Marks AGM Notes
Introductions
Conducted by Lance Rudd, who introduced those on stage as
Mr Steven Sharp, Mr. Rob Sassen, Mr. Raymond Price, Mr. John Kolc, Mr. Bob Bentley (Group CEO / Former CEO) Mr. Bryane Belling, Tony Cinque (CFO) and Mr Ken Edwards (CEO), Mr. Roy Spagnolo (Chairman), Mr. Sid Kelly.
2. Meeting Open at around 10:10
3. Apologies
The Chair offered apologies from Mr. Eric Grothe Snr. There were others, but I failed to note them down.
4. Opening Address by the Chairman
Mr Spagnolo addressed the meeting to remind everyone that the meeting was about the District club and not the leagues club or the NRL side.
5. Declaration of Election for the Board of Directors
Mr. Fenwick (LM 89) asked to speak before this. He addressed the meeting that there was an incident of underage voting at the election. According to Mr. Fenwick, the returning officer (Mr. Terry O'Brien) informed the gathered candidates at the front of the club around 1PM, that there was no age limit to voting. Later in the day Mr. O'Brien informed the candidates that an age limit of 16 years was to be imposed as this was noted in the clubs constitution. Mr. Fenwick believed this was due to the Returning officer not being accredited with the AEC. Mr. Fenwick asked the board to consider appointing a Returning officer for the next election that is accredited with the AEC.
Mr. Spagnolo said that would be taken under advisement.
Mr. Terry O'Brien (Returning Officer) took the floor to explain the situation of the underage voter. A member under the age of 16 was permitted to vote. This was due to inaccurate record keeping and the DOB of the members not being on the role. This was 1 vote only, and this vote did not affect the voting. measures will be put in place to stop underage voting.
749 Votes cast.
Elected members.
Grothe E Snr 488
Kelly S 413
Grothe E Jr 411
Price R 398
Spags 389
Sharp S 372
Sassen R 349
Before closing Mr O'Brien, asked if the membership had any questions for him before he discharged his role. There were no questions.
6. Receipt of Minutes of the 65"Annual General Meeting
First and Seconded. Taken as Read.
7. Business Arising
Matter to be moved to General Business.
8. Adoption of Minutes of the 65 Annual General Meeting
Adopted by Majority.
9. Receipt and Adoption of Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 October 2012
First and Seconded.
Questions arising.
On Page 14, Section 2, Revenue is listed as 185,731 from member’s subscription, 818,000 from Leagues club Grant and 151,877 from Sundry Income. What is the Sundry income?
Tony Cinque responded that due to the clubs Eels Read program this amount was not included in the grant for last year, and this year. Last year was 80K this year 70K which covers the sundry income.
On Page 17, Section c) Key management Personnel compensation. Who are these Key Personnel, including who is the Managing director ?
Tony Cinque replied they are the Board and the CEO.
Response, might be better if we used the titles we use and not a boiler plate.
Tony took that under advisement.
Asked if this was to get around Fringe Benefits tax
Mr Spagnolo advised this was part of the CEO remuneration, and was not subject to FBT.
The person asking did not accept that notion.
The Annual report was adopted by a Majority.
10. Election of Life Members
Daryl Atkins
Accepted.
Steve Ryan
Accepted.
Neil Hunt
Accepted.
Sid Kelly
Accepted.
Jeff Oakely
Accepted.
Hayden Knowles
First by Mark Hepworth (1442)
Spoken to by Peter Serrao and Mark Hepworth
Accepted.
Those present received their medallions from Mr. Price.
Sid Kelly spoke about being a young man from Tenterfield growing up in the 1950, his heroes were all from the Parramatta football club, he moved to Sydney in 1960 and became a member of this club in 1961, and was honored to be given Life membership.
Hayden Knowles spoke about his love for the club and how honored he was to have gotten the respect of players coaches and fans at the club and this award was proof of that respect.
Daryl Atkins spoke, thanking the previous boards for appointing him to the positions they had during his time at the club. Thanked the people who he has been involved with, the current board for nominating him and the assembled members for voting in favor of his Life membership.
Steve Ryan thanked the members of bestowing the honor of life membership on him.
11. Presentation of Awards
Ken Edwards announced the Awards.
