After the interval a very interesting episode – “The Problems of Parenthood” from the DVD series “David Attenborough’s The Life of Birds” was played.
Attendance List
Surname / First Name / Surname / First NameBartlewski / Sonja / Lates / Jennie
Bauer / Ursula / Linow / Hanne
Böhme / Hanjo / Lucesse / Dr Hans
Britz / Tommie / Ludwig / Dieter
Butcher / Quinton / Middendorff / Gudrun
Butcher / Meryl / Piek / Gertrud
Curtis / Babara / Piek / Danie
Detering / Helga / Pielock / Heinrich
Finke / Annegret / Rechholtz / Steffen
Fuller / Judy / Schonecke / Kai-Uwe
Green / Norman / Schumann / Gunter
Green / Avril / Schumann / Julian
Hoffman / KH / Thomson / Neil
Hoffman / Monika / Vale / Helen
Iben / Erda / Waidelich / Adolf
Kanzler / Michaela / Walter / Joe
Kirchner / Uschi / Zimny / Anita
Klein / Franz / zur Strassen / Helmut
Kolberg / Holger / zur Strassen / Alrun
Kolberg / Claire
Komen / Liz
Apologies
Surname / First Name / Surname / First NameBarnes / Gillian / Gudde / Ellen
Blair / Gavin & Marjorie / Hart / Toni
Boorman / Mark / Hoffmann / Klaus-Walter
Crawford / Lesley / Jagdhuber / Armin
Cunningham / Peter / Njuguna / Wanja
Dantu Dr. / Sandra / Pooley / Helen
Edmunds / Tony / Roberts / Carole
Elblein / Elsbeth / Sack / Jessica
Gascoigne / Paul / Surén / Jutta
Chairperson’s Report
Dear bird club members and friends,
Tonight we have several reasons to celebrate: it is raining in Namibia, Von Bach dam has taken water, Avis dam has had some inflow and I have to honour to present my tenth chair report.
It is my pleasure to show off the revised and newly printed posters. This project initiated
by Liz Komen from NARREC and supported by the bird club serves to educate the general public about our own vultures, owls and parrots. The accompanying booklets are being worked on and will be ready in due course.
For the second year running the Bird Club calendar 2017 featuring photos taken by our own members was printed early in July and we sold all 250 for a handsome profit.
Last year we organised 10 morning walks to either Avis dam or the Gammams Water Treatment Works, 5 outings to farms around Windhoek, the summer and winter wetland inland counts and a number of members participated in the coastal wetland count, a Vulture ringing day was held at farm Smalhoek, a walk done in the Botanical garden for birders and plant lovers and the popular year end function was held at farm Monte Christo. Last year we had a combined ringers and atlasing outing to the south of Namibia. Nomtsas farm was our base for four days while birders did what they do best: observing, ringing, atlasing, debating bird issues, birding and simply enjoying the outdoors. The bird mapping group also went camping at Hudup camp site and on Farm Gras. To be able to atlas or bird map areas further afield three long weekend trips were organised: one at farm Haasenhof, one at Zelda Guestfarm and one at a Evergreen camp site outside Omaruru. Twice the Biomarket coffee shop was run by volunteers and has brought welcome funds and donations into our kitty. As a “thank you” we invited the donors and helpers to a fun skittle evening at the SKW.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards the many members that donated so generously towards the bird club.
Since SAPAB 2- Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 started in Namibia in May 2012 almost five years have passed. As the project is an update and extension of the first Southern African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP1) we urge all interested people to sign up and contribute by collecting data in Namibia.To date we have covered 1270 pentads, 213 observers have submitted 5000 full protocol cards and about 11.96% of Namibia is now covered and 197 712 records have been submitted. I mentioned 213 observers: the number includes all the loyal visitors from South Africa. Namibian residents make up about 50. Here I would like to congratulate Dave Ward and Eckart Demasius who each have submitted over 600 full protocol cards. The bird atlas project in Namibia is a partnership between the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Namibia Bird Club and the Animal Demography Unit, University of Cape Town (ADU).
As you will see on our financials we annually donate a sum of money to support the rehab centres in Namibia because of their valuable educational effort. This year’s donations go to: Liz Komen from Narrec Rehab Station at Brakwater and Sonja Bartlewski for the Wild Bird Rescue Centre in Windhoek, and to the two penguin rehabilitation stations at the coast one being in Swakopmund – Dr Sandra Dantu and in Lüderitz - Dr Jessica Kemper.
That brings me to the most important bit: thanking all the members supporting the club, thanking my committee members who come to meetings in their free time, thank you the to the Namibia Scientific Society and their helpful staff for the venue and the equipment which we may use free of charge and to the radio stations and the printed media for the advertising of our outings.
Gudrun Middendorff