Our AGM Hersham 14 Nov 2012

The pre-assembled members at out AGM. Gordon Seabright CTC new CEO had agreed to attend and our Chairman/President Colin Quemby formally welcomed him to our proceedings. This was our first mid week AGM and Colin pointed out that numbers were well up on previous years (when the AGM had been held at Breech Lane Community Centre in Walton on the Hill where we used to get about 25 attendees). The numbers were however down on the MWW AGM held at Hersham where we had about 70 present. This was due to a respectable and respectful number of our members who wished to attend Phil Marks funeral taking place at Barnes at 12.30pm on this day. Our deepest condolences to his family from the wider CTCSWL membership.

Above shows Pete B our secretary deep in thought during the meeting with Colin in the middle and our CEO on the right. (apologies for the poor quality I had my camera on zoom and I was shaking a little - 2 much from the night B4 - no I joke not enough!)

Gordon gave us an insight into his background and set out four big themes as the way forward:

PROJECT (Advocates)

INSPIRE

PROMOTE

RUN MORE EFFECTIVE ORGANISATION.

It appears he has set out his vision to Council as to the way forward and will send Pete Barnard a 3 page synopsis of this vision. We look forward to receiving it. Jeff Tollerman was critical of the perception that CTC was rather secretive of what it is about and slow to release minutes of Council meeting to the members.

While I and many in our DA (member group) were critical of the way Council and Chair had pushed, in our opinion, the Charitable decision forward Gordon was adamant that this was a good thing. He comes from a charitable background with wide experience and expressed some views on his former time with RHS with 350,000 members and a huge membership fee return. It also being a charitable trust. Apparently the physical exercise exerted in the garden is for the wider public benefit! (I hope that Barbara will take note!)

Overall I felt that Gordon represented a refreshing new potential wind of change to CTC and I hope that I can speak on behalf of the whole of our DA (formal member group) in wishing him every success in his new challenge as our new CEO and I for one will give him my full support. Thank you Gordon for taking the time to attend our AGM your are the first CEO to do so and I think it gives you credit and is a good sign for the future!

Author: mike morley

1 Comment:

Jeff 15 November 2012 at 18:24 GMT

To clarify:
It was only after the AGM that I queried the long delay in releasing the minutes of the CTC National Council. This body meets four times a year, but the minutes of its meetings are not published until after they have been approved by the full Council at its subsequent meeting. I believe the draft minutes should be available to members after confirmation by Chairman and Chief Executive, subject to ratification at the next full Council meeting. Three months is too long a delay.
This is not of burning interest to most members, which is why I did not raise the subject during the AGM.
I should perhaps have added that the agendas would be more informative if they included the relevant attachments.

I know, I should get a life!