ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2009 | Soskan | The Southern Skirmish Association

SOUTHERN SKIRMISH ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

22nd November 2009

Theale Green School, Reading
12.30

MINUTES

1. Apologies for absence

Apologies were received  from:
Ken Atkins, Brian Packer, Joseph Perera, Grant Valentine, Laurie Watson, Davina Watson, Alan Mott and family, Elaine Sly, Andy Sly,
Derek Dockerty, Marcus Lewis, Tracey Lewis, Martin Bertram, Laura Bertram, D.G.Brown, Tony Budman, Chris Allen, Paul Stevens,
Howard Giles, J.S. Cathcart, Peter Strait , Roy Cook, Mike Flynn, Donald Borzoni.

2.   Acceptance of the 2008 Minutes

The 2008 minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting.

3.   Reports from outgoing EC

The following reports were received.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Standing in front of you at the 2008 AGM, when we looked into the future to see what 2009 had to offer I saw a tired looking association that couldn’t fill its committee positions, looked dated to the outside world, and its members.   Had a depressing lack of events due to the recession, was still unsure how a previous treasurers fraud would be resolved, and this after celebrating our 40th anniversary.
I could single out individual committee members to praise for their efforts this year, efforts that mostly go unseen, or usually are just accepted by the membership.  But I would invariably miss something out, and would not wish to inadvertently cause offence to the individual, as I believe so much has been achieved by all.  As they are making there own reports for you to digest, I will concentrate on the team effort. For I believe from the very beginning we worked as a team, highs and lows but always supporting each other, it truly is amazing what you can achieve in a season with a full committee, that works together.  So thank you to Chris Lean and Kim Underwood for coming forward and being co opted to make this committee complete and so enable us to move the association forward rather than the enforced jogging along, damage limitation that has beset other incomplete committee’s in the past.  This committee has achieved hell of a lot, actions speak louder than words.  Any member who is reading this and has not noticed at least some of the good work that has been done in their name, in my personal view, should not consider themselves a full member.
What of the membership (you) this season, well you have supported the Association by attending the events.  Some of which have required some of you coming out of your safety zone, biting the bullet, knuckling down and playing your full role in this the oldest re-enactment association in the country.  I thank you for playing your part in this exciting season.  We have got good relations with the ACWS and Eventplan due to you.  We have retained Martin’s new events due to you.  We have produced Bugle Call again due to your contributions.  You have given the committee positive, useful feedback that has enabled us all to go forward, so I thank you all on behalf of the committee for not only supporting us but also SoSkAn.
One individual amongst the membership must be singled out, I of course mean the hero of SoSkAn.  Roy Daines, if anybody epitomises this association it is him.  As mentioned at WCP Roy has, through tireless effort, and self sacrifice recovered the money stolen from us by a man who betrayed us all.  Thank you Roy on behalf of the association enjoy your life membership you deserve it.
I must finish my report with a big thank you to Lesley, Martin and Simon for there support and hard work this season, I will be sad to see you leave the committee as you all have kept me and the association on the straight and narrow, and have worked tirelessly, and achieved so much, not just as part of the team, but especially in your individual roles.  I am proud of you, will be sorry to see you step down, and on behalf of the association thank you for your efforts.  To the hardworking committee members who have decided to put up for re election, (including myself) I can but say one thing SUCKERS ha ha!

Happiness we are all in it together!

TREASURERS REPORT

SECRETARY’S REPORT

Once again it ahs been a challenging and lively year, but one which seems to have had more “up’s” than “down’s” I am glad to say.

As you probably remember at last year’s AGM I said that I would stand down this year, and as I do so, I would like to express my thanks to all the other EC members with whom I have worked over the last 3 years for their tolerance, patience and good humour.  Being a member of the EC is an experience of service to the Association which is also taken on by the other family members of the EC member. Often it is this unseen support that makes the difference, so my thanks go also to them for their understanding and generosity in sharing their loved ones, particularly when it has been at inconvenient times of the day and night, holidays and special occasions!  My thanks also go to all the members who have been supportive, helpful and understanding through some difficult patches during the last 3 years.  I know that this support will continue for the new EC, and I wish them a happy and successful year ahead.

