ACTA DIURNA

Western Suburbs Games Society News                                                                                       March 2005

Commentarii Senatus (Comments from the Senate)

'A proposal was recently put to the committee that the club purchase some additional resources for the Library, including some reference books, armies etc, to support the games currently being played, and new members looking to get into various game systems. Thanks to some generous donations from members, we will soon have club armies for Flames of War, Warmachine and 40K. We will also be purchasing core rule books, and army books for the club armies, which will be available for anyone to use. Obviously with these additional resources comes the responsibility for all members to look after them, and from time to time we will need to repair or replace items, and will need members help to paint, base etc. We would ask that you treat these armies as your own, and look after these for the enjoyment of all members.

Coming events include 25/26th March at the Easter Show, and 16th April at  Bunnings (BBQ). We need more volunteers for the Show, and another 1 or 2 for Bunnings. We will also post a list of other events at our next meeting, and please if you have some time your club needs you to support these fund raisers. It is through these events that we are able to minimise annual memberships, and spend money on library items etc.

Planning for Leviathan 2005 is well progressed, and look out for full details in the next month.'

When you see Ross Heenan please thank him for the time he has spent painting up the new 15mm terrain suitable for Flames of War or Napoleonics.

Trevor Williams (Club President)

Up on a Soap Box

I’ve met a lot of good people through WSGS. Unfortunately I need to free up my time to meet family/work needs and I will no longer be a regular/ active member of WSGS at least in the foreseeable future. I’ve enjoyed seeing the club newsletter draw back so many of the original Parramatta Wargames members and I hope someone will continue the monthly family days and other initiatives like the club monthly BBQ.

Most hobby clubs never survive the initial founding members leaving, however WSGS has had a long and profound influence on the hobby in Sydney. We have been running for nearly 33 years and still going strong.

At least 3 other clubs started up from former Parramatta Wargames/ WSGS members. (Denizens of the Coast – Scot Cranfield, Gouburn Wargames club – Matt Williamson and Penrith Emperor’s Legion – Rodney Bailey)

The Parramatta Wargames club/ WSGS has always lead the way in promoting our hobby to the general public

q       The Parramatta Foundation day march. (Joel Williams, late 1970’s very early 1980’s)

q       A channel Nine news segment (Joel Williams organised this, late 1970’s very early 1980’s)

q       Participation displays at local schools during education week (mid 1990s)

q       Gary Kenworthy’s gifted and talented workshops at Penrith High and other schools (1990’s)

q       Being interviewed on ABC radio (2003),

q       Articles in the local newspapers (in the late 1970’s and very early 1980’s and again in 2002 to 2004

q       The Bunnings BBQs and displays (2003 and on going)

q       Assisting in local community fund raisers with displays (2004 Trevor Williams)

q       The free participation games at MOAB, and the at the Matisse Open days (2002 and ongoing)

q       A Two day promotion at the Royal Easter Show. (2004 and confirmed 2005)

I would also like to acknowledge Joel Williams the 2^nd club president at Parramatta Wargames club. Joel managed to get a club full of Wargamers to play a day of cricket together (exercise) as well as getting us all to pay on time and in full for a club outing to see the movie Alien. He gave our hobby club a sense of community.

WSGS has been very fortunate in the long serving club presidents that it has had especially Gary Kenworthy and our current President Trevor Williams. WSGS members all have different strengths and talents. A club is only what you put into it, and at times it has been a real pleasure seeing different people contribute to make their club a success. Good luck and Best wishes in the future Ty

Up and Coming Events

q       WSGS Interclub challenge (40K)

The 2004 challenge was postponed late last year. It is now on Sunday the 27^th February 2005 as it will not conflict with any club meeting date. Please speak to the committee if you wish to play.

q       WSGS Family Day 6^th March 2006

Painting in the morning, BBQ and Full Thrust or Pirate Ship games in the afternoon. Parents must accompany the children during the day.

