PNGAA Managment Committee:
Keeping you informed

The Management Committee has met twice so far this year and other sub-committees have also been meeting. The Management Committee was particularly keen to ensure that the Association continued its work of reform and change after the unexpected resignation of the President early in January and, in this respect, the Rules Review Committee has been committed to ensuring there was no delay in the work of reviewing the Rules of the Association.

Comments received as a result of the Questionnaire provided with the September 2008 Una Voce were considered. The Review Committee, consisting of Ross Johnson, Andrea Williams and Riley Warren, decided in early January to expand its brief and look more broadly at the Rules to see what other areas needed updating. To that end the Review Committee recommended both a reduction in the size of the Management Committee and, to ensure that all members have the opportunity to have their say in the election of the Management Committee, the introduction of postal voting was recommended. In this respect it is interesting to note that a similar recommendation was made in a letter subsequently received from a group of Queensland members.

The Review Committee brought its wide range of changes to the Management Committee at the beginning of February and took members through the proposed changes. After several questions and discussion the Management Committee unanimously endorsed the Review Committee’s recommendations and agreed that the proposed amendments to the Rules would be the subject of a Special Resolution to be determined at a Special General Meeting on 26 April 2009. These proposed amendments together with Explanatory Notes and a Proxy voting form have been included as inserts in the March edition of Una Voce.

In regards to a proposal to form State branches the response from the States and Territories was mixed. However the Review Committee considered that state/regional branches may well occur in the future if there is a demonstrated need. With that in mind one of the recommendations for the Rule changes is to allow the Management Committee to recognise or form regional groups of members.  Realistically this may mean more than one group forming within each state and involving more of our members in a wider network.  The Management Committee believes that this interim step is a more measured way to gauge real interest from grass roots membership regarding future State and/or regional branches of the PNGAA.

Like all associations in NSW we are governed by Acts of Parliament and by various rules. The Management Committee hopes that the membership will pass the Rule Changes at the Special General Meeting on 26 April after which nominations for the Officers and Members of the Association’s Management Committee will be called for. If the new Rules are accepted they will need to be approved by the NSW Department of Fair Trading.

While the review of the Rules has been a major focus of the Management Committee, its other areas of responsibility have continued. These include:

  • Production of the March Una Voce
  • The production of a compendium of the work of Missions in PNG
  • Birthday cards for members over 80, get well wishes and condolences
  • A review of the very successful Christmas lunch with record attendance
  • Updating of the PNGAA website
  • Raising greater awareness about use of the website; particularly in regard to the forum which has the potential to be a dynamic way to engage members
  • A report on the finances and the growth of membership (almost 1600)
  • Consideration of the position of Treasurer and the role of Membership Officer
  • A letter to Parliamentary Secretary Duncan Kerr regarding HIV/AIDS in PNG
  • Discussion on better management practices for the Management Committee
  • Report on Superannuation matters

Whilst ensuring that the Association continues to maintain its traditional social focus and to support its superannuated members, as it has for nearly sixty years now, the Association is also cognizant of the need for it to be both responsive and adaptive to issues that will shape the future of the Association.

Recognising that our members are interested in further engaging with the activities of the association, the Management Committee intends to post points of interest from matters arising at each future meeting on the website.