009 Society AGM and Narrow Gauge Show, Saturday 30th March 2019.
Venue, All Saints Parish Hall, Church Road, Rainford, Nr St Helens WA11 8HB
open 10am to 4.30pm
Refreshments available all day, including the famous cakes !
Free off road Parking at the Hall and the overflow carparks.
Bacon butties available on arrival for a small charge !
The Hall is wheelchair friendly and all on one level.
Usual format, Layouts, Trade, Demos, Society Stands including the 009 Society Sales Stand.
The AGM will take place in a different Hall during the afternoon, time to be arranged.
Put it in your diary and come along for a great day out.
Stan.
The Transport Museum of St Helens have kindly agreed to supply a Vintage Bus for the day.
The bus will give free trips around the Village and enable visitors a chance to have a ride on a Vintage Bus.
Timetables will be available on the day.
Stan.
Just giving you a glimpse of what to expect next year.
There will be some layouts that have not been exhibited before mixed in with some of your old favourites.
A wide range of Trade Stands along with the 009 Society Sales Stand and some interesting Society Stands.
The AGM will be held in a seperate Hall and arrangements will be added closer to the time.
Refreshments all day including the famous cakes.
Free off road parking at the hall and the overflow carparks.
Early birds get the best parking spots, but the doors will not open till 10am. show closes at 4.30pm.
There will be a showcase for members to show off their latest models.
Stan.
Although sometime off, here is a little info of what can be seen on Saturday 30th March 2019.
These layouts are all award winning layouts.
Rothampton 009
Crummack Valley 009.
Loch Ewe 009.
Traders for you to spend your hard earned money.
Dundas Models.
A1 Models.
Worsley Works.
John Sutton Books.
Todmorden Model Supplies.
FR/WHR Shop & Stand.
Plus more to come.
Put the date in your diaries or on your calender.
Get there at opening time and enjoy a bacon buttie and a cuppa !
Refreshments available all day including the Famous Cakes !
Stan.
Just reminding you what you will be able to see on the 30th March 2019.
Three award winning layouts from the Merseyside Narrow gauge Stable of Roger Christian & Stan Williams.
Crummack Valley, Loch Ewe Harbour, Rothampton.
Ably assisted by,
Ulvaryd, Costaguana, Newby Conor, Axbridge Quay, Martini along with 3 other layouts still under construction, names to follow.
Trade.
Dundas Models, A1 Models, Worsley Works, John Sutton Books, Elmet Images, Todmorden Model Supplies, Neville Kent,
009 Society Sales Stand.
Plus other Society Stands and Demo Stands.
Refreshments available all day, early bird bacon toasties, light lunches and the Famous Rainford Cakes.
Free Car Parking at the Hall and the overflow parking areas.
A Vintage Bus will be doing tours around Rainford, timetable at the Hall entrance.
009 Society AGM will take place during the afternoon in a seperate Hall, time to be announced.
Put the date in your diaries and come and spend a few hours with like minded NG modellers.
See you there.
Stan.
WE have decided to put Tan Yr Allt/Dwffyr Uchaf into the show as a tribute to Roger Christians brilliant modelling skills and this layout can be seen
alongside some other layouts he was involved in.
We will also have Paul Towers with his Llandyrau layout at Rainford.
All we need to do now is push out those walls to make extra space ?
Stan.
Just a bump for you to put the date in your diaries, Saturday 30th March.
open 10am to 4.30pm
Free Parking.
Refreshments all day, with bacon butties, sandwiches and the Famous Cakes !!
We will have an extra layout joining us, Corris Rly with Rod Allcock.
Stan.
The Society AGM will be held in the Rainford Scout Hall, off Church Road, Rainford.
This is a white building behind the Guide Hall which is next to the Church Yard.
THis Hall is only a short walk from the NG Show and the meeting will take place in the early afternoon.
Stan.
There will be two show you how stands taking part at Rainford on 30th March.
Les Nehrlich (Preston MRC) will be showing how to weather stock, if you would like to bring an item along please do and have it weathered.
Brian Davis (Rainhill MRC) will be showing how to make wagon loads, there should be some available to purchase.
Carparking.
There will be parking in the hall carpark, if full, you can park behind the Church via a roadway between the church yard and the pub.
There is another carpark close to Guide Hall & Scout Hall (white buildings next to the church yard and opposite the Village Hall ).
Stan.
Thanks Stan, for considering and mentioning disabled! 8)
Unfortunately way out of my range, my mobility scooter does only 20imi. ;D
Good luck anyway
Waldschrat
At Rainford on Saturday 30th March we intend showing Roger Christians fleet of locos and rolling stock.
Tan Y Allt/ Dwffyr Uchaf, Rothampton and Loch Ewe will be having stock from the above working all day.
