VIETNAM VETERANS PEACEKEEPERS AND PEACEMAKERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (NSW BRANCH) INC SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS SUB-BRANCH INCORPORATED DRAFT MINUTES

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1 VIETNAM VETERANS PEACEKEEPERS AND PEACEMAKERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (NSW BRANCH) INC SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS SUB-BRANCH INCORPORATED DRAFT MINUTES MEMBERS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 4th March, 2015 MITTAGONG R.S.L. CLUB 5.00 P.M. Welcome: The President, Phill Moscatt, declared the meeting open at 5.05 p.m. and thanked everyone for coming. Phill asked all present to be upstanding whilst the Ode was recited. Attendance: Present: Brian Freer, Sandra Freer, Phill Moscatt, Norm Austin, Sue Austin, Terry Lemcke, Lee Bourgeois, Bruce Bofinger, Ross Latta, Tony Mitchell, Mick Cupitt, Jeff Forbes, Brian McFarlane, Fran Cashmere, Rod Cashmere, Ray McCann, John McDonnell and John Innes. Apologies: Bob Bailey, Noelene Bailey, John Stead, David Babbage, Bernadette Larratt, Julia Billows, Pam Stead, Rick McCarthy, Olga Strachan, Jean Mitchell and Maria McDonnell. Minutes of Annual General Meeting of 5th March, 2014 The minutes were tabled for ratification and were duly accepted. Moved Sue Austin seconded Bruce Bofinger. Carried. Business arising from the minutes: No business arising. Acting President s Report: Early this year there was a vote of no confidence in the president that ended in his resignation. I was elected by the committee to stand as acting president. 1

2 Last Anzac day the sub branch joined the Moss Vale RSL members for the march. An enjoyable service followed by fellowship at the Moss Vale Golf Club. Vietnam Veterans day last year was a wash out at our memorial at Settlers Park so the service was moved to Mittagong RSL Club. Many thanks to the club for providing us with a venue to hold the service at such short notice. Many thanks to the members who reorganised the service. I believe that all went well and all enjoyed the afternoon. Welfare, publicity and schools all went well and a more detailed report will be presented by them. I would like to thank the committee for the professional way that they handled a turbulent and busy year. Moved Jeff Forbes Seconded Ross Latta that the Acting President s report be accepted. Carried. Secretary s Report: Membership Statistics YEAR VETERANS NON VETERANS HONORARY TOTAL (as at 24/02/11) (11 memberships not renewed at that date) 2012 (as at 08/03/12) (3 memberships not renewed at that date) 2013 (as at 26/02/13) (4 memberships not renewed at that date) 2014 (as at 02/03/14) (6 memberships not renewed at that date) 2015 (as at 22/02/15) (2 memberships not renewed at that date) Our present membership is as shown above. Sadly, this year saw the passing of two members, Alan Nichols and Charles Francis and also of Tim McCombe. In lieu of flowers a donation of $100.00, in memory of Tim, was sent to Head Office, Granville We had two members attend the N.S.W. Sub Branch Conferences in March and September and reports on our activities were submitted to each conference. We also had a member attend and lay a wreath at the National Servicemen s annual service in February. Other activities are covered in the other reports We purchased two gazebo shelters which were used at our Vietnam Veterans Day Service. 2