Jack Boyle Tackling award - Nathan Hindmarsh. Unfortunatly Nathan is somewhere in country NSW playing Secret Santa so he cannot be present to accept.
Murray Wilson Try scoring Award - Ken Sio. Unfortunately Ken went out for Dinner the night before and was now at a Medical centre on a drip to battle the food poisoning that those that ate (including a member of the coaching staff) had suffered, so he could not be there to accept.
12. Notices of Motion
12.1.
Life Members of the Club be allocated a membership badge.
Proposed, Seconded and Adopted.
12.2.
Members other than Life Members of the Club, not be allocated a Membership
Badge save and except where a Member requests, in writing, that a membership
badge be allocated to that Member.
Questions on the Motion from
Denis Fitzgerald (LM 30) - Why is this motion being put to the meeting?
Ken Edwards - The badges are a cost the club is looking to reduce. The club does not mind minting badges but doesn't want to keep minting them if they are going to sit at the FC office all year and require a large mail out to get rid of them.
Mark Hepworth (1442) - Can we make this easy like a check box with registration for those eligible to receive these.
Ken Edwards - Yes.
Motion was First and Seconded.
Motion passed with 1 against.
13. Correspondence
No Correspondence was received.
14. General Business
Ken Edwards presented a Power Point presentation on Emjaycee’s question from last year, in relation to KPI’s for Junior progression through the club to NRL level, with stats of over 40% of our current NRL and 60% of our NYC squad are Parramatta juniors, compared to last years Grand Finalists the Bulldogs with one.
Ken also spoke about membership goals and how the club was looking to fit in with the NRL’s strategic direction, also Parramatta hope to have a strategic direction plan by February next year (2013)
Open up the floor - Groan
Denis Fitzgerald (LM30)
Three Points
1) Who is the club secretary, is it Mr. Bentley, Mr. Edwards, or as stated earlier in the meeting Mr. Gerard.
Ken said he had never said he was secretary. Mr. Fitzgerald said that he asked Mr. Edwards directly about that yesterday and that was the answer he had received. Mr. Fitzgerald in speaking about there being no constitutional statute for more than one secretary, and had received legal advice on this matter.
2) A Soliloquy about Murray Wilson who loaned the club $250,000 in 1982 when the club was broke and this is the reason the award is named after him.
Roy asked was there a question. Denis said, no he was making a statement on the History of the award as he believed it was important.
3) Chris Jurd Life membership. Mr. Jurds life membership was submitted with Club Patrons, Alan Overton and Don Ritchie as signatories to the application, Mr. Jurd joined the club in the 1970's and has been a as a lawyer, chaired the Parramatta District Judiciary Appeals panel for almost 40 years, as well as being a director since the late 1990's. Mr. Fitzgerald asked was Mr. Jurd's application rejected because he was associated with him (Denis).
Mr. Spagnolo responded,” that might have been true in you day Denis”, the only reason it was not put forward was that there were a large number of applications before Mr. Jurd’s, and the club was uncomfortable with that number and will look to have less in the future. Gave an example that Hayden Knowles was put up for nomination last year by Mark Hepworth and was not successful but this year it was, Mr. Jurd has the opportunity to be nominated again next year.
- During this point there were plenty of interjections about the money Denis supposedly stole, Mr. Fitzgerald responded, "What Money?"
Brian Jolly, spoke about being disappointed that we missed out on Izzy and how this had marked Israel.
Phil Sim,
Two Points
1) about the Structure of the club and if the board would consider changing the way the club is structured to give FC members direct control of the NRL side.
Mr Spagnolo said he believe the structure was right and on review believes it should continue.
2) Proxy voting, why is it not allowed ?
Mr. Spagnolo replied that it was not in the constitution. Mr. Sim said he looked at the constitution and it was not in there. That was referred to club Lawyer Mr. Belling, who stated that he would have to look into that. Mr. Fitzgerald from the floor noted that for the Leagues club proxy voting is not allowed under the registered clubs act, and the FC copies those rules for simplicity.
Mario Libertini
1) (I can't remeber)
2) Noted that Proxy voting wasn't important in the last two elections, why is it important now?
One Further speaker.
(Sorry my memory banks were full and wanted it to end).
15. Close
Drinks and Finger food
