In attendance: 21 members
Apologies: 5 members
Chair: Pat
Chair’s opening statement and welcome
- Pat noted the meeting was quorate.
Minutes of the previous AGM (06/11/2013) and matters arising
- These minutes are available to view on the club blog. Minutes agreed. No matters arising.
Announcements
- New self-declaration medical forms were
being collected by Victor.
- The 2015 dive list is online.
- The club’s 2015 calendar is online (under
the “Events” page).
- The club barbecue is scheduled for
04/07/2015, Teresa to host.
- Volunteer(s) needed to organise club xmas
do.
- Suggestions for 2016 dives requested. So
far we have Ken’s Scapa trip.
- Amphibian would prefer to receive kit for servicing now, rather than in the March/April rush.
Officers’ reports
- Chair – Pat recapped the club’s dive year,
noting the trips to Mexico, Falmouth, St Abbs/Farnes, Swanage/Lymington
and Weymouth, and the Brighton, Shoreham and Eastbourne day dives.
Visibility wasn’t always great, but some decent dives were done. There
were no incidents.
- Secretary – Victor noted that much of what
he’s done in 2014 was not part of the Secretary’s role. The work of the
Secretary involves minuting meetings and passing information to/from
members – it is not a demanding job. Should anyone want to stand for
committee next year, this is a good entry-level position that anyone can
do. Some jobs inherited by Victor in 2014 could stay with that role –
e.g., weekly emails (although the content of these could come from other
committee members), and responsibility for the club website (content, not
maintenance). Daniel had recently updated the website.
- Victor also covered training, noting that
the arrangements for the last year (i.e., having a training team overseen
by the Diving Officer, with no Training Officer) haven’t been entirely
successful, but were not a failure. The club has lost three instructors,
however we have only had to postpone training (due to a lack of
instructors) two or three times. It is great that Daniel and Sally are
about to do the IFC, and that Ken is now an OWI. Three lake trips for
training were organised in 2014, however it was difficult finding a
time/date that all the Ocean Diver students could make.
- Treasurer – Ken handed out an accounts
summary. Expenditure was greater than income over the last 12 months, however this is
due to the club having to pay for a large block of pool bookings in
advance. The “lowest balance”
figure is to be noted – there are times in the year where the club has to
pay for deposits and trips before money is recouped from members. Some
members still owe money. Lars’s dive management sheets should be
reintroduced, as these make chasing money more straightforward. Retention
and gaining new members is important for the club’s income.
- Equipment Officer – Ross reported that the
club had six full sets of kit for training, however one set of Dacor regs
was lost, so we are down to five. Equipment is in service (done before
xmas). Club also has a drysuit, wetsuits, fins and masks. Club could do
with some lead. It is difficult to keep track of borrowed/hired club kit.
Members saw some merit in an honesty system (with no administration
involved) for kit hire, although it was noted that this would not bring in
much money, as Ocean Diver students do not have to pay to use club kit,
and few qualified members don’t have their own kit.
- Welfare Officer – Teresa noted that BSAC still haven’t published their safeguarding policy, and that instructors will need to be DBS checked.
Elections
- Victor reported that five members had cast
their votes in advance, and had sent apologies.
- Some candidates had not yet been seconded.
A blanket seconding was asked for and received.
- Pat noted that it was encouraging that
three positions were being contested. Two items were discussed before the
ballot was held - jobsharing of a
committee position, and whether one person could hold two committee
positions. Various views were expressed. It was noted that jobsharing had not
been proposed in the past. Also, where a candidate had been elected to
more than one position in the past, he or she had only taken up one.
Responsibilities of the Diving Officer were discussed – Lee and Clive
advised that Lee (as the Advanced Diver), if elected, would be ultimately
responsible should an incident occur. Kim stated that the Diving Officer
could appoint assistants and a Training Officer, rather than jobshare. Lee
wanted members to be able to vote on the jobshare idea. Concern was expressed that committee was
already small, and would be smaller if one person held two positions.
Comments were made regarding the role of the Chair. Victor saw no technical
problem with jobsharing, and noted that as the club’s constitution was
unclear (or silent) on the issue of one person holding two positions, it
must be assumed that there is no barrier to doing this. Clive noted that
members’ views on the matter will be expressed through their vote. Victor noted
that – because of the way the elections were run – one person could still
be elected to two positions even if most members were against the idea. No
vote was held on the principle of whether one person could hold more than
one position.
- Candidates were invited by Pat to make any
statements they wished to members about their candidacies.
- A secret ballot was held.
- Pat was elected Chair, Lee and Clive (jobshare) were elected Diving Officer, Ken was elected Treasurer, Ross was elected Equipment Officer, and Victor was elected Secretary.
Other business
- The September Eastbourne trip was
discussed. It was queried why this trip went ahead with so few people, at
such cost to the club. Pat and Ken explained that – a few weeks before the
dive – numbers had been encouraging enough, and more were anticipated. The
skipper’s good will, and the club’s purpose (to facilitate dives), were
also factors in the decision to go ahead. Kim noted other clubs are
struggling to fill all their places on boats, however clubs are not
working together to fill spaces.
- Pat closed the meeting and the majority
retired to the pub.
