Well, what a great Grafton Show, nice weather and great crowds. Thank you to the 23 members who put entries into the Lapidary Section of the Show. We had a total of 93 entries over all classes. The Champion entry was a garnet and silver pendant by L Geary. We had four outstanding awards for the four sections of entries. Section 1 Worked rocks – Calcite Cabochon – B Thomas; Section 2 Jewellery – Double Rope Chain – N Small; Section 3 – Mineral Specimen – Calcite Crystal – L Geary; Novice – Prehnite Cabochon – K Cummings. We also had a fantastic exhibition from members own collections. Its nice to see such a varied display of minerals and jewellery. We like to say thank you to the many visitors who came to see what we do at Gem Club. Thanks also to members who gave their time to demonstrate some of our activities, and those who came along to talk to people about rocks and what we do with them. We had a lot of support for our raffle of handmade jewellery. Ist prize – J Kirton, 2nd prize – H McNelis, 3rd prize – K Jackson. We are looking to have more workshops for members. Please keep an eye on the blackboard for information. The next major activity for the club will be the Lismore Gem Show. It will be held at the Lismore Showgrounds on May 14 and 15. This is a very large gem show with lots to see and plenty of things to buy. Some members will be having a stall there and others will be going to have a good look round to see what they can get for their collection or to make something from. It’s a great weekend and anyone who will be in Lismore during that weekend should take time to call in and have a look. Some of the minerals for sale are mind-blowing. You can buy anything from a small tumbled stone to the machines used to work the stones. We have welcomed several new members over the last few week. If you think that you might like to join us, come in to the Clubroom while we are open – Tuesday and Saturday 9am to 3pm and Thursday 4pm to 8pm. Contact us by email – graftongemclub@hotmail.com or phone us on 0435 583 021 on the days we are open. Barbara Watkins