Listening during the tea break afterwards, Tim Bowtell's Meet and Mingle presentation in July definitely rated highly in the list of the 'top 10 Meet and Mingle presentations' for many of those present.  Tim captivated the audience using slides of his work to describe his journey to become an artist, taking us through his love of drawing as a child; his preference for the art subjects at school; his apprenticeship in printing/graphics; his working life in graphic design to his eventual transition from graphic design to art.  Beginning with a slide of his first oil paintings and culminating with a photo of silos he is to paint early next year, Tim described the influence of another local artist, Mike Larkin, and an art course at GOTAFE Wangaratta, in this transition.  Each slide prompted stories about art processes, people and places.  Life changes and stories were interspersed throughout Tim's talk as he shared the significance of parenthood; building his house at Samaria; the role of his boys, Jake and Sam, his partner Kylie, and his mother in his journey.  Thank you, Tim, for a memorable presentation.

Our rescheduled session with Nick Gadd from the Law Reform Commission will be held on August 15. Nick will present on two areas

• Disputes with Neighbours (focusing on trees)
• Funeral/Burial Instructions 

Nick will not be able to provide specific legal advice to anyone on particular legal problems.
 
Coming up - Michael Plex, a highly regarded local computer specialist who provides valued  training and technical support for older people using computers, will be our guest speaker. Michael has agreed to present information on the effects of the NBN service to our computers and phone services and his experiences so far with clients from Benalla who are using the new service.
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Bev Lee and Bill Parris