Our Story
NORTH MORETON QLD ORCHID COUNCIL INC.
In 1982 a small group of people came together to discuss the concept of a group which would support the orchid societies on the north side of Brisbane.
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The group met at the home of Doreen and Eric Marquis in Petrie. At the time, Doreen was the secretary of Pine Rivers Orchid Society. Participants at this meeting were predominantly the then Executive and Committee members of Pine Rivers Orchid Society along with Jim Raddatz who was a local orchid nursery owner.
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At that meeting, it was agreed to form the North Moreton Qld Orchid Council to support the judging of meetings and shows and provide support to societies within our area of influence (northern suburbs of Brisbane to the Caboolture River.) The association became incorporated in 1986 to become NMQOC Inc.
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NMQOC Inc. runs two shows each year, usually toward the end of June and October. From the first, one show each year has been a Charity Show with support being given to charities such as Cystic Fibrosis and Be Uplifted. Currently we are supporting Orange Sky. Volunteers from the member societies support all aspects of the two shows.
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NMQOC Inc. doesn’t have individual members, rather has corporate membership, i.e. the societies on the north side of Brisbane are its members. Societies choose to affiliate with NMQOC Inc. for a small yearly fee.
​ Originally the council had ten member societies but sadly, three have closed over the years.
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​The Council has been supporting its member societies for over forty years. It:
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provides a range of equipment, including tables, which member societies can borrow for their shows
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supports the judging subcommittee which judges member society meetings and shows
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holds a bi-monthly Species Appreciation Group where society members view and discuss species orchids
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links the member societies through advertising and activities
Our First Show
Members of the recently formed Pine Rivers Orchid Society together with some well
known orchid personalities thus gathered at the home of Doreen and Eric Marques and formed a committee to organise one of the most spectacular orchid shows ever held in Brisbane. The Committee was chaired by Jim Raddatz and included, amongst others, Keith Howard, Doreen Masques, Trevor Porteous, Bruce Butterworth, Col Ferguson and Frank Oelkers.
After this meeting committee members attended general meetings of the northside
societies and enlisted their cooperation and commitment to make this show possible. Local nurseries also agreed to enter displays. The committee agreed that the Cystic Fibrosis Association should be the charity to benefit from the Charity Orchid Spectacular.
The show took place on a cold wet weekend in July 1984. Members of the Societies
could recall many different incidents which happened that made this show very special for those that participated. Most trophies were donated by local businesses as well as many from the city. Many orchid nurseries also contributed. Pottery vases were donated by the Pine fivers Potters and flowers donated by Bri-Ellen Orchids which made the corsage and floral art section contribution to the proceeds very worthwhile.
In September the participants joined together at a function at the Community Centre Hall, Aspley to hand over a donation of $850 to the Cystic Fibrosis Association from the proceeds of the show.
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The Council held regular meetings to which all the members of the member societies were welcome to attend. These meetings were held on a Saturday and usually included some orchid information sessions and lunch. Some of these meetings had over a hundred attendees although only the society delegates were able to vote on council matters.
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Several ‘Dalliances’ were held where other societies were invited to attend, with information sessions, shared meals and activities being organized. Again, these were well attended. These Dalliances attracted so many people that the Redcliffe Entertainment Centre was used as the venue.
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An international conference was organized, termed IFO (International Festival of Orchids) under the leadership of the late Dave Groffen who was then the Secretary of NMQOC Inc. It was held in 1994 at the, then very new, pavilion at the Brisbane Ekka ground.
Overseas speakers were organized and gave amazing presentations, the like of which hadn’t been seen much before.
A dinner was held at the same venue and overall it was an amazing achievement.
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