Up and Coming Events (Cont.)

q       WSGS Tactika Championships, 19^th and 20^th March 2005, sponsored by Grey Matter Games

Please email Gary Kenworthy NOW to play in this reinvigorated WSGS event. Seven players have already accepted the challenge gp_kenworthy@hotmail.com Your input for possible scenarios would be welcome, as Gary looks at organising the terrain. Yes we may see something different on the table top. There will be prizes for First and second place plus a special award for the largest miscalculation of tactical commonsense. It will also establish a ranking for Leviathan and give valuable practice for those entering. Most important however is that this is a social activity, a chance to get together and see old friends and makes new friends. Lunch and/ or Dinner out with the guys, a well earned break from the kids and work. So bring your money for lunch/ dinner.

Armies ARE AVAILABLE to be lent out for the weekend, So if you want to be Caesar or Alexander the Great or Gengis Khan for the weekend please talk to Gary NOW!

q       Easter Show two day display (Volunteers needed) (25^th and 26^th March 2005)

WSGS will have a two day display over Good Friday and Easter Saturday in the Arts and Crafts Hall during the Royal Easter Show using the tables at the Matisse Derivan display. Last year we impressed the Easter Show Organisers of the Arts and Craft Hall so much that one of the Organisers attended Leviathan with his family.

Volunteers so far, (Ty Gock (1 day), Gary Kenworthy (1 day), David Pasilow (1 day), with Steve Stopford a MAYBE only.)

q       Bunning’s BBQ Saturday 16^th April 2005 (weekend before Leviathan to promote public attendance,)

Volunteers so far (Ty Gock)

News and information

CanCon

The photos and report on last weekend's Cancon are now available on the Piquet Stockade.  http://homepage.mac.com/sfinlay/PiquetStockade.html

Stephen Finlay

q       Painting 1/72^nd scale plastic

Do you remember the Airfix soldiers, painting them only to have the paint peel off as the plastic bends? Here is a tip, coat the plastic with Loctite Polyolefin Primer 770. Then within two hours use your matt primer.

This has been trialed by Steve Stopford and he assumes me the primer bonds to the plastic and allows you to paint without the paint peeling off. (This is also a tip on the Hat web site. www.hat.com This works better than coating the plastic figures with PVA.

q       FREE GAMES, Air Brushing demonstrations and Face Painting AT LEVIATHAN

23^rd and 24^th April 2005

Matisse Derivan will have a face painted there for both Saturday and Sunday to paint kid’s faces for FREE.

Matisse are also proposing to have spray-painting demonstrations.

The following Free games will be available for families to play

q       Russell Hooke will be presenting Lost Worlds, bigger and better then ever

q       Ty Gock will be running the new Mobby Dick’s Revenge

q       The Southern Battle Group will be running 1-2 games

q       Chris Loyd we hope will be running the Wild West game again

q       The Goulburn Wargames Club will be running 1 to 2 games

q       Mark Primose will be presenting an ANZAC participation game.

Plastic Kits at WSGS] (By Chris Shai-Hee)

Why Societies Collapse?

Based on a program broadcast on Radio National's Background Briefing, 27 Oct 2002, which contained excepts from a talk by Professor Jared Diamond given at Princeton University in Sept 2002

Throughout human history societies have prospered and collapsed leaving behind tantalizing glimpses of their magnificence in crumbling temples, ruins and statues. Why did these ancient civilisations fall apart? Why did some collapse and not others? And what lessons do they have for our civilisation? To answer these questions Jared Diamond looks at the fall of Easter Island, the North American Anasazi and Norse Greenland. These mysterious collapses have direct relevance to the environmental problems that we face today.

Go To  http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/societies/default.htm

ANZAC DIORAMA RESOURCES LIST

I've put this list together to assist any interested schools in making an ANZAC diorama for the School diorama competition and then decided that others would be interested in it. This list is not a complete but will give the teachers a guide to where they can find Australian miniatures.