3 Unfortunately, this term of office has seen more issues within the committee than any other in the history of this Sub Branch. This lead to the passing of a vote of no confidence in the President, the President s resignation and the integrity of other committee members being brought into question with the making of unfounded allegations. This caused considerable angst and distress to those involved and has created some division within the membership. Anzac Day 2015 this year members will be marching in Bowral. Details of the march and the venue for lunch afterwards will be circulated to members as soon as finalised. Committee meetings are usually held every two months and members are reminded a copy of the Minutes of each meeting is available to them upon request or can be viewed on our website Go to the Members Area/Committee/Minutes of Committee Meetings. This area is password protected. If you have any difficulty accessing the website please contact our Webmaster, Norm Austin. Sandra Freer. Moved Ross Latta seconded Terry Lemcke that the Secretary s report be accepted. Carried. Treasurer s Report: TREASURER S ANNUAL STATEMENT 31/12/13 31/12/14 Opening balance as at 31/12/13 $ Receipts Memberships $ Donations Members $ Bank Interest $ Christmas dinner $ $ Expenditure $ Memberships $ Stationery/postage/photocopying/newsletters $ Website $ Dept. of Fair Trading $ Renewal of Post Office Box $ Vietnam Veterans Day - Wreath $ Bugler $ Christmas dinner - Mittagong R.S.L. Club $ Lucky door prizes $ Flowers and wreath $ Refund of membership to J. McCarthy $ Two gazebos $ $ Balance as at 31/12/14 $

4 The books were audited by our appointed Auditor, Ross Cowley. Moved Norm Austin seconded Ross Latta that the Treasurer s Report be accepted. Carried. Welfare Co-ordinator s Report: Ray McCann reported the year had been fairly quiet with a few hospital visits to members and their spouses. We have Australian flags and poppies to be taken to funerals should the need arise. Ray McCann. Moved Bruce Bofinger Seconded Jeff Forbes that the Welfare Co-ordinator s Report be accepted.. Carried. School Co-ordinator s Report: Last year we attended Bowral High, Frensham and St. Pauls at Moss Vale. All presentations were well received and many questions were answered. Many thanks to John Stead, Norm Austin and Rod Cashmere for their assistance. Phill Moscatt. Moved Phill Moscatt Seconded Brian McFarlane that the School Co-ordinator s Report be accepted. Carried. Social Co-ordinator s Report In Bob s absence Phill reported that the monthly dinners and Christmas dinner were well attended. The numbers for the ladies lunches have dropped. Phill Moscatt. Moved Phill Moscatt seconded Ross Latta that the Social Co-ordinator s Report be accepted. Carried. Pension Co-ordinator s Report There has been little activity this year. However, probably as a result of budget constraints DVA is tightening up on its rules. For example, it is being stringent on veterans seeing the nearest medical provider. Also the tightening up of rules relating to the treatment of superannuation in the Service Pension income test. From this year income will be deemed on superannuation and added to income. Head Office and other Sub-Branches continue to do great work in support of both Vietnam Veterans and Peacekeepers and Peacemakers. Moved Mick Cupitt seconded Rod Cashmere that the Pension Co-ordinator s Report be accepted. Carried. 4

5 PUBLICITY OFFICER'S AND WEBMASTER S REPORTS One of the objectives of implementing the SHVVPPA website was to reduce the number of photos in newsletters and to encourage members to get information from the site. However, very few members access the site regularly and still rely on newsletters for information. I propose to work with the new Committee to see what should be done about this problem and will be suggesting that we keep the newsletters most of which are distributed by and make the website a more static source of information about our Sub-branch. These two items are a substantial part of our costs, however, I think that this communication is very important in keeping the membership together. I would like to thank Sandra Freer for her assistance in the information game and also those members who made contributions to the newsletter. Norm Austin Moved Norm Austin seconded Bruce Bofinger that the Publicity Officer s and Webmaster s Reports be accepted. Carried. Ray McCann and Mick Cupitt complimented Norm Austin on the newsletter and website. Ray McCann proposed a vote of thanks to Norm. Carried. The President, Phill Moscatt, suspended the meeting at 5.20 p.m. for five minutes to address the meeting on the future of this Sub Branch. This is something that needs to be discussed at length and the incoming committee will investigate all options available. One suggestion has been made for us to amalgamate with a R.S.L. Sub Branch but it has since been established this is not possible. The main issue is being able to continue to hold our Vietnam Veterans Day Service. A short discussion with members followed on various options but Phill said it was not reasonable to discuss it further before all options had been fully investigated. This will be done in the next twelve months then put to the membership for discussion and decision. The Southern Highlands Veterans Support Group has been formed, with representatives from all ex service organisations in this area, and meets to discuss the future of those organisations as all find themselves in a similar situation to us. The meeting resumed at 5.25 p.m. Election of Officers for President Vice President Secretary/Treasurer Welfare Co-ordinator Assisting in Welfare If required Phill Moscatt Nominated by Mick Cupitt seconded Ross Latta Norm Austin Nominated by Brian Freer seconded Terry Lemcke Sandra Freer Nominated by Norm Austin seconded Bruce Bofinger Ray McCann Nominated by Bruce Bofinger seconded Ross Latta David Babbage Nominated Ray McCann seconded Ross Latta A non-committee position 5

