YOU ARE ALL REMINDED THAT THESE NOTES ARE NOT THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING
THE AGM AND GENERAL MEETING
Our Patron Captain George HUNT DSO* DSC* RANEM Ret’d attended and very generously donated $400 to our cause. Very many thanks George from every one of us- we love having you with us and we are so very proud to have you as our Patron.
We were also honoured to have the National President of the Naval Association Mr Les Dwyer with us at the AGM/GM and he was able to put us straight on a couple of points. Thanks for joining us Les and we are very pleased to be an affiliated Association.
We had 52 at the meeting plus about 20 apologies so the old Committee were thrilled to be put out to pasture in great style and the new Committee were happy to take the reins over with the Association in good shape. What was pleasing to see are the younger faces in the audience of attendees supporting what we think is a very strong and able Committee.
Your new committee is as follows President Don “Duck Run Currell Vice Pres Rob Woolrych Secretary Graeme Caesar Treasurer Paul Mansell Committee Peter “Huck” Finn (Social) Ian Sinclair(Welfare) Ian Roberts
First words spoken by the new President was to thank those attending and those who passed their apologies and to thank the outgoing President and Billy Clayton for all the sterling work they have done over the past years.
We are in a very comfortable financial position which is most reassuring.
Management Structure Proposal for the SAA
By now you should all know that the SAA Secretary Norm Williams put up a paper which suggested that the Structure of the SAA should be changed. As we have told you before in general the proposal is supported by SAA Qld Inc Committee it being not all that different from what Qld proposed some 5 years back. There has been considerable comment and discussion amongst the Committee and soon our thoughts will be passed to you the Members to look at and comment upon.
In general what we would like to see is:- a. The Constitution be made simpler to read b. The SAA would comprise the State/Territories Presidents plus a Secretary & Treasurer c. States SAA’s pay a capitation to the SAA for the Presidents to be members of that body
Discussions are on-going
HAPPENINGS ON THE AASM SAGA
This saga first started when Rob Woolrych wrote his first letter to the Chief if Defence back in 1994 and it has now graduated eventually to the floor of Parliament.
Yes it has progressed though the responsibility now rests with The Hon Dr Mike Kelly AM MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support. I will quote from the letter Rob Woolrych received this morning “The classification of submarine special operations service is subject to the process of “The Nature of Service Review”, Although that process is well underway I am unable to advise when you can expect a final response”
That letter was signed by Mark Sjolander , the Chief of Staff to the Dr Kelly
The matter will be raised again in a few weeks time both in Parliament(Senate this time) and with The Shadow Ministers by my local member, The President of the NAA and myself and we will keep you all informed.
DFRDB/DFRB
About 2 years back we (led by Rod Fayle) did a quick presentation on DFRDB/DFRB and a few of us wrote letters. The Defence Force Welfare Assn and others have been lobbying hard trying to get justice for us so we are going to ask those of you who are on DFRDB/DFRB to write again.
In the near future Ian Roberts will be passing a draft open letter for those of you who are recipients of DFRDB/DFRB Pensions. What we would like those members to do with the letter is to put it into your style of English and then forward that letter to the following:
Your local member of Federal Parliament
The Hon Greg Combet, AM MP, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel & and Science
Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs and
Anyone else you may think necessary
The more of those who are affected by the shortfalls in this scheme who write, the more chance we have of getting the wrongs righted.
Hon Greg Combet's address is Minister for Personnel, Materiel and Science, c/- Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600
SOCIAL PROGRAMME
Yes another social gathering is in the wind with the next Meeting scheduled as our annual “OUT OF BRISBANE MEETING” so we would like all and sundry from the Rocky area, and we don’t really mind if you are not from south of the Tropic, to come and join us for a social weekend of frivolity in Bundaberg
WHAT Out of Brisbane Meeting WHERE BUNDABERG WHEN Weekend of 10/11 October 2009 starting at 1000
More information will be passed out as it comes to hand along with a list of Accommodation