Esprit Bonsai International – August 2019

78 - EspritBonsaiInternational #101

Club and
Enthusiasts

Text: Marie Albessard

Photos: Cercle montois du bonsaï

“The key words are

conviviality, sharing

and passion”

For 35 years the

Cercle montois du

bonsaï, in Mons,

Belgium, has brought

dozens of bonsai

lovers together. Its

notable exhibitions

attract many new

members.

“We register about 550 entries

for every exhibition,” the vice-presi-

dent added proudly. The exhibition

attracts enthusiasts from a radius

of about 200 kilometres, from both

Belgium and neighbouring France.

In addition, and for the first time,

several bonsai professionals (pot-

ters and wholesalers etc.) were pres-

ent at the event.

An introductory

theoretical course

If this event is an opportunity for

the club to display its achievements,

it is also the moment to attract new

enthusiasts. “We have 42 members

at the moment, but the exhibition

• A savin juniper displayed at the 2019 June exhibition. allows us to entice new subscrib-

Thirty-five years in

existence cannot but arouse the

admiration of bonsai enthusiasts.

For the Cercle montois du bonsaï

in Mons, Wallonia, with its group of

bonsaists, has been active since

1984. But the forty-odd members of
      the club celebrated this anniversary
      without fanfare, and simply made
      the most of their major exhibition,
      at the beginning of June, to mark this
      important date.

Organised every five years, the

club’s exhibition requires long, hard

work in advance, for the office, for

the members who have to prepare

the trees to be exhibited – 150 this

year – and for the organisation itself.

“Members focus on the exhibition

for six months, preparing their trees

and working on them to show them

to their best advantage,” explained

Jean-Daniel Delattre, the club’s

vice- and future president, as he

will soon take over from Christian

Descamps. This important moment

in the club’s life took place over two

days in conjunction with an exhi-

bition of Japanese dolls from the

personal collection of one of the

club members.

CERCLE MONTOIS DU BONSAÏ

(THE MONS BONSAI CIRCLE)

• The Cercle montois du bonsaï holds a major exhibition every five years.
  This year, it was also the occasion to celebrate the club’s 35th anniversary.