The remainder of the stock will be on display in the showcases.
It is our way of paying tribute to a superb modeller.
Do come along and admire his work.
Stan.
Please Note.
The Society AGM Meeting will now take place in the Rainford Guide Hall in the early afternoon.
This is the first White Building next to the Church yard and an overflow carpark.
If you are unsure ask one of the stewards on the front desk at the Parish Hall.
Stan.
Early Warning.
THe ongoing roadworks at the junction of the East Lancs Road, A580 and the Rainford by Pass will still be causing trouble at the March.
Please allow extra time if you plan to use the above or better take an alternative route into Rainford.
Free Parking at the hall and the overflow carparks.
THis one is not to be missed.
Stan.
Something of interest for the early birds,
Look out for the unused Peco points left hand, right hand and Y points @
Good news on the refreshment front.
We have the lovely ladies who over the past years have baked the finest cakes returning to help us out.
There will be two people dealing with the bacon toasties, two ladies sorting the drinks and another two sorting the sandwiches and cakes.
Well worth coming for the cakes, forget about the trains !!
Doors open at 10am
Stan.
If you are coming along to Rainford and have a Knightwing kit deisel then bring it along.
Dave Johnston is planning a drive by on Loch Ewe in memory of Roger Christian and the articles he did with the above.
Lots going on, great award winning layouts to admire, so why not bring along some stock and try them on a layout.
Great refreshments, well worth the trip and just forget about model railways.
See you there.
Stan.
For the early birds.
You will find a batch of unused Peco points at the entrance desk, left, right and Y points available only
Top class layouts for you to admire,
Tan Y Allt/Dwffyr Uchaf, Rothampton, Loch Ewe, Corris Railway, Axbridge Quay, Ulvaryd, Raliegh Weir plus lots more.
Trade.
Dundas Models, A1 Models, Worsley Works, Neville Kent, John Sutton Books, Todmorden Model Supplies, Elmet Images,
John Wooden with the FR/WHR Stand.
009 Society Sales Stand, 5.5mm NG Association
Show you How Stands.
Brian Davis showing you how to make wagon loads.
Les Nehrlich showing you how to weather NG stock, look what you can do with Peco stock
Stan.
In a weeks time we will be setting up the show ready for the Saturday rush.
So its getting close to digging out your bike clips oiling the bike, maybe the dog and being prepared.
If you are flush, why not fill up the fuel tank in the car, weather forecast is looking okay over the next week.
Remember to have cash, thats a must and you can buy that railway item you have always promised yourself.
THere will be an area to rest your wallets have a brew and have a chat to like minded NG modellers.
You know it makes sense.
Come and say hello.
Stan.
Fancy a bacon butty and a brew before you enjoy some great layouts and then spend your money on those trade stands.
Then get on down to Rainford next Saturday and enjoy a few hours with like minded NG modellers.
The AGM meeting will commence in the early afternoon, but if you don t fancy that, well the rest of the show will carry on.
Play trains, buy those models you promised yourself, you can do the lot.
You know it makes sense, see you there.
Stan.
Well the weather is looking good for the coming week, so that should help travelling.
Its just the ongoing roadworks at the junction of the East Lancs Road and the Rainford by Pass.
Allow extra time to get through the junction or go by another route around to Rainford.
See you there.
Stan.
Just for a bit of fun and offering just that something different, Merseyside Group member Peter Dibbin is going to bring along his battery driven NG loco
and carriages to run on the pation area alongside the Hall.
Keeping his fingers crossed that the weather stays dry and fine.
If you fancy a ride then let him know on Sat. Morning.
Stan.
AGM will be held at 1.00 pm in the Stockley Room in All Saints Parish Hall Rainford.
Volunteers to assist putting chairs in place prior to the meeting & to assist clearing them away afterwards would be very welcome.
Garry
Please note,
If you do require cash, you will find a couple of cash machines just a couple minutes walk along the High Street.
Most tend to use the Coop Store.
Car Parking.
Free parking at the Hall, plus there is an overflow car park behind the Church and another next to the Guide Hall (White Building by the Church Yard).
All Parking is Free in the Village.
Stan.
If you are coming over to the show on Saturday, look out for the following,
A weathering display by Les Nehlrich (Preston MRC) on how to weather Peco & Bachmann 009 stock, both vans and wagons.
There will be a number of wagons on display and during the day, Les will show you how its done, in between drinking tea !
Nexr door will be Brian Davis (Rainhill MRC) showing you how to make wagon loads ( not those cheap looking plastic crates, barrels and milk churns )
He often has some items for sale as well, so take a good look.
Stan.
Setting up starts this Evening, hopefully have around a third of the show up and running by 9pm.
