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SEMAC NEWS MAY-Jun 2023

NOTES from the General Meeting held 6 June.

Welcome to Meeting

Simon welcomed the members and thanked them for attending. Simon expressed his intention to make meetings more interesting by showing videos.

17 members were present; no visitors.

General Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the previous General Meeting held on April 4, 2023, were distributed by Secretary David Wheeler via email prior to this meeting.

The motion to accept the minutes was moved by Eddie Hook and seconded by Colin Vandersluys. The motion passed.

No business arose from the minutes.

Membership Fees

SBB informed that the MAAA and VMAA would not be increasing fees.

SEMAC will also not raise fees, and they will remain as follows:

• Seniors: $370

• Pensioners: $320

• Juniors: $140

• Joining fee: Seniors - $135, Juniors - $85

Membership forms were available at the meeting, and they will be issued by email in the next 2-3 days.

Completed membership forms must be returned electronically or in person.

It is crucial to enter members' details, especially email addresses, into the VMAA system for processing memberships.

Membership Numbers

Currently, there are 49 full members and 4 associates.

Financial Report

Rod Clipstone provided the financial report.

Payments made include $1,250 to the VMAA for a $10,000 loan, $350 for mower maintenance, and $1,536 for field work (soil, seed, safety fence).

Flying Conditions

SBB mentioned that conditions have been ordinary since the last meeting, with cold and windy weather.

Safety Fence

SBB expressed gratitude to David Wheeler (DW) and Chris Cripps (CC) for their work on the fence.

The fence is complete, except for half of the N-S fence at the northern end, which depends on distributing purchased soil for runway top dressing.

Special thanks to Glen of MX for providing additional soil free of charge, which is of better quality.

DW provided Glen with a slab as thanks.

Field Top Dressing

Eddie has been working on field top dressing and purchasing seed as needed.

More seed is required, and a $25kg bag of Rye grass will be purchased from Dandenong Stockfeeds.

The field was initially hydroseeded with Rye, Kikuyu, and Bent, but Kikuyu won't germinate in winter and would rot.

Rye grass will germinate in 10-14 days, and Kikuyu can be oversewn in late spring.

Consideration will be given to organizing a working bee to spread soil and seed.

Roofing between the Containers

DW explored three options for installing a carport, with costs ranging from $8,000 to $11,000, plus additional permit expenses.

Without a permit, the carport could be easily dismantled if the council objects.

DW costed materials for building a roof by club members, estimated at approximately $2,000 using steel and acrylic sheeting.

Concerns were raised about the roof's safety in strong winds.

If the roof's strength is properly calculated and there is an opening on the north side for wind to pass through, safety would not be an issue.

A motion was proposed and seconded to build the roof by club members, which was passed.

Keys and Locks

SBB is getting more keys cut.

A digital lock will be installed on the second gate, and members will be informed of the code.

The front gate and container will continue to use existing locks.

It was noted that the SEMAC and MX locks were not properly connected on June 6.

CASA Registration of Models

CASA has abandoned the proposed registration of all fixed-wing models as unworkable.

Models under 250g do not need to be registered.

Heavier commercially used drones do require registration.

SEMAC Apparel

DW presented two examples of Poly/Cotton blend shirts from a Mornington supplier.

The navy/grey styled shirt was agreed upon, resembling the old shirt with check collars, to acknowledge club history.

The SEMAC badge will be applied, and all sizes are available.

It will take approximately 3 weeks to make the shirts, and more can be purchased if needed.

A grant of $1,000 for club apparel was obtained, and the order should be placed before DW goes away in mid-June.

Safety

A picture of Brendon's severed finger was distributed as a reminder of safety precautions.

First aid was provided by Eddie, and Col transported Brendon Perry (BP) to the hospital.

Fortunately, the finger was saved with a positive outcome.

Members were reminded to tune IC models from behind the prop and to speak up respectfully if they witness any unsafe practices at the field.

Show & Tell

SBB showed YouTube videos on making servo leads and model making at the Seagull factory in Vietnam.

Supper

CC provided a superb supper enjoyed by all attendees.

Meeting Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 9:45pm.

The next meeting is scheduled for August 1st at the Dingley Hall, starting at 7:30pm.