RPRA CEO Financial Report presentation -

[willie reynolds]

Good evening Ladies and gentlemen,

I hope you are all keeping safe and well and are not too inundated with calls asking you when fanciers can start training their birds! I am writing to you all as regional secretaries to advise you of the meeting that the West Midlands Region held on Thursday evening via zoom. As you know, the recent Report on the financial status of both the RPRA and The British Homing World has raised some recommendations that will undoubtedly be put forward as propositions for the RPRA AGM that it is hoped will take place in early Summer.
In preparation for having to mandate our representatives to vote on these propositions, the West Midlands Committee has a series of conversations around the possible implications and impact these would have if voted in, and it became clear that we were at that point ill-informed to go back to our members to seek a fair and robust mandate. At the same time Ian Evans was in contact with regions with the offer of meeting with all committees to discuss the report and how we moved forward with it. We gladly took Ian up on his offer, and so it was that on Thursday evening Ian and the executive committee joined the West Midlands Committee for a presentation of the report and a rigorous discussion afterwards.
Our Committee meeting had 90% attendance, and it is fair to say that the Executive Committee were thoroughly questioned and my committee members were definitely not shy in voicing the concerns of our members. We were in agreement with the fact that the suggestions made in the report will need to generate actions, but the pace and form that this take is a very moot point amongst members at present.

It is clear that some things need to be done now to start to tackle the financial problems facing the RPRA - they simply won't go away. As regional secretaries we need to ensure that delegates attending the RPRA AGM are carrying the wishes of the members, and that mandates reflect a clear understanding of the background, impact, intentions and limitations of any propositions arising from the financial report. I have absolutely no doubt that West Midlands Regional Committee benefitted from the opportunity to have the presentation and a discussion afterwards, and I would have no hesitation in recommending that all regions take Ian up on his offer to meet with each region within one of their committee meetings.

Finally, in this era of embracing technology, is there an appetite amongst Regional Secretaries to create a WhatsApp group exclusively for regional secretaries so that the least experienced in the role amongst us can benefit from the experience of longer serving secretaries. If you feel that such a group would be of benefit, then please let me know and forward your mobile number.

Take care, stay safe, and enjoy your racing.

Drew Callan
West Midlands Regional Secretary.