Looking to be a cracking show tomorrow, miss it at your peril.
A chance to purchase those items you have had on your wish list.
Come along and spend a few hours with like minded modellers, you know it makes sense.
Enjoy the refreshments on offer by the good ladies of All Saints Church, Rainford.
Stan.
Tables & Chairs laid out including the refreshment area..
Seven layouts plus a couple of trade stands all set up.
The Cakes look great, but not had a chance to taste any yet.
Well done to the lads who came along to help this evening, great job done.
See you all tomorrow.
Stan.
Thanks to Stan & Co. for putting on another great show, and congratulations to Stan on being awarded Honorary Life Membership
Agreed!
Well done Stan, despite the room availability glitches that forced everyone to play sardines, it was a great day in the full tradition of these friendly events and for me was very well worth the 18 hour day 4am to 10pm departure to return and the 500 mile round trip! Loads of acquaintances renewed, banter politics and business exchanged, CAKE sampled and awarded 5 stars (I tried out the carrot cake, splendid!) and of course the excellent layouts and models to enjoy.
Sorry I couldn't stay on for the apres trains evening meal, I hope that was equally enjoyable for those that did.
Mick
Fully agree with Mick, well done Stan for organising the show, your Life Membership accolade well deserved, hope you got lots of free pints in the pub afterwards.
Mick I tried the strawberry sponge cake which would have won an award at any baking contest, delicious!
Malcolm
*
Whilst delighted to know that Stan arranged a great exhibition and Mick enjoyed the cake, would it be possible for those of us who were not present to be provided with basic information about the AGM. May I therefore please ask two questions?
[1] Who was elected as the Society Officers/Directors for the coming year?
[2] Why (as a matter of course) has this information not already been provided as a courtesy to Members?
CP
Well, I should imagine something along the lines of:
the formal route for notification would be the NEWS.
The NEWS being the only way to reach each and every member.
I only offer this as my opinion.
*
The logic of that argument is ridiculous.
Had I been there I would know the answer.
What sort of control freakery prevents this information being made available on this the Society Forum?
Are those who were present under a vow of secrecy until the next issue of OO9 NEWS is published?
CP
Thank you all for your very kind words, it was a pleasure to put on the show.
I must thank all our group members who helped on both Friday and Saturday, without their help it would not have been as successful as it was.
Yes there was not a lot of room at the AGM meeting, but has there ever been that number present over the last few years ?
A big thank you to all the layout operators and also the traders who came along to make it a great day.
Last but not least, a big big thank you to all the ladies who kept the food and drink flowing it was superb.
When was the last time you have been to a model railway show and had waitresses attending on the tables ?
Onwards and upwards.
Stan.
Photos now available on this thread: http://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=4053.0
Quote from: cp.409067 on March 31, 2019, 18:50
*
Whilst delighted to know that Stan arranged a great exhibition and Mick enjoyed the cake, would it be possible for those of us who were not present to be provided with basic information about the AGM. May I therefore please ask two questions?
[1] Who was elected as the Society Officers/Directors for the coming year?
[2] Why (as a matter of course) has this information not already been provided as a courtesy to Members?
CP
To answer your second question having worn the Secretarial hat (makes Chris' red top hat look tame) in my time there isn't any 'control freakery" going on, it's just that the committee is knackered by the work involved in sorting out all the reports, etc in the run up to the AGM and then the hassle of sorting out the meeting itself and would probably like chance to catch a breath and have a day off and maybe have the opportunity to indulge in some hobby time, or enjoy spending time with their families.
To answer the first questionas to who was elected I know that it wasn't me!
The committee continues as before, but as David announced he is standing down and as there was only one nomination - Julian Everson - he will be appointed as Chairman as ratified by a (unanimous?) vote of those members present at the meeting. As to the vacant directorship as Steven Fulljames has stepped down there were no nominations so once Julian is in post I suspect that a replacement for a Steven will be appointed with the board's choice to be ratified at the next AGM.
If it is that important to you to get a definitive answer or maybe a full set of minutes then the
current secretary can be contacted via secretary@009society.com, but as he will need to be typing them up around his full time job and other commitments then I would not expect them to be available before the end of the week as that was about the time it took me to turn my shorthand notes into something legible...
I will also add that our secretary can furnish minutes of past AGMs and meetings of the board/committee on request to those members sufficiently interested, but in my time serving as Seceratry nobody ever was...
*
I thank Julian Webb for his comments above. I respond as follows.
[1] As I indicated in my first post on the subject it struck me as ironic that there was information about the exhibition and cake, but not the AGM. As I also made clear I was only hoping to be provided with the BASIC information as to the identity of the Officers/Directors for the coming year.
