RAAus Fails CASA Audit Again

[John G]

To All Interested RAAus Members,An email was sent to Steve Runciman today asking him bluntly "Did he submit a letter of resignation to RAAus as President".

 

He has been open & honest in his reply stating that he did in fact submit a letter of resignation to RAAus on Monday 26.11.12 to RAAus, & during mid week he obtained a legal opinion about wanting to withdraw this resignation letter & the legal advise received indicated that this would be in order to do so, which the Board accepted.

John, would you care to share the original communication with this forum? I have been in communication with a board member within the last couple of minutes and he tells me has not been consulted or asked to vote on the matter and is totally flabbergasted at what I conveyed to him about what was contained in your post.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Note that according to the above he briefed his own lawyer and he provided the advice.

 

No mention is made of the board members exercising due diligence.

 

 

[David Isaac]

John, would you care to share the original communication with this forum? I have been in communication with a board member within the last couple of minutes and he tells me has not been consulted or asked to vote on the matter and is totally flabbergasted at what I conveyed to him about what was contained in your post.

I don't know why he is surprised, I would allege that the executive make many decisions outside the bounds of their constitutional privileges. It is quite possible that the secretary and the treasurer decided to accept the withdrawal of the resignation without consulting with the whole Board and if you noticed the President sought his own legal advice ... what is going on there, where is the Board exercising their duty in this situation.

This is better than 'Keystone Cops'

 

 

[John G]

For the sake of continuity between the two threads I am reposting from the other.

 

priteah said: ↑

 

David the majority of the board voted yesterday to accept the presidents withdrawal of resignation. In fact no-one voted against it. There is a legal opinion from slater and Gordon, I'm not sure if that is an archive opinion or fresh

 

Regards,

 

Jim.

 

Jim,

 

Please consider the following letter I received back in 2008:

 

Recreational Aviation Australia Inc.

 

ABN 40 070 931 645

 

PO Box 1265 3/1 Pirie Street,

 

FYSHWICK ACT 2609

 

1st October 2008

 

Mr. John Gardon

 

P.O. Box 154

 

WARDELL,

 

N.S.W., 2477

 

Dear Mr. Gardon,

 

Re: decision of the board relating to withdrawal of a resignation

 

with regard to your request for withdrawal of your resignation from the RA-Aus board, the

 

RA-Aus board has made a decision that a withdrawal of a letter of resignation from a

 

board member will not be accepted.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Lynn Jarvis

 

Secretary

 

Recreational Aviation Australia Inc.

 

When I contacted the secretary at the time he told me that a resolution had been passed that once a Board member or executive member tendered his resignation or even an intent to resign then that resignation could not be withdrawn. The resolution had been passed on legal advice received at the time.

 

Now, unless there is a rescission of that motion the board ( at least those that were asked to vote) have all acted illegally and against legal advice as well as good governance practice.

 

I'm somewhat mystified at the legal advice obtained: The president resigns at 05:30??? Monday 26th November and Legal advice obtained by 1300 on Tuesday to enable a motion with a proposer and seconder; and sufficient time to discuss and debate and a vote carried by late Tuesday of all Board members geographically dispersed around Australia. Come ON. Did they really expect that you came down in the last shower? I'm sure when an investigation is carried out in the future whether it be by ASIC or some other body there will be a lot of unanswered questions; just as the members currently have. By the way the members have a legitimate claim to see the legal advice that was obtained and paid for by the members, and in due course will demand it. I hope it is there with a readily available audit trail.

 

How come some Board members were not invited to participate in the discussion or vote?? Another illegality!

 

Jim, not attacking you. Just asking you to consder the facts. Been there done that and don't want to see someone else get caught.

 

 

[Guest airsick]

To All Interested RAAus Members,An email was sent to Steve Runciman today asking him bluntly "Did he submit a letter of resignation to RAAus as President".

 

He has been open & honest in his reply stating that he did in fact submit a letter of resignation to RAAus on Monday 26.11.12 to RAAus, & during mid week he obtained a legal opinion about wanting to withdraw this resignation letter & the legal advise received indicated that this would be in order to do so, which the Board accepted.

