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Garden Clubs fighting
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Posted by gratlog Qld Aust (My Page) on Tue, Jan 24, 06 at 16:51
lol I'm on a few forums including this one and a few Horse Racing ones. On the horse racing ones the debates get quite heated which is good, as healthy debate is good imo.
I always say if I want peace and quiet I come to this forum as everyone here are so polite as most gardeners are.
Therefore we got a good chuckle when we read this story on the front page of the Courier-Mail this morning.
Gardening clubs slug it out over festival
Glenis Green
25jan06
TWO rival gardening clubs have dug in over rights to hold this year's regular Easter garden festival in the South Burnett.
Tensions are running so high that solicitors have been involved and even the Wondai Shire mayor, David Carter, has taken sides.
At the root of the problem is a breakaway club formed by the former president of the Wondai and District Garden Club, John Dorris, whose wife Jan was also that club's treasurer-secretary.
According to Mr Dorris, who had been president for nine years and who claims to have started the Wondai Garden Festival, the trouble has stemmed from his clash with the Wondai Lions Club over its call for a greater cut of the non-profit show's community proceeds.
"Twenty-six members out of 37 decided to join me and form a new garden club," he said. "We were the ones who started the garden festival, organised it and made it popular . . .
"So we decided we'd have a new (festival) and hold it at Murgon and call it the Barambah Garden Festival.
"Then all hell broke loose because of that. Now I am the villain of the piece and it's got very out of hand."
The row has been exacerbated by the fact that the new Barambah Festival at the Murgon showgrounds has been set down for this year's Easter weekend on April 15, 16 and 17 � clashing with the traditional Wondai festival at the Wondai showgrounds on April 15 and 16.
Mr Dorris maintains there is room for two garden shows, but concedes the situation has become "a mess".
"It's now down to two solicitors trying to sort it out," he said. "There's a few nasty wee bits in there, but I don't want to get involved. It's not doing Wondai any good."
Mr Dorris said he could not believe that the mayor, Cr Carter, had called for a boycott of the new Barambah festival.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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| I always thought that gardening was a way to relieve stress :) |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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- Posted by deejaus Melb.Vic. Aust (My Page) on
Wed, Jan 25, 06 at 19:06
Good grief! These people are certainly taking things to a new level aren't they?
Cheers,
Dee. |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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| After being involved in Administration of a Orchid club 15 years and just a plain old member of a garden club 3 years. They changed some of the rules to stop me winning the monthly points, apprently some of the old ladies did not like a new commer beating them. I can assure you one old dear cornered me and told me she should have won because etc and I had no right to win that section. Nothing would supprise me at all. Behind the scenes there is often penny picking situations that can evolve into a real problem.
In the end I just walked out, their loss not mine.
I think you will always find in many clubs and groups there is always a power play and the attitude its mine dont interfer. Another club (fishing) I was involved in, I over stepped a pecking order when I was asked by a member to help her to cast into the surf. I was very quickly told you dont do that even though I was asked. I call it "Kingdom Building" by non club minded people. Keith |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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I became President of a service club in our town.I was seen as some new blood because no one else wanted the job.The Treasurer has been there forever and he is still doing a good job and we all get on okay.I guess you are always going to have some people who want to control every thing.I hope by being "the outsider" I am not prejudiced by small town politics and well frankly I don;t care what they think.We have even scored some of the old volunteers back becasue some of the "niggly ones " have left.
It saddens me that people just can't get on and work as a community.I was especially amused by the newspaper report because the people who started the breakaway group obviously knew the other festival was going to be on a particular date so why make them calsh in the first place.I mean really.........! |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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- Posted by liatris FraserCoast,Qld (My Page) on
Thu, Jan 26, 06 at 15:56
| Well that's interesting! Our garden club had received a flyer some months ago stating that the 'Wondai garden festival' had been moved to Murgon. Clearly this is not necessarily a foregone conclusion as yet. I certainly hope they get it sorted before April. |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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I don't think all people on this site are so passive as I posted a reply to someones posting & because he resented my attitude I received an email to my address browbeating his attitude when I answered a bit smart, he emailed me back saying that he would like to hit me over the head with a peice of 4 x 2 does that sound peaceful do you think?
Jan. |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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| Its great, isnt it ? Human nature seems to dictate that everything will be roses (no pun intended) for as long as everyone agrees with the 'Alpha' male/female, but heaven help anyone who dares to question them. The organisation I work for has a host of vicious political in-fighters, and its never a surprise to find that they are active in other parts of the community. Its my firm belief that the little Hitlers drive people away from clubs of all persuasions, and it has made me reluctant to join anything which might attract their ilk. Viva la individual :) |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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Jan, That would be so funny if it was'nt so sad.
There are some strange people around or should I say stupid. Artview, That is also why I gave our local garden club a miss. 90% of the members were great but a couple were a real pain in the neck. A pity because I like the idea of a garden club. |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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Hi Ginnybee - I am so sorry to hear that you were subject to abuse. I have received the same in the past. This is for the most part a cheerful group of people, but occasionally we all get a bit hot headed. I do not approve of abusive or opinionated notes being sent to people offline - if someone can't answer on the forum then they should not try and hide behind anonymity. My solution to that (Which I have used, but not on GW) is to simply post the received letter to the open forum (oops - did i reply to the whole group - Sooo sorry!)
You will generally find the sender will back right off. It might upset a few of the group members but so be it!
What do others think?
Jan |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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Sorry to hear that Jan Ginnybee I have never received anything like that.""That's Shocking""
Maybe I will soon as I am moaning about the huge photos people are posting on the Gallery. Jan Sparaxis That's a marvelous idea.....
Maybe we should have a open forum also where we can disgust these problems.
On one Forum a certain person gives me heaps so much so that I think twice about posting.
Cant quite work out if he hates females that grow something in Qld or hates females that grow them in the shade.
Whatever it is he has a BIG problem with me and all I have ever done to him is admire his flower photo's.
I must have had rocks in my head, just hope he reads this thread.....Cheers..MM. |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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| Would probably make the trek to wondai if I could see two garden events at the same time, I might even make a weekend of it and spend money on accomodation. I say let the" better event win" and may the other RIP. This sort of thing seems to be only too common - no wonder people are so reluctant to volunteer for anything. EGO's are very sad things and so are the vested interests that allow these things to be supported by volunteers until they are viable and then step in to take over when it becomes profitable. So very sad. A pity the only winners here will be from outside either of the "garden festivals" |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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Hello Jan,
Plato said words to the effect of- he could understand a child afraid of the dark, the tragedy of life was when adults were afraid of the light.
Neil |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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| Interesting topic! It's about egos, we all have one but some peoples are out of control..Regarding the forums, I think internet can sometimes exasperate these things unfortunately, due to the fact that it's an imperfect medium for communication. So much of our day to day communication is body language and inflection and all that is missing in writing. Having said that this forum is great, lots of great, interesting and helpful people. Lets keep it this way! My girlfriend used to chat on a *certain* poulty forum which got so competitive and nasty they took it down! It was completely ridiculous... what a shame... |
RE: Garden Clubs fighting
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- Posted by liatris FraserCoast,Qld (My Page) on
Thu, Feb 2, 06 at 15:23
| >Would probably make the trek to wondai if I could see two garden events at the same time I'd have to question whether there would be enough exhibitors to make 2 shows a success though. |
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