[2] In asking for that I do not think I was imposing an onerous burden on anyone. Indeed I was expressing disappointment that on the official Society Forum such information was not provided as a matter of course.
[3] I reacted to the comment by Hugh Norwood in what I feel is a perfectly appropriate manner. His suggestion - that anyone who was not present at the AGM would have to wait until the publication of the next issue of the NEWS - struck me as bizarre and provoked my reference to control freakery. I very much hope that (as Hugh said) his was a private opinion and is not indicative of the official mindset of the Society.
[4] I am indebted for the information that Julian Everson was a candidate (in fact the only one) for the post of Chairman. Also that the role of Comms Officer remains vacant.
*****
There is in all this an intimation of the wider issue of communication between -
(i) members of the Society, and
(ii) the Society leadership and the members.
Prior to the AGM what were the members told? Answer
Couple of points if I may Chris:
I've always spelt my name with an E (Julien) in the European fashion - I've always blamed my parents and my Belgian ancestry. I think that now its even more important to differentiate between ex-Secretary and West Mids Group co-ordinator Julien and New Chairman Julian despite what the Spool Chukka says, otherwise it's going to get very confusing (though perhaps not as bad as the time we had three Davids on the committee!).
The emphasis on cake I think is an indication that we try not to take things seriously. Perhaps given the mess that is the current political scene in the UK (and elsewhere?) this attitude is hardly surprising, but in my experience the membership seem to be fairly content as long as 009 News arrives on time without worrying about who is doing what job or how they got it!
The preferred method of official communication between the Committee and the Membership has always been 009 News. The reason for this is not anything 'cloak and dagger' but just that 100% of the 009 Society membership receive 009 News so something put in there will reach 100% of the membership, wheras something posted here will only get to about 20% of them (400 out of 2000). I can't see that changing any time soon.
As to why no one posted the information on here the answer to that is multi-faceted.
First (and this may surprise you) is that we don't take things that seriously (see cake comments above) and perhaps the fact that there was only one nomination for two committee posts is indicative of something - though what that might be is anyone's guess.
Changes at the top are not overly eventful unless there happens to be a contested post, so I suspect nobody posted anything because at the end of the day it will not effect how or what they model. Cake on the other hand, especially home made ones, is far more important as it is food and fuel that enable us to keep on modelling!
I suspect that none of the Committee posted anything for much the same reasons, but again I used to find that after an AGM I needed to take some time to decompress / catch up with both myself and my wife so was probably incognito for a few days post AGM and I suspect that the current crop are much the same.
As to the Wider Issues you mention Chris I'm not sure if there is a problem with inter-member communication in the Society, though if there is I may be missing it by being in this game far too long (35+ years unbroken membership!) and knowing and being known by lots of members (and at 6' 4" tall I find it hard to hide!), and that in this age of instant gratification via the interweby people have forgotten the art of writing a letter to the editor for publication and having to wait more than 5 minutes for a reply.
As to the future, well I suspect that The Committee could make improvements in communicating things to the Membership, and perhaps publication of things like the Agenda, Reports, Etc. as a suplement with 009 News prior to the AGM (as other Society's do) would be a step in the right direction, but I have a feeling that when this has been mooted in the past members felt that the cost of printing / distributing the material would be better used to improve / enlarge the modelling content in 009 News. As we now have a new man at the helm I'm sure that he would be receptive to new ideas, but as I'm not sure if he is a member of this forum or not then it may be best to email him direct on chairman@009society.com as I'm sure that David Gander will forward anything on if the auto-redirect to Julian's address is not in place, or you could send it to Charlie Insley at secretary@009society.com for him to forward.
Finally the thing with communication is that it is a 2 way process. In my time on Committee it wasn't the case that we did not want to communicate with the membership but that they didn't seem to want to communicate with us. In my term in office I do not recall a request for a set of minutes for either a Committee meeting or AGM despite notifications that these were available from me electronically or in return for an SAE and very few matters were sent to me to raise at meetings (Committee or otherwise) after announcements of these events in 009 News with a call for matters to be raised.
Along the same line time and again there are complaints that Branchlines is taking up too much space and there are a number of groups who do not submit reports. As this is the main organ through which members around the country get an idea of what other members are up to one is left wondering why a number of members feel that such 'communication' is unimportant / uncesseary / unwanted/ taking up space that could be better served if filled with articles about model trains, suggesting that Members are not too bothered about communicating with other members either.
You say that "Perhaps in future the said Board/Committee will be more forthcoming in communicating with the membership - and that this creates the necessary interest." I think the answer to that is "We have tried and found that you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink."
I have no part to play in the management of the Society and nor has Julien who has commented simply as a fellow member. No criticism of Julien here, I'm just reminding readers who may think they were getting the official response, due to his very comprehensive reply.