So he resigned and then obtained legal advice. Who paid for the advice? Did he engage the RA-Aus lawyers at our expense or did he fork out for it himself just like any other ordinary member would have to? (Given that's what he was while ever the resignation was still valid and he was seeking advice as to whether he could withdraw it.)

 

 

[pylon500]

Why does the thought "WE'RE SCREWED keep running through my mind?

 

Aircraft tally;

 

1 x '24' (non LSA) aircraft still flying till April,

 

1 x '25' aircraft just expired (two weeks, no news),

 

1 x '25' aircraft under rebuild with lapsed rego (twelve months), but probably still wont be finished for another six months,

 

1 x '19' aircraft being re-engined so will need rego updated,

 

1 x imported '?' which may need some interesting paperwork (or become a lawn ornament!)

 

and 1 x '28' restoration project that will be modified, hopefully before I die of old age.

 

How many others out there are actually grounded/waiting for rego at the moment?

 

More to the point, has ANYONE been re-registered in the last two weeks?

 

3) this whole issue blew up on or around Tuesday the 6th of November

I think the fuse may have been lit somewhere around October 20011..........

And the initials SB may have something to do with it?

 

 

[fly_tornado]

The RAA is screwed. Uncles Steve/s, Eugene and Middo seem intent on running the RAA into the ground before they resign. What I find disturbing is that the board votes unanimously to keep supporting the executive. So even after they leave, there is no guarantee of an improvement in management performance.

 

The smart money would be on starting an alternative to the RAA, let the old boys club run the RAA into the ground.

 

 

[gavinthobaven]

I have watched the continual attempts by a small group to undermine the current executive and board. I am one year into my term on the board and represent WA. In the time I have been on the board I have worked hard to get as much as possible for our members, I unashamedly have had my main focus on improving things for our WA members, but haven't forgotten the bigger picture and have worked for the general good of the association.

 

I make it very clear that I take my due diligence very seriously and always vote only for what I honestly believe is the best for the association.

 

The fact is when I came on to the board I found that we have inherited a time bomb that was left from boards and staff long past. Even though the board has made attempts to resolve issues, many years of problems cant be solved overnight. It seems that a portion of our membership wants to blame the current board for things done long before we came on the scene, some of the people stirring the pot on this would have been on the board at the time the stuff ups happened yet are keen to blame the current board for them.

 

I have taken particular note of board members who go beyond what could be reasonably expected. It seems that most of them are the targets of ongoing and cowardly character assassinations from a clique within the membership.

 

The board of RA-Aus is not a paid group, we take the time when we would be flying and sink that into working to try to fix things to let you all keep flying. I have flown less than half my normal flight hours since being on the board, the time I used to fly has been spent arranging events and contributing to board duties. Much of the time I would normally have spent taking my wife out to somewhere special has been spent working for the association. So while you all get on this forum and slag off at the board we have put our lives on hold to work for you.

 

I can honestly say that I have acted at all times with integrity and honour as a member of the RA-Aus board. I have answered all member queries put to me both expeditiously and accurately. I have voted my own vote making my decisions on what I believe is best for the association.

 

My door has always been open and I have always taken calls from members when they wanted to discuss anything. The answers I have given are always honest and if I dont know the answer to a question I find it and get the information back expeditiously.

 

If any member has anything that they believe that I have done wrong during my time on the board, or if they feel that I have neglected my duties then I would like to hear it.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Gavin

 

Thanks for the post. How about I turn your request around and ask that you look at my posts in this thread (back moving forward), after all I am one of the lead gang who is intent on being a "troublemaker" or leading the push for transparency depending on your point of view.

 

I will acknowledge and EDIT any statements (leaving the original text drawn through) where you can identify that what Ive said is factually incorrect where and if they occur in my posts. .....we'll call it communication.

 

In any event perhaps you could identify where the current board gave us comprehensive briefings of the "time bomb" problems as and when we failed the 4 CASA audits during the time when the majority of the current board was in place.

 

I contend that if the board had done that as and when the "Time bomb" came to light we would have in the main all got behind you and worked with you together to resolve it.

