Minutes of the 33rd Audax UK AGM
Held at the Holiday Inn, Guildford on 22nd November 2008
The meeting started at 14:11 with Chairman Keith Benton welcoming all members to the meeting. On a sadder note, he mentioned that President d’Honneur Bernard Mawson was in very poor health. A list of recently advised deceased members would be published in the written report of the Minutes. These are as follows: Andrew D’Agata, Alan Dinning, David Dykes, Leonard Holden, Emma Hombrey, George Jones, John Viney and Harold Welburn. We are sorry to lose them and extend our consolations to their friends and families.
1) Those present were asked to add their names to a list of attenders being circulated.
2) Apologies for absence had been received or were noted at the meeting from: D. Duffield, B. Mawson, P. Baker, F. Cooke, C. & S. Crawford, P. & J. Denny, P. Gifford, P. & M. Hansen, N. Hayes, D. Hudson, R. Leam, M. Lewis, H. Ramsey, K. Scholey, R. Tout & P. Wainwright.
3) Those present were asked to approve the minutes of the previous AGM. Proposed by Nev Chanin, seconded by Helen Vecht. Carried nem con.
4) There were no matters arising.
5) Officers’ Reports were either published alongside the Agenda or were available at the meeting in printed or verbal forms and will be published elsewhere in Arrivée.
Richard Phipps & Ian Hennessey had nothing to add to previous published reports.
Gerry Goldsmith apologised for the omission of notes on the renewal forms because of a printer’s error. She also mentioned having heard from the solicitor dealing with Simon Doughty’s affairs. He (Simon) continues to make slow progress with inevitable good and bad times. He is being taken for trips outside the home and is being encouraged to enjoy stimulating activities. Luckily, he has a great network of supporters and family.
Sheila Simpson noted that with the inclusion of the Calendar, Arrivée had grown to 64 pages.
John Ward had seen a rise in numbers riding Permanents and also in groups doing 600s. There is now a section on the website for breaking news concerning Permanent rides.
Keith Harrison had nothing to add to his report other than making a plea for more organisers to use the on-line start sheet generator, as this massively eased the validators’ workload.
Pam Pilbeam reported having produced some 17,500 Brevet cards, with 100km being the most popular distance. This was about 8,500 fewer than in the previous (PBP) year.
Peter Marshall’s year had been “mostly harmless.” ACP was in post-PBP dormant mode and with more information on the web he had received few queries. He announced that he had the Easter Arrow certificates to distribute to the successful riders.
Approval of the reports was proposed by Dave Larrington, seconded by Roger Philo and carried nem con.
6) Since neither the proposer nor seconder of the proposal to delete part of Regulation 10.1 was present, Chris Crossland suggested waiving standing orders to allow it to be discussed. This was approved by a show of hands with a single dissenter. Shaun Gregory (Senior) and Mike Henderson spoke in support of the proposal, stressing that Calendar and Permanent points should rank equally. Mike also pointed out that the strictures in the Regulation did not apply to either the FWC or AAA awards. Andy Clarkson spoke against the proposal fearing that the trophy might be won with a plethora of 200km rides rather than a balance throughout the range of distances. Steve Poulton stressed the sociable aspects of Calendar rides, then Steve Abraham requested more Calendar rides, pointing out that his DIY 600km Perms done with a group were very sociable events. Danial Webb favoured the status quo, emphasising the greater prominence of the Internet in organising. Justin Sykes suggested altering the ratio to 25:75. Liz Creese cited the possibility of cheating, agreed Calendar rides tended to be more sociable, and accused a Permanent ride of poaching riders from one of her events. Marcus Yeo expressed surprise that his prodigious points total did not make him a champion. Brian Callow commented that he used his car far more to travel to Calendar events, while Tony Hull stated a preference for Calendar rides. Julian Dyson backed the previous 25:75 suggestion and suggested an amendment to the proposal. Sheila Simpson queried how that ratio would work in practice and Mike Wigley wondered about the difficulty in calculating valid results. Sheila then suggested riding a specified number of Calendar events. The formal amendment to the proposal to change the Calendar: Permanent ratio from 50:50 to 25:75 was proposed by Julian Beach and seconded by Justin Sykes. It was defeated by 34 votes against and 16 in favour of it. The original proposal was then put to the vote, and this, also, was defeated this time by a margin of 38 to 31, with 9 abstentions.
8) The Chairman then handed control of the meeting to the Secretary to conduct the process of his re-election, which was approved by a show of hands, nem con. DKB then resumed his position. Chris Crossland proposed, seconded by Jim Hopper, that all retiring directors standing for re-election be voted en bloc. Approved nem con, and the directors were returned, again nem con. Peter Coates was the sole candidate for the post of Systems Manager to succeed the retiring Francis Cooke and he, too was elected nem con.
9) Edwin Hargraves requested an obituary for Ray Craig whose family had latterly been intransigent in its dealings with club members. It was suggested he submit such an item to Sheila Simpson for inclusion in the next Arrivée.
John Ward requested Steve Abraham be included in the Hall of Fame to celebrate his momentous 2007 season.
Mike Wigley offered some old Arrivées he had brought to organisers for publicity purposes. Tim Wainwright had also brought a supply for the same purpose.
Sheila Simpson asked for a straw poll to ascertain the feeling of the floor to change the riding year from 31st Oct to 31st Aug, partly to tie in with the fiscal year, and ACP’s year, but mainly to extend the period between the year end and the prize giving which had been uncomfortably short this time. Andy Clarkson suggested 30th Sep reflecting prevailing climatic conditions as a preferable alternative, and Melita Luxton wanted to consult the volunteers involved. Overall, enthusiasm for the change was lukewarm.
After DKB had modelled the new retro design jersey, Pam Pilbeam detailed the procedure for ordering it on-line from Impsport, and mentioned that some old stock would be available after the meeting at reduced prices. Mark Hummerstone offered himself as an alternative model.
Mark Rigby suggested that riders should carry a medical information card, which would be useful to the emergency services in case of an accident. Graham Haysom suggested - seconded by Rocco Richardson - that such details should be on the reverse of the membership card.
Jim Hopper proposed a vote of thanks to the committee for their work during he year, and Tim Wainwright did the same for the absent, and now retired, Francis Cooke for his invaluable contribution as Systems Manager.
Melita Luxton advised prospective LEL riders to enter sooner rather than later, as there were just sixty places still available.
10) Pam Pilbeam advised no venue had yet been finalised for the next AGM, though it was likely to be in the North. Various locations were suggested for her to consider, with the same time of year being favoured. A later start time for the meeting was mooted, though no decision actually taken.
11) The meeting closed at 15:33.