I will simply add for the benefit of those who were not present at the AGM for whatever reason: Geoff Bowyer explained that there had been a procedural error which did not comply with the Articles of Association that were produced when the Society voted to change to a Limited Company - bound by Articles of Association, therefore it was not possible to formally elect the new Chairman at the AGM as the nomination had not been revealed to the whole membership. However, as there was only one proposed applicant by the time of the published deadline, and therefore no electoral contest was required, it was allowable for the sitting Board to Appoint a new Director in the interim. This was unanimously accepted by the quorum of members present in the candidate's absence as he was actually in New Zealand at the time. I am confident that somebody on the Board will have already notified Julian that he is now the Chairman, if they haven't done, he will be in for a surprise when he gets back. I wonder if he knows he was put forward for the job anyway?.............
By the way. Julian's surname is Evison, not Everson. I'm sure that he will be in touch with the whole membership through 009 News at an early date.
Julien was quite correct in stating that if anyone wants an authoritative answer to the queries then, in the absence of anyone on the Board coming on here to answer, then the correct route should be to contact the Society Secretary and raise the queries/comments directly.
Mick (same with Julien, also an ex- Society Secretary, but I didn't last very long at all in the job!)
Quote from: Stan Williams on March 31, 2019, 20:48
When was the last time you have been to a model railway show and had waitresses attending on the tables ?
Onwards and upwards.
Stan.
At the Wessex NGM Dorset open day Colehill 1 December actually. You need to get out and about a bit more Stan..............
Mick
It's interesting that often after a show someone (often Mick!) is posting photos within days if not hours of the doors closing - indeed there is often a race to be the first to post pictures, despite the effort and time involved. Would it be so different / difficult just to inform members here about the main points of the AGM or at least the appointment (or non-appointment) of new members of our esteemed Committee?
It is perhaps misleading to suggest that the News is the only reliable way to reach all members. It is true that all members will receive it, but if they don't read it they will not get the information therein. In the same way the Society Forum is available to and easily accessible by every member, whether or not they choose to avail themselves of this channel of communication.
Finally, distributing minutes of Committee/Board meetings need not be expensive, laborious or - in this new digital age! - involve lots of paperwork. Would it not simply be possible in future, please, to post them, or at least a digest of the main points, on this forum for members to read?
David.
Quote from: clayliner on April 02, 2019, 19:50
It is perhaps misleading to suggest that the News is the only reliable way to reach all members. It is true that all members will receive it, but if they don't read it they will not get the information therein. In the same way the Society Forum is available to and easily accessible by every member, whether or not they choose to avail themselves of this channel of communication.
Whilst I have a poor grasp of mathematics (my degree and post-graduate qualifications are in Chemistry) I'd have thought that sending something 100% would be more effective than sending the same to only 20% even accounting for those who chose not to read things sent to them.
100% 009 Society members are in receipt of 009 News and in essence members pay their subscription in return for 12 monthly issues. Therefore something published in 009 News has been sent to all members as part of the 'contract' between the Society and each member - it is then
each member's choice to read it or not.
Something posted on this forum can only be seen by 20% of the Society's members (again, that assumes they are interested enough to read it!) who are currently members of this forum, but this means that 80% of them are not able to see what has been published. I'd concede the point that being a member of this forum is a choice, but that choice not to participate 'electronically' may be due to inability to access the internet that may be beyond the control of individual members - a case of "I can not" rather than "I don't want to". Whilst the Society can do nothing about 'don't want to' members who chose not to participate, those who
can not must not be disenfranchised.
Quote from: clayliner on April 02, 2019, 19:50
Finally, distributing minutes of Committee/Board meetings need not be expensive, laborious or - in this new digital age! - involve lots of paperwork. Would it not simply be possible in future, please, to post them, or at least a digest of the main points, on this forum for members to read?
David.
That is a fine suggestion David - as I said in response to an earlier point though perhaps that suggestion would be better e-mailed directly to our new Chairman (Julian Evison - just to be clear!) to ensure that he has seen it.
However given the overwhelming interest I failed to see with respect to such matters in my time as Secretary I suspect that such posts on this forum will be just as much ignored as similar pieces in 009 News.
*
[1] I apologise to Julien for misspelling his name. I plead guilty to failing to notice the one letter. I fully understand how annoying it is to be addressed inappropriately. I will add in passing that I do not use the shortened version of my forename as would be evident to anyone noting how I sign my posts. (That said I do answer to
My apologies Christopher. Like you I'm not a fan of having my name shortened.