 

Instead the amount of member briefing on the "Time bomb" that had been found was virtually nil right up until the found "Time Bomb" went Off. In fact Ive been told that the greater board was not even aware of audit failures 2 and 3 rather the exec only was aware at that time. Clearly communications were too little and too late. I have heard it said within the board that normal members dont want or need to know this stuff they just want to go flying. The only point missing is "to go flying and KEEP flying" and I would contend that may be true of the majority but clearly not the whole. For a great chunk of the RAAus aircraft fleet KEEPING flying simply isnt possible. If I have to blame other than the current board please explain who and why. As I see it the "who" you will provide are those that have had no ability in the last 12-18 months to fix the issues where as you guys.......and you assume they knew of the bomb and left it quietly ticking, Is that what you meant?

 

Andy

 

 

[Pete Greed]

Thank you for your post Gavin and keep up the good work. I guess as a member I would be keen to know what the "time bomb" is and how it is being defused. From a distance, and with limited knowledge, I would suspect that some structural changes to our governance/management systems may correct some of the perceived failings around decision making and communications. This forum is important for that reason and I, for one, appreciate your comments

 

 

[SOS]

Yes, Gavin ... although I understand how much time you have obviously put in, I would suggest that such a task should not have been campaigned for, if you didn't want to, or weren't aware of ... the sacrifices those in voluntary positions must make. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt!

 

I also agree with Andy that, "I have always answered questions put to me," unfortunately, doesn't cut the mustard. I for one, expect the Board to be proactive in communication, not solely reactive. If the pain had been shared earlier, you may have found that many of the grass roots members may have been more than willing to either help ease it... or, at a minimum, have had empathy with it.

 

 

[Captain]

Gavin

 

As mentioned by others here, we very much appreciate your posting on this thread and below I have included my responses in yours in red italics.

 

Regards & thanks again.

 

Geoff

 

I have watched the continual attempts by a small group to undermine the current executive and board. You say "undermine", but that is not what I believe is happening. What has been the case here for about the past 2 - 3 years is that a number of members, and I am one, have been critical of the way the Management and Board have functioned. In my case, that criticism has been based on my experience in business with private and public companies and with a similarly sized National Sporting Organisation where I took an 85% salary cut to step in as interim CEO for 12 months in order to solve problems that were somewhat similar to those faced by RAA. All criticism that I am aware of has cited examples of poor management, cronyism, weird recruiting practices, terrible governance and examples of intimidation, if not bullying.

 

I am one year into my term on the board and represent WA. In the time I have been on the board I have worked hard to get as much as possible for our members, I unashamedly have had my main focus on improving things for our WA members, but haven't forgotten the bigger picture and have worked for the general good of the association. More power to you and thanks for doing that.

 

I make it very clear that I take my due diligence very seriously and always vote only for what I honestly believe is the best for the association. I accept that, of course, & congratulate and thank you for that.

 

The fact is when I came on to the board I found that we have inherited a time bomb that was left from boards and staff long past. This is very interesting, as all on the Executive have been there in various functions during that time, with Runciman the least, and anything that has been "inherited" must surely have originated during the rule of Paul or Eugene or Steve. It is further of even greater interest if you say that any of this originated during Lee Ungermann's time in the management, as if so we are now being audited and some functions shut down by the same bloke who you might be indicating might be partly responsible. I would welcome your further thoughts on this and how long ago you say is "long past".

 

Even though the board has made attempts to resolve issues, many years of problems cant be solved overnight. I have some sympathy for the Board if what you say is true, but I have trouble generating any sympathy, at all, for those on the Executive or those on the Board who have been there for a looooong time.

 

It seems that a portion of our membership wants to blame the current board for things done long before we came on the scene, some of the people stirring the pot on this would have been on the board at the time the stuff ups happened yet are keen to blame the current board for them. My criticism of the Board is that they have allowed the Executive to run the show too much and the Board has not held them accountable enough. Similarly my main criticism of the Board is that the long complained about secrecy still exists, communication with the membership is terrible and internal governance is weak to no-existant. The Board really has not stepped up on these issues, nor has this President.

