The Annual General Meeting was held at our Wednesday 22nd July meeting.
The chairman, Lou Dall’Est, opened the AGM at 8.00 welcoming the 36
members in attendance.
The minutes of the previous year were read and confirmed.
Moved : K Gadsden Seconded : C Farrell : Carried
No outstanding business was raised.
Financial Statement 2025-26 were read to the audience by Kevin Gadsden due to the unavailability of Treasurer Warwick Remington.
Lou noted that once audited, the reports would be published in the Journal as normal.
Motion : The Financial Statement, subject to Audit be accepted as read:
Moved : J.Pope, Seconded : G Mitchell, Carried
Questions from the members were invited. The AGM meeting closed at 8.14
and the General meeting was then conducted.
Main Feature:
Our guest speaker for July, Vern Muir – DNA Solutions was introduced to
the members by Gary Pegg who has known Vern for many years, and could
personally attest to the proficiency of the services provided by Vern’s company.
Vern noted that he first launched his service to the ASA about 30 years ago,
and that it started as a hobby project whilst studying.
With access to the Laboratory given by Melbourne University he was able to
conduct testing as well as research. From this beginning he was able to test
on different species and establish male and female. DNA Solutions now has its own certified laboratory facility and is located in Wantirna.
By using the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique developed in
the USA combined with enhancements added via Japan, DNA testing was
revolutionised. Testing of DNA, involves the continual doubling of the copies of DNA from as little as a few cells. Only a small blood sample is required for test results to be achieved in about 3 or 4 days.
Customers are able to register a job on line, and are allocated a unique job
number. The service is used by Zoos, Vets, Specialist Chicken breeders and
hobbyists. The cost of a test starts at $24-25 for a single bird and reduces
depending on the number of tests required down to $18.90 for up to 10 birds and even less for more than 10.
General Business:
A 20 kg Bag of seed donated by Dandenong Stockfeeds was the major prize of the night, won by John Vella.
A number of donations were made for the raffle, including prizes supplied by many of our members. As always we are most grateful to the donors and thank them for their contribution. Congratulations to the winners. Some winners and donors wishing to be acknowledged include, Lee Thornbury, Jasper Keith, Marie De Lima, Joe Bolyos, John Vella. (Any errors remain the Secretary’s).
2: Treasurer’s Report:
The Treasurer’s Report was posted at the side of the room. Moved: Kevin
Gadsden, Seconded: Peter Booth, Carried.
3: August Program: Adam Fitzgerald from Canberra – Red Capped Robins
4: New members: Welcomed by Lou and invited to speak to members if they
require any help.
5: Lost and Found: It has been reported that a pair of African Grey parrots
have been lost in the Reservoir area.
6: Service Items: Tom Hobbs was unavailable and service items suspended
for the meeting.
7.Other Business:
Lou thanked Dandenong Stock Feeds for our major prize of seed and thanked all our donors for their support.
Members were reminded that if possible, support the Ballarat Expo on
Saturday 1st August.
It was mentioned that the person who had lost his Amazon parrot was
appreciative of the efforts of the member who found and retrieved his lost bird, just one of the benefits of being a member of a Society / Club.
A question from the floor regarding the Bird Flu was addressed by Lou,
advising that there was no official declaration at the moment regarding the Bird Flu and that normal hygiene practices should be maintained at the moment, and that any change would be conveyed if circumstances change. An email was sent to members that included the Animal Care Australia’s template that reinforced the need for hygiene practices, and that at this stage there was no need for change other than remaining diligent.
The meeting closed at 9:25 with supper prepared by Tas Graham, enjoyed,as
members socialised.
Kevin Gadsden, Secretary
Avicultural Society of Australia,Inc.