Bega Valley Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association Inc Registration No: INC ABN:

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1 Registration No: INC Notice of Annual General Meeting Sunday, November 18 th, 2018 at 2:00PM Wolumla Hall, Wolumla ALL MEMBERS & VISITORS WELCOME BUSINESS 1. Welcome 2. Apologies 3. Minutes of Previous Meeting Approval of Minutes of Annual General Meeting November 26 th, Matters Arising from Minutes of Previous Meetings /2018 Reports President s Report Peter Rogers 2017/2018 Financial Statement John Richardson 6. Election of Management Committee Appointment of Returning Officer Election of President Election of Vice-President Election of Secretary Election of Treasurer Election of Committee Members 7. Any Other Business 8. Meeting Closed

2 Secretary s Comments 1. Notice of Meeting A Notice of the Annual General Meeting is being published in the Bega District News, the Eden Magnet & the Merimbula News Weekly. 2. Election of Committee Members In accordance with clause 15 of the Constitution: (1) Nominations of candidates for election as office-bearers of the association or as ordinary committee members: (a) (b) must be made in writing, signed by 2 members of the association and accompanied by the written consent of the candidate (which may be endorsed on the form of the nomination), and must be delivered to the secretary of the association at least 7 days before the date fixed for the holding of the annual general meeting at which the election is to take place. (2) If insufficient nominations are received to fill all vacancies on the committee, the candidates nominated are taken to be elected and further nominations are to be received at the annual general meeting. In accordance with clause 14 of the Constitution: The Committee will consist of the elected Office-Bearers, plus up to three (3) other Members. Nominations / Acceptances Nominations / Acceptances for positions as Office-Bearers or Committee Members should be completed using the attached Nomination Form & forwarded to the attention of the Secretary, to be received no later than Sunday, November 11 th, Inquiries Any inquiries regarding the above Meeting should be directed to the Association s Secretary, as per the contact details below. John Richardson Secretary Tel: secretary@begavalleyshireratepayers.asn.au Mail: 70 Bournda Park Way, Wallagoot. NSW October 15 th, 2018

3 Registration No: INC Agenda of Annual General Meeting Sunday, November 18 th, 2018, at 2:00PM Wolumla Hall, Wolumla ALL MEMBERS & VISITORS ARE WELCOME BUSINESS 1. Welcome 2. Apologies 3. Minutes of Previous Meeting Approval of Minutes of Annual General Meeting November 26 th, Matters Arising from Minutes of Previous Meetings /2018 Reports President s Report Fraser Buchanan 2017/2018 Financial Statement John Richardson 6. Election of Management Committee Appointment of Returning Officer Election of President Election of Vice-President Election of Secretary Election of Treasurer Election of Committee Members 7. Any Other Business 8. Meeting Closed John Richardson Secretary October 19 th, 2018

4 REGISTRATION NO: INC Minutes of Annual General Meeting Sunday, November 26 th, :00PM Wolumla Hall, Wolumla BUSINESS - President s Report /2017 Financial Report - Election of Office Bearers 1. Welcome President Peter Rogers Declared the Meeting Open & welcomed Members & Visitors, in particular the association s special guest, former General Manager of Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC), David Jesson. 2. In Attendance Members Peter Rogers (President) Fraser Buchanan (Vice-President) Peter Brickwood John Richardson (Secretary) Robert Kingston Judy Geary Rosemary Steel Anthony Pearce Guests David Jesson, Gerhard Wiedmann Corrine Jenkins 3. Apologies Rose Ferguson Greg Ferguson Anne Richardson Eddy Stulpinas Wendy Rogers Chris Steele Margaret Britten Ken Britten William Vipond Nina Vipond 4. Minutes of the Previous Meeting Motion that the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting held on October 30 th, 2016 be approved. Moved: Rosemary Steel Seconded: Fraser Buchanan Motion approved unanimously. 5. Matters Arising from the Minutes of the previous Meeting There were no matters arising from the Minutes of the Previous Meeting.

5 /2017 Reports President s Report The President, Peter Rogers, presented the President s Report Motion that the President s Report be adopted. Moved: Peter Rogers Seconded: Fraser Buchanan Motion approved unanimously 2016/2017 Financial Statements The Treasurer, John Richardson, tabled the 2016/2017 Financial Statements Motion that the 2016/2017 Financial Statements be adopted. Moved: John Richardson Seconded: Rosemary Steel Motion approved unanimously 7. Election of Office Bearers The President requested the Secretary, John Richardson, to act as Returning Officer The Returning Officer advised that in accordance with the Constitution of the Association, all positions would become vacant at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting. The Returning Officer confirmed that a single nomination had been received for the position of President for 2017/2018: Nominee: Fraser Buchanan Nominated: Peter Rogers Seconded: John Richardson Peter Rogers was elected unopposed The Returning Officer confirmed that a single nomination had been received for the position of Vice- President for 2017/2018: Nominee: Peter Rogers Nominated: John Richardson Seconded: Peter Brickwood Peter Rogers was elected unopposed The Returning Officer confirmed that a single nomination had been received for the position of Secretary for 2017/2018: NOMINEE: John Richardson Nominated: Peter Brickwood Seconded: Peter Rogers John Richardson was elected unopposed