6 Schools Visit Co-ordinator Newsletter/Publicity/ Webmaster Pension Co-ordinator Social Co-ordinator Committee Members Appointment of Public Officer Appointment of Auditor Terry Lemcke Nominated by Terry Lemcke seconded Phill Moscatt Norm Austin Nominated by Terry Lemcke seconded Mick Cupitt Norm Austin Nominated by Ray McCann seconded Bruce Bofinger Bob Bailey Nominated by Rod Cashmere seconded Mick Cupitt Jeff Forbes Nominated by Jeff Forbes seconded Ross Latta Bruce Bofinger Nominated by Bruce Bofinger seconded Brian McFarlane Rod Cashmere Nominated by Rod Cashmere seconded Ross Latta Ross Latta Nominated by Ross Latta seconded Mick Cupitt Sandra Freer Ratified by Norm Austin seconded Bruce Bofinger Ross Cowley Ratified by Phill Moscatt seconded Sandra Freer General Business: No General Business. Next A.G.M. Wednesday, 2 nd March, 2016 a non election year. The meeting closed at 5.40 p.m. 6

7 VIETNAM VETERANS PEACEKEEPERS AND PEACEMAKERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA NSW BRANCH INC. SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS SUB-BRANCH INCORPORATED AGENDA FOR BIENNIAL GENERAL MEETING 4th March, 2015 MITTAGONG R.S.L. CLUB 5.00 p.m. Welcome - by the Acting President, Phill Moscatt The Ode by the Acting President, Phill Moscatt Attendance as per attendance book Apologies - as per attendance book Adoption of minutes of previous Annual General Meeting of 5th March, 2014 Business arising from the minutes President s Report Secretary s Report 7

8 Membership Statistics YEAR VETERANS NON VETERANS HONORARY TOTAL (as at 24/02/11) (11 memberships not renewed at that date) 2012 (as at 08/03/12) (3 memberships not renewed at that date) 2013 (as at 26/02/13) (4 memberships not renewed at that date) 2014 (as at 02/03/14) (6 memberships not renewed at that date) 2015 (as at 22/02/15) (2 memberships not renewed at that date) Our present membership is as shown above. Sadly, this year saw the passing of two members, Alan Nichols and Charles Francis and also of Tim McCombe. In lieu of flowers a donation of $100.00, in memory of Tim, was sent to Head Office, Granville We had two members attend the N.S.W. Sub Branch Conferences in March and September and reports on our activities were submitted to each conference. We also had a member attend and lay a wreath at the National Servicemen s annual service in February. Other activities are covered in the other reports We purchased two gazebo shelters which were used at our Vietnam Veterans Day Service. Unfortunately, this term of office has seen more issues within the committee than any other in the history of this Sub Branch. This lead to the passing of a vote of no confidence in the President, the President s resignation and the integrity of other committee members being brought into question with the making of unfounded allegations. This caused considerable angst and distress to those involved and has created some division within the membership. Anzac Day 2015 this year members will be marching in Bowral. Details of the march and the venue for lunch afterwards will be circulated to members as soon as finalised. Committee meetings are usually held every two months and members are reminded a copy of the Minutes of each meeting is available to them upon request or can be viewed on our website Go to the Members Area/Committee/Minutes of Committee Meetings. This area is password protected. If you have any difficulty accessing the website please contact our Webmaster, Norm Austin. 8