 

I have taken particular note of board members who go beyond what could be reasonably expected. It seems that most of them are the targets of ongoing and cowardly character assassinations from a clique within the membership. I see it differently. The membership have a right to demand and be critical. This is a member's organisation. The member's criticism will often be driven by frustration because they are not brought along by the Board on important issues. An example is Ross/Slarti, where you couldn't get a nicer and more considered professional bloke, and he has now been grounded on the reregistration issues where he has now moved to align with the move for an EGM because he doesn't really know what is happening. And if you want to talk character assasination I would turn this all around 180 degrees to the way that Don Ramsey, Carol Richards, Ian Baker and another existing Board member have reported being treated, the latest being Board Member McKeown in this President's resignation letter, of which you would have a copy, so tell me that isn't true please.

 

Gavin, I will guarantee you that if the members were kept fully informed on key issues, instead of this crazy & incompetent culture of ulta-secrecy, the membership would go out of the way to cut some slack or to actually actively assist their elected representatives to solve any reasonable problems.

 

The board of RA-Aus is not a paid group, we take the time when we would be flying and sink that into working to try to fix things to let you all keep flying. I have flown less than half my normal flight hours since being on the board, the time I used to fly has been spent arranging events and contributing to board duties. Much of the time I would normally have spent taking my wife out to somewhere special has been spent working for the association. So while you all get on this forum and slag off at the board we have put our lives on hold to work for you. Please don't run this argument. If you don't want to give your time, then don't stand. But please don't play the martyr as there are no virgins waiting for you at 5280 ft.

 

I can honestly say that I have acted at all times with integrity and honour as a member of the RA-Aus board. I have answered all member queries put to me both expeditiously and accurately. I have voted my own vote making my decisions on what I believe is best for the association. Again, well done and thanks. But really, Gavin, that is the duty and responsibility of all Board Members.

 

My door has always been open and I have always taken calls from members when they wanted to discuss anything. The answers I have given are always honest and if I dont know the answer to a question I find it and get the information back expeditiously. Again, well done, but that is what you are there for and if more of the old guard did the same then the RAA would be better off.

 

However the Board is also responsible for the lack of AGM Minutes and the late provision of the audited accounts, if they both do eventually come through. These have breached clear constitutional requirements and surely show that those with the duty of preparing those items are totally out of control ........ and the Board can't or won't get this solved in accordance with the constitution. Now some would call that "undermining" but I just say that the members are wanting what the members have a right to request.

 

If any member has anything that they believe that I have done wrong during my time on the board, or if they feel that I have neglected my duties then I would like to hear it.

 

Gavin Thobaven. The fact that you cannot get away from is that the Executive and the Board (no matter what was their consist) and this Management have lurched from disaster to disaster over recent years and all members see is that each disaster is worse than the preceding one. And like it or lump it, the Board is the responsible entity. If there were no c*ck-ups of this magnitude and the communication was satisfactory, we would all get more flying (particularly those that are grounded for no fault of their own). Gavin, the members are frustrated and it needs to be fixed, and in my case that frustration has lead to a severe lack of confidence in the systems and key individuals involved.

 

Doesn't a call for an EGM tell you something and that this isn't just a few forum sh*tstirrers attacking the anointed ones?

 

Were you at the Temora Meeting of Members where a crude attempt was made to silence my questions on notice by a clumsy and ridiculous claim by then President Reid, that I was not a member (when he and Tizzard had 6 - 8 weeks to check my membership status)? That is just one example of the way these guys operate.

 

 

[dodo]

Gavin.

 

I can't help but wonder how a small group could have so undermined the board as to sabotage the financial statements, the minutes of the AGM, the process of aircraft registration, and many other issues.

 

My criticism of the board has always been that information is not provided to the membership. This makes it hard to ask questions, when the basic issues are concealed. In particular, the aircraft registration issue has turned out to be rather more comprehensive, deeper and more messy than anything provided in the Sport Pilot, where it appeared to be limited to a small number of LSAs. And that issue is about the only one where any information at all has been forthcoming .

 

I don't wish to undermine the board, but I do wish they would run the administration of RA-Aus at least as well as my local aero club (or any other organisation).

 

Most importantly, keep us informed, by whatever means seem useful.

