MINUTES
OF THE 38th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE EAST
MIDLANDS ORIENTEERING ASSOCIATION HELD
ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23rd
2002 AT THE RED LION, KEGWORTH
Present : J.Woodall (NOC), M.Godfree (DVO),
L.Godfree (DVO), D. Walker (DVO ), R.Barnes (NOC), J. Palmer (NOC), H.Palmer (NOC),
E.Williams (LEI), R.Denney (LEI), J.Bennett (LOG), R.Edwards (LEI), R.Alderson (NOC),
G.Johnson (DVO), A. Portsmouth (LEI), C. Phillips (LEI), R. Phillips (LEI), M.
Lucking (NOC), R. Macdonald (DVO), M. Gardner (DVO), R. Shooter (DVO), E.
Williams (LEI), G. Davis, V. Davis, K. Pickworth, R. Pickworth A.Hawkins (DVO).
1. Apologies
for absence : T. Spalton, H. Rice, D.
Woodall, P. Leake, P. Olivant.
2. Minutes
of the 37th AGM. These were accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Proposer
H. Palmer
Seconder
E. Williams
3. Chairman’s
report
This year can best be described as
normal service has been restored. After last year’s problems with foot and
mouth it has been a pleasure to have a full programme of events to choose from.
Electronic punching is becoming
widespread and is a great improvement, and we hope to address the funding
arrangements within the region to encourage even more use of this kit.
I would like to congratulate all
winners in our championships and galoppen and those successful juniors who have
made the representative teams.
I must thank all the committee for
their efforts and support, and especially Roger Edwards who has taken over as
Treasurer since the last AGM. I must also thank James Allen and Kevin Bradley
for their help during the year. We are still looking for someone to take over
from James as our E-kit supremo.
We also have a vacancy for a
development officer and I would press clubs to ask amongst their members for
both these roles.
This has been a year of changes in the
administration of the sport, perhaps not as great as had once been expected and
your committee have decided not to recommend any dramatic change in how EMOA is
constituted. We did however start looking at our constitution with possible
change in mind, and several good ideas which came out of that exercise are to be
put to you this evening with the support of your committee.
4. Secretary’s
report
EMOA
had just over 400 members last season. We have some 110 areas mapped, including
6 new ones mapped this year. We put on a total of 109 events of various levels,
and have a total of 38 controllers at the various Grades. 15 coaching skills
courses, 3 courses for coaches and 1 planning course have been held in the
region last season.
5. Treasurer’s
report .
Foot and mouth in 2001 resulted in a
drop in income, and also a drop in expenditure. In 2002 things have returned to
nearly normal. Income from electronic punching has increased substantially, and
no lost equipment has yet been replaced. This has resulted in a surplus of just
over £300.
The Balance Sheet showed that several
separate funds have been amalgamated into the main EMOA fund. Electronic
Equipment hire monies are currently coming in at such a rate that there should
be enough to replace all the equipment in three to four years, should this be
necessary.
6. Approval
of Balance Sheet and Income & Expenditure Statement
Thanks
were given to Dave Walker for his work in “independently financially
examining” the Association’s books. The final accounts for the year ended
30.06.02 were circulated and accepted.
Proposer:
E. Williams
Seconder:
J. Woodall
7. Amendments
to the Constitution
Proposal 1) That we adopt the amended constitution.
The amended constitution consisted of
some 25 changes, some only changing one word, while others were whole new
sections.
There was a robust and wide ranging
discussion about the sort of constitution the region wanted. It was felt by many
that a looser form of wording, that gave the Executive Committee and its
officers freedom to act in the region’s interests, was preferable to a tightly
worded version, which might in some circumstances tie the committee’s hands
and was anyway not needed.
The meeting then went through the
changes one by one, approving 13 of these changes ( as shown elsewhere )
Proposer: R. Macdonald
Seconder: M. Lucking
All these changes were carried with only one vote against.
Proposal
2) that the Constitution be renamed ‘Constitution and Standing Orders’ was
not put to the meeting in the light of the above discussion.
8.
Election of principal officers
The following were re-elected
unopposed.
Chairman
-
Roy Denney (who then resumed chair)
Vice
Chairman -
Ranald Macdonald
Secretary
-
Andy Hawkins
Treasurer
-
Roger Edwards
Clubs are reminded that a new Secretary will be needed before the next
AGM
9.
Election of other officers
Mapping
Adviser -
Mike Godfree
BOF
Event Standards Committee -
Ernie Williams
BOF
Coaching Committee -
Hilary Palmer
Emews
Editor -
Mike Gardner
Webmaster
-
Andy Portsmouth
The above were re-elected unopposed
BOF
Council -
Ray Barnes wished to step down, and will be
replaced in the short term by Roy Denney
Fixtures
Secretary -
Development
Officer -
There were no volunteers for either
post at this meeting, and clubs are urged to try to find
volunteers.
10.
Appointment of Independent Financial Examiner
Dave Walker agreed to continue in this
role.
11.
Budget projections
(for year to 30.6.2003)
EMOA can afford to run a deficit next
financial year, in view of the healthy reserves.
Emews has moved back to six issues per year.
13.
Fixing of charges
The
Treasurer introduced plans to halve subscription rates, but double event levies.
This would keep income at roughly the same total , but now coming more from
people who actually attended events, including people from outside the region.
Electronic
equipment hire charges to be changed to a rate
per competitor, with a
lesser rate for juniors. This will make it cheaper for small events, while Badge
events may end up paying more. E-kit remains free for coaching events.
Proposer
: R. Macdonald
Seconder
: J. Woodall
14. Plans
for the coming year
Chairman:
We have allocated events to the end of the year as being part of the
Galoppen and hope to finalise the programme next month. Similarly the night
league is not yet complete. It is always a bit of a rush getting these matters
sorted in time for this meeting but it should be less of a problem next year
when our constitution allows us to put back the meeting a little. The galoppen
normally runs from mid-October to mid-June, and next year’s AGM should be held
just before its start. Next year we hope to have four Badge events in the region, and
should be hosting the Midlands Championships. Our own Championships will be at Belvoir in
March.
Preparation will get underway in earnest for
our day of JK2004.
Mike Gardner and Andy Portsmouth will continue
in their new roles further developing our newsletter and website respectively.
New rules for events are coming in and we will
organise seminars to ensure they are interpreted consistently by club officials.
In this my last year as your Chairman I will
continue to work to ensure EMOA serves its
members well with those matters where a regional body is best suited but that it
leaves clubs to do what they can do best at a local level.
Enjoy your running this winter.
Roy Denney.
Meeting closed at 9p.m., and was followed by
an interesting and thought-provoking open forum on abuse of officials by
competitors and the new junior age classes.