President's Report

[Admin]

https://www.raa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Presidents-report-2013-2014.pdf

[rhysmcc]

Another "watch this space" report. When will we start seeing details or better yet some results.

 

 

[rankamateur]

Another "watch this space" report. When will we start seeing details or better yet some results.

I feel like we are in good shape to see an bit more than promises this year, if I didn't feel like that I would be a lapsed member by now. Make it happen Michael, all the best!

 

 

[fly_tornado]

"We have to build our membership base and welcome new blood into our organisation. Flying in Australia is seemingly a lost art and our movement was one that began because some pioneers saw a way to encourage the love of flight in a cheap and simple way. In some ways we need to recapture this belief and use it to ensure the future for aviation is a bright one."

 

This is not unlike Uncle Eugene's "everything will be OK" financial report of a few years ago. I am guessing that the board have no plan.

 

 

[Captain]

Given the State of disrepair and dysfunction that was evident at the EGM, given that this President hasn't been there all that long, given that some in CASA have had their interfering tentacles manipulating within and around the fringes of RAA for some time, and given the number, complexity and depth of the problems that all of the above have caused RAA, my suggestion and advice to members is that they need to give this Executive & Board time to fix it. In my opinion, the issues were and are such that there is no magic wand solution and all needed to be worked through and negotiated to a satisfactory outcome. The Rego c*ck-up & the previous poor management practices + pre-historic paper/filing system that were the root of that issue were merely the tip of the iceberg.

 

 

 

For FT to suggest, as he does above, that 'the board has no plan" is just plain ridiculous. FT obviously doesn't know the quality of those newer members on the board and he should do a little research on what is really going on.

 

 

 

It is crystal clear, in my opinion, that past Executives, the previous OBC and a series of woeful managers, who the Executive allowed to operate without meaningful governance, were basically out-of-control prior to and up to the EGM, were culpable and directly responsible for the RAA's current position.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

A report is supposed to contain some information, if not its just the president's opinion. Results achieved versus planned outcomes and reasons why where how etc. would meet the definition of a report

 

Simple things like setting a deadline to stop the paper magazine (June 30 2015 ) or plans on making staff redundant (2 by Dec 31 2014).

 

 

[rhysmcc]

I agree with FT here, due to the lack of communication it would appear that nothing has been done by the board for the past year, talking to some board members it seems the majority is spent with putting out fires rather then planning. The fact that no board resolutions (other then appointing a CEO?) have been made since the NATFLY. The fact that very little in the way of resolutions at the upcoming AGM have been presented seems to suggest nothing has progressed from the previous presentations on constitutional reform, policy development.

 

So what exactly has our board and executive done over the past 12 months?

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

People

 

Its my understanding that the board are trying very hard to move away from "doing" and get back to "setting policy" and ensuring that the "doing is being done" by the paid employees. It is true that on the basis of communications released sofar it would seem that not much has been achieved this year, however the new CEO and his team have actually done a fair bit and I'm personally aware of a number of what I believe are significant steps forward that Im very much hoping will be communicated at the AGM, or even earlier perhaps at the next email out......

 

If one was to go back and look at the last registration related thread on here I believe that the last few posts clearly identify that the problems that have plagued for some time are gone.....just not communicated gone..... That said I understand the reticence in "cockadoodle doing" because the board want to be sure that the problem is actually fixed and stays fixed....... I know what was done to fix it and I believe in the absence of a wholesale move to remove the paper records, that the issue is indeed under control (within the constraints of the 1900's paper based system) ....but that's just my personal feeling not the board position (of which I'mt yet a part until the AGM)

 

Michael is correct in saying that a significant amount of the last year, like most recent years before it, were spent dealing with staff turnover......Its my belief that not much in terms of improvement will occur until we can choose the right staff and get them to stay! I believe that much to improve moral within RAAus HQ has occurred and that may very well be the foundations for significant moves forward...or at least that's my hope!

 

Andy

 

 

[turboplanner]

A report is supposed to contain some information, if not its just the president's opinion. Results achieved versus planned outcomes and reasons why where how etc. would meet the definition of a reportSimple things like setting a deadline to stop the paper magazine (June 30 2015 ) or plans on making staff redundant (2 by Dec 31 2014).

FT he deserves a boot up the bum for wiring a consultant's report, and should write another ojne with some fact in it, but that's about it.

 

 

[rhysmcc]

PeopleIts my understanding that the board are trying very hard to move away from "doing" and get back to "setting policy" and ensuring that the "doing is being done" by the paid employees. It is true that on the basis of communications released sofar it would seem that not much has been achieved this year, however the new CEO and his team have actually done a fair bit and I'm personally aware of a number of what I believe are significant steps forward that Im very much hoping will be communicated at the AGM, or even earlier perhaps at the next email out......

 

If one was to go back and look at the last registration related thread on here I believe that the last few posts clearly identify that the problems that have plagued for some time are gone.....just not communicated gone..... That said I understand the reticence in "cockadoodle doing" because the board want to be sure that the problem is actually fixed and stays fixed....... I know what was done to fix it and I believe in the absence of a wholesale move to remove the paper records, that the issue is indeed under control (within the constraints of the 1900's paper based system) ....but that's just my personal feeling not the board position (of which I'mt yet a part until the AGM)

 

Michael is correct in saying that a significant amount of the last year, like most recent years before it, were spent dealing with staff turnover......Its my belief that not much in terms of improvement will occur until we can choose the right staff and get them to stay! I believe that much to improve moral within RAAus HQ has occurred and that may very well be the foundations for significant moves forward...or at least that's my hope!

