Northwestern Bee Club � Monthly Newsletter
President's Message
Greetings from your President
Hi members and supporters, our club would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year. We hope that you have a wonderful festive time catching up with family and friends but not forgetting about your wonderful bee families! Special thanks to all the committee members and those that have served throughout the year but are now taking a break. To all members and supporters, thank you for your support throughout the year, and let's bring on the new year with passion!
Next General Meeting
I hope that you're looking forward to marking the end of the year with fellow beekeepers at our dinner at the Watergardens Buffet restaurant. This is a favourite for many of our members.
Your $20 gets you access to an �all you can eat� quality buffet with options for vegetarians, and those with a range of food allergies � please check if you are unsure on the night and the staff will be able to help you.
If you have not paid yet, please do so that we can book the right number of places.
We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible. If you have not paid your membership, you can do that online too � and get access to the subsidised price.
Bee Club Bank details � Preferred
BSB: 033 624
Account: 276428
Acc. Name: North Western Bee Club
Please let us know if you would rather pay on the night.
Upcoming Events
End-of-year / Christmas Dinner
Watergardens Buffet Restaurant, 431 Kings Road, Taylors Lakes Victoria 3038
6.30pm, 19th December 2025
Club's New Year BBQ
Westvale Community Centre � 145 Kings Road, Kings Park
7.00pm 21st January 2026
Our first meeting of the year will be a BBQ � Bring your family, and friends who may be interested in joining our club. We'll supply the meat and drink � but we hope that you might bring a salad or a dessert to share. Just let me know if you plan to bring something � but don't worry if you can't, as you can just turn-up yourself � for a very warm welcome.
Apiary Report Updates from the club apiary: (TL Rei do you have some info � TL)
General notes from the last inspection.
- Condition of Apiary: Fencing, weeds/grass and plants
- Hive conditions: Hive Health, honey flow, honey ready for extraction? etc
- Management actions completed this month:
- Plans for next inspection and date:
Member Spotlight
Featured Member:
It's me � Trevor Langrish, the club's secretary. I'm now in my fourth year of beekeeping, and I'm totally hooked. Do I always know what I'm doing? Absolutely not. But I've survived so far thanks to the club members who patiently guide me as I lurch from one mini-crisis to the next.
Nothing beats having an experienced beekeeper pop over, take one look, and say, �DON�T PANIC! It�s just beekeeping,� right before we discover that no, I didn�t kill the queen this time. (I have done that accidentally... once... or twice.) And those bees I was convinced were feral, murderous monsters? Turns out they were actually pretty chilled � though I have had a hive that was so grumpy I donated it to someone braver.
Beekeeping in the suburbs is a whole different game. You're not just managing bees � you're making sure the neighbours don't think you've unleashed a flying menace. Otherwise, the council might show up with a polite-but-firm "Please get rid of your bees."
Bee Health & Tips (TL - HELP NEEDED HERE - TL)
- Tip of the month:
- Seasonal reminders:
- Health alerts:
Photos of the Month
Include captions, e.g., �Rei demonstrating a hive check at Westvale Centre.�
Committee Updates
- The committee has recently authorized the purchase of eight bee suits and a couple of jackets. We shall offer a loan of these to members and guests who want to witness or participate in an inspection of the club's hives.
- The club will also add a Flowhive, or at least a flowhive super, to our apiary.
- Kay Malonovski continues the mammoth job of review our documentation and planning to update what we have and add those that we need to include � covering everything from how to claim club expenses to a disciplinary procedure.
- Reminders for members: Stay safe and keep on keeping Bees
Training & Workshops (TL - Neville can you add to this please - TL)
- Workshop title and dates: None are scheduled at present.
- Dates of Beginners Corner � The next Beginner�s corner will be held at the February meeting � content to be advised.
Community Engagement
- Engagement highlight: Recently the club has written to the new Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the Councilor covering the Westvale Community Centre. We are hoping to get their engagement in a joint activity with Westvale to present some of the club's honey to The Women's Chin and Burmese Gardening club. We await a response to set a date.
- Volunteer call-outs: The club is often invited to present to the local community - it could be a Bunning's community event or a request from an age care centre. If you are interested in taking part, please put forward your name and we would be pleased to include you.
Store Items for Sale (TL - Neville can you add to this please - TL)
- Link to latest Price List: Price List
- Link to an on-line order form: Coming soon
- How to purchase: Pay at a club meeting - or via electronic transfer. Details below.
BSB: 033-624
Account: 276428
Acc. Name: North Western Bee Club
End Note
As our President said, we wish you a marvelous end of year, or Christmas for those that celebrate it, and we hope that 2026 makes your bees very happy, and that we see lots of delicious honey to share with friends and family � and maybe you�ll sell some too.
Northwestern Bee Club Inc. All- Let�s think about a new purpose statement. I think we have one already � but I can�t find it.
Chat GPT suggested: Connecting beekeepers, supporting learning, and strengthening our community. And I don�t mind it.
Cheers, Trevor.