9 Treasurer s Report See attached Annual Statements. The books have been audited by our appointed Auditor, Mr. Ross Cowley. Welfare Officer s Report School Co-ordinator s Report Social Co-ordinator s Report Pension Co-ordinator s Report Publicity Officer and Webmaster s Report Apart from the standing committee no interest has been received from any member to take on a committee position. If a committee cannot be formed this Sub Branch will be wound up. This would mean the end of our Vietnam Veterans Day Services. An alternative option is to amalgamate with a R.S.L. Sub Branch which would enable the Vietnam Veterans Day Services to continue. This would require the holding of a Special General Meeting to obtain the approval of members to an amalgamation. Election of Committee for President Vice President Secretary/Treasurer Committee (6) to include - Welfare Co-ordinator School Visit Co-ordinator Newsletter Editor/Publicity Officer/Webmaster Pensions Co-ordinator Social Co-ordinator Appoint Public Officer Appoint - Auditor General Business No General Business. Next A.G.M. - Wednesday, 2nd March, 2016 a non election year. Closure 9

10 VIETNAM VETERANS PEACEKEEPERS AND PEACEMAKERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA NSW BRANCH INC. SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS SUB-BRANCH INCORPORATED DRAFT AGENDA FOR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 4th March, 2015 MITTAGONG R.S.L. CLUB 5.00 p.m. Welcome - by the Acting President, Phill Moscatt The Ode by the Acting President, Phill Moscatt Attendance as per attendance book Apologies - as per attendance book Adoption of minutes of previous Annual General Meeting of 5th March, 2014 Business arising from the minutes President s Report Secretary s Report as in Agenda Treasurer s Report as in Agenda Welfare Officer s Report School Co-ordinator s Report Social Co-ordinator Report Pension Officer s Report Publicity Officer and Webmaster s Report 10

11 Apart from the standing committee no interest has been received from any member to take on a committee position. If a committee cannot be formed this Sub Branch will be wound up. This would mean the end of our Vietnam Veterans Day Services. An alternative option is to amalgamate with a R.S.L. Sub Branch which would enable the Vietnam Veterans Day Services to continue. This would require the holding of a Special General Meeting to obtain the approval of members to an amalgamation. Election of Committee for President Vice President Secretary/Treasurer Committee (6) to include - Welfare Co-ordinator School Visit Co-ordinator Newsletter Editor/Publicity Officer/Webmaster Pensions Co-ordinator Social Co-ordinator Appoint Public Officer Appoint - Auditor General Business No General Business. Next A.G.M. - Wednesday, 2nd March, 2016 a non election year. Closure 11

12 DRAFT VIETNAM VETERANS PEACEKEEPERS AND PEACEMAKERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (NSW BRANCH) INC SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS SUB-BRANCH INCORPORATED MINUTES MEMBERS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 5th March, 2014 MITTAGONG R.S.L. CLUB 5.00 P.M. Welcome: In the absence of the President and Vice President Norm Austin took the chair. He declared the meeting open at 5.10 p.m., thanked everyone for coming and asked all present to be upstanding whilst the Ode was recited. Attendance: Present: Ray McCann, Tony Mitchell, Jean Mitchell, Helen Babbage, David Babbage, Bruce Bofinger, Brian Freer, Phill Moscatt, Jeff Forbes, Sue Austin, Norm Austin, Ross Latta, Julia Billows, Bob Bailey, Noelene Bailey, Rod Cashmere, Fran Cashmere, Judy McCarthy, Sandra Freer, John Innes and Lee Bourgeois. Apologies: Richard Stone, Barry Hall, John McDonnell, Olga Strachan, Patricia Forbes, Bernadette Larratt, Pam Stead, John Stead, Rick McCarthy. Minutes of Biennial General Meeting of 6th March, 2013 The minutes were tabled for ratification and were duly accepted. Moved Phill Moscatt seconded Tony Mitchell. Carried. Business arising from the minutes: No business arising. 12

