Terry
Well said. I have bit my tongue on much diatribe, some from those who are
not even members of GFA. Few are part of the solution, many should not
expand the problem, and most should just get out of the way.
I too do not necessarily support extend tenure of 'elected executives'.
The secretariat and other members should provide corporate history. And I
know of many who get into management and seldom get back into a glider. Do
a few years then go gliding again, but with a better appreciation of the
total context and more than moral support when necessary.
I also don't want CASA or Airservices to manage gliding, keeping my PPL
costs at least $500 p.a. [now that age makes my VFR CPL even less tenable].
Even the cost of security to get onto many airfields is onerous to me.
I don't want to be a member of the HGFA. PFA, RAA, SAA. And I have been a
member of the EAA that is a strong lobby in an aviation minded country.
Here I am happy with the GFA.
I can drive a car to any corner of Australia unfettered, but to do that in
the air costs heaps in a multitude of ways. Under the GFA travel is almost
unfettered.
I see the GFA is achieving much of what I want: to glide peacefully over
most of Australia self regulated.
What we need is a steady flow of people through club, state, and GFA
management to expand the body of personnel who understand the issues, talk,
and vote.
Please help with a solution, not divide.
Alan Wilson
Canberra
Ph 04 1623 1641
PS. Should I want to glide in controlled airspace I would fit a transponder
and accede to controlled airspace rules [as negotiated through GFA, or
RAPAC] or wherever I can. We need the GFA for some of that.
I see one of the bigger issues for the GFA is ensuring tug pilots will be
available.
Mike Borgelt, should you be entitled, and I were in your electorate, I would
support you being part of the challenge.
--------------------------------------------------
From: <cub...@vic.chariot.net.au>
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 6:53 PM
To: "Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia."
<aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net>
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] GFA matters.
It is a little hard keeping up with a lot of the rubbish being espoused on
this discussion list, must be
a change in the weather or the moon's phases at the moment?.
I am a little confused by the constant reference to the undemocratic
system of GFA. It doesn't
appear too different from the national political system. If you want to
serve, and have some great
(even radical) ideas, you only have to convince enough people that you are
serious and are
prepared to put in the hard work to convince the population that your idea
is worth the effort.
Unfortunately the most vocal writers to this list are not contributing in
any way to the sport, happy
to just do what they want to do, but loving to tell everyone else that
what they are doing is wrong -
easiest job in the world!
David Lawley or others who want to see some improvement can get onto the
GFA Board and save
us all. David, I assume you are on your club committee, if you have some
ideas, why not get your
fellow club members to let you attend the SAGA meeting (just like John
Hudson has done, and
David Conway, and Nigel and Anne etc). Then, if your ideas have merit, it
won't take much to get
SAGA to appoint you to the GFA Board. Then you get to give up 5 weekends a
year and spend as
much time as you can spare to seek views from your constituents so that
you can lead the GFA
along the 'right path'. Not too hard at all, and certainly meets my
definition of democracy.
It is easy for some of the normal doom sayers and critics on this list who
do "bugger all" to be
critical of outcomes or the pace of change, but then again you don't have
to balance your thinking
with that of others across the country, do you?
All that said, I strongly disagree with any push to extend the terms of
the board or executive
members. There is no need, and if you just leave the incumbents doing the
job then there is no
incentive for anyone else to 'stand up'. It sounds like the issue is
around a lack of succession
planning. It won't be good if they all expire at the same time, so I
encourage a few people to step
down a little earlier to ensure a better transition. Maybe we should
support an Aus-Soaring
delegate to represent this group on the GFA board to replace the current
members - we could
lobby ourselves?
Disclaimer - I don't use a spellchecker and have fat fingers, so any
errors are typos not spelling
mistakes.
Terry
Quoting David Lawley <davidlaw...@hotmail.com>:
If that is so there is no way I am having half of my brain removed so
I can be a part of the administration, otherwise I am apparently
well qualified (-: !
Fact is I wouldnt want to get involved in the current system, which
is a classic example of groupthink. Like the Borg in star trek,
people are either assimilated or die (leave in frustration). Even
those with the best of ideas and intention are effected.
Stop it please Rolf I am dying of laughter here, I am afraid that if
you have radical ides for change you can forget it you can't get
elected to the board without being part of the groupthink mentality
that has a gerrymander on the current undemocratic system by which
the board is chosen.
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