2026 Annual General Meeting
- Lindsay Fisher
- Apr 28
- 4 min read
Lindsay Fisher | Treasurer
Birdlife Northern Queensland (BLNQ)’s 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 29 March 2026 in Yungaburra on the Atherton Tablelands at the Community Hall, which proved to be an excellent venue with great facilities.
Before the AGM formalities, BLNQ held three pre-arranged field excursions, which proved popular, and the weather was fine despite the forecast of showers. One of the most visited birding destinations on the Tablelands is Hasties Swamp, and Al Sweet was there to welcome around a dozen members and supporters. There were very few waterbirds on the Swamp at the time – there is far too much water for them to choose from in the area – but the bush birds always a delight.
Keith and Lindsay Fisher had seven birders join them at Wongabel State Forest, 8 km south of Atherton. There are a number of walking tracks that take you through the forest and loop around to eventually return you to the car park. There were plenty of bird calls, but sightings were hard as they all seemed to be at the top of the very tall trees.
Our other targets, Tree Kangaroos, were also hiding and there were no sightings, which was disappointing. However, we all enjoyed the walk and ended up with a bird list of 20, including a very obliging male Victoria’s Riflebird, which was seen feeding at the entrance to the forest.
The third trip, led by Alan Gillanders, to Peterson Creek at Yungaburra proved very popular. Again, the Tree Kangaroos, which are often seen there, were missing, but plenty of birds were seen or heard along the pleasant creek walk, along with a soundtrack of squabbling Spectacled Flying-foxes in the trees above. Unfortunately, Platypus did not show up as they had for Keith and me the day before.
The social side of the AGM started around 10:30 am, with members and supporters arriving for coffee, tea and biscuits before the proceedings commenced at 11:00 am. It was great to see over 30 people attend and enjoy catching up and making new friends.
Before the formalities, we had a Birding Quiz hosted by Louise Baume, which soon had us scratching our heads to answer 20 very curly questions projected onto the wall. The best result was 13 correct, and everyone had a lot of fun. Many thanks to Louise for putting the quiz together.
We then had the formal side of the AGM, with Peter Valentine acting as Chair in the absence of our Convenor, Denis Walls. The previous 2025 AGM minutes were accepted, and the Convenor’s PowerPoint report was presented and accepted. Next was the Treasurer’s Report, presented by Lindsay Fisher, which was also accepted.
It was then the Office Bearer Elections, with Alan Gillanders taking over as Chair for this proceeding.
The following Office Bearers were elected, with only one nomination received per position:
Convenor – Denis Walls
Deputy Convenor – Vacant
Secretary – Renée Cassels
Treasurer – Lindsay Fisher
A question was raised about whether the Committee requires a Deputy Convenor, as the position was also vacant in 2025. This will be clarified at the first Committee meeting after the AGM.
The following Committee members were nominated and accepted:
Cairns Area Coordinator – Hidetoshi (Mikey) Kudo
Birds with Altitude Project Leader and Cassowary Coast Area Coordinator – Ceri Pearce
Cape York Area Coordinator and Facebook Manager – Doug Herrington
Tablelands Area Coordinator – Drew Haffenden
Conservation Officer – Peter Valentine
Grasswren Project Leader – Kath Shurcliff
Crane Count Project Leaders – Edward Bell and Sanne Boland
Communications and Marketing Project Leader – Renée Cassels
Bowerbird Monitoring Project – Dominic Chaplin
Threatened Coastal Bird Project – Paul Fisk and Sally Sheldon
Contact Call Editor – Jenn Muir
Atherton Tablelands Bird Photography Group – Al Sweet
Committee Member – Helen Reed
Ed Bell moved that all nominations be accepted and approved, seconded by Dominic Chaplin, and unanimously agreed. An applause of gratitude was offered to all committee members.
The Committee would like to welcome two new members: Drew Haffenden, who has recently moved to Millaa Millaa and is our new Tablelands Area Coordinator, and Helen Reed from Cairns who joins us as a Committee Member.
The meeting closed at 12:30 pm.
We apologise that the advertised Zoom link did not proceed due to technical difficulties.
Following the meeting, members returned to socialising, with a sandwich lunch provided locally, and a variety of cakes and fruit supplied by attendees.
Thanks to everyone who attended, including the leaders of the three field excursions undertaken before the Meeting, and those who officiated during the AGM. We look forward to future field trips, meetings and events over the next 12 months.