As one of the others who couldn't make it (my employers insisted I worked a train to the North East that day!) I wonder if anyone who attended the AGM could confirm whether the issue of allowing the News to be sent electronically to UK members had been raised/discussed? I thought I'd formally asked for it to be raised but couldn't find my email so wasn't sure whether it would have been...
Not as far as I recall, although I was crammed in at the back and didn't hear clearly everything that was said. Suggest you contact Hon Secretary directly to clarify, unless someone with better hearing and recall than me can answer your question.
Ah well, another waste of paper for the coming year then...
Blair
My only recollection of mention of electronic copy was during Treasurers report on membership fees for overseas members, nothing about electronic copy for UK members. No luck on pushing for new website either.
Malcolm
Thanks folks.
While I do still sometimes write 'proper' letters - usually when their contents are important and I want them read and taken notice of! - the simple fact is that these days the preferred/default means of communication is electronic. Whatever its drawbacks it is undeniably reliable, cheap and instant. Why the Society is apparently reluctant to use it is something of a mystery (to me, anyway) - though the Sales Team do send their occasional listings that way (not least because putting lists of items in the News would be quite impractical, given the unavoidable lead times before any item appears there, by which time half the items would have already been sold).
I doubt, in all seriousness, Julien, that more than 5% of the membership (and that's probably putting it generously) do not have access to email/internet these days. Why the Management seem to actually prefer not to use our own Society Forum to communicate with members (note also the recent protests over the Society Challenge!) baffles me. No-one is suggesting that this Forum should be used instead of the News - both channels of communication are perfectly reasonable. Why not use both?
As regards Minutes of meetings, I presume they are typed up in digital form anyway so the extra work involved in posting them here is minimal - and members will be able to read them weeks before they appear in the News if they want to.
David.
I would just like to mention something that happened on Saturday lunch time at the Rainford Show.
I was summoned to the front desk and a couple (man & woman)they looked around the late 60s/70 age group wanted to know, why the show was not advertised on the 009 website ?
They had come up from Bournemouth on the Friday and where staying with friends near Southport.
I asked them what website, to which they announced the 009 website, I said do you mean Facebook, once again they said the 009 website.
I then explained that the show has been advertised in the 009 News, 009 Soc, Forum, NGRM forum, RMWeb, Model shops & exhibitions site and
the Railway Modeller along with fliers distributed at model rly shows.
The answer came back, we can not find it on the website ?
What else can you do.
Stan.
I am keen to know if a motion I proposed for the AGM was discussed. I proposed that "the society will not permit itself to be represented at any event that does not declare in its announcements and publicity the particulars of accessibility for disabled visitors and participants". I have asked for a set of minutes when it is convenient. (I fully understand that these things take time.)
I can see the advantage of using email or our forum for communicating with members. If a deadline for the News is missed, it can be up to four weeks before the members can be informed. Usually any notification deadline for AGM business is then passed. Had we had greater coverage of members, much of the problems with missing notification deadlines might have been avoided this year.
However what coverage would be deemed acceptable to satisfy our articles of association, if that's what they are? Would 95% be acceptable, that is if we assume that only 5% do not have an email account? I think that figure may be optimistic, just because someone has access to the internet doesn't mean they have an email address, or use it. Would 90% be satisfactory, 85% ......? And how would we achieve that percentage?
I, for one, would welcome using electronic means to contact members, although personally not for the 009 News itself. No more having to put inserts into the News.
Quote from: Stan Williams on April 04, 2019, 19:21
...............................I then explained that the show has been advertised in the 009 News, 009 Soc, Forum, NGRM forum, RMWeb, Model shops & exhibitions site and
the Railway Modeller along with fliers distributed at model rly shows.
The answer came back, we can not find it on the website ?
What else can you do.
Stan.
You haven't mentioned the 009 Society Website in your list of where it had been advertised, which has the show diary in it - perhaps when they referred to the "009 website" it was the official Society website that they were referring to? I would imagine it would have been there as John Jacobs who maintains the diary had it listed in 009 News, which I believe is a duplicate of what is put on the website diary. Did anyone check that this had happened I wonder?
Quote from: clayliner on April 04, 2019, 18:34
As regards Minutes of meetings, I presume they are typed up in digital form anyway so the extra work involved in posting them here is minimal - and members will be able to read them weeks before they appear in the News if they want to.
David.
