Resignation from the board

[Guest Andys@coffs]

People

 

I resigned from the RAAus board today. The organisation is today in a better place than what it was in 2013 when the EGM was called however the amount of brokenness is still substantial, yet there is a will to fix it and many of the steps required to put it right have started, but the pace of change is slow.....

 

My personal life however is equally broken at present, I was made redundant from the organisation I worked for last year in February. I live in a part of the world where unemployment is pretty high and high tech jobs are relatively rare and hard to come by. I have up until recently determined that I did not want to live away from home or commute for work however that desire is rapidly being overcome by the reality of having an empty bank account and an increasingly anxious wife and a mortgage still to pay .....

 

The reality of Para 2 above was impacting quite heavily in my life, much more so that when I made the decision to stand for the board 12 months previously, and my ability to accept that working in a board is about compromise and finding the right middle ground was being impacted, to the point that I wasn't adding to the overall RAAus board, rather I was probably taking away from it. I found myself in conflict with People on the board who in general I consider to be"good folk" and who only want the best for the organisation.

 

I need to take stock of my life and focus on work for myself at present...the ability to continue flying becomes rather moot if the need to buy avgas is overridden by the need to eat!

 

Andy

 

 

[ave8rr]

PeopleI resigned from the RAAus board today. The organisation is today in a better place than what it was in 2013 when the EGM was called however the amount of brokenness is still substantial, yet there is a will to fix it and many of the steps required to put it right have started, but the pace of change is slow.....

 

My personal life however is equally broken at present, I was made redundant from the organisation I worked for last year in February. I live in a part of the world where unemployment is pretty high and high tech jobs are relatively rare and hard to come by. I have up until recently determined that I did not want to live away from home or commute for work however that desire is rapidly being overcome by the reality of having an empty bank account and an increasingly anxious wife and a mortgage still to pay .....

 

The reality of Para 2 above was impacting quite heavily in my life, much more so that when I made the decision to stand for the board 12 months previously, and my ability to accept that working in a board is about compromise and finding the right middle ground was being impacted, to the point that I wasn't adding to the overall RAAus board, rather I was probably taking away from it. I found myself in conflict with People on the board who in general I consider to be"good folk" and who only want the best for the organisation.

 

I need to take stock of my life and focus on work for myself at present...the ability to continue flying becomes rather moot if the need to buy avgas is overridden by the need to eat!

 

Andy

Sorry to hear of your resignation Andy.

Our meeting with the CEO and President went well yesterday. A lot learnt and some good announcements due to be released.

 

Good luck for the future.

 

Mike

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Andy,

 

Thanks for your voice of reason on this forum. Please stick around, and good luck.

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Sorry about the resignation, as I think you were good value. Being an unpaid Board member on something the size and importance of RAA certainly takes it out of you - particularly if you want to do a good job of it. I really appreciated your posts.

 

 

 

I am also looking for work and living off savings, so I know the pressures that brings, particularly as I wanted to work until I decided to retire, rather than have the job finish prematurely. Family must come first.

 

 

 

All the best for the future!

 

 

 

Sue

 

 

[octave]

Thank you and good luck Andy

 

 

[planedriver]

Good luck Andy, hope things work out well for you.

 

 

[David Isaac]

Understand totally buddy.

 

You were there on the Board at what was for us the most critical time and your collective investment in our organisation is obvious, well done

 

You now need to spend some time looking after yourself and the family.

 

Please stay tuned in with us and all the best for your immediate future.

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Sorry to hear that Andy - on all counts.

 

You're not alone, I have a number of friends in tech fields who have been finding it tough of late.

 

Best wishes for quickly finding a suitable position.

 

 

[nomadpete]

Andy,

 

Thank you for putting your hand up when we all needed it. Thanks too, for all your efforts and especially for your open and always helpful communication with us (the members). Your excellent balanced input will be sorely missed. However it is of far greater importance for you to focus on your primary needs right now. (Maslow's hierarchy) Have no doubt that a new door will open for you.

 

I too have felt that 'redundant feeling' on a couple of occassions, so I keenly identify with the pressures that have now come to you. Please stay with us on the forum - you are a most valued member of our community.

 

kind regards,

 

Peter

 

 

[gandalph]

Andy,

 

Nomad Pete has said everything that I wanted to say and he's done it better than I could. Thank you for stepping up to the plate when needed and thank you for taking your time and effort to communicate reasonably and sensibly with us here in these forums. You are a great example of the type of representative we need on the Board. I wish you well.

