Well, what a fabulous weekend it was for the Lismore Gem Show. Many members took the opportunity of the beautiful weather to go to Lismore to replenish their supplies of rocks, crystals and other things needed to make jewellery or extend their collections. The variety of shapes and colours of all the different minerals really have to be seen to be believed. The show was on for the whole weekend and it was crowded the whole time. A few members had a stall to try to reduce the number of specimens they had or to sell jewellery they had made. Business was brisk and many lovely pieces changed hands. On May 18, Kevin Hogan MP attended the Club to advise members that we had been successful in obtaining a grant from the Stronger Communities Programme. This programme helps fund small capital projects which helps clubs increase local participation in community activities. This grant will enable us to purchase two new faceting machines to replace our old, inaccurate and unreliable ones. When the new ones are installed, we will be able to restart our faceting classes as we have many newer members who wish to learn. On a more personal note, we have three new Life Members. These members have been coming to the Gem Club for over 20 years, supporting all our activities, sharing their knowledge and are mentoring some of the new members. Congratulations to James, Barbara and Lorraine. We hope you have many more years with the club. So if you think you might like to join us, come to the Clubrooms in the Grafton Showgrounds on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9am to 3pm or Thursday evenings 4pm to 8pm. We can also be contacted by email – graftongemclub@hotmail.com or by phone on 0435 583 021 while we are open. Barbara Watkins