RAAus General Meeting Called

[Guest airsick]

The general meeting has been called and will be held in Canberra. The date is in February so there is plenty of time to make arrangements to either attend or appoint someone as your proxy.

 

http://www.raa.asn.au/2012/12/calling-of-a-general-meeting-03122012/

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

How big is this office in Canberra ?...what happens if 50 or more people turn up?...is there enough room?

 

 

[Admin]

I would say you could get 100 people in there but only for a short time which I don't think this meeting is going to be

 

 

[Guest john]

To All Intersted RAAus Members,

 

If we all notify the RAAus office of our intentions to attend the Extroardinary General Meeting for seating purposes, then the office will be able to make tentative alternative arrangements for another more suitable venue if considered necessary, rather than trying to cramp everyone into a small building with limited seating capacity in summertime.

 

Progress might be slow, but at least things are not standing still, & we can now see that people power can be a powerful tool when the majority work together toward similar goals for the future :thumb up:betterment of the organisation..

 

 

[Guest airsick]

A better question would be - what will the new CEO be like? Call me cynical but I can't help but wonder if the meeting has been delayed so SR can quietly slot into the job and take the reigns. This begs too many questions to list here but...

 

1. If SR does take the reigns who will pay for his relocation? I'm all for considering moving the office out of Canberra but let's face it, that shouldn't be a priority, getting the house in order should.

 

2. What process will be undertaken to screen potential candidates? The board doesn't have a good track record on these things so what will they do differently to make sure they get it right this time?

 

3. Seriously, putting an ad up for this position in late November / early December and then closing applications in early January is not a decent search. Six weeks over Christmas with no real marketing efforts is not going to find the best candidate.

 

So, what do you think of having the meeting in February? An attempt to reduce costs or is it really an attempt to stifle the members voice even more?

 

 

[dodo]

Close to unbelievable! It seems there is no problem!

 

The response by the secretary was to say "The Board to inform the Members how the current state of affairs was arrived at and what plans the Board has to ensure RA-Aus is never again so challenged. It is not fully understood what is meant by ‘current state of affairs’ but it is thought to be in connection to the current situation with regards to the aircraft registration procedures."

 

As per advice, they could have rung a board member.

 

No AGM minutes.

 

No Financial Statements.

 

And you can't register an aircraft.

 

In breach a number of laws, delegations revoked by CASA,

 

...but theboard don't see anything wrong!

 

I shall misquote; "It is not fully understood why some malcontent children have used the constitution to ask us to explain. We will establish our authority by explaining to the children that they will have to wait. Then, having no dessert after dinner for two months, the children we are responsible for, will realise we are adults, and they, the membership, are not."

 

dodo

 

 

[Pilot Pete]

You have misquoted beautifully

 

 

 

[Tiger]

I will be working on my plane ticket now to Canberra

 

 

[Pilot Pete]

I'm afraid I'll have to proxy but I would dearly love to be there.

 

 

[Admin]

At this stage I will be there and driving up from Melbourne however it is 2 months away and anything can happen in that time but I can take some others with me in the car and can accept proxies...will advise closer to the time

 

 

[Captain]

If we all notify the RAAus office of our intentions to attend the Extroardinary General Meeting for seating purposes, then the office will be able to make tentative alternative arrangements for another more suitable venue if considered necessary, rather than trying to cramp everyone into a small building with limited seating capacity in summertime.

Good suggestion John. If this meeting doesn't easily pull more that 200 I would be surprised and disappointed.

 

 

[Guest john]

To All Interested RAAus Members,

 

An email has been forwarded to the Secretary today requesting him to consider making alternative tentative arrangements for another venue ,if required, for the forthcoming EGM so as to safely & comfortably accomodate all of the members attending the EGM on 9.2.13, as it is apparent that from the interest already shown by members on this forum, the RAAus premises will be inadequate for this meeting.

 

 

[winsor68]

I would have thought that accepting the Secretary's scraps would have been tantamount to admitting defeat before it has even begun? Why was the Emergency meeting not called within one month as per the constitution.... and the cost of a mail out is not a reason!!!

 

 

[Admin]

If I can remember correctly there was a clause or something to say that the Secretary had 30 days to call a meeting if requested to by the membership (subject to numbers required). I am not sure whether it said 30 days to call OR meeting to be held within 30 days. However the current constitution does not seem to have this mentioned any more that I can see. This, if it did exist, may have been thrown out with the bath water when the changes were made allowing for 100 members to call a General Meeting.