6 3. The Returning Officer confirmed that a single nomination had been received for the position of Treasurer for 2017/2018: Nominee: John Richardson Nominated: Peter Brickwood Seconded: Peter Rogers John Richardson was elected unopposed The Returning Officer confirmed that two nominations had been received for Membership of the Management Committee: Nominee: Peter Brickwood Nominated: John Richardson Seconded: Peter Rogers Peter Brickwood was elected unopposed. Nominee: Eddy Stulpinas Nominated: John Richardson Seconded: Fraser Buchanan Eddy Stulpinas was elected unopposed. The Returning Officer confirmed that there were two vacant positions on the Management Committee & called for nominations for those positions from the floor. The following Member was nominated & accepted nomination for membership of the Management Committee: Nominee: Anthony Pearce Nominated: Anthony Pearce Seconded: Peter Rogers In the absence of other nominations, the Returning Officer indicated that the nominated Member was elected for 2017/ Other Business On behalf of the association, Fraser Buchanan moved a Vote of Thanks to outgoing President, Peter Rogers, acknowledging his outstanding leadership & contribution to the success of the association over the past five years. In accepting the Vote of Thanks, Peter Rogers remembered the famous words of Edmund Burke, who said: The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing. Rosemary Steel asked the President confirm the status of the proposed Flying School at Frog s Hollow. Peter Rogers confirmed that a Development Application had been lodged with council & was currently on public exhibition, before being referred to the Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel (SJRPP) for final determination. Peter also confirmed that while there was strong opposition to the proposal in parts of the community, the association had not adopted a public position, given that due process & consultation with the community was being respected by Council.

7 4. Robert Kingston inquired about the health of the association s relationship with Council. Peter Rogers recounted the efforts made by the association s management committee to develop a dialogue with the new council which, unfortunately, had not been as successful as had been hoped. Fraser Buchanan & John Richardson both indicated that some limited dialogue had been successfully established between the association & some councilors & efforts to build on that engagement were continuing, although the association believed that attempts at building a dialogue were not supported by the senior management of council. Fraser Buchanan acknowledged the efforts of the association s management committee throughout the year, as reflected in the President s Report, while Judy Geary suggested that the positive impact of the association s efforts should not be underestimated, even though it is very difficult to measure the deterrent effect of its activities on the actions of council. 9. MEETING CLOSED The President declared the Meeting closed at 3:00PM, inviting all present to remain to hear insights from David Jesson regarding the operation of the current Council in contrast to Councils of the 90s. Signed as a true & correct record President Dated:.. John Richardson Secretary November 26 th, 2017

8 Registration No: INC President s Report 2018 As we prepare for the association s 6 th Annual General Meeting, I would like to acknowledge & thank the members of the association for their steadfast support throughout the past year, in particular as it was my first year as President. I would also like to acknowledge & thank my fellow members of the association s management committee for their support throughout the year our Vice-President, Peter Rogers, Secretary & Treasurer, John Richardson, & committee members Eddy Stulpinas, Tony Pearce & Peter Brickwood. As well as offering myself for re-election as President of the association for 2018/2019, I m delighted to confirm that our existing committee members & office holders have also agreed to stand for re-election. Having said that, I would like to encourage all members who believe that they can make a positive contribution to the work of the association to consider pursuing membership of the committee, including as an office-bearer. The Year in Review In many respects, the activities of the association during 2017/2018 reflected previous years, with many of the issues concerning Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC) unfortunately proving to be perennial. Having just passed the mid-term point of the current council s four year term, the association continues to be disappointed with its performance, in particular with its failure to pursue genuine reform in the council s culture, by holding officials accountable for both their performance & behaviour & championing a genuine commitment to openness & transparency. The BVSRRA believes that the elected council will continue to achieve little of genuine substance, largely because of its inability to work as a united team & its refusal to demand best practice standards of performance from public officials, in particular its management team. And while some level of positive engagement between the association & elected councillors has been achieved, I am disappointed to report that little progress has been made in developing a stronger & more positive relationship with council overall, due to the determined resistance & obstruction, largely fostered by members of council s senior management team. During the course of the year, the association pursued a number of major issues, including: o council s continuing & persistent practice of acting to enhance the commercial interests of developers at the expense of residents & ratepayers (major examples include the Woolworths & Aldi developments in Merimbula & the Bunnings Warehouse proposal being facilitated in Tura beach); o the development of the old Hospital site in Bega as a new learning centre, without the benefit of a business case, public consultation or clarification for the existing Bega TAFE facilities;

