ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - 2007

The AGM should be a short meeting lasting less than 30 minutes

MEETING AGENDA

Approve 24th Annual General Meeting minutes.
Receive Committee Reports for 2006
Approve Statement of Accounts for 2006
Recognise the 2006 Committee
Elect the Committee for 2007
Appoint the Auditors
Other business for which due notice has to be given
Adjourn

SLATE OF 2007 COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Nominations for 2007 Committee

PROXY NOMINATIONS
If you are unable to attend the meeting you may complete the proxy Nomination form in the April newsletter, or failing that, please e-mail Nisha Dobberstein to receive a copy via e-mail (ndobberstein@yahoo.com) or fax (+6 03 2694 6212). Send no later than 31st April 2007 to Nisha Dobberstein

Minutes of the 24th Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Culture Group
(Kumpulan Kebudayaan Malaysia Kuala Lumpur and Selangor)

The Twenty Fourth Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Culture Group was held at The Islamic Arts Museum, Jalan Lembah Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia on Wednesday, the 3rd day of May 2006 at 10.15 A.M.

1.Quorum

The President called the meeting to order at 10.15 A.M, whereupon it was confirmed that the presence of a quorum represented by 50 members present.

3 Apologies received
3 Proxy Votes Received

2. Notices and Confirmation of Minutes of the Twenty Second Annual General Meeting

There were no amendments offered to the Minutes of The Twenty Third Annual General Meeting held on May 4th 2005. It was proposed by The President, Sunita Varlamos and duly seconded by Sarah Boucat and was accepted by a majority vote, that the minutes be adopted as submitted.

3. President's Report and Committee's Reports

The President, proposed that these reports be accepted as submitted in the member's April newsletter distributed to all members.

Elaine Wade, Seconded this proposal, and was accepted by a majority vote.

4. Audited Accounts for the Year Ended December 31, 2005

The President, proposed that the Audited Accounts for the year ended December 31st 2005 be accepted. Iolanda Capodanno, Seconded this proposal, and was accepted by a majority vote.

5. Other Business

No other business was raised or discussed.

6. Recognition of the 2005 Executive Committee

The President, thanked the Outgoing board for their Support during the year.

They are
· President – Sunita Varlamos
· Vice President – Prema Uday Kanagalingam
· Secretary – Nisha Dobberstein
· Treasurer – Barbara Kerfoot
· Membership – Lynne Clarke
· Librarian – Joanna Adamson
· Explorers Group Conveyor – Margaret Butorac
· Book Group Conveyor – Joanne Mahendran
· Newsletter Editor – Jaishree Balasubramanian
· Web Master – Petra Jud
· Events Planning Conveyor – Michelle Pease
· Events Planning Team ––Prema Kanagaligam, Diana Cooper, Cynthia Peters Zeier, Weisia Sawika,

7. Proposals and Election of New Committee.

The President, read out the list of the nominees for the new committee and Proposed they be elected as the new board for the year 2006. Azizah mohd. Noor, Seconded this, and was accepted by a majority vote

List of Nominees

· President – Sunita Varlamos
· Vice President – Lynn Davies
· Secretary – Nisha Dobberstein
· Treasurer – Barbara Kerfoot
· Membership – Lynne Clark
· Librarian – Fran Turland
· Book Group Conveyor – Joanna Mahendran
· Explorers Group Conveyor – Margaret Butorac
· Newsletter Editor – Jaishree Balasubramaniam
· Web Master – Petra Jud
· Events Planning Conveyor – Michelle Pease
· Events Planning Team – Cynthia Zeier, Renate Neef, Lynn Davies, Diana Cooper

8. Acceptance of Presidency

The Incoming President made an acceptance speech and thanked all those for their show of support. The President subsequently introduced the new board.

9. Appointment of Auditors

The President - Sunita Varlamos proposed that we reinstate Messer's Impana and Associates as auditors for the financial year ending December 2006. Colette Hassan, Seconded this, and was accepted by a majority vote

10. Thanks

The President thanked the outgoing Board members.

11. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 10.30 am with a note of thanks to all present .