 

Regards

 

Charles

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Thanks for your service and the openness you have brought to the RAA board, hope you get on top of your other issues.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Thank You Andy for all your efforts and I wish you all the best finding a new job.

 

 

[SDQDI]

Andy your openness and willingness to discuss these things is admirable and we all appreciate the effort you have put in. I may not have agreed with all that you have said but I appreciate the fact that you actually listen and are willing to talk about all different views.

 

All the best with the job hunt, I know of a lot of people (in my circle of friends small though it may be:wink:) who are in the same boat.

 

And the offer to come to YQDI for a visit still stands

 

 

[Doug Evans]

Thank you for your efforts in the past Andy and hope you fine a spot in the future too your liking.

 

All the best for you and your tribe for the future

 

still look forward to hearing you on the forum

 

Doug

 

 

[billwoodmason]

Andy, I'm sorry to hear about your redundancy and disappointed ( but totally understand) about your need to resign from the RAA board. I have read most of your posts and have enjoyed your inputs. I hope you keep posting your thoughts in future. Good luck with the job hunt.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Andy, I have been Prez and Secretary of Sporting Clubs for numbers of years and the type who are willing to put their hands up for similar duties are thin on the ground, just taking it on puts you into a unique and highly appreciated (and often under-appreciated) class of person.

 

 

[facthunter]

Thanks for your usual candid style, notification. I add to the comments above an appreciation of your efforts over a critical time, and the role you played. We are in better hands now, but will always need people of your dedication. Survival comes first. Survive economically to fly another day. Hope you get the job you seek. Good luck Had my first cataract operation 6 hours ago . I'm not typing too fast , but I hope I SEE you around in the future Nev

 

 

[alf jessup]

Thanks Andy for putting your hand up and representing the members on the board of the RAA, yes there are plenty out there that you will never please, but it is people like yourself who sacrifice time & money for others that people like us appreciate more than you could ever imagine.

 

I am sorry to hear about your redundancy and the family will always come first & we all fully understand why you resigned.

 

Good luck with the job hunting as I am sure someone with such good morals will be an asset to any company.

 

Thanks again for your effort representing us.

 

Cheers

 

Alf

 

 

[coljones]

Godspeed Andy and thanks for being an extremely open and dedicated member of the RAA Board. Your presence will be missed but I hope you stay on the forum and continue to contribute your sage advice.

 

Cheers

 

Col

 

 

[Downunder]

The RAA is going to go into an electronic/online account system isn't it? Who is putting that together?

 

I thought that's where you skill set was Andy?

 

 

[DonRamsay]

Andy,

 

Let me add my thanks to those above. It was a shock to hear of your resignation but I understand and readily accept your reasons. The efforts you have put in for the years leading up to the pivotal extraordinary general meeting at Queanbeyan and since both on and off the Board have been big and very effective. You have been a credit to yourself and demonstrated on this Forum and on the Board what a clear thinker you are and the capability and experience you brought to the task have been extremely valuable. Best of all, over these few years I have gained a great mate.

 

 

[KRviator]

Thank you for your efforts Andy, it was good to talk to you several weeks ago. Hopefully things will work out for you shortly.

 

 

[rankamateur]

The efforts you have put in for the years leading up to the pivotal extraordinary general meeting at Queanbeyan and since both on and off the Board have been big and very effective.

Don, Glad you mentioned the years leading into Andy's term on the board. It is often easier for one good man to have influence from outside the committee, than from within. Andy you certainly did a lot to forge the new direction for the association even before you took your place on the board. Our constitution gives any member the opportunity to make change, only some are clear thinking and articulate enough to propose a better course, and rally the support required to get the changes passed by the members. Andy, Well done and all the best to you.

 

 

[rhysmcc]

Sad news to hear you are leaving the board Andy, although I'm sure we all understand personal life comes before public office. Thanks for all your hard work getting us moving in the right direction and best of luck with the job search. Will you still be involved in the RAA IT steering committee/advisers? Maybe RA-AUS needs to employ an IT officer...

 

 

[fly_tornado]

The RAA shouldn't need an IT guy, modern IT systems, if setup correctly, are very stable and reliable and should require minimal intervention.