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2007 AGM

Minutes of the International Auster Club Annual General Meeting, held at Baxterley Airfield on 23rd June.

Colin Ladd stood in as chairman for the meeting and welcomed everyone, especially Club President Ambrose Hitchman. Apologies were received from Secretary – John Powell-Tuck and treasurer – John Russell.

Apologies were given for the lack of notice given regarding the meeting date and venue caused mainly by the omission of the last quarter’s magazine. Approximately 20 people attended the meeting. Mick Ames felt that it is outrageous that the secretary is not present at the meeting.

Secretary’s Report Overview

The decision to cancel publication of the last magazine was reluctantly taken due to concern over the Club’s finances and membership issues. Terry Rumble and John Russell have worked hard to establish the true position which has now been clarified and is much better than originally thought. The web-site and PayPal payments have helped have helped greatly with membership renewals.

The next magazine is due out in August and is being put together by the new editor, Andrew Carlile in Australia. The printing and distribution will still be done from England. Articles, leters and photographs are always required for the magazine and should be forwarded to Andrew (drcarlile@ozemail.com.au).

Airworthiness – The poll which was proposed at the last AGM became unnecessary as the Baker family decided not to take up the TRA. The CAA are pursuing a legal process over which we have little influence and they have now put a deadline of December 2007 for the uptake of the TRA. If this target is met the aircraft will remain on a CofA and if not the type will be transferred to permit operation which will be handled by the PFA. It will be good to have a decision one way or the other to enable owners to get on with whichever system is to be used.

Membership Secretary

600 letters were sent out to all current and expired members and a good response has been received – this week the membership stands at 430 members, all paid up for a minimum of one year. 110 members have not renewed – some dating back as far as 2004. Following discussion it was agreed that another letter would be sent out to those whose memberships expired since 2005. Earlier expiries will be ignored. 15-20% have renewed for more than one year. Terry noted that the address labels show the membership number and renewal date. Colin Ladd suggested that an article in the magazine showing members the label format would be useful. Jim Sime queried whether membership cards will be sent to Honarary members – this was agreed . Renewal notices were much discussed – Terry explained that a renewal form is sent with the magazine to members whose renewal is due but separate reminders are not currently sent due to postage costs etc. Peter Bolton noted that not everyone has access to the web-site so it should not be the sole communication medium.

The database is in hand but there is still work to do to complete it. Mike Preston suggested a membership column in the magazine to welcome new members and cover membership issues. This was agreed. Al Mathie congratulated Terry on his success in regenerating the membership and requested that he be left to progress with his proposals.

Fly-in Coordinator

Bryn Andrews outlined the events which have taken place since the last AGM. This years list is short with the largest event moved from Eggesford to Ghia in the Hebrides.

Some events at private strips have become ‘invite only’ as they soon get out of hand if published. However, genuine club members are always welcome.

Some discussion followed regarding the venue for the AGM as it was felt by some that it should not be too far away from the Leicester area due to the travel distance for the Heritage members. Leicester has always been welcoming to the club but the numbers of visiting aircraft have dwindled in recent years and it was felt that a change would be beneficial. Baxterley is an attractive place and is a suitable Auster strip and may be used again. Trevor Jarvis noted that the AGM date needs to be agreed early and to be better publicised to enable people to plan their attendance. Some people had had difficulty contacting Bryn or Baxterley for details of the field. Better communication is required and Mike Preston offered to help with organizing the next AGM. Jim Sime felt that the AGM would be better if it were different from the normal fly-in format. Irene Jenkins felt that attendance would be better if there were other things to do or see locally.Colin Ladd noted that unless the venue is of interest to the pilots there will be no aircraft to see and attendance will be poor.

If anyone can suggest and help with alternative fly-ins please contact Bryn.

Webmaster

The forum was closed down due to the abusive and problematic material that it generated but it is a useful club facility and will be re-instated – perhaps with a members only access if this is possible without major complication. Thanks were given to Ian for his hard work in running the site.

Magazine

There has been an issue over the postage rates for the magazine – Terry explained that ‘printed paper’ rates were intended for newspapers etc. and sealed envelopes can be discarded by the Post Office. Berol Preston noted that she has posted similar magazines successfully using these rates which are cheaper than normal postage. Terry agreed that this could be triad. Following discussion it was felt that the printers could wrap and send the magazines out. Terry can provide the addresses to Ian for this purpose.

Sales

Ross Clapham advised that the sales have been good but have now slowed down as we are left with ’stale’ stock. New designs will be circulated around the committee for approval prior to manufacture. Special ‘Baxterley 2007’ tee shirts have been printed and are available at the meeting for £5.00.

John Jenkins and Peter Bolton felt that sales at the main fly-ins would be beneficial. The problem is that the stock will not fit into an aeroplane and helpers are therefore required – volunteers please contact Ross so that a list can be made for future reference.

Heritage Group

Mike Preston advised that the birthday celebrations for Ambrose had gone well and the new edition of his book has now been published. Most of the funds were spent in this exercise but the Group is now in the black again. Thanks were given to Berol for her administration. An event is planned for 15th September to which all are invited. Rearsby village is having a Gala day on 7th July and it would be nice to have a fly-by by local Austers if possible – Peter Stoddart has the details.

A third book is in hand which will be the final publication by the Group. Bound copies of Ambrose’s book are available to order. The paintings are not selling too well so the price may be reduced.

It would be helpful if a way could be found of making a ‘magazine only’ Heritage membership for the club at a reduced rate. Perhaps the magazines could be distributed by the Group to avoid postage? This could involve up to 100 potential members.

Mick Ames noted that many members are not familiar with the Heritage Group and handed some proposed flyer leaflets to Colin for future publication. These outlined the activities of the Heritage Group for general information.

Treasurers Report

Colin read through the treasurers report and noted that a copy of the accounts are available today for anyone to see. A copy will be sent to Mike Preston and Peter Bolton for reference. The full report and balance sheet will be published separately in the magazine.

Other Business

Membership Fees –It was proposed that the fees be increased to £30.00 for UK members and £34.00 for members abroad to redress the balance over postage now that the PayPal system allows payment without undue bank charges. It was agreed that the committee should defer the rise and assess the need once the membership drive is complete.

Airworthiness – Al Mathie would like the opportunity to meet with Gerry Cooper if this could be arranged.

Election of Officers

The committee stood down and with the exception of John Powell-Tuck and John Russell were re-elected. John Russell will continue as a committee member but is unable to continue as Secretary. A vote of thanks was given to the committee for the last year.

A new SECRETARY and TREASURER urgently required. If you would like to assist please let one of the committee members know so that the duties can be discussed.

The meeting was then closed.