Bonsai enthusiasts will have a new club to join at the Manjimup Family Centre

The Manjimup Family Centre has established a new club for bonsai enthusiasts in the South West region. The new club had its inaugural meeting on Saturday morning, where attendees and hobbyists were able to participate in bonsai workshops, run by Bunbury Bonsai Club president Robert Sattell, and observed bonsai trees and other plants brought in by members. Co-ordinator Klaus Mueller said the planning for the bonsai club had been in the works for about five to six months, before the workshop on Saturday. “Myself and Don Barker from Bridgetown drive to Bunbury for their bonsai club once a month, and we spoke to people who were keen and decided to create a club in Manjimup and save people the drive to Bunbury,” he said. “There’s been about 20 people at least and since the initial meeting, there have been more that are interested in joining.” Mr Mueller noted the increasing popularity of the hobby, especially in the older crowd, being with the fascination of the plant. “I think bonsai is becoming popular around the world and it’s definitely something people down here will be interested in,” he said. “I’ve been to Japan a couple of times, and the first bonsai I saw was in the 70s when I went to the Chelsea flower show and saw a 450-year oak bonsai that was given from the Japanese government to the British government.” Mr Mueller has been a karate teacher for 45 years, in which during his time, he made the trip to see the bonsai tree, and has been taking up bonsai tray planting for the past five years. The club will be running meetings and workshops every second Saturday at the Family Centre, for those who may either be interested in learning the art of bonsai, or are wanting to join as a club member. “Bring along a tree or plant that’ll be good for bonsai or just come down and have a look at it,” Mr Mueller said. “We’re always looking for activities that we can bring a ton of ages and variety of hobbies for people to do.”