Since its humble beginnings in a chook shed at Narara more than half a century ago, the Central Coast Lapidary Club has grown to be one of the Coast’s real treasures.
This year the club is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
The inaugural meeting was held at the home of founding members Charles and Margaret Pate in Parry Pde, Gosford, in 1963, with around 25 p.eople attending.
The club now has over 200 members, including junior and senior members, and a permanent home at Ourimbah.
The founding members were Charles and Margaret Pate, Jack and Dulcie White, Harry Naylor and Beryl Readford.
At the meeting the members unanimously agreed on naming their club Central Coast Lapidary Club.
“Things have changed quite a bit since those early days,” club president Carolyn Farbrother said.
“While the techniques and machines haven’t evolved much, the club now has lots more than we started out with and they are all housed in the club headquarters which was built by club members in 1978.”
The club runs an annual gem show, with the first held in the Gosford Methodist Hall in 1963 before relocating to the Methodist Hall at Wyong.
The event is now a highlight in the club’s calendar.
Held at Mingara Recreation Centre, it attracts thousands of gem fans from all over the region.
Projects also include silverwork, enamelling, beading, faceting, bone carving, cabbing and wire wrapping.
The club also runs regular trips that may including hunting for fossils and fossicking for gold and crystals.
The club is always welcoming new members and is run by a passionate group of volunteers.
For more details call 4362 2246 or visit the Central Coast Lapidary Club Facebook page.
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Central Coast Lapidary Club