Respectfully submitted: Approved:

Monisha Dobberstein, Secretary
Sunita Varlamos, President
Dated this 4th of May 2006

PRESIDENT'S REPORT FOR AGM - 2007

The past 12 months have been prosperous for the Malaysian Culture Group. We seem to go from strength to strength, by attracting and retaining members, offering a wide range of interesting events, special celebrations, talks and tours. Judging by the high attendance at all our events it has been a busy year for our members too!

I have held the position of President for two years. I am in a fortunate position to oversee all the activities and events of the MCG and I can attest that it has been an interesting and happy year full of impressive events, with opportunities to learn, appreciate, and enjoy the arts, culture, history and religions of Malaysia and South East Asia.

Though a large proportion of our members are permanent residents of Malaysia, we have still experienced a considerable number of departures from positions on the Board this year. This includes resignations from our Explorers Convener, Treasurer and Membership Secretary. These positions have been successfully filled but illustrate the fluidity of the group. I would like to thank Margaret Butorac, Barbara Kerfoot and Lynne Clark for their respective contributions to the Board in 2006.

My special thanks to the Events Planning Team (EPT) and in particular to Michelle Pease who leads her team. Over the past 12 months they have been responsible for providing an amazing range of interesting and unique events. There is a great deal of planning, effort and consideration that goes into each and every event. The EPT has received several notes of appreciation from members over the year and though these are not sought, they do acknowledge the significant effort of this team.

To all the members of the Board and the various committees I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for their commitment, contribution and energy over the past 12 months. There are also many other people involved in MCG who help in many ways - from offering their home for an event, to doing write-ups for the newsletter. My thanks to all for

all our members who continue to enthusiastically support the MCG.

As I step down from the role of President, I would like to thank the MCG members for having had this wonderful opportunity - it has been my honor and privilege to be involved.

Sunita Varlamos

EVENTS PLANNING

2006/2007 has been a very interesting year for the MCG with the hard working EPT team producing a variety of exciting and interesting events. We have covered many topics such as Heritage of Malaysian Architecture, Malaysia Titles, Language Policy of Malaysia, Thaipsuam & Traditional Tattoos of Sarawak just to name a few at our Monthly Lectures. An excellent Japanese Girls' Day celebration was enjoyed by all that attended. The very popular Travel Tips has continued and we hope to present many more in the coming year.

I would like to thank all those members such as the hostesses and presenters who donate their time to the MCG. I would like to say a special thank you to the hard working EPT team who continue to come up with new and exciting events for the MCG. Your time and effort is very much appreciated.

Michelle Pease

BOOK CLUB REPORT

As the Book Group Convener for the MCG Book Clubs, Joanne Mahendran has also led Book Club One while Lynn Davies has led Book Club Two. Each group meets once a month to discuss a book chosen at the end of the previous season. Members take turns leading and hosting. Book Club One meets the last Friday of the month while Book Club Two meets the last Wednesday of the month. The groups as a whole select their books in April or May for the following year from a list of suggestions submitted by the members and voted on. The groups meet for ten months out of twelve and confine their book selections to Asian literature. Generally the books chosen must be paperback, with ready availability, and come highly recommended.

For the 2006/2007 season Book Club One selected to read: "The Great Railway Bazaar" by Paul Theroux, " Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, "The Inheritance of Loss" by Kiran Desai, "The Alchemy of Desire" by Tarun J Tejpal, "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami, "Trespassers on the Roof of the World" by Peter Hopkirk, "The Red Queen" by Margaret Drabble, " Sightseeing"by Rattawut Lapcharoensap, "Leaving Mother Lake" by Yang Erche Namu & Christine Mathieu, "I am a Cat" by Soseki Natsume.

Book Club Two members have been reading: "The Soul of Malaya" by Henri Fauconnier, "The Death of Vishnu" by Manil Suri, "The Piano Tuner" by Daniel Mason, "The Good Women of China" by Xinran Xue, "You'll Die in Singapore" by Charles McCormac, "The Hamilton Case" by Michelle De Krester, "Map for Lost Lovers"by Nadeem Aslam, "The River at the Centre of the World" by Simon Winchester, "Sightseeing" by Rattawut Lapcharoensap, "City of Djinns—A Year in Delhi" by William Dalrymple, "Diary of a girl in Changi" by Sheila Allen, and "Saman" by Aya Utami.

