The Hills Photographic Society is a young incorporated camera club, meeting at the Hills Hub, Emerald, Victoria, on the second and fourth Thursday of the month at 7.30pm. All are welcome to visit with a view to becoming a member.
We are a not-for-profit organisation, formed to share our common love of photography, as well as knowledge, skills and creativity. The club provides a friendly environment for member to learn and enhance their skills for taking and processing images with their chosen cameras.
Our current committee members are:
President: Allan Pan
Vice President/Secretary: Kathie Thomas
Treasurer: Martin Sudul
Competition Steward: Wayne Pollard
Website Co-Ordinator: Linda Sijpkes
Publicity Officer/Newsletter: Linda Sijpkes
VAPS representative: Kathie Thomas
Events Committee: Pauline Van de Pavoordt, Steve Williams
General Committee members: Pauline Bunker, Eric Yates
Some of the members of our club.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
2022 AGM
What a challenging year we had! With Covid restrictions and lockdowns in 2021 and even though
the club still adjusting to all the different aspects of this outbreak even now, I think we can be truly
proud of what we have achieved in that time. Much of this was done under difficult circumstances
and Zoom was under constant use throughout this year We moved into the Hub, had a number of
new committee members, people (including myself) in different or new roles and some general
upheavals to overcome this year. Still as a club we have continually progressed in developing and
improving every aspect of our club. There have been extensive and ongoing reviews of all aspects
of the club including such things as committee structure, definitions and rationalization of roles,
fees, guidelines for competitions and by laws to name just a few.
All this was due to our brilliant committee and I want to thank them for their effort.
A highlight (especially considering all the hurdles we had to work around) was our exhibition and
what a fantastic event it was. Participation was really high from our members submitting their
masterpieces (over 100 displays) and I’ve heard nothing but praise from the general public. Our
sponsors were also pleased and I’d like to congratulate Jane and Eric for their awards.
At the beginning of my period as president we increased our membership from 19 to 34 and I’d
like to welcome all those new members and complement them on the high level of skills they have
already displayed. It means that all of us are challenged even more, which can only be a good
thing.
We have had some interesting get togethers doing such things as going to exhibitions, photo
shoots and participating in numerous other activities. Furthermore, it’s not just the committee
people who have contributed. I am convinced that there has been a steady increase in the quality
of presentations and photos submitted in competitions and some of our members have proven to
be excellent presenters. Our internet presence is continually becoming better and we are starting
to become a widely known entity in our local community.
Now that things have eased a little more, I am sure that we do even more of the same and even
better in the near future. I am confident that the next term will be even more eventful. As a club
we seem to work well together as a group. I hope we ensure that we cater for a variety of skill
levels and continue to develop a positive social experience with likeminded people. I am confident
that we will continue with a high variety of competitions, excursions, guest speakers,
presentations on a range of topics in the future
I am re-elected I will welcome all constructive suggestions from our members and continue to deal
with any perceived issues in the next term.
Lastly, I would like to say thank you to Paul Bianco for all his work throughout the years. He wishes
to have a break from the committee which is understandable after such a long time. He was one
of the founding members and the club and we would not exist without him. All of us are grateful
for all his past contributions and hope he continues to enjoy his photography!
Allan Pan
President 2021 – Present