This was the case for Gloucester Garden Club's September meeting last Wednesday when 70 members and guests attended to see 17 entries in the flower competition for the month, 17 beautiful and hardy representatives of their particular type and colour.

The meeting was held in the drought-impaired garden of Trudy and Peter Sambach of Bowman Farm, and Trudy warned against visiting the vegetable gardens, not just because of the two active bee hives, "but because there is just nothing to see!"

But there was plenty to see elsewhere in their early spring garden with the great promise of much more should the district be blessed with that overdue rainfall.

As members settled down for the meeting under the shade trees just emerging from their winter rest, watching the swallows busily feeding their young and the swarms of bees searching for pollen on the flowering ornamental grape vine along the verandah.

President Shirley Hazell welcomed the large attendance and the many visitors, including a number of men. Trudy said it was the third time they had hosted a garden club meeting, the first was very wet, the second came with the smell of chook manure being distributed by a neighbour and now in the middle of a drought!

The club is planning to build an arbor in the Billabong Bridge rose garden with assistance from Council as their major community project. The club has purchased a suitable and effective PA system with member David Pierce, who handled its purchase, now dubbed the "keeper of the speaker."

The club has now 130 members, with two receiving their badges that day- Helen Whan and Susanna Lot.

The Narraweema roster will now resume, following hospital improvement work; Kerry Marsden read Margaret Blamires' "what to do in October" report, and guest speakers Ruth and Robert Lauster spoke on the growing of garlic.

Member Sharyn Blanch gave her member's profile which included an interesting history of her family interest in farming and gardening.

Helen Evans was to do the question and answer segment, but there were no questions. However in the show and tell segment, Trudy Sambach introduced us to 'Paul' the very special German garden gnome which has been in her family for 150 years, and been through two world wars.

In the flower competition, Bonnie Werz was placed first with her magnificent purple iris, second was the RSL rose grown by Merlene Curby, and equal third were Keith Frank's green hippesastrum, Peter Hazell with a Dendrobium softcane orchid, Bruce Myers' azalea and Tessa Searle's soft pink geranium.

Bruce Hebblewhite won the fruit or veggie competition with a passionfruit, second Peter Hazell with a bunch of silver beet and third was Tessa Searle's lemon.

The members' draw was not won, the lucky door won by Fay Dent, and raffle winners, Ken Everleigh, Robert Mendham, Maree McSwan, Dot Harris and Bonnie Werz.