Ironically for a fire brigade, constant heavy rain drumming on the uninsulated tin roof of the fireshed made the business of the 29 April AGM difficult to conduct – and it flooded the shed – but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the 50 or so people who turned out.
It did affect the election process but the meeting eventually successfully elected the following office bearers for the upcoming year:
Captain: Neville McMartin
President: Judy Hancock
Secretary: Sally Kaufmann
Treasurer: Joanne Reid
Senior Deputy: Gareth Ellem
Deputies (4): Damien Eggins, Kylie Eggins, Kane Fillingham, Rick Mumberson
Catering Officer: Sally Kaufmann
Community Engagement Representative: Liz Sage
Equipment Officer: Glenn Odlum
Junior Co-ordinator: Sonia Slattery
Training Officer: Kim Bannan
WHS Officer: Darko Kukic
Before the meeting, as some members were putting the finishing touches to the setup for the night, the president, Judy Hancock, grabbed a broom and swept out the water flooding into the shed from the rear. It was a scene reminiscent of a photo from decades ago. That photo was of Peter Clark, then captain, similarly wielding a broom as heavy rain in the late afternoon flooded the then-brand-new shed, threatening to cancel the first event ever to be held in it, the 2005 brigade Christmas party.
At the 2023 AGM, Judy wasn’t alone with the sweeping, as Rick, Troy and others also took to the brooms at times, conjuring images of the sorcerer’s apprentice.
The photo of Peter appeared in a video that was part of a special presentation to him before the 2023 AGM opened, celebrating his many years of service to the brigade. See Peter Clark – night of tributes.
Ahead of the formal meeting, members, residents and invited guests from neighbouring brigades and Yass RFS had enjoyed a hot buffet provided by some talented cooks within the brigade and caught up with neighbours and fire-fighting colleagues.
Captain advises of health issue
Immediately before the meeting began, the captain rose to address the gathering, advising that in the interests of transparency, he wanted to let everyone know he was part-way through treatment for prostate cancer and that the treatment would finish in mid-May.
In a parting comment, he urged the men in the room to get their PSA levels checked.
The noise of the rain was a challenge throughout the meeting and many people, especially those at the end of the room opposite the main table, often had difficulty hearing. This resulted in the need to run the election for deputies twice as the returning officer recognised that the instructions for completing the voting papers had not been followed the first time, presumably because they had not been heard properly.
Despite the rain, robust debate took place over a proposal to create a brigade rule to endorse the current number of the executive committee. The discussion ranged over: why the proposal was being made, the desirability of a smaller committee, the desire of some deputies to be excluded from the executive committee, the value of cross-fertilisation to succession planning for leadership roles which having deputies serve on the executive would achieve, and the fact that deputies were free to attend EC meetings but not to vote. There was also a reminder that creating or changing a brigade rule required the agreement of 75% of the members at the meeting.
The motion was defeated, so the number of members on the executive was left at the default minimum of four as specified in the constitution: captain, president, secretary and treasurer.
Other decisions on the night were:
- for the brigade name to be: Yass River–Nanima Rural Fire Brigade
- that, in addition to the office-bearers who are currently required to report to the AGM, the following would also be required to report: catering officer, community engagement representative, junior co-ordinator and president.
- the quorum requirement for an executive committee meeting would be 3 or 50%, whichever is greater
As the meeting came to a close, Judy recommended the draft brigade strategy to members’ attention and asked for feedback.
Sally Kaufmann
July 2023