spits summer - the Hawkesbury Blue Mountains Alpaca Region

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Spits & Pieces
best summarise my (not necessarily those of other Regional Presidents) views as:
There is really no “black and white” involved here; nor are there any simplistic solutions.
NatCom made poor decisions regarding the “Ruckert case” and incurred unnecessary legal expenditure.
AAA did not inform members of what was happening, even in general terms, and the fact that the expenditure
had been incurred, until too late for members to consider the events during the election of AAA National
Committee. This meant that the argument “the members had the opportunity to show their feelings in the
NatCom vote” is invalid.
The general principle that all AAA documents are open for inspection by members is not quite as it seems at
first glance. In any business, certain documents can be claimed to have “privilege” – an example being legal
advice between lawyer and client. In the final assessment, it might be that a court would confirm or deny the
privileged status of any documents.
NatCom has the right to claim such privilege as a matter of policy. The policy should be invoked only in
exceptional circumstances and should not be related to the perceived reason for any documents being
requested.
NatCom should have a general policy of being open and transparent in its management.]
By the time this report is published, a decision will probably have been made by (yet another) magistrate, this
time regarding Jeanette Williams’ request for information and this will determine future NatCom policy on
access.
2.3 IGTF
Ian Winlaw presented a report on progress being made towards changing the AAA from an Incorporated
Association to a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG). Well-known alpaca industry figure Dougal McDonald
was engaged by AAA to add his expertise to the Task Force.
It is expected that the Task Force will produce draft documents for members to consider in early 2006.
Members will have the opportunity to vote on the change. So if you’re not convinced, seek the information you
need to make a decision and vote accordingly.
[Comment: The evolution of AAA to a CLG is not supported by 100% of members, although I think there is a
large majority either in favour, or couldn’t care less. I personally favour the change as it enhances governance
rigour, and I can’t see any significant downsides. I do not believe that any change to a CLG will lessen
members’ ability to provide inputs to AAA. NatCom’s internal policy regarding accessibility will be the key to
success or otherwise, no matter what the legal framework in place.]
2.4 AAFL
Another “biggie”.
Like all shareholders, AAA had been invited to participate in a 1:2 share issue. In AAA’s case, it involved an
investment of about $31,000. AAA owns about 42% of the business. Discussion initially took place in the
absence of any compelling case to make this investment, and the decision was simple.
On the Sunday, Ian Winlaw (with his AAFL hat on this time) outlined AAFL’s plans over the next 12 months,
including the probability of further equity funds being sought during mid-2006. In the light of the information
provided, the decision was made for the AAA to take up the offer and invest the $31,000. At NatCom level,
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