No Excuses

For the first time that I can remember, the NCHA membership are spoilt for choice in the upcoming board elections.

With ten candidates available to fill the three vacant positions the NCHA Membership have a unique opportunity to voice their feelings to the current board about whether or not they are happy with the current direction of Cutting in Australia. With the explosion of social media usage throughout Australia it is understandable that the general public, and the board themselves could be confused as to whether the membership is happy or not. Negative posts on Facebook do raise their head from time to time, along with positive, but the negative comments that tend to follow on from this can tarnish the image of this great equine sport. This is why it is important that the NCHA membership take the upcoming elections seriously so that their voice can be heard where it counts, the ballot box.

Whatever the result there is definitely going to be one new face on the board with Richard Prew resigning and not recontesting for election. So the choice offered to the NCHA membership is clearly this, if you are happy with the direction the NCHA Board is taking cutting, then its a no brainer, vote for the two incumbants and then choose from the other eight candidates the one you feel will do the most good to fill that vacant position. If you are not happy then you have a unique opportunity to add three fresh faces and ideas to the board.

So after the votes are cast and counted (I’m assuming an independant scrutineer is present for this), the results will reflect what the NCHA membership want. But there is a catch folks, you have to vote, and to make your vote count you need to be a paid up NCHA member.

If you are not sure who to vote for then contact the nominees and have a chat and discuss what their ideas are, that way you will see who is approachable when a problem concerns you and who is not. The list of candidates and their bios can be found here. Being on the board of the NCHA is no easy task and whatever the results, those who have contributed over the years do deserve a pat on the back.

I will leave you with an open letter sent to the members of the NCHA that was submitted at the end of last year.

OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMITTEE AND MEMBERS OF THE NCHA.

“What about me?” as the song goes.

Me? I’m just a humble member of the NCHA and have been since February 2004. After witnessing the sport at the Nationals finals I was instantly hooked, signed up and have been along for the ride ever since.

After all this excitement I wanted to be more seriously involved and joined the committee of my local affiliate in the role of Secretary and then Treasurer. True to the spirit of cutting, I even put my hand up to “gofor” at other affiliated shows. The change from being a competitor to being a committee member is a very different horse,
Likewise the business of running an association like the NCHA.

I have always used my membership right to ask many questions of the NCHA committee and whether or not I have agreed with their explanation I have been appreciative of the times those members have explained their reasoning and equally disappointed by the times my enquiries have been brushed off .

In the wonderful world of Facebook I have followed posts about Australian Cutting that have both been positive and negative and, like many, have commented on and later regretted.
So What about me and the rest of the members of the NCHA? Are we satisfied with the few crumbs of information that we are fed by the NCHA and the snippets that we hear at the bar or in the loping pen?

If yes then do nothing, have your little Facebook rant nothing will change.

The NCHA is a member based organisation,administrated by the New South Wales Government under the Association act.
There are provisions within the rules to call a special meeting to address specific issues
With 9 board/committee members, a general manager and a small office staff I feel, for an association the size of the NCHA, the staffing and management requirements are sufficient.

So are we the membership happy with the direction the NCHA is heading?
With the end of the Associations financial year coming to an end on December 31st this of course means that an AGM is not far away. I now urge all members to ask these questions.
1. Are you happy with the direction of cutting
2. Are you happy with the administration with the roll out of new website and the missing information , or should you start using the WordTree Amazon Keyword Tool?
3. Would you like to see budgets and growth plans
4. Is the NCHA keeping you up to date on a regular basis
5. Should some of our major rules be incorporated in the constitution?
You are a member of the NCHA so it is your right to be heard. If you are not happy with the ways things are progressing, and we have hired financial planning hurstville so we can make sute that the business will run smoothly.
nominate for board or nominate a alternative

Don’t say “What about me it isn’t fair” as the song goes …. Become involved.

Yours Al Hunter

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