But the minutes of meetings do not appear in the News David! There are two ways of obtaining the minutes under the current arrangements - contact Hon Secretary directly and request a copy (you can write a letter if you really want to and are prepared to pay 12 shillings in proper money for a stamp nowadays) or you can send an email. This is what I do and although it occasionally requires a chaser email, I have always managed to get both AGM and Committee meeting minutes by requesting them. Alternatively you can take the trouble to attend the AGM and get a copy of the last meeting minutes 5 minutes before the meeting starts when they are dished out, leaving just about nil time to read and digest them, so in order to maintain the will to live somebody proposes that the minutes are accepted, somebody else seconds it and the assembled members vote it in unanimously, and the committee get on with the rest of the meeting safe in the knowledge that everyone is absolutely content with everything. (Please excuse this slight tinge of cynicism)
Maybe the new committee structure when our new Chairman has settled in and re-organised the management tree will decide to act as other societies and associations do and actually communicate with the members, but we mustn't be too impatient or optimistic.................
Off topic I know, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who depresses themselves by converting prices to real money.
Quote from: MickT on April 04, 2019, 22:45
.....
Maybe the new committee structure when our new Chairman has settled in and re-organised the management tree will decide to act as other societies and associations do and actually communicate with the members, but we mustn't be too impatient or optimistic.................
To achieve the objective - communication - maybe that final phrase has it the wrong way round. We must have faith and the expectation that things will improve sooner rather than later. Thus -
"we musn't be too patient or pessimistic".
CP
Quote from: MickT on April 04, 2019, 22:39
Quote from: Stan Williams on April 04, 2019, 19:21
...............................I then explained that the show has been advertised in the 009 News, 009 Soc, Forum, NGRM forum, RMWeb, Model shops & exhibitions site and
the Railway Modeller along with fliers distributed at model rly shows.
The answer came back, we can not find it on the website ?
What else can you do.
Stan.
You haven't mentioned the 009 Society Website in your list of where it had been advertised, which has the show diary in it - perhaps when they referred to the "009 website" it was the official Society website that they were referring to? I would imagine it would have been there as John Jacobs who maintains the diary had it listed in 009 News, which I believe is a duplicate of what is put on the website diary. Did anyone check that this had happened I wonder?
I do hope it was an oversight. Social media may be popular and convenient for those who use it, but in addition to what Mick says, when it comes to searching online for information, search engines seem to favour traditional web sites. For anyone who is an occasional modeller and not in with the "in crowd", that is liable to be how they find their information.
If you do a search "009 society agm" it still tells you where it was this year and one of the links (the top one) directs you to the "Diary" so I expect it was. They were probably thinking it should have had it's own separate page rather than just the Diary... Not a bad suggestion actually!
I'd like to know if Tom's proposal was discussed as well...
The Society AGM had been listed in the diary system since July of last year, Chris then transfered the details to the 009 News and then also
published a map of the village with the hall and carparks available.
Comment,
You can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink !!
Stan.
Did you tell them that, Stan?!
Sorry - I didn't see the diary entry when I checked just before posting. Most sensibly, entries in the past appear to be deleted.
A good point though - a separate entry or banner notification would be nice - but it is easy to invent work for other people!
I
For the purposes of part of the ongoing conversation I will point out that I do not have email addresses for over 26% of the present membership. That is not to say they don't have email, just that I don't have it on file. Therefore there is no way to send an email, with or without any attachments, to them while that state persists. I know also that some of those email addresses that I do have are not used often if at all. Even the Sales Listings, which go to around 800 members who asked for it, only gets 80% reading. Make of it what you will.
And I just found my old entry about the forum stats: roughly 400 members signed up, roughly 40 members significant participation.
Brian E
MemSec
So three quarters of the Membership do have an email (whether they use it or not) and, by definition, have access to a device which allows them to get onto the 'net... Statistics can be used in all sorts of ways!
Just to clarify I wasn't asking for everyone to get the News by email attachment, nor were others saying that the Forum be the sole form of correspondence for Society announcements...
What we were asking is that they be used as alternatives to just the News...
Quote from: Hobby on April 06, 2019, 08:31
What we were asking is that they be used as alternatives to just the News...
In which case, as I have said several times before, as I only know of one Society Director (ie elected member of the Board) who frequents this forum, and does not post very often, then we can but assume that the other 3 (4 with the recently vacated Communications Director seat) are not on this forum, so the only way to get concerns properly reported and addressed is to raise the concerns through the proper channels, directly to the Society Secretary in writing, either letter or email, and ask for acknowledgement of receipt so that you can't claim, as you have done before, that contacting the Secretary is futile.
I have not found it so, and have been a pain in the backside to the Board on several occasions but at least I know that my concerns have been noted if not always resolved.
Brian, as memsec is not elected and is one of the co-opted or appointed committee members, which means he does the job he has been appointed to do, and very well I might add, but does not have an executive vote on the Board, so if there are pressing concerns, they should be raised TO the Board, not about them other than in colloquial discussion.
Mick
Dear Gentlemen,
May I just express my satisfaction reading your discussion, and I fully second everything said. One of the reasons I shall not attend the AGM is that I'm disabled, but it was impossible to extract HOW accessible the facilities will be.
