Some current problems facing our board......

[Guest Andys@coffs]

I reckon the statements aren't contradictory if you put the time constraints around each statement.

 

In the short term we don't need to leave Canberra, In the long term its very likely that we will leave Canberra.

 

Worrying about leaving Canberra in the 3-10 year timeframe might well be moot if the funding that addresses long term longevity isn't dealt with and soon (and yes I can hear arguments that the move might well allow a timed reprieve of the short term funding, but my business experience tells me to be very cautious, we have a small workforce which infers single points of failure, and we have almost zero capacity in the existing workforce with todays handrolic processes and practises to take on additional stuff like picking everything up and moving it..... Not impossible, but not easy either!

 

Don Ramsay says a good board can think in both short term and long term timeframes at the same time and I agree, however if the shorterm decisions are life threatening ones then best we not spend too much time debating the longer term issues while Rome burns....to mix some metaphors.

 

With regard to individual reps having different views, isn't that what we want in a board? I want everyone's view put on the table and reviewed from all directions and a final decision made. Once the D is made I would expect all reps to report it the same way, if a D hasn't been made then they should be talking to members and getting their members views, after all they represent the members not just their own points of view. As I understand it no formal motion has been tabled and therefore no formal D has been made....If I'm wrong and one has been made them I'll be annoyed cause I personally don't see that wide spread consultation about our single most capital rich asset has occurred.

 

Andy

 

 

[frank marriott]

"Magazine Subscription Yearly $66.00"

 

If it was an option, I would happily save $66 and not get the mag. I don't find the majority of its content informative or interesting let alone, at least in my case, its late arrival - from my point of view, not value for money.

 

 

[Keith Page]

Frank

 

Late news is better than no news.

 

KP.

 

 

[Keith Page]

I don't think conducting a poll online would necesarily give us an accurate representation of membership. I'd love to be proved wrong on this point.Jim Tatlock.

You are correct Jim will go along with you on that one.

The poll would not be a true cross section of members there is a certain type of person who will not on the computer.

 

I think go to two or three fly-ins -- then ask a few flyers what information you are gathering after gathering average the answers.. I think that would be a very good guide

 

Regards

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

MajAs per below you guys need to get on the same page one saying the board has recognised the need to get out of Canberra, the other saying we need to remain, which is correct?

 

At present I believe there is no intention of relocating the office. It has been discussed (and will continue to be so) however as pointed out by a member we are currently under significant financial pressures and still working to protect our rights. We have many challenges to face in the coming months and relocating would add stresses that at this time are not needed.

 

Regards,

 

Jim Tatlock

 

RAAus Treasurer.

There you go again Aldo taking information that board members have taken the time to share with you, and twisting it around to suit your point of view....I wonder why we even bother on this forum. Merely stated that office relocation is something on the agenda...I never at any time mention a timeframe...short or long term...just that it is being considered. Jim on the other hand has offered that its not going to happen anytime soon because of current financial restraints. What part of that don't you understand ?...............Maj...

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

"Magazine Subscription Yearly $66.00"If it was an option, I would happily save $66 and not get the mag. I don't find the majority of its content informative or interesting let alone, at least in my case, its late arrival - from my point of view, not value for money.

$66 a year or $6 a copy delivered to your mailbox....certainly value for money as I see it...I certainly enjoy my copy each month, and much prefer it to an online version.....Bit hard to get that calendar out of the computer also unless you've got one fancy printer !......Maj....

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Don't get too excited about savings, of the $66 per year there are a number of subcomponent costs and in changing from printed to electronic only some of those can be tartgeted. Unless we get to a situation where we move 100% from printed to electronic I suspect that many of the costs on a per unit basis will significantly increase. For examplt the cost per magazine for a printing run of 10,000 might be $3 per magazine (total guess) but for a run of 5000, might well be $3.80 per magazine. so total savings isn't the $15k per issue but rather $11k per issue.

 

Now the question is, what do you do with the saving? do you apportion the saving to everyone equally, or only those that chose to change. If the later do you apportion the pre change saving of $3 or the post change $2.20 so that those who didn't change continue to get what they got for the same cost or do you ask for those that wont change to pay an extra 80c x 11 to their membership costs? I believe the right answer would be the later. But it isn't simple. was the cost increase because those who wanted a saving changed they way they received it, or because those who didn't change wouldn't?

 

Not simple and bound to create conflict

 

Andy

 

P.S, I agree with Frank, I'd be perfectly happy with an electronic version and given that RAAus has our email addresses, I'd love for it to be emailed directly to me. I would know that everyone got it at pretty much the same time (within hours, not weeks as is currently the case) and any attractive time bound news or advertising should be relevant. I received the latest copy which had a great writeup on a flyin that had I known I would have attended, but it was a week earlier than the magazine arrived.

