We started our year with the AGM in August and it was great to see new members taking on committee positions. We elected a new legal representative Rabina Cox due to our longterm representative Mr Braham retiring and Edith Campbell our oldest member was delighted to become our Patron.

During August we also donated $500 to Westpac helicopter appeal and a quilt for its charity auction, raising $400 making our donation total $900. We donated the highest amount on the night, well done members.

With the changes in the Visitor Centre,now being run by the Council we have had to renegotiate our rent for the room. The old TDVA have loaned us their fridge and cupboards.

September saw us starting our raffle quilt for 2016 Oracles exhibition and a blue and white quilt for the Royal Flying Doctors Broken Hill. We started preparations for our 50th birthday. 

Art and Craft Society along with Tenterfield Community College donated 47 quilts to drought affected families in the Walgett district, we received notes of thanks from some very grateful families, grateful that we thought of them! That bought our total of donated charity quilts 2015 to 328 an estimated value of $262400 in 6years. Thank you to Tenterfield Rotary and Lions clubs and Queensland Quilters for donations to enable us to make these quilts.

October saw members take a bus trip to Brisbane quilt and craft fair and a great day was had by all, much excitement on the bus  heading home with show and share and many new projects with the promise of starting them soon!  We had a morning tea at Lorraine Olley's house and spring garden for breast cancer fund raiser, each member was required to bring along a bag. The raffle was won by Hellen Taylor. Food was delicious and we all made a needle strawberry. We raised $500. 

November saw us working on our raffle quilt. Members attended market day as a PR exercise to encourage new members. Whilst in Kuala Lumpur Lorraine, Noeline and I visited a textile museum and participated in a batik painting workshop. In Chang Mai we went to many textile factories and market places.

December we held our Christmas party luncheon at Bolivia Station homestead where we had copious amounts of delicious food and exchanged wonderful gifts and a good laugh.

January saw members preparing for the Tenterfield show. 

In February members assisted with the stewarding of needlework and handicraft at the show. Many members receiving prizes for their exhibits. Congratulations all.

March we held our annual street stall followed by the annual charity quiltathon completing 19 quilts for the weekend. It was a huge 24 hours of quilt making. Well done to those that helped in any way.

Our annual quilt exhibition at the Oracles of the Bush weekend was a successful weekend and a wonderful display of local quilts. We were entertained by  poet Jack Drake followed by our delicious morning tea for patrons. The raffle quilt was won  and joyfully accepted by local lady Joy Ainsworth.

April 21st we celebrated our 50th birthday with past and present members, We had a craft display, delicious morning tea and a fabulous cake to celebrate this occasion. We also shared memorabilia and stories of days gone by. Secretary Sandie resigned due to health reasons.

May we started to see the knitting needles come out and many pairs of socks being produced. We made a donation to Relay for Life.

June saw us donate 45 charity quilts to the Picton flood area. These were delivered to the Picton Lions club by Janel and Ray Holmes, thank you.

They were overwhelmed by our generosity. One mother went to collect a food parcel and was given a quilt, emotionally she told them she had no money to buy their young daughter a birthday present so she would give her the quilt, it was the cat quilt. Mum shed many tears of gratitude and her daughter was excited that she now has a new cat quilt for her bed that had to be replaced. That I'm sure makes you all feel we have done some good for the less fortunate.

Our 2016 charity quilt tally total being 373 quilts over seven years, with an estimated value of $298,400. It is because of your willingness to help others that we can do this. I thank you for your efforts and support to do this. We also held our annual 2-day patchwork and quilting workshop with Tenterfield Community College with 12 ladies attending. A productive time was had by all.

I was fortunate enough to attend Sydney quilt and craft fair. It is so big, lots to learn and see. Last week Pam, Lorraine and I participated in a Prudence Mapstone workshop in Warwick  at the Jumpers and Jazz festival, learning to a scrumble (that's crazy knitting and crochet). We met some very creative and interesting ladies.

It has been my pleasure to be your President for the past year. We have had some challenges and been able to overcome them, we have had some celebrations and wonderful achievements, made new friends, shared ideas, patterns, recipes,laughter and an odd tear but that's what we are about: a friendship craft group helping each other and the community near and far. 

I wish to thank Pam for counting the coin and keeping our finances in good order and assisting with the minutes.Thank you to Sandie for your efforts as Secretary, thank you Vicki for stepping up when I was absent and for filling in doing the minutes these last few months. Thank you Janel for checking on members’ wellbeing and updating us on Phyllis. Thank you to Lyn for compiling the memorabilia for our birthday celebrations.

To all members a big thank you for your support and efforts throughout the year. It is because of you all that we achieve great things as Tenterfield Art and Craft Society Inc.