Re: Siege Mentality? (was Re: RTM 19th Century Treasures)

["Trevor Edmonds" <trevor_edmonds@dingoblue.net.au>]

Eddie Oliver wrote...

> In response to previous messages, I received the following email. I have
> the author's permission to publish it to the newsgroup with his/her
> identity suppressed.

Why does this person insist on anonymity?

> In order to know the true membership figures, the numbers in each of the
> following categories would need to be known.
>
> (a) Ordinary Membership (those that pay an annual membership fee).

<snip>

As you have pointed out, there are many members who do not pay membership
fees, or pay a reduced fee. Where both a husband and wife are members, both
will receive free membership. I do not have the breakup, but our membership
list has been made available at varios times (including in the court case),
so it has been subjected to scrutiny. The more important figure is the
active membership.

> As for the number of members attending the AGM in person, this figure
> seems
> rather high compared with past AGMs.
>
> 1994 AGM - 29 attended in person (meeting duration 14 minutes)
> 1995 AGM - 30 attended in person (meeting duration 60 minutes)
> 1996 AGM - 23 attended in person (meeting duration 20 minutes)
> 1997 AGM - 19 attended in person (meeting duration 27 minutes)
> 1998 AGM - 25 attended in person (meeting duration 56 minutes)
> 1999 AGM - 21 attended in person (meeting duration 29 minutes)
> 2000 AGM - "there were about 40 at the AGM"

I did not count heads, so 40 was a 'best guess'. Does it really matter if it
was 30? I was just trying to give a feel for the size. The durations quoted
only cover the formal part of the meeting. That is followed by an informal
Q&A session which typically runs for a couple of hours. Last Saturday
started at 1pm and finished after 4pm.

> Apart from the AGM, there have been several members social evenings. The
last
> advertised one appears to have been in March 1996 in Sydney. Before that
they
> seemed to take place about 3 times per year. Newsletters (all published by
K.
> Jones) and attendance at working bees as a volunteer seems to be the
primary
> method of information to members.

As in any similar group, most members do not actively participate, so the
newsletter is always going to be the way that information is given to
members. Our social gatherings still happen, we just do not have them
planned far enough in advance for inclusion in the newsletters. They are
usually a celebration for the completion of a project. Its easier to
organise them with a ring around. There are also regular gatherings in
Newcastle and Dorrigo.

I find the level of interest in our internal affairs rather curious. Why do
you guys care about when we have a BBQ?

Trevor