Saa Agm

[Florence]

Have just spent the afternoon at the SAA AGM that didn't happen ! Why are members of the SAA so apathetic about this - it only happens once a year, if it's declared inquarate it costs us money that apparently the SAA doesn't have, and you don't actually have to be there in person - there's post and proxy votes available to all voting members.

Come on SAA members, it's your association and will only ever be as good as the membership wants it to be and gives it the power to be.

I just hope that when we do have the EGM we don't have to sit through another "Club Mark - this is what applies to England" presentation. Awful !

[BillM]

Originally Posted by Florence

Have just spent the afternoon at the SAA AGM that didn't happen ! Why are members of the SAA so apathetic about this - it only happens once a year, if it's declared inquarate it costs us money that apparently the SAA doesn't have, and you don't actually have to be there in person - there's post and proxy votes available to all voting members.

Come on SAA members, it's your association and will only ever be as good as the membership wants it to be and gives it the power to be.

I just hope that when we do have the EGM we don't have to sit through another "Club Mark - this is what applies to England" presentation. Awful !

Ditto! The SAA do have money but it could be much better spent on archery related things rather than renting a room for no reasonable return. Also consider that there were two visitors attending to give presentations that are vital if the sport is to continue to move forward into the twentieth (or should it be the twenty-first) century. This is the second time in recent memory it has happened and the many members who didn't turn up or send in a proxy vote have only themselves to blame if the few who do take an interest decide on something which they do not like but could have influenced if they attended. Yes, it is not the domain of the few who attended but that of ALL the members.

BillM

[mk1]

I don't think Clubmark just applies to England, the same points will apply to any similar scheme in Scotland whether its to meet a sportscotland approved scheme or to keep a local authority happy. I thought that point was made by some of the Club representitives at the meeting who's Clubs had done one.


... but we stray yes its quite shocking that once again after not many years passing we need another EGM. You'd think the Clubs would have learned after the last one

[bkupris]

Give the clubs a financial stake in their affiliation with the SAA and I think participation in the mundane matters of attending such meetings may be a higher priority. There is little motivation for clubs with mainly social archers to attend such meetings. When the SAA can control funds that can be passed on to deserving, hard working and high performing clubs things will be much different.

Actually it was a very good meeting in IMHO considering several past SAA AGM's I have attended. The quorum requirement might be a bit unrealistic taking everything into consideration??

[Murray]

*sigh*
I miss ONE AGM, and bang goes the association. I dunno...

Last year's seemed extremely well attended too.

[Marcus26]

Archery Australia combines theirs with the Nationals in order to help get a good turnout.
Combine with archery and perhaps archers will attend hey?

[TWIW]

Originally Posted by Marcus26

Archery Australia combines theirs with the Nationals in order to help get a good turnout.
Combine with archery and perhaps archers will attend hey?

The Per Ardua Archery Society (RAF Archery) does the same thing at their Indoor Champs. We have never had a problem meeting the quorum, and that from a Society with about 150 members.

I was one of those who didn't attend. For 2 reasons: I was out the night before and was probably over the drink drive limit considering the alcohol I had drank the night before. The weather was attrocious and just didn't want the hassle of a 300 mile round trip in driving rain on Scotlands poor motorways. And lets face it the venue was hardly central nor particularly easy to get to; and despite it being near the central belt I see that the 'local' clubs were not inclined to attend, much less those from the far corners (Brian et al excepted of course). There's no guarantee the EGM will be any better attended unless there is a real incentive for the membership to go. To repeat the aborted business of the AGM just won't be enough I feel.

I think Scotland has a real problem in travel and trying to organise general meetings in a single location. (the recent Coaches Conference being an exception though - well done Iain). Maybe it's time to consider regional meetings etc followed by a 'committee' meeting of representatives taking the wishes and thoughts of the regional meeting to that to formulate national policy? This could be combined with a Council meeting to save costs etc?

Finally - just a thought. Do the majority of the rank and file archers in Scotland really care what SAA does and say as long as it doesn't stop them from shooting their arrows on a Sunday afternoon? I doubt it. As Brian says give them a vested interest in the workings of the Association and you might get more interst in the AGM.

*Dons flak jacket and kevlar helmet and retires behing a wall of bosses*

[mk1]

Originally Posted by thewayitwas

I think Scotland has a real problem in travel and trying to organise general meetings in a single location. (the recent Coaches Conference being an exception though - well done Iain). Maybe it's time to consider regional meetings etc followed by a 'committee' meeting of representatives taking the wishes and thoughts of the regional meeting to that to formulate national policy?

errr. you mean what happens already with Area Representatives being on the National Council?

Colin. There were enough people at the Meeting - just not enough proxies - so no need for more people to travel, just for more to show an interest and sign a proxy. Last time we needed an EGM I remember being at a Club where the form was simply passed round and startled people were told to sign - so no real interest in the Association or its affairs is required

[TWIW]

Originally Posted by mk1

errr. you mean what happens already with Area Representatives being on the National Council?

Colin. There were enough people at the Meeting - just not enough proxies - so no need for more people to travel, just for more to show an interest and sign a proxy. Last time we needed an EGM I remember being at a Club where the form was simply passed round and startled people were told to sign - so no real interest in the Association or its affairs is required

I know about that Muriel, but I was specifically suggesting a meeting to discuss AGM issues rather than a normal Council meeting.

I hold my hand up and admit I made no attempt to get proxies from my club. Mainly because I didn't think it was important for formation of a quorum for the AGM. I don't remember seeing anything on the notice stressing the need for proxies to comply with the Constitution. Had I done so I may have made more effort. Maybe the SAA Costitution needs changing so that there is a multiple proxy for the whole club membership on the return of a proxy form form a club rather than relying upon individual proxy authorisation. After all the membership secretary knows how members there are in any given club. Either that or work on a quorum for attendance only.

[Florence]

Originally Posted by thewayitwas

Finally - just a thought. Do the majority of the rank and file archers in Scotland really care what SAA does and say as long as it doesn't stop them from shooting their arrows on a Sunday afternoon? I doubt it. As Brian says give them a vested interest in the workings of the Association and you might get more interst in the AGM.

*Dons flak jacket and kevlar helmet and retires behing a wall of bosses*

I have to hold up my hand here, and say "so exactly what does the SAA do ?" I go to the AGM because I'm on the club committee. I really don't have a clue what the SAA actually does, or for that matter how it benefits ME as an archer, or how it helps my Club in any way.

(I'm just dashing behind the wall of bosses to hide with Colin now !!!)

And as someone who's from south of the Border, I do wonder how England manages without an EAA if it's essential that we have an SAA ?

(I detect a few smouldering devices about to go off any minute !!!)

If the SAA really want to improve things they really need to get out there and communicate a whole lot more, and make it's members aware of what it does, how it does it and why it's necessary. AND at the risk of being old fashioned - yes, I know there's an SAA website and that info and news are published there, BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS THE INTERNET OR EVEN WANTS THE INTERNET ! For communication to be effective, and to get more people involved and interested, more than one media needs to be used.

Oh yes, and sorry but simply passing round a form and telling people to sign it without them having any kind of idea what it's all about is IMHO totally pointless.

Much better way would be for those at the EGM to vote to have free affiliation fees for those attending for the next year, and for those who haven't attended / given a proxy or postal vote to have to pay double to make up for it. "oh, dear - you don't like that ??? Well go to the next AGM and change it then !"

I was p'd off only coming an hour cross country - I feel sorry for those who really made an effort to turn out from further afield.