CSSA April Gathering 2023

Hope you can join us at the CSSA April Gathering! For those unable to attend the hall we will still be Live Streaming to the CSSA Members-Only Group and Zooming (details on how to join can be found below).

Our Speaker this month is Graham Charles (UK) - Matucana in habitat and culture

Graham will discuss the thirty species of Matucana, where they grow (often in spectacular scenery) and how to grow them in pots.

Graham first started growing cacti and succulents at the age of 12 and joined the British National Cactus and Succulent Society in 1962. He has given about 1000 talks at BCSS branch meetings and conventions in Britain as well as at events in mainland Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. He has made more than 25 visits to South America to study the plants in their natural habitat. For his contribution to the hobby, the CSSA made Graham a Fellow of their Society in 2005.

His first book ‘Copiapoa’ was published in 1998 and he has since co-authored ‘Cacti in Brazil’ with a group of enthusiasts from Germany and the Netherlands. There followed a book titled ‘Cacti and Succulents’ about the hobby in general and intended for beginners and those wanting to progress their interest. Graham then served as a member of the editorial group for the New Cactus Lexicon, contributing many photographs to the picture volume. The completion of this book about Gymnocalycium was the result of three years research including visits to Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia. The next book project will be about Matucana due for publication in 2023.

Graham was the editor and production manager for Bradleya, the yearbook of the BCSS, from 2013 until 2020. He was elected as President of the BCSS in 2021 and appointed a Fellow of the Society. Following the resignation of the Chairman, Graham served as acting Chairman of the BCSS until elections were held in spring 2022.

Graham has organised an annual residential meeting since 2005 for cactophiles looking to expand their interest and knowledge. Known as the Cactus Explorers Weekend, it features talks about more unusual plants and places. Its journal, The Cactus Explorer, was launched in August 2011. It was the first free on-line journal in English for cactus and succulent enthusiasts and has achieved a large world-wide readership.

Graham met his wife Elisabeth at a cactus meeting and, for more than 35 years, they and their plant collections have shared a large glasshouse at their home in Rutland, near the historic town of Stamford, England. 2022 saw the publication of Matucana charlesiorum, named in their honour.

POTM: Trichocereus

AT THE HALL:

• Members/Visitors/Guests will need to sign in with the CSSA, this is for Society Insurance purposes and must be completed.
• Please DO NOT attend if you have any symptoms of Covid-19 (temperature over 37.5°C, runny nose, cough, aches/pains, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea, sore throat, loss of sense of smell or taste, fever/chills/night sweats, headache, shortness of breath, fatigue), have tested positive to Covid, have had close contact with anyone confirmed or suspected of having Covid-19, or have been required to self-isolate (please refer to https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/checklist).
• Face masks are no longer required unless you have been a Covid close contact. But feel free to wear one if you wish.
• The order of proceedings will be as follows (approximate times): • 6.00pm Hall will open to set-up the venue (if you can assist with set-up this would be appreciated) • 6.45pm Sellers may enter the Hall to set-up their sales • 7.00pm Members/Guests/Visitors may enter the Hall • 7.30pm Zoom room will open and soon after the live stream to FB CSSAustralia Members-only Group will commence • 8.00pm Monthly Gathering starts • 10.00pm Gathering close and pack up (if you can assist with pack-up this would be appreciated)

FOR THOSE WISHING TO JOIN THE MEETING VIRTUALLY:

>> CSS Australia Members are provided the Zoom details via email and the Members-Only FB Group

>> If you would like to join the Monthly Gathering Zoom room as a Guest/Visitor, please contact us no later than 24 hours prior to commencement of the Monthly Gathering.

Guests/Visitors are welcome to join our Monthly Gatherings either at the hall or via Zoom for up to three occasions, after this time we ask you to become a Member. More information about our Membership is available on our Website (https://cssaustralia.org.au/membership). Membership costs as little as AU$20 ($15 concession holders) a year – so there is no better time to join than now!