One of the ways I have tried to make being a member of the EC less stressful has been to use modern technology more effectively, and e-mail discussions, electronic documents, voicemail and text messaging have all helped individuals to manage their time more effectively.  Meetings have been kept to a minimum, primarily being held at shows once the first major planning meeting of the year has been made, and the main tasks for the year envisaged.  The notes from meetings now mainly contain action points rather than lengthy minutes, so everyone can focus on their tasks more easily and decision making is more, well, decisive!

During 2009 I attended 3 other important meetings, one with the ACWS; then the Officers and NCO’s meeting, (which is always an excellent opportunity to get ideas and opinions before the start of the season), and finally one with a small group who wish to start an Old Comrades Association, about which I am sure you will hear more in the future.

I am glad to say that I have also managed to complete several pieces of work, some of which I promised to deal with at the last AGM.  We now have a final Grievance and Disciplinary Policy; a finalised minimum standards document for civilians has been agreed and published on the website, and a complete revision of the Rules and Regulations has been completed.  This last document has been circulated twice, once as a consultation document, where we asked for feedback from members, and secondly with the AGM papers, which contains additional revisions. It has been a challenging project, as we wanted to keep as closely to the spirit of the original document as possible, whilst incorporating more modern terminology and practices, so it is up-to-date and relevant for today’s members.  I therefore hope that members will feel confident in ratifying it at the AGM, after which it will be sent to the Charities Commission as our governing document.  Finally, I have been drawing up a register of SoSkAn assets, as recommended by the auditor last year, and have been cataloguing items such as the museum collection, the artillery pieces, and other Association possessions.  This of course is something which will continue to be “work in progress” and is designed simply to locate and record what and where things are, so if anyone is looking after anything belonging to SoSkAn, please let the new secretary know, and they can be entered on the log.

In conclusion, I wish the new EC a positive and productive new year, and whilst I will of course, give any support they may ask for, I am really looking forward to just getting back into the “ranks” and having fun at the events of 2010.

PUBLICITY REPORT

Firstly I would like to thank all the canvasers who volunteered to put up posters prior to our events this year. This pre-show publicity is great, but we need more volunteers.

This year we agreed to and produced a combined advert and article with the ACWS to go in Skirmish Magazine over the summer months. I hope this will increase our profile amongst the re-enacting world, time will tell if SoSkAn get recruits directly from it.

The SoSkAn website was redesigned this year. This Committee put a great deal of effort into its setting up and contents. It is still a 'work in progress' which is how it should be. So keep it up to date and use the Forum, its there for the membership as a whole.

Meridian TV came to film us at Fort Nelson and it was broadcast across the South Coast in the evening news. Also the amount of videos, on Youtube, about us have increase in number, so by tapping in SoSkAn you will get 15 videos of us in action.

Members have also, this year, put up stands or taken part in parades, at a number of local events at Guilford, Hailsham, Pewsey and Hingham. These are not big shows and probably go unnoticed by most of the membership, but they are still important in raising our profile and ultimately gaining new members.

The Dickensian Christmas Parade, 5th-6th December, is coming up soon and there are still places available at Fort Amherst, so let me know if you are coming.

I would like to thank Roy Daines for his amazing photos. A picture is worth a thousand words and his photos make producing ads, posters and leaflets a real joy, not to mention the  impact they have on the local media.

Lastly, I would like to appeal for someone, or several people to come forward to assist with publicity for the coming year.  Without publicity no-one knows we exist, we do not get events, and we do not get shows.  It is a task which can be done by several people, but needs someone to co-ordinate.