13 President s Report: Firstly I would like to apologise for the delay in this report. I did endeavour to get it sent two weeks ago while I was overseas and had more time than I seem to have these days in Australia, however I had difficulty in obtaining minutes from previous meetings. This year has been very much bitter/sweet. There have been many positives but a number of negatives which I will endeavour to sort through when I return. Concentrating on the the positives, we have enjoyed a very active and social twelve months with attendance numbers being higher than ever before. Our dinners, lunches, both ladies and couples, along with the activities enjoyed have seen a remarkable rise in interest and variety in venues which has resulted in good fellowship. All this I believe thanks should go to Bob and Noelene Bailey for their tireless efforts. Again as I mentioned at Christmas, thanks to Tony and Jean Mitchell for their hospitality with monthly snooker nights which serves us more benefit than the psychiatrists. A specialist job, the submission to council for the post WWII Memorials was extremely well constructed and presented by Ray McCann which took hours of dedication and was formally accepted "in principal" by them. Our sincere thanks for your time and efforts. Ray's position as welfare officer has also kept him busy and the committee informed. Our website is continually expanding and updated and enjoying slow growth of "hits". Norm is determined and diligent in giving us a face in this electronic age so lets all move with it and assist him. Thanks Norm, maybe some IT classes, when your around, would bring our knowledge closer together. Phil Moscatt, through adversity has continued to keep us informed with the school visits and in contact with Mittagong RSL projects. Although I have only mentioned a few who have stood out with their dedication to our association I do thank all committee members for their input from behind the scenes, through my first year. We have had a sad year with the loss of two members. Bob, sadly I was away and missed the funeral and Jim who I was proud to be able to give the eulogy. May they rest in peace and never be forgotten. I have today been informed of the passing of Effie Kerr. A woman who we must all be thankful to for her steering of the Cherry Tree Trust and their efforts to fun raise, obtain grants, design, build and manage our wonderful and Nationally recognised memorial, we give homage to our comrades on a regular bases today. I sincerely send my condolences and apologies for not being able, but encourage ALL, to attend her funeral and give thanks. The large majority of the trust were not ex service personnel, however gave us a place to reflect and be thanked for our service to our great country for many years to come. Please remember this after you receive the power point presentation towards the end of this meeting. Lets give equally to those who are and have returned from post WWII wars and conflicts. To finish I thank all members for your fellowship on those occasions we have had together and your support. Again I point out, let's not see what the community can do for us, but what we can do for our community. REMEMBER: "if you wish to predict the world, create it." Rick McCarthy. Moved David Babbage Seconded Bob Bailey that the President s report be accepted. Carried. 13

14 Secretary s Report: Membership Statistics YEAR VETERANS NON VETERANS HONORARY TOTAL (as at 24/02/11) (11 memberships not renewed at that date) 2012 (as at 08/03/12) (3 memberships not renewed at that date) 2013 (as at 26/02/13) (4 memberships not renewed at that date) 2014 (as at 02/03/14) (6 memberships not renewed at that date) June marked our Tenth Anniversary with a dinner at Dormie House. Twenty two of the original members are still current members. Our present membership is as shown above. Sadly, this year saw the passing of two members, Bob Wood and Jim Devitt. We had two members attend the Sub Branch Conference in April but no-one was available to attend in September. Reports were submitted to both conferences. Following the winding up of the Lawnmowing Service we received $ from the proceeds. The Committee decided this amount would be set aside for a specific purpose and not used for general expenses. We are currently not registered for internet banking and at the November meeting a motion to be registered was defeated. Two local artists wanted to paint a portrait of a Vietnam Veteran and contacted us asking if we could 14

