MasterClass in Cheese

Cheese-lovers gathered at the Library recently for a MasterClass in Cheese conducted by Dr. Trevor Hodson.

Trevor, Cheryl Tilleyand Nora Smibert with Bertha the cow who was on loan from Suttontown Primary School to advertise the event.


Trevor's passion for cheese and the depth of his knowledge were a revelation to us all as he took us through the types of cheese, how to make them, how to store them and how to enjoy eating cheese - with an open mind.

Sometimes they smell strange - like old socks - as Marg Doody discovered.

Trevor and Helen Boomsma, President of Friends of the Library, admiring the array of artisan cheeses for tasting.


Trevor pointed out that artisan cheese are made with love and have far more character and taste than industrial cheeses which are made mechanically.

Cheese-lovers lining up for tasting.

There were 8 prizes for the raffle, all cheese-themed, donated by Yoey's Fine Foods, Kraft Suttontown and Warrnambool Cheese and Butter at Mil Lel. Thank you to these generous sponsors.

First prize in the raffle was won by Carol Burge, pictured here with her cheese platter and Bertha the cow.

Carol, Trevor and Jan Prowse

Trevor thanked Jan Prowse of Yoey's Fine Foods of 32 James Street Mount Gambier for donating the beautiful cheeses which we enjoyed tasting - some from France, others from Limestone Coast, Gippsland and King Island.
I thought Shadows of Blue was outstanding!

It was a very successful day, raising $490 for Library purchases and with a good time had by all.

It's all happening at the Library - a fun place to be.

Future Friends events can be seen at http://folevents.blogspot.com/

contact Friends: folmtg@gmail.com

Bound by Books Sunday 25th July 2010

Bound by Books was conceived as a way of getting together in the Library all the members of book clubs in Mount Gambier and Districts. There are eleven clubs and they all sent representatives who assembled to share their experiences over afternoon tea, plus a few very welcome Friends of the Library who dropped in to see what it is all about. About 60 people attended.

Each club has a different modus operandi, ranging from books, movies and magazines to restaurants, food, wine and overseas travel; all are enthusiastic about their clubs and eager to share experiences - so much so that two more clubs formed on the spot. Now we need to know your names: The Book Group is taken as a name as it has been running since 1987.



Lois Dean talked on the book Minnie she has written and told us how she came to write it and how much she enjoyed the experience - some of the best days of her life were spent researching Minnie and the Hunter family of Kalangadoo Station. Life was hard for the early settlers of the South-East, with isolation being a major factor in their lack of success.

The raffle was a copy of Minnie and was won by Kara, second prize of The Jane Austen Book Club went to Shirley Underwood. The Jane Austen Book Club has males in it and it was gratifying to see a few males present at this gathering.

Afternoon tea was served by the committee with a delicious array of cucumber sandwiches, ribbon sandwiches, scones, brownies, cakes and powder puffs.

At the end of the day the question wasn't: if we have another Bound by Books but when? A suggestion from the floor was to copy the format of ABC's Tuesday Night Book Club and have 4 panelists discussing a book so that's what will happen on Sunday 24th October. Another date for the diary!

Big Book Sale

President's Newsletter July 2010

The Big Book Sale was a great success!

The Friends committee worked hard to set up the library with a great array of donated books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, magazines and beautiful jigsaws.

In spite of the wintry weather, customers were lined up outside waiting for the library doors to open - and in they stormed when the doors opened at 10 o'clock!

As predicted, the jigsaws were very popular, as were the books and magazines so that the committee was kept busy replenishing stocks.


The first customer bought three large jigsaws - enough to see out the winter.
Here is Marian Wittwer being served by Nelda Earl and Events Co-ordinator Patricia Reed.
Fresh stock was reserved for Sunday and some buyers came back on the second day to see what else was offered.
Don Pegler, MP for Mount Gambier who is the Patron of Friends of the Library Mount Gambier, came in on Sunday to draw the raffle, the prize for which was a Chambers Crossword Dictionary and Puzzle Book.

President Helen Boomsma holds the basket for Don to draw the winning ticket which went to Hilda Leamey. The raffle raised $100 - enough for a talking book to add to the Library's stock.

At the end of Sunday the grand total of sales was $2517 - an excellent start to Friends of the Library.

I would like to thank the committee who all worked hard and long and Friends who came in to help, especially Julienne Feast, Nelda Earl, Ruth Hein, Anne Taylor and Margaret Ashdown and Young Friend Jordan Small.

Very grateful thanks to everyone who donated such terrific items to make the sale successful.

Dates for your diary:

Sunday 25th July 2-4pm Bound by Books - an afternoon tea for members of Mount Gambier and Districts book groups and any interested Friends.
Lois Dean will talk about her book Minnie and copies will be for sale.
Gold coin donation.

BIG BOOK SALE

BIG BOOK SALE

Saturday 10th July 2010 and
Sunday 11th July
10am – 4pm
at the Library

STACKS OF BOOKS!
Books, magazines, CDs, DVDs.adult fiction & non-fiction, children’s.
New stock appearing on Sunday.

Please support

FOL Mount Gambier's first event.
Proceeds to the Library

President's Newsletter June-July 2010

Friends of the Library Mount Gambier has got off to a good start with the formation of an enthusiastic committee.

Our Mission is to support Mount Gambier Library and its concept of Learn – Connect – Explore.

Our Aims are:
to promote the Library within the community and encourage use of its resources
to undertake recreational activities and organise events
to raise funds to enable the expansion of cultural and educational projects
to seek additional support, sponsorship and funding.

The committee is:
President – Helen Boomsma
Vice-President – Betty Manifold
Secretary – Sue Briffa
Treasurer – Teresa Quartermaine
Membership Officer – Cynthia Richardson
Events Coordinator – Patricia Reed
Young Friends Coordinator – Chris Lloyd
ex-officio the 2 librarians – Cathryn Harris and Eve Carlin, Port MacDonnell
committee members – Nora Smibert, Kelvin Smibert, Marian Thompson, Cheryl Tilley, Jane Pellen-Philps, Lee Cranwell.

The Hon. Don Pegler, our Member of Parliament, has kindly agreed to be our Patron.

All Friends and would-be Friends are invited to the launch of our association at the Library on Sunday 4th July at 2pm when we will outline our plans for the future and invite you to tell us your ideas.


Dates for your diary:

Sunday 4th July at 2pm - Friends of the Library Mount Gambier Launch
Saturday 10th July and Sunday 11th July - BIG BOOK SALE at the Library Any book, magazine, CD, DVD, jigsaw donations for this sale welcome.
Sunday 25th July at 2pm - Bound by Books, an afternoon tea and get-together for all book groups in Mount Gambier & Districts, to be held at the Library.
If you are in a book group please contact us for an invitation via folmtg@gmail.com.

An exciting time is ahead! I hope you will be part of it.

Regards Helen Boomsma