PROJECTS REPORT

Despite starting the season with a complete blank the year soon filled up. Unfortunately not all the events were to everyone’s liking, but no change there. We had a reasonable turn out at most events with, I suspect, the usual trend of the first and last event of the year being the best attended. The Membership Secretary can confirm this and possibly prove me wrong.
Some new contacts were made, especially with the smaller events, and hopefully these will lead to bigger events in the future. Good new venues with Wellington Country Park and Puxton Park turning out to be great events.
Despite fears and rumours that this year would be our last at Bath this was proved to be not so. The curator has already contacted me to organise the coming seasons date.

I have been working very hard to get as many events for next season arranged and confirmed as possible before leaving my post on Sunday 22nd November. I will offer as much assistance as I can to the new committee with the events already in place and with any new events that may be forthcoming.

The Projects Officer then gave a list of dates which are already organised for 2010:
Wellington Country Park at Easter
Bloxham Steam Fair 26-27 June
The Alabama 31 July – 1 August
Detling  August Bank holiday
Bath 25-26 September

Also organised is the next Officers and NCO’s meeting, which is on Sunday 28th February at Fort Purbrook.

He has also had approaches from several other events, but they are still in negotiation, and will need to be finalised by the next Projects Officer.

He also made an appeal for someone to come forward to take on this role, as without someone to co-ordinate events it is unlikely that 2011, which is the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, would have any shows at all.

EC Member (safety officer) Report

Most of the safety aspects that we tried to implement during the season have been taken onboard by the various companies, 1 wish that some would take it a bit more seriously as reducing the risk reduces our insurance.
We did suffer several first aid problems, firstly and more importantly, the injury to Roy Cook, who tripped over an unlit raised fire at Detling, even though I haven't had a chance to talk to Roy directly, we all wish him well and wish him a speedy recovery. Other minor injuries were adequate dealt with by our first class first aid team.
Looking forward to next season, we will need to make sure that any obstructions in the camps are marked so they are clearly visible at night time.
Another key area for improvement next season will be wood piles, they have been unsightly and unkempt and are a hazard to ourselves and the public, and we will strive to address this problem.
Working with Adrian Hull in the artillery we are going to set up a first response fire and first aid point, so that we can rally our trained personnel to this key point to deal with any first aid and fire incidents rapidly.
This concludes my report for this season, hopefully working with Laurie, who we wish a speedy recovery from his recent illnesses, and Richard we can hopefully make our hobby as safe as possible.

CO-OPTED EDITOR’S REPORT

Primarily I would like to say how much I have enjoyed editing the Bugle Call this year; and while it has not always been easy, it has been a pleasure!  I would like to thank everyone for their input and help and I’d like to thank you all for putting up with me.

When I set out this year my main intention was simply to not let the committee down and to produce the one newsletter that is required by the rules and regs.  However, we managed to produce the planned two full issues, an additional mid-season update, and a paper supplement.  I’d hope that this has met the expectations of many members and the committee.  In the coming year I would hope to produce a similar amount of issues.

With regards to the size and quality of the issues, I must say I am very pleased with how the Bugle Call turned out.  This was only due to the submissions sent by the membership, who have risen to the challenge.  Thanks to these submissions we were able to produce the quantity of material that equated to more pages and more issues!  There were admittedly problems with the initial issue with trimming of the front pages and centrefold galleries, however this was addressed by the time of the May update and otherwise everything ran smoothly as to the quality of the Bugle Call.

As a note on cost the Bugle Call has been relatively cheap to produce.  The costs to print and post each issue equalled the equivalent of-
Issue 160-        89p
Supplement-     65p
Issue 161-        £1.17   This was due to reduced advertising revenue and increased postage costs.

 Over all to print and post all three colour issues of the Bugle Call and the additional paper supplement cost just over £1000 once advertising has been taken into account.

