2015 AABC National Convention - Adelaide

[Andrew Ward]

The South Australian Organising Team has had a huge response from the Australian Bonsai Community for 'Bonsai - A Growing Art', the 2015 AABC Convention in Adelaide, 15 - 18 May 2015.

Our International Headliner is Koji Hiramatsu ... from Japan. Australians who saw him present at the WBFF/ASPAC in China in 2013 have told us he is a wealth of information, is a charismatic communicator with a keen sense of humour. Koji is a fourth generation bonsai professional, his family bonsai nursery - Hiramatsu Shunshoen - is based in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan.

Much respected Australian Demonstrators, Tony Bebb (Queensland) and Joe Morgan-Payler (Victoria) lead the Australian talent for this weekend.

It is an innovative weekend planned, with garden tours on Friday 15 May to the garden of ABC Gardening Australia and gardening guru Sophie Thomson. We will also lunch at historic Hahndorf (at your own expense - a range of dining is available from bakery through to pub meal) and visit the rambling garden of Australian artist Sir Hans Heysen at The Cedars. Despite current fire conditions in The Adelaide Hills, fires are threatening to properties further north of where we are visiting and we should hopefully have successful visits as planned.

While we have hills garden tours in progress there are also two repeated programmes with Koji Hiramatsu that focus on planning and staging a successful bonsai exhibition. Andrew Ward will also have tips for participants on tried and successful, cost-effective marketing strategies for your club shows. These will be held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor on Hindley - located centrally in Adelaide and include lunch for both morning and afternoon participants.

Friday evening we have a Welcome Reception and Exhibition Preview for delegates who have registered for the Welcome Reception ... a 2 hour reception with drinks package and substantial food being catered. We have planned on substantial food to be provided to registrants for this evening ... you should not be hungry.

Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May are full programmes, with Exhibition and Trade Areas.

Saturday evening we are hosting the Convention Dinner and South Australian Bonsai Society 50th Birthday Celebration ... a 3 course meal with drinks vouchers for every registrant. We have managed to keep the cost of this dinner to an affordable $80 with a cash bar for your drinks after you have used your vouchers.

Monday 18 May there are workshops available with Koji Hiramatsu (morning and afternoon), Tony Bebb (morning) and Joe Morgan-Payler (afternoon) with room for observers at all sessions. As an observer you will be able to move from Koji to Tony's Sessions in the morning, or from Koji to Joe's Sessions in the afternoon. There is a small discount for full day registrations.

Further information is available from

http://www.bonsaisa.org.au

or http://www.aabcltd.org

Please also keep up to date with other developments through the Facebook page AABC 2015 National Bonsai Convention - Adelaide

I'm looking forward to keeping you up-to-date with further developments.

Andrew Ward
Chair - 2015 AABC Convention Organising Team
President - The South Australian Bonsai Society

[Andrew Ward]

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Looking forward to seeing you 15 - 18 May 2015 in Adelaide.

[Andrew Ward]

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... some more details!

[Andrew Ward]

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[Jason]

Thanks for the info Andrew, hoping the fly over for the full weekend if everything goes as planned

Seems like a great line up, and lots to do

[Andrew Ward]

Will be great to see you here Jason.

Convention is at The Hotel Grand Chancellor on Hindley. They have a special room rate for convention delegates. Phoning them direct seems to be the best way of securing your room booking. If you want a full breakfast at the hotel then it is available for only $15 but must be booked with your room booking to get this rate.

Be sure to let the hotel know you are booking as part if the bonsai convention to secure your special room rate also.
Phone 08 8231 5552.

[Pup]

All Paid and looking forward to it very much, not sure about the sex workers though .

[Andrew Ward]

I believe they're not a regular feature at the hotel Derek ...

Reminds me of Bankstown and me springing the working girls. I might have had a few celebratory beverages under my belt, but I still managed to spot them and frighten them away.

All will be good for May. It's a really terrific hotel. Staff are a great team. Their Head Chef has been there for 25 years and the food is both fantastic and plentiful.

I've eaten and stayed at The Hotel Grand Chancellor on Hindley more times than I can remember over the past 25 years and never had a bad experience.

Be sure to book Hotel Grand Chancellor on Hindley! There is another HGC on Currie (it backs onto the Hindley Sreet property, but it will be more convenient for everyone under the one roof.

[Andrew Ward]

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Friday 15 May 2015 ... morning or afternoon tea with Sophie Thompson.

Delicious home made cake using produce from her veggie patch. A favourite is chocolate zucchini cake ... served with plunger coffee or tea!

Sophie's infectious and motivating passion for gardening is an inspiration to all visitors. When I visited back in November I was blown away by all the developments she has achieved in very difficult (sometimes unforgiving)land.

Sophie achieves gardening success through risk-taking, on soil that is dry and hard in summer while boggy wet in winter, and with ground water that has a very high salt content. Be ready to be impressed!

[Grant Bowie]

Hi Andrew,

Already booked the accommodation and looking forward to the weekend.

Grant

[Andrew Ward]

Good to see Grant ...

We've had terrific registrations so far!

[Andrew Ward]

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Setting up your club exhibition ...

Koji will step us through setting up the 2015 National Bonsai Exhibition, using South Australian bonsai just returned from The NBPCA, and the best of other South Australian bonsai. Koji will also step is thorough the finer points involved in setting up a tokonama.

You will have a shared working lunch with other participants and also have access to cost effective and successful marketing strategies to use in promoting your club shows.

Spaces for this programme will be limited so as to provide participants with maximum access to clarify information ... be sure to book sooner rather than later.

[Andrew Ward]

Adelaide ... the only Australian city to make the New York Times list of 'must visit places to go for 2015'!

This might be just the extra encouragement you need to register for the convention and visit Adelaide in May.

[Andrew Ward]

Day Trip to Sophie Thompson's Garden and Home at Mt Barker is planned for Friday 15 May as part of The AABC Convention Programme.

We will also be visiting The Cedars, a beautiful rambling garden and property, once the home of acclaimed Australian artist, Sir Hans Heysen.

Sophie is truly inspiring gardener who will be with us when we visit so as to share her stories and experiences.

If you haven't yet booked this programme as part of the Add-Ons then be sure to do it soon so as to avoid disappointment.

[Andrew Ward]

I have received some enquiries about workshops on Monday 18 May.

All workshops still have positions available in them for participants. You will need to book sooner if you want to participate in one of Koji's workshops.

For people who wish to be observers on the Monday ... I need to clarify something that might not be evident. You are able to be an observer at any of the workshops! This means that you are able to pay a half day observer at $35 and wander in and out of either the morning or the afternoon workshops. If you want to observe the full day then observer fee is only $65. I have become aware that it looks as though we only have observers for Tony Bebb and Joe Morgan-Payler's workshops ... we have observer positions available for all workshops.

May will be upon us all too soon ... hope that we see you here in Adelaide!