I also found some 54mm Simpson donkey miniatures and some miniatures of Furphy's Water tanks, so teachers can pass on the Aussie meaning of a "Furphy" - where the word Furphy became known for tall stories (see Wilson Edward Toy Soldiers Australia listed below)

I'm happy to forward the entry forms and further information to any interested schools. I have purchased three glass trophies at my own expense to donate to the winning schools. (just email me for the details. hr@stbasilshomes.org.au )

Please encourage Primary schools or year 7 students to enter and encourage the making of an ANZAC diorama

Regards Ty

15mm

Australians in the Pacific

go to Eureka Miniature

www.eurekamin.com.au

They may have other Australian ranges as well.

1/72nd scale Plastic

WWII Australians

Airfix

Hat

Go to any good toy or hobby store.

25mm

Dominion Miniatures

http://dominionminiatures.com

0405 311 689

Also Eureka may have some 25mm and Castaway Miniatures in Qld may have some.

http://www.castawayarts.com.au/

54mm or greater

http://www.ozmadefigurines.com.au/about.htm

Also Oz made miniatures are in stock with Gosford Toys and Hobbies (02) 4329 2066

·          Wilson Edward Toy Soldiers Australia (Also stocks Peace Australian Miniatures)

(03) 5448 3805

email soldier@tpg.com.au

They have some good pieces eg Simpson's donkey, Furphy Water tank etc.

Also consider MilMod hobbies as they import a lot of different things.

http://www.milmod-hobbies.com/

Finally,  don't forget ships, and aircraft (plastic kits)

HMAS Sydney for example and the history of its sinking.

What WSGS did in February 2005

q       The most successful Family day yet - 6^th February

This was the biggest family day for WSGS with nearly all the families involved over 2004 turning up on the 6^th of February, 2005. This gave us 13 boys that attended all day and 4 girls that attended the painting only.

To supervise there were 4 Fathers and 3 Mothers present all day and 2 Mothers that stayed for half a day.

All of them said that they want the family days to continue and two Fathers volunteered to assist in the club monthly BBQs and one Father offered to assist with the Bunnings BBQs.

q       Two hour painting demo/workshop using Derivan Minis with Gary Kenworthy

Gary talked about the paint, did some painting and entertained 3-6 painters.

A list of who stocks Derivan Minis and this information can be found on www.matisse.com.au

q       Ancients Campaign – Earth 2

English secured the bridge leading to a Castle and Village. The Irish are overjoyed that they survived for a day delaying the English and Selecuid approach. However with the bridge secured, the Irish have been forced to withdraw from the Village, leaving the Castle manned and besieged. The Irish are collecting a relief force and morale is high. The Irish General (Andrew Waterson) showed clever delaying tactics and was admired for it by the Selecuid General (Gary Kenworthy). Mitchell Ortundo played the English General.

***

Canning started in jars. The process was invented in France in 1795 by Nicholas Appert, a chef who was determined to win the prize of 12,000 francs offered by Napoleon for a way to prevent military food supplies from spoiling. Appert canned meats and vegetables in jars sealed with pitch and by 1804 opened his first vacuum-packing plant. It was a French military secret that soon leaked across the English Channel.

***

The canning process dates back to the late 18th century in France when the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, concerned about keeping his armies fed, offered a cash prize to whoever could develop a reliable method of food preservation. Nicholas Appert conceived the idea of preserving food in bottles, like wine. After 15 years of experimentation, he realized if food is sufficiently heated and sealed in an airtight container, it will not spoil. An Englishman, Peter Durand, took the process one step farther and developed a method of sealing food into unbreakable tin containers, which was perfected by Bryan Dorkin and John Hall, who set up the first commercial canning factory in England in 1813. As more and more of the world was explored, and as provisioning armies took on greater importance, the demand for canned foods grew. Thomas Kensett, who emigrated to the United States, established the first U.S. canning facility for oysters, meats, fruits and vegetables in New York in 1812. More than 50 years later, Louis Pasteur provided the explanation for canning's effectiveness when he was able to demonstrate that the growth of micro organisms is the cause of food spoilage.

The above Canning information is from various internet web sources and is not original material.

Australian History - A Furphy!

The term a furphy (a tall story) originated from Australians meeting at a Furphy water tanks for a drink. Tall stories were told over a drink of water which were then described as a furphy.

WSGS Meeting Dates for 2005

Next meeting highlighted in BLUE