 

Best wishes, and thanks for providing your perspective on the issues,

 

dodo

 

 

[eightyknots]

I have watched the continual attempts by a small group to undermine the current executive and board. I am one year into my term on the board and represent WA. In the time I have been on the board I have worked hard to get as much as possible for our members, I unashamedly have had my main focus on improving things for our WA members, but haven't forgotten the bigger picture and have worked for the general good of the association.I make it very clear that I take my due diligence very seriously and always vote only for what I honestly believe is the best for the association.

 

The fact is when I came on to the board I found that we have inherited a time bomb that was left from boards and staff long past. Even though the board has made attempts to resolve issues, many years of problems cant be solved overnight. It seems that a portion of our membership wants to blame the current board for things done long before we came on the scene, some of the people stirring the pot on this would have been on the board at the time the stuff ups happened yet are keen to blame the current board for them.

 

I have taken particular note of board members who go beyond what could be reasonably expected. It seems that most of them are the targets of ongoing and cowardly character assassinations from a clique within the membership.

 

The board of RA-Aus is not a paid group, we take the time when we would be flying and sink that into working to try to fix things to let you all keep flying. I have flown less than half my normal flight hours since being on the board, the time I used to fly has been spent arranging events and contributing to board duties. Much of the time I would normally have spent taking my wife out to somewhere special has been spent working for the association. So while you all get on this forum and slag off at the board we have put our lives on hold to work for you.

 

I can honestly say that I have acted at all times with integrity and honour as a member of the RA-Aus board. I have answered all member queries put to me both expeditiously and accurately. I have voted my own vote making my decisions on what I believe is best for the association.

 

My door has always been open and I have always taken calls from members when they wanted to discuss anything. The answers I have given are always honest and if I dont know the answer to a question I find it and get the information back expeditiously.

 

If any member has anything that they believe that I have done wrong during my time on the board, or if they feel that I have neglected my duties then I would like to hear it.

Great to see you 'fronting up' Gavin. The LOUD AND CLEAR message is that many RA-Aus members want better/more frequent/more open/more honest communications. Your contribution goes a small step in the desired direction.

 

 

[bernieh]

Being way out of the mainstream of recreation aviation I have had to rely on "Sport Pilot" and the "RAA" website....After following the threads on this forum to say I am "gobsmacked" would be an understatement...It seems the "Titanic" is still steaming through the fog that surrounds CASA audits, CEO resignations, Tech Manager replacements,etc with little more response to emails from than "Dont you worry about that" from the powers that be...I am too far away, and too ill informed, and have no experience in corporate and legal matters so I have tried to keep an open mind but it seems one iceberg follows the next . Probably everyone concerned is in their own way doing what they believe to be their best for RAA so IMHO the general meeting being discussed is the only way forward so we can continue to do what we love most and that is "fly" I can only offer support in the way of proxy votes etc and would gladly do this......B

 

 

[Guest john]

To All Intersted RAAus Members,

 

It is apparent from how the Executive Board & other elected members of our organisation have acted with respect to the Presidents resignation issue, that they think they have the ultimate power bestowed upon them to operate in a discreet & secretive way by excluding other elected members who don't sing from the same hymn book as themselves.

 

It just goes to prove the old saying of "Power corrupts"

 

Once the extroadinary general meeting is conducted & the members present have their 2 bobs worth over all of the incompetent & negligent issues that have been going on for some time which us rank & file members have been kept under a mushroom about these serious matters , lets see how powerful the Executive Board are after the meeting.

 

Once when I was cocky & thought to be untouchable, my wife brought me down to ground level very quickly by telling me that if I'm that smart why arn't I rich.

 

It takes a long time to get to the top of the ladder, but a very short time to fall from the top of the ladder onto the ground.

 

I have learnt through life never to argue with a women, however I can't really finish this proverb as much as I would like to for fear of having divorce procedings issued against me by the significant other.

 

None of us on this planet are idespensable in the jobs we are required to undertake whether they be voluntary or paid positions, even though somtimes certain people think so. Usually these type of people think they are superior to us little people & that their xxxx doesn't stink like ours.

 

If the Executive Board members voluntarily resign before the forthcoming general meeting, they will certainly be doing themselves a great favour, & giving themselves a well deserved Christmas present, after which they will probably be saying to themselves, I should have done this earlier, however better late than never.