 

Andy

That's great Andy that you have been given information on what is being done to fix rego's and that policy is being developed. But why should it stop there? Why not loop all of the members into this information rather then a select few.

 

To me it just seems the same "things are being done" that we've been hearing for the past few years without actually seeing the results. This report is a joke and includes no information at all. If this is indeed intended to be the report given at the AGM I do hope the members not accept it and as a new representative Andy I would hope you wouldn't accept it either.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

I have passed this thread and contents to the executive so they are aware of your thoughts. I have identified in that email, as I have separately previously, that comms as is, is IMHO insufficient in content and frequency.

 

Andy

 

 

[rankamateur]

Andy,Did you pass on the results of the poll you did on here too?

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Yes I did....

 

 

[coljones]

Yes I did....

Have you enquired about the draft ops and tech manuals - if they actually exist - or if they do when will they be available so that the rank and file can comment, as they have the right to do , with CASA proposals before enactment.

Cheers

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

They do exist in draft form and have been circulated to existing board members for review and I have seen some comments from board members in response to the review so action is taking place. I personally haven't seen the draft myself at this stage.

 

Andy

 

 

[Admin]

Andy, what were the comments back after passing on the information? Is this board like all previous boards still anti and against this Site?

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

There was comment that some were not able to see the threads because they did not have access. However I pdf'd the threads and sent them that to review. That was only yesterday so I suspect they are still being reviewed.

 

Andy

 

 

[Admin]

Thanks Andy, keep us updated will you mate

 

 

[fly_tornado]

why don't they just join the forum

 

 

[Aerochute Kev]

It seems to me that before you can build on your membership base, you have to stop current members from walking away. Its easier to keep members that recruit new ones. With absolutely no information provided as to the real state of the organisation (ever heard of progress reports??) there really has been no incentive for anyone to stay if they have another alternative. I can honestly say I thought long and hard when my membership came up for renewal as to whether i was getting ANY benefit from it. I'm sure others have too. I did renew (reluctantly), but if I cant see any real improvement in the attitudes of the Board by next renewal i will let both membership and rego lapse.

 

 

[rhysmcc]

I have spoken to Michael recently and he is well aware of the communication issues and is trying to overcome them. I was told there is alot on the table at the upcoming board meeting and more information for members at the AGM. All we can do as members is keep up the pressure on getting the information we need and the change we want. Discussions on this forum are a good start, but we need members to keep voicing their concerns, either email direct, on the forum, at the AGM and when it comes time to voting.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

People

 

In todays RAAus office email there is a section titled "2015-2018 Strategic Planning Process " that points to a survey where you can at least provide your own feedback where you can be absolutely guaranteed that the board and the CEO will be reviewing exactly the messages you pass back. Can I implore anyone who has views as to where we should be going short and longer term to have your say.

 

Didn't get an email from RAAus today? ring HQ and ask to have your member details updated to reflect your current email address. Ask them to test by sending you the email newsletter and then please respond to the survey

 

Andy

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Have tried clicking on the link in the email and nothing happens. Probably why there hasn't been a rush to respond. I am using Mozilla Thunderbird/Firefox. It might work for others? IE etc?

 

 

 

Have tried double click, right click and Open in Browser without success. Right click and Copy Link Location with a paste into Firefox did work, but how many would bother, or know how to get there.

 

 

 

I have completed the survey.

 

Unfortunately my husband couldn't complete his, because we are both using the same computer and Survey Monkey won't allow two submissions from the same address. They should consider a way for us both to have our say.

 

 

 

Sue

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Thanks Sue

 

I run standard Windows 7 (inc IE 11) and everything worked as expected without any issues. The issue re 2 responses not possible is more likely to be a cookie than an IP address. Most peoples home network does some form of NAT (Network Address Translation) and as such your machines IP address is very unlikely to be the same as what Survey Monkey would see as your IP address. Add in aggressive proxying if anyone does that anymore as an ISP and the whole track an IP address thing very unlikely to work.

 

So.....Cookies within your browser, I would guarantee there is a way to clear them en-mass but reality is you really only need to delete the surveymonky one, or ones created today......if you kill everything then sites such as this one, will loose their "saved credentials" and you will have to log in again.... In IE (at least with ver 11) the cookie has the filename Cookie:<your computer account name>@surveymonkey.com/ so on my computer Cookie:[email protected]/

 

Anyway an alternate approach is to get the hubby to do the survey from a different computer user account.....

 

Andy

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

I have spoken to Michael recently and he is well aware of the communication issues and is trying to overcome them. I was told there is alot on the table at the upcoming board meeting and more information for members at the AGM. All we can do as members is keep up the pressure on getting the information we need and the change we want. Discussions on this forum are a good start, but we need members to keep voicing their concerns, either email direct, on the forum, at the AGM and when it comes time to voting.

As I understand it you just did express your opinion by voting didn't you ?............