AGM
Club AGM (Tuesday 15th April at Caston Village Hall - 7.30 p.m.)
Agenda - the time for additions to the agenda has now closed and the agenda has been sent out via email. If you have not received a copy on your email account, please let us know and I will send out another copy.
New Committee
As you are aware, we are losing three committee members at the AGM, and we would like you to consider nominating yourself to join Caston Camera Club's committee, the deadline for which is the 1st April 2014.
Managing the affairs of the club is an important role and requires commitment but, if the club is to continue to move forward, we urgently need new ideas and assistance from the current membership. It is vital that we have six members for the committee in 2014-5. By doing so we will be able to provide a full programme and continue the smooth running of the club. To give you some idea of what we do, I have attached a list of the roles and responsibilities that the committee takes on.
All we ask is that you commit for at least one year and, in conjunction with the rest of the committee, take on one role. This does not have to involve standing up at the front of the hall - in fact the most important jobs are done behind the scenes. There will be a couple of times a year when the committee as a whole has to cover more than 2 events per month but we do not hold a lot of committee meetings and do our utmost to make sure these make efficient use of time. The rest is really up to the individual committee members and how much time they are prepared to put in.
If you feel you are able to help the club, please make your nomination by email to elaine
Please give consideration to offering your services - it is a most rewarding experience and we are sure you would enjoy being involved with the future of the club.
If you are thinking about it but are unsure, please also feel free to contact any member of the committee who will then arrange for one of us to call you back with further details.
Nomination for Caston Camera Club Committee
Tara-Jane Mayall
My name is Tara-Jane Mayall and I would like to put myself forward for nomination for the Caston Camera Club Committee.
I feel that my current and previous working experience will be an asset for the committee.
I have over 16 years’ experience of Administration work as a Project Administrator, a Receptionist, an Assistant PA to an Executive Team and currently as a Secretary. These positions have stood me in good stead to be able to bring with me excellent communication and organisational skills. I have an excellent knowledge of the Windows Office package (especially Word and Excel). I am competent at minute taking and letter and report writing. I am also a competent proof reader.
I have worked in highly confidential situations; I am trustworthy and have an up-to-date CRB check.
I am not afraid of a challenge and I am pro-active and hard working. I would like the opportunity to use my skills and knowledge to the benefit of the Camera Club.
Neal Trafankowski
I would like to nominate myself, Neal Trafankowski for the committee. One of my best attributes would be the willingness and desire to help out others.
Photographically I am always pushing myself. In a short amount of time I have gained a wide range of skills and knowledge, from Caston Camera Club and the internet.
My day job involves communicating with 3rd parties to arrange deliveries for the company that I work for. The skills that I have learned from this role, planning and admin duties is what I can contribute if I were on the committee. "
Andrew Barrett
Last November I was elected to the committee of Caston Camera Club, not quite sure what I was letting myself in for. Four months later, I have a much better idea of what this role entails and I would really like to carry on the work that the current committee have been doing. The enthusiasm and talent of the club members is my main driving force and I want to play a role in organising the club for at least another twelve months. I bring experience of running teams, organising trips and visits, using different communication channels and managing websites. I am very pleased with the prospective candidates for the new committee and feel that, with my leadership and the support of experienced members, we can do a good job for all photographers from point-and-shoot beginner to semi-professional advanced. My main objective for the year is to ensure we focus on the fun of taking photos and the satisfaction of learning new tricks. I will not, therefore, be seeking to make any more major changes. My energies will be firmly fixed on the club programme.
Charles Phillips
My name is Charles Phillips I am a new member to the club and I would be very happy to contribute to the club as a member of the committee.
Formerly a company director in the mining and industrial minerals industry, I am a semi-retired consultant. My wife is a solicitor and we moved from Hertfordshire to East Harling in September for Gillian to join a law firm in Bury St Edmunds, and to be closer to her mother in Norwich.
My interest in photography started when I was given a 1915 Mk 2A Brownie as a toy by my grandmother at the age of 7 (Sputnik 1 had just been launched), and I asked my mother to buy me a 120 film from Boots. My first attempts were fogged, blurred, badly composed and badly exposed (ok - so nothing’s changed then) and I absolutely loved them! I was hooked, and photography has been an interest all my life. Maybe if I keep practising I might become good at it one day.
Previously with Royston Photographic Society where I was chairman until July 2013, my outlook is that competitions and league tables are great fun and provide an incentive to get out and take photographs, but the real benefit of club membership is sharing the joy of photography (yes we had the other book too), sharing the knowledge, like-minded friends and interesting places.
Andy Mayall
My name is Andrew Mayall. Since joining the committee last November albeit a steep learning curve I have enjoyed being the clubs Competition secretary. I found it both a pleasure and an honour to be privy to first glance at members images submitted at competitions. I am looking forward to the next club year. As we hope to propose new changes to how the competitions are run, with input from not only the outgoing members of the committee but the clubs members too. I am currently an IT Field Engineer that can offer technical skills to the club, and as I only work Friday to Sunday I can offer my spare time to running the club.
Helen Riley
I have been member of the club for a couple of years now and last year was invited to join the committee as a Beginners Group representative. A couple of months later, with several committee members resigning, I was asked to take over the role of Treasurer which I was happy to do. My background is in public sector IT, which included working on financial accounting systems and this has certainly helped me with this role.
I have been using a camera for a number of years just as a recording tool, to support other projects I was working on and applied to join the club so I could learn how to use the camera more creatively. I really enjoy being a member of the club and thanks to the training sessions, fellow members generously sharing their expertise and some constructive feedback from competition judges I have certainly learned a lot more about how to use my camera a bit more creatively (including how to post process images with Photoshop software more creatively too).
I would like to give something back to the club in return by serving on the committee. I would like to work with the members of the committee and with fellow club members to help ensure the club runs as smoothly as possible so that everyone can get the most from being a member and have time to enjoy their photography too!