It is again with some mixed feelings that I am reporting on the outcomes of the Club’s AGM, though for different reasons than were around this time last year.
Despite my best intentions to step down from the Presidency to both provide clear space to focus on my studies , and to give the incoming Executive a chance to forge a new direction for the Club, I currently find myself reviving my old e-mail signatures and making plans for the year ahead.
I would first like to thank Dr Eric Tavenner for his just over a year at the helm. He had certainly done some good work in relation to steering the Club through a renegotiation with Holy Name Catholic Primary School regarding he hire of the MEAC, and had overseen the purchase and renovation of storage systems for Club use.
Unfortunately, due to a disagreement regarding management systems and lines of accountability within the Club, Dr Tavenner tendered his resignation just prior to the AGM, including withdrawing the teaching of SMR Jodo under the umbrella of the Club. I am personally saddened that we were unable to come to a resolution of these matters, and I wish Dr Tavenner all the best with his future endeavours.
So despite trying to encourage someone else to take the reins, I was duly returned as the only person nominated for President. Also returned at yesterday’s meeting were Brady Albrand as Secretary, Grant Vickery as Treasurer, and Sian Carlyon shifting responsibilities to being the General Memeber of the elected Executive core. Many thanks to Kateena Martin, who stepped down from the Secretary’s role, and the Sian, who has been the treasure for the past few years, for their contributions throughout the year.
Also (re)appointed to discipline coordinator positions on the executive are:
Jujutsu — Brady Albrand
Kendo — Sean Thompson
Systema — Michael Conroy
Taiko — Tomoko Po and Michelle Wiersma
Iaido — Tracy Campbell
FlexiFit, Go, Arnis — Michael Baczynski
Kyudo — Daen Fryer
Ex-officio Gin Gin dojo representative — Tamara Kelly
We are also in discussion with Tom Johnson sensei for replacing SMR Jodo with a ZKR Jodo study group in the near future, within the obvious restrictions that COVID-19 is imposing on us. I will be taking the coordinating role in that discipline as plans progress.
Many thanks to everyone who has stepped up to take on these roles, and I will very much look forward to you over the course of the coming year.
At the AGM we also discussed the Club’s strategy for moving forward over the next few months with online classes. Over the past few weeks, we have successfully been running Systema, Iaido, FlexiFit, Taiko and Jujutsu sessions online. While we cannot fully recreate our training environments online, we are quite confident that we are able to do some good work in this space. Sessions will be mostly focussed on existing practitioners of the various arts, but as we get more confidence in this space, we will be extending the availability of classes to new members. We will be placing our log in details up on our online classes webpage http://www.bbrd.org.au/online-classes over the next day or two, so please check this regularly to get the log in details for the classes you are interested in. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have both Jujutsu jumbi undo and Systema principles classes, so please join us!
We will ask that all people who participate are current financial members of the Club. Please attend to this ASAP if you have not done so already. We have also instituted from this week a class “10-pack” that can be used for on online classes as a way of meeting the ongoing operational costs of the Club. You will need to either make your regular monthly contribution or use a “10-pack” to participate on-line. New members will receive a free “10-pack” on joining .
So enough for now. And as always, I will look forward to seeing throughout this year, first over the camera and eventually in person!
Michael Baczynski
(once again) President