 

Perhaps this needs some more investigation/comment by others

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Ian

 

the A.C.T model rules for incorporated associations has the following section for calling a general meeting. Our constitution can vary a model rule but if a section is dropped then members need to know that the dropped rule still has full force and effect. As such I wouldl draw peoples attention to clauses 4 and 5. Using those to me gives clarity or interpretation to the asked question does "call" mean advise and hold, or merely advise?

 

That said Im not a lawyer and my interpretation may be wrong. Kaz may chime in if she's around.....

 

Andy

 

23 General meetings—calling of

 

(1) The committee may, whenever it considers appropriate, call a

 

general meeting of the association. (AS: and if we hold our breath long enough...we'll die waiting!!)

 

(2) The committee must, on the requisition in writing of not less than

 

5% of the total number of members, call a general meeting of the

 

association. (AS: it was this clause alone that was modified at the last AGM nothing else(EDIT: For clarity there were 4 things changed, but only this one as it relates to calling a GM) ....The posts are all on this forum relating to the AGM so you can go back and see the what was and what was intended for comparison....we beefed it up, we sure didnt take teeth out!)

 

(3) A requisition of members for a general meeting—

 

(a) must state the purpose or purposes of the meeting; and

 

(b) must be signed by the members making the requisition; and

 

© must be lodged with the secretary; and

 

(d) may consist of several documents in a similar form, each

 

signed by 1 or more of the members making the requisition.

 

(4) If the committee fails to call a general meeting within 1 month after

 

the date when a requisition of members for the meeting is lodged

 

with the secretary, any 1 or more of the members who made the

 

requisition may call a general meeting to be held not later than 3

 

months after that date.

 

(5) A general meeting called by a member or members mentioned in

 

subsection (4) must be called as nearly as is practicable in the same

 

way as general meetings are called by the committee and any

 

member who thereby incurs expense is entitled to be reimbursed by

 

the association for any reasonable expense so incurred.

 

 

[dodo]

I read the constitution. I don't think it specifies a time.

 

dodo

 

 

[Guest john]

To All Interested RAAus Members,

 

Concerning the forthcoming EGM requisitioned by us members & to be conducted on 9.2.2013 could the following items be placed on the agenda for serious consideration so as to be prepared for these events should they occurr before or during this EGM as follows:

 

In the event that the current Executive Board members voluntarily resign prior to or at the EGM should a vote of NO CONFIDENCE in the executive board has to be moved as a motion, voted on & carried, & they are then forced out of office by a majority vote by us members at the EGM, a tentative STEERING COMMITTEE of existing members be set up prior to the EGM in preparation to take over immediately the temporary administration of the RAAus until such time as new elections are held , after which the STEERING COMMITTEE will retire for the newly elected Executive Board Members to take control of the Administration of RAAus.

 

 

[cazza]

Fellow Ra-Aus members,

 

We need to sort this crises with aircraft and the attitude that members are not important, out. Let's just do a bit of maths to see why it is so crucialto have a meeting and why we belive the Board has lost their way and continue to focus on themselves instead of the organisation.

 

We have a fleet of around 3600 aircraft. Divide that by 50 weeks in the year (allowing for Christmas and other holidays)

 

That means 72 a/c a week need to be registered or 14 approx a day.

 

The embargo began on Nov 6. 14 working days went by and no a/c were registered. 14 x 14 = 196 a/c

 

In the next 7 days, another 98 arrived, but only 10 went out.

 

The total to be registered as of Dec 5 is now 196 +88. We now have 288 to be registered. At the current rate of 2 per day getting registered with 14 per day coming in, that will mean when staff go on their Christmas break in 13 days, we will have 14 -2 X 13 days, an additional 144. So a Grand total of a backlog of 432 aircraft.F

 

Financially, if each a/c rego costs $130, by the Christmas break we will have registered 36 aircraft and achieved an income of $4,680.00

 

We will have lost 432X$130 = $56,160 in income. That is only for the period from Nov 6 to Dec 24 (assuming staff work on the 24th).

 

If a/c are not registered, then flying schools cannot take new students (missing out on members), do BFRs, (missing out on renewing members). Industry who cannot sell their aircraft cannot afford to be sponsors for Natfly and other flyins.

