My thanks to the members for selecting me as your President. I will endeavour to continue in the tradition of friendship, fun and music-making set by Michael and Peter.

My first task is to apologise for the oversight between Peter and myself for not thanking the outgoing committee members at the AGM.

Tatyana Burns has been on the committee since we incorporated in January 2017.  She has been primarily responsible for producing our music books and running the TOOM (Try Out/Open Mic) nights. She continues to inspire us with her professional skills as a singer and performer and leads us in many of the songs we are less confident in.  We look forward to her continuing in these roles.

Jonno Kingma also joined the committee at its inception, and after a break, returned last year.  He has worked tirelessly behind the scenes buying and setting up our sound equipment, bringing his own gear and arriving early each week to set up for our sessions.  His quiet generosity is highly valued.  We also look forward to drawing on Jonno’s tech expertise when we are able to be back together again.

Shirley Biggs joined the committee last year and has shown herself to be a willing worker for the club in many different aspects. Her cheerful and enthusiastic response to any job that comes her way makes it a pleasure to work with her.

The new configuration of the committee as an executive of four should see more people involved in the decision-making aspect of the club as we set up sub-committees to take on the various roles.  At this stage we have a sub-committee headed by Rick Nuttall which is planning a super-dooper Virtual Christmas party, and a Finance sub-committee led by Les West to look initially at our method of fee collection when we return to the hall.

Other sub-committees will be set up as we go along and members will be asked to express their interest in being involved.

OTHER KEY ROLES ARE:

Newsletter & Kingston Council Liaison:          Jill Thompson
Webmaster:                                                         Alison Davies
Zoom Master:                                                      Peter Grigg
TOOM (Try Out/Open Mic) Master!!              Tatyana  Burns
LEGS (Lukes Entertainment Group):                Mandy Cooper
Membership and Database Update:               Veronica Young
 

Going forwards LUKES will have a pared down committee comprising an executive of 4 members only. The Executive Committee for the coming year is:

Carolyn and Noel Coxhead

Carolyn

Q: What brought you to Australia from New Zealand?
Noel’s job brought us here. We thought we would just stay five years and “see Australia”….40 years later……
Q: How did you come to join LUKES?
I had a friend who thought she would like to play music but had no experience. I thought a violin was a step too far so we went to the Hills Uke Festival together and were completely hooked.
Q: What work roles have you had in your life?
I trained as a Pre-School teacher in NZ but my qualifications were not accepted in Oz so I then trained as a Piano Teacher in the Suzuki Method. I taught in schools and from my home studio.  I was President of the Victorian Suzuki Teacher’s Assn for two years.
Q: When I was a kid I wanted to be…
A boy, so I could be a pilot.  (Shows how things have changed…these days I could have been)
Q: What has been your most exciting experience in life?
My most scary but exhilarating experience was dam-dropping,  where you launch off the top of a dam on a boogey board.
Q: Who has inspired you?
My aunt, born in 1920, who was single and had the most amazing adventures all her life. 
Q: What is your guilty pleasure? / obsession?
Getting into bed early with my book..and eating a Mars Bar when Noel is not looking.
Q: What makes you laugh?
Getting silly with my three sisters
Q: Favourite song or type of music / book / movie?
Classical – Bach & Chopin;  Folk Music / 60’s.
My favorite recent book is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
I enjoy movies but my favourite entertainment would be musical theatre.
Q: My favourite place on earth is..
Wherever home is.  I love travelling to amazing places but even after the Covid experience I still love home, the people in my life and the activities I am involved in in the community.

Noel

Q: What work roles have you had in your life?
Research, Technical, Marketing and Management – all to do with Agriculture in one field or another.
Q: When I was a kid I wanted to be…
I was raised on a large Dairy and Sheep Farm. All I ever wanted to do was run it more productively than my father. I never understood how livestock could be interested in my ability to converse in French- a decision I was later to rue. Carolyn reasons my inability to hold a tune is because cows are tone deaf and weren’t fazed by my tuneless airs during milking. A good friend later commented that Noel learned it was easier to milk the “cocky” than the cow. At 25 years of age, Carolyn and I left the family farm and began a new journey that culminated in a shift to Melbourne, and here we are! 
Q: What has been your most exciting experience in life?
Undoubtedly the birth of each our 4 children
Q: Who has inspired you?
Too many to single out, in common they are pragmatic and positive 
Q: What would you like to invent?
Interestingly I have been involved in many new inventions and patent applications in concert with others. They all had practical applications in Agriculture.
Q: What do you wish had never been invented?
Apart from COVID?
Q: What is your guilty pleasure? / obsession?
A wee dram or three of a fine single malt!
Q: What makes you laugh?
Fun times surrounded by family and great friends
Q: Favourite song or type of music / book / movie?
Interestingly as per my earlier comments on language, I never held any interest in history. That has changed and I long to understand more about how we came to be.
Q: My favourite place on earth is..
We count ourselves very fortunate, we have travelled and explored extensively. The answer always is - anywhere peaceful, surrounded by family, good friends, good food and good music.