9th Feb Meeting feedback

[Admin]

Thanks for clearing up about the meeting Jim, David Isaac advised me and others on the Friday evening that there was an unofficial meeting that excluded 3 members but good to know that turned out not to be the case...with all the veil of secrecy around what the Committee has always done and their past history of not communicating, I believe it will take some time before the members will begin trusting them and what any of them say again...they have an opportunity now to start acting with common decency and prove themselves to the membership because they now know the membership are watching.

 

I never did get an apology for Runciman's personal actions of stopping my membership without Committee approval at the time, then the Committee granting it for completely irrelevant reasons and then Runciman lying about it in his statement to the Membership at the AGM. Then there is the letter threatening legal action by the GM and Runciman on behalf of the RAAus Committee against this site and some of its members again without the Committee's knowledge. There is also the letter from Runciman threatening to physically remove me from NatFly unless I was a good boy. What about the email from the GM demanding to know the identity of a member of this site and when I refused, sent my refusal to CASA...and I can go on and on and on with many many more examples of what they have done on a regular basis. So Jim, can you, as my rep, get to the bottom of all this, get an apology for their actions and then perhaps I personally can start having some faith in the future with them and put this all to rest and it will prove to the membership that they are trying to turn over a new leaf and act FOR the membership

 

 

[Pete Greed]

Thanks of your report Jim and it was good to meet you, in person, at the General Meeting.

 

Yesterday we reported back to our monthly Club meeting on the Canberra experience

 

For our members the big ticket items for discussion, from the GM, were:

 

• RAAus Governance, financial and management structures
   
   
  
• Aircraft registrations and Pilot Certificates – CASA Contract
   
   
  
• Membership and membership categories
   
   
  
• Insurance – all categories
   
   
  
• Communications, Website and ancillary services and electronic Newsletter
   
   
  
• Further Education and Pilot Training
   
   
  

 

 

All of the above were important topics for members of a regional Club many of whom have been, or are currently being, impacted by suspended aircraft registration. We reported back to the best of our ability……many questions were however difficult to answer with any degree of detail due to the executive’s indecision and lack of hard data.

 

I note with concern that the governance issues, which I personally believe to be at the core of RAAus's current demise, have not as yet been seriously addressed by the board. If the Board drifts back into Executive control even with some of the reforms suggested at the GM being introduced, very little will be achieved in changing a culture that is clearly imbedded in the psyche of RAAus. The division between the Executive and their board member/member supporters, and other board members, was on display for all in attendance to see. We can only hope that this will change immediately and the degree of professionalism required of a national organisation will be implemented ASAP. I would be more than concerned if the new CEO/General Manager is to be briefed by the Executive with out the structural governance and management processes being put in place.

 

The work of the RAAus board in implementing a reform agenda is only just starting and our Club would be keen to support you and Rod as our State reps. as a sounding board or via any sub-committee arrangements that might be appropriate. We especially support the stand you have individually taken in representing our interest.

 

The use of regional clubs as sounding boards for national debate and for two-way communications could move decision making away from individual member cliques to a more balanced community based model at a time when the pressure from government is to go in the opposite direction. One only had to listen to the responses at the GM to realise the depth of experience and talent that resides in regional Australia. Unfortunately their voices are often lost or interpreted as not representing anyone in particular…….so easily ignored by those not keen on consultation or consensus.

 

Keep up the excellent work

 

Pete

 

 

[David Isaac]

... David Isaac advised me and others on the Friday evening that there was an unofficial meeting that excluded 3 members but good to know that turned out not to be the case...

Ian Just to clarify what happened on the Friday before the meeting. I knew before arriving on Friday of the unofficial meeting of the Board. I also knew that three of the Board members chose not to attend. I think the matter of whether they were excluded or chose not to attend ended up being confused in much of the discussion of the day, I certainly heard from at least two other discussions that it was believed they were excluded, but that was clearly incorrect. It certainly did not come from me.

 

 

[AlfaRomeo]

It would be interesting to hear from the three who chose not to attend the Clayton's Board Meeting why they chose not to attend. One can only assume that they thought the meeting was improper and they did not want to be associated with it. They need to take the bold step of telling their members why it was an improper use of members funds even though that will risk their being ostracised by the Old Boys Club clique on the Board.

 

It would be even more interesting to hear from the OBC why one of the the three was not invited until well into Friday afternoon.

 

It would be interesting to have the Board lift their cone of silence long enough to tell the people who paid for the meeting what the agenda for that meeting was, what information was passed to those present, how much this meeting cost including the cost of the lawyers present, and an extra nights accommodation for up to 10 Board Members and what actions were taken as a result of that meeting of Board Members that wasn't a Board Meeting.

 

But, don't hold your breath, it seems to me that this Board will only ever tell you what they think you need to know. And they certainly don't think you ever need to hear anything but smoothed over good news that puts them in the best of good lights. Does the word "corruption" cover that behaviour? I don't know.

 

A.B.

 

 

[markendee]

It would be interesting to hear from the three who chose not to attend the Clayton's Board Meeting why they chose not to attend. A.B.

I was not excluded from that meeting but more so chose not to attend. I had clarified that the meeting was not formal and would not be minuted. With that in mind I decided I did not want make that my first interaction with other board members.

I very much appreciated the positivity of your post Jim.

 

You will be an asset to our association.

 

Mark D.