 

 

[boingk]

Agree with all above, especially Captain's post and red responses - thanks for not quoting a long post and replying to all of it underneath... I hate that and its hard to follow, your solution is elegant.

 

I would say that the very fact that I am sitting here with a coffee, after being on the RAA site, reading up on the 'current state of things' is a pretty strong indication that the RAA board and executive are/have been going about things the wrong way.

 

No, wait, that'd also include the fact that we're being MASSIVELY F***ING AUDITED and have our registrations unable to be renewed.

 

- boingk

 

PS: I highly regard any board member who takes the time to respond to us as you have done, Gavin. Well done for taking on a position of responsibility and trying to make a difference for the better.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

If any member has anything that they believe that I have done wrong during my time on the board, or if they feel that I have neglected my duties then I would like to hear it.

Gavin, the WA members will rightly hold you 10% responsible for fixing the mess that the RAA is in. What contingencies does the board have if the RAA fails the 5th audit? Surely, you realised when you signed up for the board position that the RAA was a complete mess. Or where you misled by the statements of the previous board members and executive?

 

 

[Keith Page]

I have been following this for saga for ages and is a great concern to me, if this called meeting goes down the road of ''no confidence'' in the board and what else they give a ''no confidence" in what I have to say be very cautious...

 

What will CASA do when there is no one at the top of RAAUS.??????? THINK HARD..

 

I am having nothing to do with it as I am not going to be held responsible for the pending results and eruptions.

 

It is better to work through with what we have, give support to the board and help sort the mess in a civil manner not all this "blaming rot" which is happening at the moment.

 

I will help the board members as they are doing their best and they are volunteers.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[dodo]

Keith,

 

the present consensus (as much as there is one) is that a General Meeting should be called to get everyone interested together, get the board to explain what they know, and then ask questions of the board.

 

Depending on what is heard, discussed, answered or whatever, then there could be resolutions proposed.

 

Basically, the current situation is: out of the blue, members can't register their aircraft, no one knows ho long this will last for, how many aircraft will be rejected or why, whether registration will now involve a period of grounding for some aircraft, etc.

 

As a background, there has been a communication vacuum for some years, and some people (eg me) think this contributed to the problem or problems that caused the registration issue. Others think some of the board are the problem. Others think there is no problem.

 

The best way to clear this up,and set a way forward is for RA-Aus to meet, discuss, decide. I think that is what a bible study group, gun club, sewing circle or my local aero club would do.

 

Incidentally, I don't see what a vote of no confidence in the board would do. The board presides over, and manages RA-Aus, as representatives of the members. Saying the board is no good either means the concept and structure of RA-Aus is no good,or the existing members are no good. In either case, the membership is then left to sort out a new structure or a new board. I think it would be better to hear the board's view of the current situation and it's causes, then decide what to do next. If that means a resolution directing the board to do something...well,lets see what the boards perspective is,then decide.

 

As for CASA, they just want RA-Aus to stop f***ing up. So do we.

 

As for letting things go on the way they have been, I don't see the point in paying an annual membership to NOT be able to fly. That is where we are heading at the moment.

 

dodo

 

 

[bernieh]

Keith....I see where you are coming from but as you said you have been following this saga for ages... The reality is that none of this happened overnight... It is an ongoing saga..Everyone wants to see it put right and help the board too but there is also an obligation on the board to keep the membership informed of problems as they occur...Perhaps if members were "kept in the loop" the mire we now find ourselves may no be so deep.....................B

 

 

[bernieh]

Some times the mind gets ahead of these old fingers... that last bit should read "the mire in which we find ourselves may not be so deep"... apologies....B

 

 

[Guest john]

I have been following this for saga for ages and is a great concern to me, if this called meeting goes down the road of ''no confidence'' in the board and what else they give a ''no confidence" in what I have to say be very cautious...What will CASA do when there is no one at the top of RAAUS.??????? THINK HARD..

I am having nothing to do with it as I am not going to be held responsible for the pending results and eruptions.

 

It is better to work through with what we have, give support to the board and help sort the mess in a civil manner not all this "blaming rot" which is happening at the moment.