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Asking at a fly-in (wasn't that what the GM did?) ignores the remote area people, and those too busy or working to attend. There is no conclusive way to get the real feeling of all the members; even a reply paid envelope and voting form hardly gets 2%.

 

 

 

Magazine - I get 2 magazines on-line with a paper version posted for my husband and I have it read before his arrives. He is a dinosaur when it comes to computers, but got an iPad earlier this year and now enjoys surfing the web. I would like to forego my magazine for an on-line one and save RAA money. We are slowly packing up to move over the next couple of years and I can tell you the magazines weigh a tonne - my husband does not like tossing anything out. In the Members Only portal there is an archive of past editions (only a few, but give them time! Or volunteer to scan).

 

 

 

From my experience, younger members like on-line because that's what they are most comfortable with. Grey Nomads like on-line because it is easy to carry when caravanning or flying safari (see the Blacksheep & Ugly Duckling thread & blog). Libraries like on-line because they don't have to dispose of editions that are out of date to save storage. I volunteer at the Visitor Information Centre - that's where I'll be all day - listening to travellers & fliers.

 

 

 

Sue

 

 

[Aldo]

There you go again Aldo taking information that board members have taken the time to share with you, and twisting it around to suit your point of view....I wonder why we even bother on this forum. Merely stated that office relocation is something on the agenda...I never at any time mention a timeframe...short or long term...just that it is being considered. Jim on the other hand has offered that its not going to happen anytime soon because of current financial restraints. What part of that don't you understand ?...............Maj...

Maj

 

Let's get one thing straight I have never quoted a board member in any post prior to this post and I don't have any particular axe to grind apart from having an organisation that is run responsibly, effectively and efficiently for the members.

 

Second, being a board member is not a popularity contest it is about making decisions on the direction of the organisation and very often these decisions are not popular with a percentage of the members but that is the job.

 

On the issue of shifting the HQ the board is either seriously considering the move or not, I don't care one way or the other but let's not mess with people by leaking information that hasn't really been seriously considered.

 

On the issue of board members taking their precious time to share information, I don't believe board members should be discussing board business or possible business on a forum. The information should be released from the MD to the GM (if we have one) and then via the organisations information dissemination processes, this prevents conflicting information being bandied around between members. If the board is looking for the members opinion then this should be done in the correct way, not on a forum.

 

You guys need to get the flow of information from the board to the members correct so this organisation is able to move forward.

 

That said, I do understand and appreciate the time given by board members in their job but for Christ's sake lets get it right.

 

Allan

 

 

[turboplanner]

Aldo, this is a Forum, not a Court Martial, and a forum is great for discussing ideas, which is all that has been discussed.

 

It is not binding, and it is not a formal Association Meeting.

 

So there's no point in nitpicking what a board member might have said or might have meant; they are the people members elected to represent them, no more and no less, and if they want to fly kites to see what the reaction is from members and the general public, this is an ideal location to do it.

 

As for releasing information in the way you suggest, that may have been the way a Company with a Managing Director and a General Manager might have done it in the 1950's but in the electronic era, nobody does it that way, and if you have been following these discussions you would have noticed the contempt expressed for that type of in-group secrecy.

 

What's happening here is healthy dialogue and some brainstorming, nothing more.

 

 

[Keith Page]

Good on you Turbo

 

I think it is could be called brainstorming all people get to have their say, incorrect/correct then analyse this information.

 

The number of times I have seen incorrect information modified and there is the answer. Do not be embarrassed regarding your suggestions.

 

KP

 

 

[rhysmcc]

I don't think conducting a poll online would necesarily give us an accurate representation of membership. I'd love to be proved wrong on this point.Jim Tatlock.

Its no worse an "accurate representation" then the postal voting we currently use, but a hell of alot cheaper and faster. Those who are interested in having their opinions counted will vote. Those who don't care won't.

 

I should add, I'm not just referring to this single issue, a proper members portal with online voting system could save alot of time and money when the board actually wants to gauge the views of the members or with some rule changes (constitution, legal frame work etc) the voting of elections and AGM resolutions.

 

 

[Chrism]

There you go again Aldo taking information that board members have taken the time to share with you, and twisting it around to suit your point of view....I wonder why we even bother on this forum. Merely stated that office relocation is something on the agenda...I never at any time mention a timeframe...short or long term...just that it is being considered. Jim on the other hand has offered that its not going to happen anytime soon because of current financial restraints. What part of that don't you understand ?...............Maj...

Hi Maj

 

I hope you and others bother with this forum because there are lots of members like me (read lots, post little) who are kept informed by the fact you do. So thanks and keep bothering!

 

PS understand perfectly what you and Jim say about moving/not moving