Wellington Rock & Mineral Show 2011

Two words can sum up a successful Club Show ... good planning and good teamwork. Thankfully, we had both!

While Friday was our set-up day, in our minds we had been “setting-up” well before this day. We had been planning our display cabinets, hearing radio advertisements, noticing billboard advertisements, distributing fliers, receiving duty rosters and attending clubroom briefings – all generating anticipated excitement that this was “Our Show” and “It Was Going To Happen”.

Friday arrived. This was a day of arranging tables, juggling tablecloths, delivering and erecting cabinets, lighting, labelling and glass-cleaning, tent-pitching, display setting-up and s o o o o much more. This was also a day when it became very obvious that our Club members are a team and work as a team – so good.

Noon-til-nine saw a constant trickle of traders and members arriving to set-up their trading tables and cabinet displays ... and then it was all done.

We were ready for our Show to start.

Saturday and Sunday were rewarding days.  Hard-work was behind us and we could now really enjoy all that a Club Show is (while undertaking our rostered duties, of course!)

With 47 member display cabinets each providing a unique insight into our hobby, the task of selecting a favourite for the People's Choice vote kept our visiting members of the public interested and busy.

 ... the fluorescent room and static workshop were popular as was micro-mineral viewing through the microscopes.

A good number of visitors arrived with parcels or pockets of rocks, minerals and fossils to be identified by our knowledgeable team who were well armed with books and loupes!

GNS Science had books for sale, a display of geological landscapes created by local school children and video viewings. Their fossil-casting session on Saturday morning was so popular with the younger visitors that they unexpectedly ran short of plasticine!

And then there were the traders, raffles, 3D mineral photographs, the photo-board, “Did you Know?” posters and a cafe.

Conversation and catching-up with familiar faces undoubtedly added to each day.

Breakdown on Sunday was quick and effortless – team effort shining again – so that by 6.30pm we were dispersing with the memory of a great weekend. Our goal of showcasing our hobby to the public

complimented with a small, select group of traders, fulfilled.