 

Questions that need to be asked.

 

1. How many registrations are going out each day?

 

2. Is Neville Probert the ONLY person who can approve EACH Registration?

 

3. Is he working EVERY DAY or just 2 or 3 days per week?

 

We have a right to know.

 

Cazza

 

 

[Camel]

Fellow Ra-Aus members,We need to sort this crises with aircraft and the attitude that members are not important, out. Let's just do a bit of maths to see why it is so crucialto have a meeting and why we belive the Board has lost their way and continue to focus on themselves instead of the organisation.

 

We have a fleet of around 3600 aircraft. Divide that by 50 weeks in the year (allowing for Christmas and other holidays)

 

That means 72 a/c a week need to be registered or 14 approx a day.

 

The embargo began on Nov 6. 14 working days went by and no a/c were registered. 14 x 14 = 196 a/c

 

In the next 7 days, another 98 arrived, but only 10 went out.

 

The total to be registered as of Dec 5 is now 196 +88. We now have 288 to be registered. At the current rate of 2 per day getting registered with 14 per day coming in, that will mean when staff go on their Christmas break in 13 days, we will have 14 -2 X 13 days, an additional 144. So a Grand total of a backlog of 432 aircraft.F

 

Financially, if each a/c rego costs $130, by the Christmas break we will have registered 36 aircraft and achieved an income of $4,680.00

 

We will have lost 432X$130 = $56,160 in income. That is only for the period from Nov 6 to Dec 24 (assuming staff work on the 24th).

 

If a/c are not registered, then flying schools cannot take new students (missing out on members), do BFRs, (missing out on renewing members). Industry who cannot sell their aircraft cannot afford to be sponsors for Natfly and other flyins.

 

Questions that need to be asked.

 

1. How many registrations are going out each day?

 

2. Is Neville Probert the ONLY person who can approve EACH Registration?

 

3. Is he working EVERY DAY or just 2 or 3 days per week?

 

We have a right to know.

 

Cazza

Well said Cazza, I am very disappointed in performance of people involved in management and feel that possible civil charges should be laid against individuals as it seems to me as a failure of duty and negligence. It is a disregard of the members ( shareholders ) that are losing by having incompetent people still in control.

 

 

[Guest Lofty1]

Civil action against individuals is laughable, it simply won't happen. We are not shareholders, but members of an association.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Civil action? I'll get the rope, you pick a tree!!

 

 

[Powerin]

Ianthe A.C.T model rules for incorporated associations has the following section for calling a general meeting. Our constitution can vary a model rule but if a section is dropped then members need to know that the dropped rule still has full force and effect. As such I wouldl draw peoples attention to clauses 4 and 5. Using those to me gives clarity or interpretation to the asked question does "call" mean advise and hold, or merely advise?

My interpretation is that the Secretary satisfied those rules by "calling" a meeting and announcing it's date within a month of receiving the requisition. If the secretary had failed to do that, members could have called a meeting to be held within 3 months. Not saying it's right, just that it seems (to me) to be within the rules.

 

 

[Fatman1238]

I agree well said Caz, getting rid of the Tech manager was the wurst thing they could of done, specialy when he knew what was going on.

 

 

[coljones]

My interpretation is that the Secretary satisfied those rules by "calling" a meeting and announcing it's date within a month of receiving the requisition. If the secretary had failed to do that, members could have called a meeting to be held within 3 months. Not saying it's right, just that it seems (to me) to be within the rules.

Additionally

 

The interests of democracy are best placed by all members being aware that the meeting is on and receiving sufficient notice so they can arrange their affairs to

 

1. inform themselves of the issues

 

and

 

2. either a) arrange travel, accommodation and other duties to enable attendance

 

or b) arrange a proxy

 

If notices were posted directly in the mail it would probably cost $10,000 to $15,000 in P,P&P

 

If a significant amount of $ were to be forestalled then the notice could be placed in the journal of the association. This is, however, subject to production deadlines and postage and the attendant vagaries of receipt.

 

All in all a Feb meeting was probably all that could have been achieved.

 

The Secretary's notice was probably a little underworked and should have been a litte more revealing of the Executive/Board feelings on the timing.

 

cheers

 

Col

 

 

[Guernsey]

Bump.