Belonging to one of our Book Groups is a highly rewarding experience with lively discussions, fine hospitality and great camaraderie. We welcome new members at any time on a space available basis.

Joanne Mahendran

LIBRARY

The library was moved in July 2006 to the home of Lynn Davies in Damansara Heights, and a new librarian, Minna Schwarz-Seim, was recruited. A number of donated books have been processed and added to the collection, and a few books were purchased, most notably the recently published volumes of The Encyclopedia of Malaysia.

Two MCG members have paid the RM50 fee to become library members and library usage remains low. The library is currently open twice a month, with other times available by prior arrangement

Minna Schwarz-Seim

MEMBERSHIP REPORT 2007

I took over the role of Membership Secretary on Nov 1, 2006 when Lynne Clark found that family circumstances at home in the UK meant she had to divide her time between UK and Malaysia more and more. I had recently joined the MCG and was happy to take over this interesting role. It should be acknowledged Lynne did a sterling job at a time in her life that wasn't always easy. Thanks Lynne

Membership of the MCG open to citizens of Malaysia, as well as expatriates who reside in Malaysia. The current annual membership subscription of RM60.00 is great value for money. We continue to attract a very diverse membership.

As at 31st Dec 06 our membership stood at 281.At the time of preparing this report, our membership now stands at 296 – made up of 16 Lifetime members, 21 Public Relations members, 196 paid up members for 2007 and 63 members from 2006 that are yet to renew their membership for this year, or advise that they no longer wish to belong to MCG. This may simply be due to having relocated and forgetting in the midst of packing etc to let us know they are moving on The PR members include Embassies, High Commissions and other ex-pat groups which receive our monthly newsletters and emails to be shared with their respective staff and families, hopefully thus encouraging many potential new members to come along.

Our membership year runs Jan one to Dec 31. After Feb 28 each year, newsletters are only mailed out to those people who have renewed their membership for the current year. On 08 April the 63 members who have not renewed for 2007, will be deleted from the Membership database, resulting in a current membership of 233 as at that date.

In addition to maintaining the MCG databases, I am responsible for mailing the monthly newsletter. Please be sure to contact me if your postal address, email address, home, work or handphone numbers change.

Lin Streefkerk

WEBSITE

The Website www.malaysiaculturegroup.com helps members and non-members know what is going on within the MCG . People can even register for an event which is also open for non-members. The membership application form can also be obtained from the website. From this year you can get the dates for the meetings of the Book Club or Explorers Groups in the event calendar. The website also includes an archive with newsletters dating back to 2002.

Statistics: Our website continues to be among the top six results on all major search engines such as google, yahoo etc. and its ranking for relevant content surpasses nearly all other local websites, including the one of the Malaysian Ministry of Culture, Arts & Tourism! The website receives about one hundred visits per day. 41.8 % of the visitors enter our website directly (bookmarks), 56,4 % via search engine and 1.6 % with links from external pages.

Petra Jud

EXPLORERS' REPORT

This past year saw enthusiastic MCG members forming a second Explorers group that began touring in January 2007. We now have two active groups with 28 members each. Margaret Butorac moved to Hong Kong and turned over the Explorers convener position to Cheryl Hoffmann in April, 2006. Thank your Margaret for all your effort in making Explorers so successful.

During the past 12 months Explorers have met Orang Asli on Pulau Carey, toured a private art gallery, visited several artists, had a "blind" massage in Brickfields, and toured the Royal Selangor Club, Sutra House and Istana Budaya, among other places of interest. The Explorers should be commended for their enthusiasm in putting these tours together. From first conceptualizing the tour, right through to reporting on the experience, Explorers work hard to the benefit of the entire group. Thanks to all Explorers, past and present, as we look forward to many great outings in the coming year.

Cheryl Hoffmann

NEWSLETTER

I have been editing the newsletter since January 2006. The newsletter is out once a month. The issues of June/July and December/January are combined as this is the holiday season and many of MCG members usually travel out of Malaysia during this time.

Thanks for all the contributions to the newsletter. We know people love reading what you write. Keep writing.

Jaishree Balasubramanian