Another successful Annual General Meeting

On Saturday, 17 June 2017, the Elizabeth Bishop Society of Nova Scotia held its Annual General Meeting at St. James Church in Great Village, N.S. Around forty members and guests gathered for a lively event which saw the opening of "Elizabeth Bishop's Beginnings" exhibit and "Echoes of EB" art gallery. What follows are a few images from the day, courtesy of EBSNS member Susan Kerslake. Minutes of the meeting will soon be posted on our website. The EBSNS thanks all those who attended for their support, as well as all the people who helped to make the exhibit and gallery possible. Heartfelt thanks to our guest speaker, Alexander MacLeod, for sharing his powerful words. And a special thank you to the St. James Church of Great Village Preservation Society for offering us part of the beautiful sanctuary.

The first thing on the agenda was our usual business. Here Patti Sharpe presents her first President's Report. That's past president Laurie Gunn on the left and secretary Sandra Barry in the centre.

Then the exhibit and gallery were officially opened, with time for those gathered to look at the displays and art work.

A half dozen local artists had contributed the inaugral gallery exhibit, including this beautiful carving by Deverne Rushton, his interpretation of Bishop's famous poem "The Fish."

Our guest speaker was Nova Scotia writer Alexander MacLeod. After reading mesmerizing us with a compelling read of one of his short stories, I had the honour to ask him some questions.

Before making our way across the road to the legion for our reception, we drew for two prizes. The first was a door prize (a lovely hooked rug seat cover done by Laurie Gunn). Binnie Brennan was the lucky winner.

Then the big draw for the raffle prize (Alfred Villeneuve's wonderful en plein air painting of Algonquin Park, which had been on display during the meeting). Alexander did the honours. The winner was Halifax resident Mary Blanchard, who was not at the meeting.

Then it was time to indulge in the delicious sandwiches, sweets, coffee, tea and punch that the Great Village Fire Brigade Auxiliary had prepared for us, set up at the Royal Canadian Legion across the road. Lots of lively conversations took place and folks were slow to leave all the conviviality.

Here is a glimpe of the hard working auxiliary ladies taking a well-deserved break in the kitchen.

I will share more photos from the AGM over the next few days. We hope everyone enjoyed this gathering as much as the EBSNS board did presenting it to our members and guests.