 

I will help the board members as they are doing their best and they are volunteers.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

Hi Keith,

 

Your intentions may be good but you are one of the a minority with respect to thinking that you & others will eventually succeed by working through the all the current failures & issues that the board executive & CEO have allowed to fester & solve the worlds problems.

 

If you are old enough to remember that Hitler convinced his nation that he was going to rule the world 1 day, however when he eventually realised that the end was nigh, he went out & shot himself.

 

If the existing Executive Board can't see or don't want to see the harm & disrepute they have brought our organisation into, then thats their choice & they will eventually be the author of their own punishment & peril.

 

It is a well known fact of life that the best prediction of future behaviour is past behaviour.

 

The sooner the Executive Board pull the pin either voluntarily or compulsarily by them being voted out at the forthcoming extroardinary general meeting the sooner our organistaion will be to get on track

 

 

[David Isaac]

..... I am having nothing to do with it as I am not going to be held responsible for the pending results and eruptions.It is better to work through with what we have, give support to the board and help sort the mess in a civil manner not all this "blaming rot" which is happening at the moment.....

Keith a 'no confidence' motion has no legal clout and is useless, clause 17 of our constitution give the members the right to remove a board member.

There is NO intention on my part or any of our colleagues (those who arranged the paperwork to call the General Meeting) to attempt to remove the Board ... WHERE IS THIS ABSURD NOTION COMING FROM ... I cannot speak for the members regarding the executive though. Maybe if you feel so strongly about this you should attend the General Meeting and vote against any attempt to remove any Board member. Make no mistake, this is a General Meeting properly called whether you attend or not.

 

We simply want to get to the bottom of the issues and force the Board to communicate with us. The members can make an informed decision as to what they want to do. The members ultimately control this association.

 

We are calling the meeting to force the Board to communicate honestly and clearly. This was not done even in a simple matter of answering the 'questions on notice' that I personally put to the Board at the AGM. In his answer to those questions, the President publicly criticised me for asking the questions and chose to determine my questions as a personal attack on him, so now it is alleged that I am the enemy for daring to ask questions on notice, is that not shameful in the extreme.

 

As I have said time and time again ... if the Board had transparent communication with the members, not this insisting that members call their reps, (why burden the reps with all the phone calls when regular honest updates could be published on our web page), told us the problems we had, asked for member support and operated in a professional ethical manner, the membership would have rallied around them and collectively we would have solved the issues.

 

BUT WE HEAR NOTHING.. and then we have a crisis.

 

Plenty of professional help from eminently qualified members has been offered to the Board and in amongst these threads you will see confirmation of this. The Board can co-opt the help of anyone out side the Board if they choose to, the constitution gives them that power. Instead of all this we see example after example of inept management.

 

So what are we supposed to think and do? Perhaps you are right, we should just all sit back and watch this saga unfold ....

 

 

[terryc]

I have been following this for saga for ages and is a great concern to me, if this called meeting goes down the road of ''no confidence'' in the board and what else they give a ''no confidence" in what I have to say be very cautious...What will CASA do when there is no one at the top of RAAUS.??????? THINK HARD..

I am having nothing to do with it as I am not going to be held responsible for the pending results and eruptions.

 

It is better to work through with what we have, give support to the board and help sort the mess in a civil manner not all this "blaming rot" which is happening at the moment.

 

I will help the board members as they are doing their best and they are volunteers.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

Keith, I don't know what forum you've been following but I doubt it's this one. In the various threads I've been reading on this site your message and most all the others appear to be saying the same thing. A comment hear and there does not change the over all tenor of the message. As far as having nothing to do with it I believe the opposite. I don't want people to say I was well aware of the problems and sat back and watched it fall. It's fine to say you will help the board members, it's hard to do that when it appears they don't realizes they need help. The very fact that they reinstated the president attests to that.

 

We wouldn't be having this conversation if the board had a inclination to communicate. Some of the new board members got elected on just that promise. Now they tell us that meant that they would answer the phone if it rang, I'm sorry to tell them that is not communicating. Finally to answer your first point last I don't see that casa will do anything if no one heads raa. The very same as would happen if a plane crashed killing all members of the board on their way to canberra. The proper processes and procedures would be followed to elect a new board. Scare mongering has no place when matters are as serious as this is.