FINAL MEETING FOR 2020

The final meeting of the Chapter for 2020 was held on the 8th December in the Toorak Uniting Church Hall. This was the first time that members were able to gather together since 10th March owing to the restrictions because of the Covid 19 pandemic. It was also the opportunity to formally hand-over to the new committee as the Annual General Meeting had to be delayed. 

Thirty five members attended the meeting.

We were joined by Mrs Matsunaga the Co-patron with her husband Mr Matsunaga, the Consul General of Japan. It was an opportunity for the incoming President on behalf of the members to thank our patrons for their generous support to the Chapter.

The outgoing President, Trish Ward, was presented with a Past President's Pin by the new Chapter President, Julie Ireland. Chieko Yazaki presented Mrs Ward with the gift of an ikebana vessel. She was thanked for her service to the Chapter over the past three and a half years, and particularly for maintaining communication with members during the two extensive 'lock-downs' in Melbourne this year.

At the meeting members made contributions to our regular children's charity the Cottage by the Sea. Members also presented their ikebana arrangements on the theme of 'Celebration'. Below are photos of their work.

Helen Marriott, Shogetsudo koryu school.

Midori Nakajima, Sogetsu School.

Akemi Suzuki, Sogetsu School.

Betty Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Chieko Yazaki, Shogetsudo koryu school.

Christopher James, Sogetsu School.

Elizabeth Angell, Sogetsu School.

Emily Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Greta Young, Sogetsu School.

Josephine Tan, Ohara School.

Kim Ng, Ohara School.

Lara Telford, Sogetsu School.

Nicole MacDonald, Sogetsu School.

MARCH MEETING

The meeting on Tuesday 10th March was the Melbourne Chapter's 61st birthday. The theme of the meeting was Japanese Day with a focus on the distinctive Japanese garment, the kimono, which is worn by women and men.

Above are the team members who worked hard on creating the presentation displays and activities for the meeting.

L- R ( Back row) Naomi Cullen, Nobuko Kobayashi, Akemi Suzuki, Jenny Loo, Reiko Ito and Midori Nakajima. (Front row) Yukako Braun, Chieko Yazaki and Michiko Hyde.

Examples of formal and informal kimono, for children and adults, women and men were displayed as well as accessories to wear with the kimono.

    

This white-on-white silk brocade wedding kimono was also displayed and a twenty minute slideshow on the history and styles of kimono was presented by Nobuko Kobayashi.

After the slideshow Chieko Yazaki spoke about the kimonos, Obis and accessories that were displayed in the meeting room.

Jenny Loo was the volunteer model who was dressed by Reiko Ito. 

Akemi Suzuki demonstrated the technique of dressing in a kimono without having assistance...

...and she made it look easy.

The Chapter's birthday cake was baked by Marjorie Campkin-Smith (left) and cut by her and President Trish Ward (right).

Our guest at the meeting was Tomiko Uesato, an Ohara practitioner, who is a member of the Tokyo Founding Chapter of Ikebana International.

Here Tomiko is speaking about her ikebana which exuberantly arose from a light-weight vessel that she had swathed in an Obi.

This is Tomiko's completed ikebana. 

Below are photos of the ikebana created by members for the meeting.

Lara Telford, Sogetsu School.

Emily, Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Elizabeth Angell, Sogetsu School.

Nicole MacDonald,Sogetsu School.

Margaret Wilson, Sogetsu School.

Marjorie Campkin-Smith, Sogetsu School.

Helen Marriott, Shogetsudo koryu School.

Rachel Lok, Shogetsudo koryu school.

Felicia Huang, Ohara School.



Judy Hajdu, Ohara School.

Sally Wilkinson, Ohara School.

Thea Sartori, Sogetsu School.

Christopher James, Sogetsu School.

Beverley Webster, Sogetsu School.

FEBRUARY MEETING

As an experiment, the first meeting for 2020 was held at 6.00 pm to offer an opportunity to our working members to attend after work or studies. We were pleased to see the smiling faces of thirty-seven members and five guests. 

This month's guest speaker was Phillip Rhodes a highly skilled and experienced milliner. After completing his apprenticeship Phillip worked in London where for the first time he worked in the world of the theatre. Over the course of his career has run his own salon and created head-wear for the Australian Ballet, the Melbourne Theatre Company and the Australian Opera.

To illustrate his presentation Phillip showed and discussed the creation of four hats he had created for the Melbourne Theatre Companies 2011 production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest', which starred Geoffrey Rush in the role of Lady Bracknell.

Following  Phillip's presentation Lucy Papas gave a demonstration of ikebana inspired by millinery and Mr Rhodes presentation.

In the preparation of her presentation Lucy said that she also had in mind the glamorous headwear seen in many mid-century Hollywood films worn by film stars like Lana Turner. 

The first of Lucy's ikebana used a palm spathe, a stem of and some red Flowering Gum. She had painted the spathe light blue on the upper surface and gold underneath.

   
In her second example used two leaves each of Strelitzia, New Zealand Flax and (curled) Aspidistra

Below are ikebana works created by members for the meeting.

Emily Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Chieko Yazaki, Shogetsudo  koryu School.

Eugenia Chudacek, Sogetsu School.

Margaret Wilson, Sogetsu School.

Felicia Huang, Ohara School.

Josephine Tan, Ohara School.

Akemi Suzuki, Sogetsu School.

Lyn Wong and Anne Conrick, Ohara School.

Elizabeth Angell, Sogetsu School.

Julie Ireland, Sogetsu School.

Jacqueline Boyce, Sogetsu School.

Betty Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Christopher James, Sogetsu School.

Midori Nakajima, Sogetsu School.

Beverley Webster, Sogetsu School.

Lara Telford, Sogetsu School.

Sally Wilkinson, Ohara School.