 In relation to advertising I have had a significant learning curve.  With my initial issue it put in a great deal of effort into the advertisers, which paid dividends (albeit very late in the day) and as a result required additional colour pages to be included to cover all the adverts.  Sadly since then my situation has changed not allowing me much time for correspondence.  However I am going to have a big winter drive on advertising and hopefully I’ll be able to get some new clients.

As to future aspirations for the Bugle Call I had high hopes initially that we might be able to produce a full-colour magazine by the end of the year.  Sadly this was somewhat ambitious; however I am still following up several avenues to make this happen.  In the meantime though the online version of the Bugle Call will be put in full colour, and early next year I hope to introduce a new-look Bugle Call.  In the meantime happy reading!

ACTING MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY REPORT

It is with sadness that we have all mourned the loss of two of our members; Barry Counsell of the Palmetto Sharpshooter, and Roy Counsell (previous member).
           
We started this year with 395 members, and concluded the year with 395 members. Over the year we had 347 renewals had 48 new join-ups. This is a good indicator that the Association is in a strong position, as many other re-enactment Associations are struggling. The full effects of recession are yet to be revealed; yet indicators are favourable for continued success next year. I wish to thank all of you that made efforts to talk to people and encourage them to join up.
           
Please note that all renewals are due by 31st. December (there is a period of one months grace to 31st. January 2010). Get in early so you can make the most of the next season. Don’t forget to write your name, membership number and address on the back of your cheque or postal order.
           
This year has been a busy one for me; I have transferred all membership details to a new Data Base; as we were having a few problems with the previous Access Data Base (This process has also helped me to familiarize myself with the membership; I’m still only 15 months old in SoSkAn). I hope the much simplified system will be more reliable, and will fill the needs of SoSkAn for many years to come. As this is a new system, you will need to bear with me for a little longer; I will be needing information from many of you, so I can fill in some missing gaps in the system. Your patience and willing assistance would be much appreciated. Hopefully I won’t have any more problems producing Membership Cards and keeping on top of the ‘in tray’.

I would like to express my appreciation for the tuition and support I have received from Malcolm Weavers (previous acting Membership Secretary), and the Committee for their help and support.
           
I would also like to thank the membership for their patience with me this last year as Acting Membership Secretary.

Second EC Member Report

No report was received from the second EC Member.

4.   Presentation of the proposed new rules and regulations

The document which was promised at the 2008 AGM had been circulated early on in the year for comments.  Alterations were made following members feedback, a further documents was circulated in July, and the final draft document circulated with the AGM papers.  The reasoning behind the new document was that they needed to be up-dated, as some of the contents were out-of-date, ineffectual or defunct.  It was based on a template which was acceptable to the Charities Commission, and would need to be sent on to them as the new governing document once it was agreed by the membership.

Some discussion took place regarding the new rules and some were discussed in more depth.  One additional change was made, and the Secretary agreed to revise that rule, and tidy up the spelling and numbering before submitting the document to the Charities. 

A vote was taken to accept the rules, for which there was one abstention.  The new rules were therefore carried, and will be incorporated in the Association documentation after acceptance by the Charities Commission.

5.  Results of voting

The results of the voting for the new EC were given by the Returning Officer Tim chance, and included postal votes.  There had been an issue with insufficient voting slips being sent out in advance.  This was due to a confusion between the Acting Editor and Membership Secretary regarding the number of documents which are included in each family envelope.  Bugle Call is normally sent to each family with only one or two editions enclosed to reduce postage and packing costs, which resulted in only the same number of voting slips being sent.  Apologies for this error were given by the Chair and all concerned, and the matter will be addressed for next year.  However, since there were no two or more candidates for each post, it was considered to be reasonable to continue with the results:

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES TAKEN WAS 136
                       

6.   New EC to accept their positions

The new EC accepted their positions, and promised to do their best to take the Association forward.  The Chair made a final appeal for more people to come forward and assist in projects and publicity.

7.   AOB

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 15.40 hrs