Graham Elliott 1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2002
- Messages
- 1,710
- Reaction score
- 0
Part 1 /
Dear All,
Due to a large amount of emails I have received, telephone calls, and rumours from BFW and BS members and other websites regarding my relationship with Twyford and District Angling Club, I hope that those with an interest will indulge me and allow me to set the record straight.
Three weeks prior to the recent AGM, I was contacted by a senior member of the Club Committee. He was very concerned that new rules to be imposed in would have a detrimental effect on the fishing of Pleasure and Specimen anglers.
I also discovered that the AGM notification would not include any details of the rules to be imposed and that the Match anglers on the Committee would separately notify the match anglers to attend and support the rule changes. (for information, when one of the new rules was voted on the year previously, without this planned manipulation, it was turned down by the general membership 3 to 1! The Committee still imposed it!)
A group of friends of mine got together in an attempt to balance out the Committee at the next AGM and managed to get three of us voted onto the Committee. Having been a past Chairman and a current Trustee of the Club, I was delighted to be voted on as Treasurer. This was important to me as legitimately the Committee have not the power to impose general rule changes without a 2 to 1 vote of the members. This fact has been abused over the past few years. (let me explain)
A number of years ago, when I was Chairman, we wanted to purchase a water. As the current constitution, meant that members voted each year on the amount of the membership fee, The Committee could not purchase it without a pre knowledge of annual income. I called an EGM, explained the situation to the attendees and asked for a Constitution change to allow the Committee to set fees and also included a needed amendment to allow the Committee to change general rules in any emergency situation, eg. The landowner wanted change of access mid term.
It is this Constitutional change that is being abused and letting the Committee change general rules without reference to membership.
In fact what has happened is that a Group on the Committee is now block voting and basically running the club as they wish. Exactly what the membership votes were meant to prevent!
Dear All,
Due to a large amount of emails I have received, telephone calls, and rumours from BFW and BS members and other websites regarding my relationship with Twyford and District Angling Club, I hope that those with an interest will indulge me and allow me to set the record straight.
Three weeks prior to the recent AGM, I was contacted by a senior member of the Club Committee. He was very concerned that new rules to be imposed in would have a detrimental effect on the fishing of Pleasure and Specimen anglers.
I also discovered that the AGM notification would not include any details of the rules to be imposed and that the Match anglers on the Committee would separately notify the match anglers to attend and support the rule changes. (for information, when one of the new rules was voted on the year previously, without this planned manipulation, it was turned down by the general membership 3 to 1! The Committee still imposed it!)
A group of friends of mine got together in an attempt to balance out the Committee at the next AGM and managed to get three of us voted onto the Committee. Having been a past Chairman and a current Trustee of the Club, I was delighted to be voted on as Treasurer. This was important to me as legitimately the Committee have not the power to impose general rule changes without a 2 to 1 vote of the members. This fact has been abused over the past few years. (let me explain)
A number of years ago, when I was Chairman, we wanted to purchase a water. As the current constitution, meant that members voted each year on the amount of the membership fee, The Committee could not purchase it without a pre knowledge of annual income. I called an EGM, explained the situation to the attendees and asked for a Constitution change to allow the Committee to set fees and also included a needed amendment to allow the Committee to change general rules in any emergency situation, eg. The landowner wanted change of access mid term.
It is this Constitutional change that is being abused and letting the Committee change general rules without reference to membership.
In fact what has happened is that a Group on the Committee is now block voting and basically running the club as they wish. Exactly what the membership votes were meant to prevent!