IMES Scholarship

UPDATE

First visit, to meet the Toowoomba Clivia Society, the first clivia club in Australia (great stuff!!!) I had a wonderful telephone call from Lyn Althons, in Toowoomba, and can't wait to meet you all. Fantastic. Toowoomba must be the 2nd best place in Australia to grow clivia (sorry Albany Wa is the best!) - but please try and prove me wrong, can't wait to visit !

2nd most important visit to see Anil on the Sunshine Coast, Anil has very kindly offered his services for free to see if he can successfully tissue culture clivia seeds, the next on the list is to try mature clivia for tissue culture, perhaps we may all one day be able to afford those beautiful pinks and peaches - watch this space - thankyou so much Anil, can't wait to meet you!!.

Can't wait to visit Stanmore Horticultural - I need one of those self made u-beaut greenhouses, wonder if he wants to visit to build me one too! Probably wants a rest after the marathon effort of building his own. Many thanks to you too Mr Stanmore Horticultural, I wish you well.

And also, a very special visit to a friend who has a private quarantine station, if they can do it, why can't I do it in Albany? Forget what the Perth Quarantine people say, sooner or later they are going to have to accept that the country people are quite capable of being entrusted to do their own quarantine! Go with the flow, and give us a go!!!! After all Albany, WA is supposed to be a "City" now. And country people are well aware, if not MORE aware of the great status WA has of being the "cleanest" place on Earth.

Next, AND VERY IMPORTANT, a visit to Tasmanian Quarantine, to see why their reputation to enabling clivia to survive 3 months quarantine, and poisonous Bromide spray is so good. Is it the climate? Is it more understanding of Clivias requirements? is it what?? I want to so much find out. I wish to visit, check out the quarantine houses and see what it is. But bringing plants into quarantine in Tassie is a good option, if they survive quarantine there, they are available to anyone in Australia (including poor old Tassie!).

If anyone has anything else to suggest in visiting these areas, please, please, email or phone me. I am just a passionate clivia fanatic - I love any extra information, no matter how irrelevent you think it may be. I thank you in advance.

Angela

In-Market Experience Scholarship Awarded to Angela Offer

Angela has been awarded an In-Market Experience Scholarship (IMES) under the New Industries Development Program (NIDP), administered by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

The aim of the NIDP is to assist businesses in the agricultural, processed food, fisheries and forestry industries investigate and/or build on innovative business ideas and opportunities with the view to turn them into competitive, profitable and sustainable commercial ventures.

The IMES awarded will provide Angela with funding to conduct market research, create alliances with potential customers, undertake training courses, gain experience in new areas of business and markets, and receive advice from experts.

Letter of Commitment

I am committed to the further development and promotion of Clivias.

I am a member of the International Clivia Society, The New Zealand Clivia Club, the North American Bulb Society and the North American Clivia Society. I keep up to date with other Clivia hobbyists daily through the Yahoo Clivia on-line club, and the NACS on-line discussion group.

I am willing to commit time and effort to produce new and better clivia.

If I do not receive a grant, I will attend the Biannual Conference of the International Clivia Society, but I would not have the finances to continue further than this, as far as this project can go.

Spending 30 hours to complete this application as best I can, has shown a great level of commitment, as it is school holidays here, I have older children and grandchildren visiting (gorgeous little baby Annie is helping me in the office at present!) and I also mhave my business to run. I know I will never suffer boredom.

I hope you look upon my application favourably

Yours sincerely

Angela Offer

Congratulations for the In-Market Experience Scholarship

Peter Watson MLA, Member for Albany

Hi Angela,

Congratulations on being granted your IMES scholarship. I will keep up to speed on your website.

Kind regards
Peter

PETER WATSON MLA
Member for Albany

Allison Campbell

Hi Angela

Congrats and all the best for your studies.

Allison

African Bulbs

Dear Angela

Congratulation on getting the scholarship. This will be an exciting challenge. Will the funding extend to a visit to us to see wild clivias?

There is a Clivia group in Queensland you may not be aware of. Contact Bruce Newton for details -
bne03669@bigpond.net.au

Kind regards

Rhoda and Cameron McMaster
African Bulbs

Ezeiza Botanical Garden, Argentina

Dear Angela:

This is just a thrill! Congratulations for such an achievement. Hopefully there will be a renewal after it.

All the best

Alberto
Ezeiza Botanical Garden, Argentina

Wynand Malan

Dear Angela,

In joy with you. Don't take it as study in any traditional sense. Do it as an application of your hobbie and passion.

Come to think of it now, I know you will.

Kind regards,

Wynand Malan

Albany Quarantine (AQIS)

Congratulations

Hope everything goes well for you.

Regards

Mark Kennedy
Senior Inspector
AQIS

Craig

Angela,

Congratulations!!!! Can the grant be extended beyond one year? This is at least a nice beginning to help everyone better understand this complicated plant. I don't know if there is anything I can do to help you from so far away, but let me know.

Do you still have an import permit for pollen? If so, I'll put some nice things aside for you this March/April when we are in our blooming season.

Good luck with your new and wonderfully fun project.

Regards,

Craig