More than 80 members attended this AGM but not many sat through the whole meeting which, true to MNS tradition, lasted over 5 hours. The air-conditioning was not cold enough, the acoustics was less than satisfactory, the seats a bit hard on the bottom – thus it needed a lot of stamina, grit and enthusiasm in order to endure the rigors of the AGM. Unfortunately the President was not present to give his report and meet the members. There was a bit of heat over the accounts and some aired their strong views, which were unfortunately more in the nature of dissatisfactions than praise but on the whole there were satisfactory answers to most of the queries brought up.

The happy event was the scrapping of the proposed development at Tanjung Tuan – a victory for conservation, the consultative process, public and press pressure – events which MNS played a vital role. It augurs well for the future. Endau-Rompin State Park came in for a number of fairly heated discussions, mainly arising from the members' ignorance of the MNS' role and the con-straints that came with it. Basically being only a sub-contractor, MNS does not have much say over policy decisions. But work seems to be progressing well after the initial hesitant start. Kuala Selangor Nature Park has been given a face lift with better infrastructural facilities – mainly chalets and cages for the introduction of the endangered Milky Stork back into the wild – something which has never been done before. MNS-Boh NEC has improved the facilities, services and occupancy rates under the new manager – new water heaters, carpets, audio-visual equipment, library and outdoor activities for members to use and enjoy. Members are encouraged to take advantage of this.

The staffing at HQ remains satisfactory and there is a vacancy for the post of CEO again. It is hoped that more care and thought will be given to find a suitable candidate for this most important post and thus put an end to the strings of past appointments and resignations that has plagued the Society with regard to this posting. Education and conservation remain important cornerstones of the Society and to date there are 115 school nature clubs around the country which is a great improvement over the past years. MNS has been much more vocal especially in the press and members are urged to do their part by not pointing fingers at the Society but use their own initiative and write and complain to their MPs, the press, etc. The victory at Tanjung Tuan has been mentioned, Belum Phase II expedition has been successfully completed so has the National Biodiversity Plan. The joint NEC at Rimba Ilmu holds promise of success while that at FRIM continues to be heavily booked and is still a favourite for nature education among the public. The Birding people appeared to be the most active among members of the Society and their achievements both on the national and international levels were noteworthy.

Branch reports are varied – some were pathetic, others were inspiring, others stoic, some funny but they were all served to showcase the diversity, enthusiasm, commitment and love of fun and adventure that is the hallmark of MNS members. Pre and post AGM trips were arranged for mem-bers who were offered a choice of interests – from enjoying the famous wet market of Kota Bharu, to the exotic delights of Sungai Golok and Pattani in Thailand, the awe-inspiring waterfall at Stong and the sunny seductive beaches of Pulau Perhentian. The organisers hope that everyone enjoyed themselves despite the long journey, long hours, long speeches, semi-intelligible financial figures and minor irritations that come with every AGM. Among Kelantan Branch members special mention must be made of the good work done by the organizing committee, especially Mei Lin and Fong Sew, who worked tirelessly to make this AGM a success. (Adapted from Shown, Kelantan Br)