Annual General Meeting and Presentation
2024 AGM and Presentation
Including a presentation on Hairpin Banksia with Annette Muir, plant ecologist at Arthur Rylah Institute
Supported by Yarra Ranges Council
 | Saturday 17th August |
 | 10.00 am (AGM followed by presentation from 10.40 am) |
 | Montrose Town Centre (map) |
 | RSVP to secretary@meg.org.au by Thursday 15th August |
MEG members and the public are welcome to attend this fascinating presentation from MEG member and past committee member Annette Muir, a plant ecologist with Arthur Rylah Institute. The presentation will begin at 10.40 am, preceded by MEG's Annual General Meeting from 10.15 am. Doors open at 10 am. Light refreshments, tea and coffee will be available after the presentation.
There is no need to book but we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity. Bring friends and relatives! Voluntary cash donations to MEG are encouraged.
Hairpin Banksia: A plant that needs our help
This threatened species appears in MEG's logo and is the namesake of our newsletter, Spinulosa. Find out about hairpin banksia and how the local community can help secure its future.
Hairpin Banksia grows in the foothills between Montrose and Silvan and is an important nectar source for honeyeater birds and small animals like sugar gliders. However, it has been gradually declining from areas where it was once known.
Annette will describe how her research into this species is helping to discover its lifecycle and threats it faces. One possible action is to re-establish patches of Hairpin Banksia in the Dandenongs (MEG has assisted with one such plantng) and she would like to discuss how local groups and residents could help preserve this species.
Annette is a plant ecologist whose main research area is the responses of native plants to fire. Her work involves collaboration with land managers to ensure the relevance of this research to management applications, and communications to different audiences. She has extensive experience in plant surveys and monitoring in a range of ecosystems across Victoria, including East Gippsland, Central Highlands and Box-Ironbark regions.
| Montrose Town Centre |
| Annually in August-October |
| Contact us for more details |
Each year MEG holds an AGM which includes a presentation from an environmental expert followed by light refreshments. This is a great opportunity to connect with other members and learn more about your local environment. The event is usually held in August. In recent years the AGM has been held in the Montrose Town Centre, the costs of which are covered by Councillor Len Cox of the Yarra Ranges Council. Voluntary donations will be contributed to a relevant environmental organisation. The Spinulosa newsletter following each AGM includes an overview of the presentation as well as a summary of MEG's activities over the past year and the Treasurer’s report. In 2020 and 2021, the AGM was held online through Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions, but AGMs have since returned to in-person.
Recent presentations have included:
- 2016: Zoologist Dr. Lindy Lumsden on bats
- 2017: Ecologist Dr. Graeme Lorimer on fire ecology
- 2018: Ecologist John Harris on Melbourne's nocturnal fauna
- 2019: Dr. Ella Kelly on the impact of cane toads on threatened quolls
- 2021: Internationally-recognised photographer and past MEG president Kim Wormald on wildlife and wellbeing
- 2022: Zoologist David De Angelis on conservation of reptiles and frogs in Melbourne's east, particularly the Growling grass frog and Glossy grass skink
- 2023: Wildlife rescuer Nalini Scarfe of Boobook Wildlife Shelter on caring for wildlife
The AGM and presentation will be announced in the preceding Spinulosa newsletter. For more details, contact us.
