AGM 2023: Message from our Chair
It was good to see such a good attendance at our AGM on 18th September. My anxiety that we would not reach our quorum of 20% of members attending proved to be unjustified!
I was able to give a very positive report on the past year’s activities across our interest groups, and it is clear that there is a great deal to be pleased about as new groups are formed and other well-established groups are flourishing. Of course, it is disappointing that one or two groups are currently not active, mainly because no-one has stepped forward to convene the group. The u3a is very much an organisation where members take the lead and contribute to the activities we run. It would be good to see more members volunteering to take the lead – and giving existing convenors a bit of time off! If you want to know more about what is involved, the Groups Coordinator, Barry Baker, would be very pleased to help. It really isn’t a daunting role, and is a really good way to contribute, to engage with more members and to make friends.
Members may have become a little tired of hearing or reading my pleas for more people to volunteer to serve on the committee. It seems my pleas have not been falling on deaf ears! I am delighted to report that we now have two new members of our committee – Khim Sim and George Mansfield – and Bob Clark has indicated that he will be pleased to be ‘co-opted’ on to the committee in the near future. These new members will give us the opportunity to review how the current tasks are distributed and how they are done. I have no doubt that our new members will make a significant contribution.
A good indication of the impact that Khim Sim can make is that her new role as convenor of the Lunch Club which has already seen members enjoy a meal at Sticky Rice and there is strong support for the Christmas Lunch.
It was also agreed to adopt a revised constitution for the Dawlish & District u3a. For most of us, this is a somewhat remote document which hardly impacts on our daily lives. However, there are some aspects of it which do make a real difference to the way we operate, in particular the length of time committee members and office holders can remain in place. If you wish to read more about this, the full document will be placed on our website as well as a brief explanation of what this entails.
John Vick
Chair, Dawlish & District u3a