15 help. Phill and Norm both volunteered and work is progressing on their portraits. Several other members have also volunteered and their portraits may be done at a future time. Anzac Day 2014 this year members will be marching at Moss Vale. Details of the march and a luncheon afterwards will be circulated to members as soon as finalised. Committee meetings are usually held every two months and members are reminded a copy of the Minutes of each meeting is available to them upon request or can be viewed on our website Go to the Members Area/Committee/Minutes of Committee Meetings. This area is password protected. If you have any difficulty accessing the website please contact our Webmaster, Norm Austin. Sandra Freer. Moved Noelene Bailey seconded Julia Billows that the Secretary s report be accepted. Carried. 15

16 Treasurer s Report: TREASURER S ANNUAL STATEMENT 31/12/12 31/12/13 Opening balance as at 31/12/12 $ Receipts Memberships $ Donations Members $ Focus Group Raffle Proceeds Vietnam Veterans Lawnmowing Service $ Bank Interest 0.34 Caps Wine DVA Grant Seymour trip Christmas dinner $ $ Expenditure $ Memberships $ Stationery/postage/photocopying Bank fees newsletters newsletters Website Dept. of Fair Trading Renewal of P.O. Box Filing cabinet Vietnam Veterans Day - Mittagong R.S.L. Club $ Bugler Tea/coffee Beer for printing of programmes Donation to Soldier On Poppies Seymour trip Dormie House Christmas dinner $ $ Balance as at 31/12/13 $ Moved Phill Moscatt seconded Sue Austin that the Treasurer s Report be accepted. Carried. 16

17 Welfare Co-ordinator s Report: Ray McCann and David Babbage attended the TIP Welfare Officer s (Introductory Course) on 7/8 August 2013 in Sydney. The Committee subsequently authorised and accredited Ray and David to act as Welfare Officers for the Sub Branch. This process was necessary to meet Veterans Indemnity and Training Association (VITA) insurance requirements in the event that incorrect or bad advice is given. Norm Austin, Phil Moscatt and Ray McCann attended an RSL Workshop on Funeral Procedures on 27 March Sadly, two of our members subsequently passed away (Bob Wood 14 May 2013 and Jim Devitt 1 July 2013) and our Sub Branch was able to conduct Veterans Tributes at their funerals. Stephen Jones MP has provided four National Flags at public expense for future funeral tributes. These are held by Ray McCann together with funeral poppies purchased by the Committee to be used at funerals. A number of hospital visits were conducted during the year. Orthopaedic and cancer treatments seem to be the main causes of hospitalisation. Aqua physiology, therefore, is very important to our members and we will closely monitor continued provision of this DVA service. Personal representations to DVA Minister s office resulted in long-overdue pension justice for one of our members. Our Sub Branch is bound by the Federal Privacy Act 1988 and this places some constraints on what we can do with respect to welfare issues. Also, we will liaise more with Legacy to ensure that we don t cross boundaries. Our aim for 2014 is to develop a stronger and more professional welfare service. Members are encouraged to raise issues with Ray or David at any time. Ray McCann. Moved Jeff Forbes Seconded Bruce Bofinger that the Welfare Co-ordinator s Report be accepted.. Carried. School Co-ordinator s Report: We attended 3 schools in Frensham. Bowral High. Christian School. International School did not have a year 10 class in2013 so we were not required. All presentations were well received. My thanks to John Stead for taking over for me and the members who assisted him. Phill Moscatt. Moved David Babbage Seconded Ross Latta that the School Co-ordinator s Report be accepted. Carried. 17

