A unanimous vote of members at the Elliot Lake Horticultural Society decided to stick with committee governance instead of an elected executive body.
The current governing committee was on trial for one year, which ended this week. After a brief discussion and explanation of why the society would prefer to stay with committee governance, led by Director Marg Reckahn, she presented a motion and it was agreed to unanimously.
“Our best way to go is by committee,” said Reckahn, citing that it is very difficult to get individuals to volunteer to run for office which requires a great deal of responsibility and time commitment.
Ann Beveridge, society secretary, said the current committee meets every second Tuesday to make decisions for the society and plan for upcoming meetings. She said committee members are better able to share the workload and more minds breed greater creativity. She said the committee’s term is for two years and members will be voted on next year.
Beveridge went on to say that the only executive position required by the Ontario Horticultural Society is that of treasurer, presently held by Allaurien Cousins.
One new member was added to the governing committee at the Oct. 23 meeting held at the Masonic Heritage Hall: Charlotte Vlahovich was voted in as a greeter and director in charge of outreach.
Following the business portion of the meeting, Dina Drouin brought in an unusual plant for Show & Tell: a mix of spider plant and purple shamrock. She said she bought the plant at the society’s plant sale in June.
Dianne Vlahovich, in charge of publicity and public relations, then hosted a Trivia Night, forming 21 members attending into four teams.
She handed out a list of 20 questions and circulated some mystery plants. It was an interesting exercise enjoyed by many, with laughter at some of the answers.
Some of the questions included were, what happens if you plant a peony too deep? (answer: it doesn’t flower); which of these are pollinators? Bees, wasps, butterflies, ants, moths, beetles, hummingbirds? (answer: all of them); what plant is known as ‘nature’s supermarket’? (answer: cattails, because you can use the roots for flour, the leaves for making baskets, and the fluffy tops for stuffing baby swathing for diapering – as used by Indigenous people).
Horticultural Society membership is open to all and runs from January to December for a $10 fee for a single annual membership and $15 for a family annual membership. Meetings run on the fourth Wednesday at 7 p.m. from January to June and September to November at the Masonic Heritage Hall. For more information, visit their Facebook page or call Ann at 705-227-0641.