9 o the never-ending scandal of the shire s chronic drinking water quality issues; o attempts by BVSC to avoid its obligations to restore the trusses on the Pretty Point Bridge; o the faux reforms being pursued by the Office of Local Government (OLG) in respect of the Code of Conduct & Procedures governing the management of complaints made under the code, along with continuing concerns over the suitability of Conduct Reviewers commonly used in Eurobodalla shire, as well as the Bega Valley; o the scandalous manipulation of council & council management by NSW Heath to blatantly corrupt the public consultation process involving the decision to fluoridate the shire s water supplies & the failure of the elected council to stand-up for the rights & opinions of a significant section of our community; o the connivance of the NSW Department of Planning & Environment with council to advance the commercial interests of Bunnings Limited & its plans to develop a warehouse in Tura Beach & their willingness to compromise planning processes to that end, in particular through fabricating a dishonest review of part of the shire s Commercial Centres Strategy; o the scandalous & successful campaign mounted by NSW Health bureaucrats & some state & local government politicians to drive out the head of Orthopaedic Surgery at the South East Regional Hospital (SERH), in an attempt to destroy his reputation & protect the status quo; o attempts to relocate the Regional Gallery from Bega to Merimbula without community consultation; o other issues included the ongoing parking crisis in Merimbula, a complaint to the Information & Privacy Commission (IPC) alleging systemic behaviour on the part of council to frustrate & deny the association s statutory rights under the GIPA Act. Not all actions of council are deserving of criticism & some are worthy of high praise, including: o council s outstanding response to the Tathra bushfire disaster, including its proactive efforts in coordinating the community response & establishing the highly successful Mayoral Relief Fund; & o council s strong support of the Frogs Hollow community in opposing the proposed Flight Training School. Other matters of interest include: o the association s membership remains stable with 180 members as at June 30th, 2018; o the association attracted a record $1, in donations in the course of the year, which proved more than sufficient to fund its activities; o the association initiated 15 GIPA Applications over the course of the year, including two applications to the NSW Department of Planning & Environment, one application to Eurobodalla Shire Council, two applications to the Southern NSW Local Health District & 10 applications to BVSC, at a cost of $ in processing fees;

10 o the association continued its efforts to highlight the issues it believes are, or should be of concern to residents & ratepayers, publishing 140 Media Releases over the year & a similar number of Opinion Pieces via its Facebook Page, the latter reaching an average audience of 1,500-2,000 people & 8,000 people on one occasion. It is disappointing to note that ABC South East Radio & the Fairfax print media continue to ignore issues raised by the association, regardless of their merit although, on a brighter note, 2EC East Coast Radio has shown a willingness to pursue issues raised by the association, while my Friday night program on Sapphire FM Community Radio also helps spread the word. The Year Ahead In addition to the looming state government elections in March, 2019 & its potential implications for local government, issues that will be of major interest & concern to the BVSRRA in will include: o the proposed restructure of the shire s tourist industry, including the funding of industry promotion; o the establishment of a shire-wide, perpetual Disaster Relief Fund to support the families of residents & ratepayers whose homes may have been destroyed or damaged by bushfire or floods; o the Merimbula Airport Expansion Project & the major cost-overruns attached to that project & their implications; o the promised full review of the shire s Commercial Centres Strategy; o council s Budget; I would like to conclude my report by again calling on Members to become more directly involved in the management of our association by considering nominating for membership of the Management Committee & or for a position as an Office-bearer. All Members of the association are eligible for nomination to the Management Committee & positions as office-bearers & I would encourage everyone to consider pursuing a more direct involvement in the management of our association. Self-explanatory Nomination Forms are among the documents circulated for the Annual General Meeting, with all nominations to be delivered to the Secretary by no later than Sunday, November 11 th, 2018 in order to be eligible. Finally, I would again like to acknowledge & thank our members & friends in the community for their continuing support. I look forward to catching-up with you all on Sunday, November 18 th, 2018 at Wolumla Hall. Fraser Buchanan President October 19 th, 2018

11 Registration No: INC Financial Statements For the period ended June 30 th, st July, 2017 to 30 th June, 2018 Income $ Donations 1, Interest 0.10 Total income 1, Expenditure Donation Transaction Fees Other Fees & Charges Website Expenses Total Expenditure * 1, Surplus / (Deficit) (73.77) ========= * See attached Itemised List of Expenditure

12 REGISTRATION NO: INC Balance Sheet As at June 30 th, th June, 2018 Current Assets $ Cash at Bank Total Assets Net Assets ======== Members Equity Accumulated Funds Total Members Equity ======== Statement of Changes in Equity For the Year Ended June 30 th, 2018 Opening Accumulated Funds as at July 1 st, Surplus / (Deficit) for the year (73.77) Accumulated Funds as at June 30 th, ======== $

13 REGISTRATION NO: INC Itemised List of Expenditure For the Year Ended June 30 th, 2018 Item of Expenditure Vendor Amount - Donation Transaction Fees Paypal Other Fees & Charges - GIPA Application Fees Bega Valley Shire Council Administrative Fees Department of Fair Trading Website Expenses - Domain Name Renewals Crazy Domains Total Expenditure 1,274.36

14 REGISTRATION NO: INC Supplementary Information Bank Reconciliation Horizon Credit Union (Bega) Account No: st July, 2017 to 30 th June, 2018 Opening Balance as at July 1 st, Add Receipts 1, Less Payments (1,274.36) Closing Balance as at June 30 th, ======== $

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