18 Social Co-ordinator s Report My report is only to state that all 2014 Ladies lunches plus group dinners and lunches have been organised and published in the newsletter and on the website. Bob Bailey. Moved Phill Moscatt seconded Ray McCann that the Social Co-ordinator s Report be accepted. Carried. Pension Officer s Report This year I was able to help a member to obtain a Seniors Health Card. I will report details about the Card in the next Newsletter and put info on the website. I have one pension claim still active. Last year we made ministerial submissions on behalf of a member but were unable to achieve a positive result. I would remind members that we are here to assist and readily call in help from Head Office if necessary. Moved Ross Latta seconded Ray McCann that the Pension Officer s Report be accepted. Carried. PUBLICITY OFFICER'S AND WEBMASTER S REPORTS NEWSLETTERS In the past year nine newsletters were produced and distributed to about 50 members. Whilst the majority now receive these by there are still fifteen mailed out each edition. By using the s costs have been significantly reduced. From time to time I receive positive feedback from members and therefore feel that they are well received. However, I would like to encourage all to read them thoroughly and note diaries. Too often I hear "I didn't know!" and my response "It was in the Newsletter!" is not well received. I think that we should continue with the Newsletters; however, the website provides more accurate and up-to-date information. For example the EVENTS CALENDAR gives detailed information about event locations and RSVP requirements. It is also up to a year ahead and enables members to plan well ahead. Changes can be readily made - so it is a good idea to check it regularly. In future I can see the Newsletter shrinking as more information is put up on website. SHVVA.COM Our website is expanding as is its use. In the past two months we have approached our maximum traffic allowance and we have almost filled up our allowed disk space. At present the site costs us $ per annum I have previously mentioned the EVENTS CALENDAR, however other sections offer up-to-date information, photographs and articles. 18

19 In the NEWS section there are copies of all Newsletters and a Recent Events section where photos, articles and videos of events are posted. And by the way, if you want a copy or print of a photo just me and I will send them to you. The MEMBERS AREA is not accessible to the public and requires a password - which currently is SITREP (The military abbreviation for Situation Report). This provides information confidential to our members - for example Minutes of Committee Meetings, and contact information for committee members and Veteran and Ex Service Organisations. I would like to develop this area with more detailed information about entitlements and local services. The BLOG is where articles or notices that would be of interest to members is stored. These are stored in chronological order. A number of members regularly send me items of interest on the web or information about videos on YouTube etc. I also post relevant articles from the Newsletter. Recently Bob Bailey sent me a link to a video about our troops in Afghanistan. After further research I was able to post a series of very moving and informative videos, which I am sure members would not normally come across. The BLOG also has a comments capacity where you can add to the information about the subject or show your appreciation. I encourage members to comment on posted articles so that I can get some idea of whether or not you think them appropriate. Thanks Bruce B you were the first!!! As webhost I vet all messages before they are posted on site but would only do so if they are inappropriate or made my non members. The ACTIVITIES area contains information about what we do regularly. USAGE Last year we opened the website to enable search engines to find it. Since then we have substantially increased its use - but do not have details as to who is accessing it. We have had one genuine and positive request for information and we were able to assist him. A good sign is that last month we had more activity than ever before and almost reached our bandwidth limit (2Gig)- a technical term for the amount of "traffic" we have purchased. We have also almost reached our storage capacity (1Gig). I will be recommending to the Committee that we double both for an additional cost of $63.00 per annum, which is about a %50 increase. MEMBERS ACCESS Unfortunately some members do not have fast access to the net. I appreciate that this means that you have to wait to get things on your screen. What I suggest is that you avoid the BLOG, as this is where large files (videos) are mainly stored. Norm Austin Moved Julia Billows seconded Bruce Bofinger that the Publicity Officer s and Webmaster s Reports be accepted. Carried. 19

20 General Business: No General Business. Power point presentation by Phill Moscatt on the Proposal for four new Memorials on the Cherry Tree Walk. To gauge the support from the membership a show of hands resulted in 11 for the proposal and 9 against. The meeting closed at 6.02 p.m. 20

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