On an aside, when I joined the 009 society I proposed, and offered to provide, translation of our web-site into German (and as many other languages as possible). We make claims of international aspiration, but only manage to communicate in English, despite strong foreign representation!
The answer was that there was no need as the language of the Internet was English...! I didn't bother to explain that there is more on the Internet in foreign languages than there is in English, as obviously if you only speak English you don't find how much you're missing. ;D
Obviously no shame about this rather imperialistic/ nationalistic attitude by the respondent from the board either... ;D
Just another thought for discussion from
Waldschrat
Waldschrat,
I must pick you up on one of your statements about not attending an AGM because you are disabled and not knowing the facilities available.
If you go to the start of this thread page one, the first piece I started with read.
The hall is wheelchair friendly and all on one level.
You responded by thanking me for mentioning the above !!
Just a reminder.
Stan.
Quote from: MickT on April 04, 2019, 22:45
Alternatively you can take the trouble to attend the AGM and get a copy of the last meeting minutes 5 minutes before the meeting starts when they are dished out, leaving just about nil time to read and digest them, so in order to maintain the will to live somebody proposes that the minutes are accepted, somebody else seconds it and the assembled members vote it in unanimously, and the committee get on with the rest of the meeting safe in the knowledge that everyone is absolutely content with wverything.
As a regular minute-taker I'm well aware that if you leave making minutes available to the latest possible opportunity - ideally just before the next meeting - then the chances are that everyone will have long forgotten what was said or agreed. Especially true if a whole year has elapsed!
David.
Quote from: Tom Haythornthwaite on April 04, 2019, 20:33
I am keen to know if a motion I proposed for the AGM was discussed. I proposed that "the society will not permit itself to be represented at any event that does not declare in its announcements and publicity the particulars of accessibility for disabled visitors and participants". I have asked for a set of minutes when it is convenient. (I fully understand that these things take time.)
... quite a lot of time, apparently. So far, not a sausage.
Tom
I was at the AGM and unless I nodded off I do not recall your motion being raised either as a stand alone or under AOCB. Indeed one of the few items raised under AOCB was by myself enquiring where the proposed new format members forum had got to...........
Malcolm
Dear Stan,
My apologies, but disabled usable is not just about wheelchair accessible; there are other requirements too. I have been to quite a few venues with wheelchair access, but have got stuck on other aspects (just this weekend, wheelchair access, but no access to disabled toilets, and a defect wheelchair lift!). And yes, I read the whole thread, and yes, I asked a couple of questions to our secretary, which are still unanswered 2 month hence. ;D
Unfortunately, stairlifts, disabled toilets, etc. are always low on the priority list of maintainers, so frequently you find claims of 'wheelchair accessible' are rather academic as equipment is defect, or not serviceable. And the number of disabled toilets used as rubbish tips is astounding too... ;D
And that's before I get started on corridor width and clutter on the floor in exhibition halls, layouts that are too high etc.. ;D
Cheers
Waldschrat
You need to ask the person organising the Show, not the "secretary" whoever he may be. In this case you asked Stan and he told you the situation, if you were that concerned about the other things then a personal message to Stan would have sufficed to check on the various aspects you mention.
Whilst i have some sympathy with you and many of your comments concerning the likes of aisle widths, etc., are very valid you don't help yourself sometimes. Ask the organiser, if you don't get a proper answer then don't go to the show and have a moan, but it's unfair on Stan to raise such things when you didn't even bother before the event, when you could have done!
I believe my motion, which Charles Insley agreed in December would be discussed at the AGM (but I now learn, but not from him, that it wasn't), might have helped this access issue. It intentionally does not go so far as to require proper access. (That might have to wait for another decade.) It went so far as to require show organizers to be clear about limitations to access.
The secretary has yet to respond to my inquiry about AGM outcomes.
By the way, somebody referred (but I think in jest) to people taking the trouble to attend the AGM. I'd love to attend but I gather they are normally held in England.
I think perhaps for next year that we set up a thread before the event to list Motions that people have asked to be raised (in the official manner of course!) so for those who go can see if they were raised and the outcome. As I said earlier that one of Tom's was very close to my heart as well and had I been going I'd have given up my time to attend it rather than man the S/H stall to make sure it was discussed.
We live and learn!
"I think perhaps for next year that we set up a thread before the event to list Motions that people have asked to be raised (in the official manner of course!) so for those who go can see if they were raised and the outcome. As I said earlier that one of Tom's was very close to my heart as well and had I been going I'd have given up my time to attend it rather than man the S/H stall to make sure it was discussed."
Great idea. Of course it would be logical if the secretariat managed it but if that doesn't seem likely, let's do it ourselves.