ORCHIDS AUSTRALIA CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLICATION

PUBLICATION DIRECTOR’S REPORT

The February 2008 issue of Orchids Australia is the first for our twentieth year of publication.

When I realised the significance of the year I decided to do some research relating to our history. In 1989, Don Gallagher and a small team of helpers in South Australia presented the first issue of Orchids Australia (see image at right) as the official publication of the Australian Orchid Council. At that time we had an associate in each of the states who was responsible for providing newsworthy material from their state’s clubs.

The first issue carried fifty two advertisements; the December issue of 2007 carried forty five, including several contra arrangements with overseas orchid societies and publications. It is also worth acknowledging that there are seven of our original advertisers who are currently advertising with us. To them and all our previous and current advertisers we say a sincere thankyou. It is through the contributions of our advertisers that we are able to maintain the annual subscription for Orchids Australia at a competitive rate.

A check of the index of articles in Volume 1: No 1 reveals that one stalwart of the publication, Colin Hamilton, presented an article about his hometown’s presentation of the “Rockhampton Orchid Dalliance”. Since that time Colin has been a regular contributor to the magazine, although for the past twelve months or so his health and associated hospitalization has prevented him from being actively involved.

To all contributors over the past nineteen years the AOC says thankyou. It is through the regular articles by many and the casual contributions by a lot more people that we have been able to provide a valuable magazine. We have tried to balance the scientific presentations with the educational and the ‘hobby-type’ articles. Our magazine has been acknowledged world-wide as a significant orchid publication and from the number of overseas subscribers it appears to be providing something which they want in an orchid magazine.

When I completed the mailing list for the December issue for our printers I was surprised to note that we have retained eighty five of the 1989 subscribers in December 2007; this includes ten of our AOC clubs. Our printers, Lanes Print Group, have been producing our magazine since its inception. The quality has been extremely consistent and we can ever rely on their production team to have the magazines ready for us at or very close to the due date for mailing. Modern technology has enabled us to do a lot more of the basic preparation before submission to them for the final layout etc. Our Editor, Coralie Hills, has done a magnificent job, considering that she has had to ‘learn’ the foibles of the computer programme which the printers use at the production stage.

Unfortunately the number of subscribers has diminished over the years; this is no doubt in parallel with the numbers of people who are currently growing orchids compared with the numbers who were growing them in the nineteen eighties and this is I believe reflected in the numbers of clubs currently functional and the numbers of members attending meetings. Our population is aging and there is a need for us to try to encourage the younger generation to take up the interest which we have followed in our lifetimes so fervently. Not an easy task when one considers the other ‘attractions’ and commitments which they have!

The OAC is indebted to Wolfgang Bandisch for the work which he has done on the website for us. Wolfgang has updated the front page and has made a number of changes to the contents pages. He will do what he can when he has the time and the opportunity. When Colin Hamilton is able to work from home he will do what he can to maintain the website at the standard which won for it the WOC Gold Medal at the 18th WOC Conference held in Dijon in 2005.

Colin Jennings
AOC Publications Director