Special General Meeting

As you are no doubt aware the Special General Meeting called for Monday 18^th June has been deferred and will now be held on Monday 16^th July.  It became increasingly obvious that the form in which the draft document was written would struggle to be approved by the Consumer Affairs department and therefore more work was needed to bring it into line with the department’s requirements.

I sought and was given permission by the Executive for this deferral.  Following that decision I have met with Megan Rouse and Phil Mithen to address the issues presented by the draft and from that meeting a number of issues have been clarified that will make the redrafting more acceptable to all. Megan had sought legal advice from PILCH, a not for profit body that offers free advice on constitutional matters for incorporated clubs.  Phil as a former clerk of the Victorian Legislative Assembly has had wide experience in constitutional matters and recently assisted in the drawing up of a new constitution for the Ivanhoe Bowling Club.

Once the suggested changes are incorporated into the document I will send it to the Constitution sub-committee and the EDJBA Executive for final approval before it is given to a solicitor for the final wording of the document which will make up the key part of the motion.

In the meantime I will personally contact each club president to ensure every club understands the issues we have encountered and the need for the deferral.

We apologise for the deferral but believe that this is such an important moment in the association’s history and the document so pivotal to how the future of the association will be administered that it is better to take our time and ensure everything is right before we present something for approval that in the long run may not be acceptable, either by the clubs or the department.

Referees Forum

The first of the promised EDJBA forums is scheduled for this Monday 4^th June.  This is an exciting moment in the association’s development and offers an opportunity for all club’s Referee Advisors and club representatives to air concerns, suggest operating systems and create principles that we all hope will make the officiating of our games much better.

The forum cannot make decisions but certainly can make recommendations to the Executive for consideration and possible inclusion in the operation of the association.

Lexie Lattanzio, Anthony O’Brien and Steve Chadd, three of the leading members of the Victorian Basketball Referee fraternity, have very kindly offered their services free of charge to advise on officiating matters during the forum.  We are pleased to have them on board.  Lexie is a life member of the EDJBA and it is exciting to see people who have given so much to the association willing to continue supporting its activities. 

Although the forum was part of the vision for the current committee of the association it is important to note that Jo Chu took on the task of promoting this meeting with very real enthusiasm.  As a former referee she felt there was a need for a gathering of this sort and to her credit has made it a success.  At last count it looked like the attendance for the forum would be in excess of forty people, a real milestone for the association.  Our thanks go to her for her initiative and organization.

Until next week,

Happy Hoops

Ron Carlton

President