Back to the real world
Since I have been back in the office for seven days only since the WEG, this newsletter will be brief, or at least that's what I thought when I started writing. World Equestrian Games AachenThe 2006 World Equestrian Games were a great success overall and certainly the most successful WEG for Australia so far. This is surely a boost to the sport and encouragement for our programs leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games. Congratulations again to all participants and supporting crew, including, of course, the horse owners, and our thanks to the Australian Sports Commission for its High Performance funding support, which financed much of our campaign. It is depressing, however, when one gets so many calls and e-mails from members upset by the destructive WEG commentary in some of the equestrian print and web media and the personal attacks on officials. One promising young jumping rider wrote to me saying: “It makes me feel like I should just give up now and quit riding as there seems in [the commentator's] eyes no point in trying to become a better rider!!” Maybe one day, media criticism will move to the constructive end of the scale and will also stop attacking individuals who do their best in often very challenging circumstances. We all live in hope .... Increased EFA Web trafficIt was good to see that the number of “page views” on our web increased by more than half during the months of August and September. Most of this was due to our WEG coverage, so expertly provided by our indefatigable WEG Publicity Officer Melanie Beeby, but the use of other web functions, particularly of our expanding search facilities, has also been rising rapidly. Talking about WEG, we have also just added a photo gallery consisting of three pages and will add a few more photos in the coming weeks. National BoardThe EFA National Board met on 24 September in Melbourne. A summary of business conducted will, as usual, be published on our web in the next few days (The EFA > The National Board) but briefly, matters included the affiliation of the RDAA and general affiliation matters, the administration of the Northern Territory Branch, the EFA National Annual Awards, the EFA National Forum, WEG matters and aspects of the EFA Medication Control program. Please note that three vacancies on the National Board will need to be filled before the AGM. Chairman Russ Withers is taking “early retirement”, and two directors, Mary Seefried and Kerry Brydon, are completing their first term and are expected to re-nominate for a second term. Nominations close 16 October 2006. EFA National ForumThe 2006 EFA National Forum will take place 18 - 19 November, in Melbourne this year. We are in the process of finalising the program and will send out invitations to Branches and other "stakeholders" in the next couple of weeks. The format of the event will be similar to last year's in Sydney, with a Welcome Cocktail Party on Saturday evening and the actual Forum on Sunday. Management Consultant Mike Smith will again be the facilitator. Australian Sport Commission CEO Mark Peters will be the keynote speaker on Sunday. Staff MovementsOur High Performance Administrator Louise McGregor has left the National Office to pursue a career outside the sport at a place closer to home. We are reviewing job responsibilities and will publish details of the vacancy soon on our web (The EFA > Employment Opportunities). We have also been advised that EFA Victoria Executive Officer Carl Wood will leaving the Branch in about four weeks and will become the CEO of Taekwondo Australia. We wish both well in their new careers. BusinessWe are about to finalise accounts for 2005-06, which will show a surplus for the year. The Financial Reports will be presented to the 2006 Annual General Meeting on 18 November 2006 and published on the web. We are also in the process of purchasing a unit in the "Homebush Business Village" development next door to the current location of the National Office. As often happens, Murphy's Law appears to have taken over in a number of areas but we expect the move to take place at the end of November. InsuranceRenewal applications from clubs, coaches and associations have been flowing into the National Office. This is, I hope, partly due to the generally reduced charges for the coming year. A big “thank you” to all those who have renewed early, and also for the excellent level of accuracy with which club secretaries and treasurers have calculated the amounts due. This makes life for us so much easier. And a message to all those who have not renewed as yet: Please do so soon. We are about to receive the invoice from Aon and need the money to pay it. Aon Assist – Affordable Roadside AssistanceAon is pleased to offer our members the new affordable Roadside Assistance program - Aon Assist. From as little as $49.50 (inc. GST) per annum Aon Assist will provide you with roadside assistance 24 hours a day 7 days a week, for motor vehicle related problems such as:
For further details please go to our web (see link below) or call 1300 130 237. Events in OctoberThere are two World Cup Jumping competitions in October, at the Perth Royal Show on 02 October and at Brigadoon on 21 October. The Australian Vaulting Championships will be held 06 - 08 October at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre. The Horseland Australian Dressage Championships will take place at the same beautiful venue 26 – 29 October and include a World Cup Dressage Qualifier. For other events, please check out the event calendar on our web, which now includes events listed by the Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania., South Australia and Western Australia Branches, and soon the NSW Branch, which is about to join our web. Supporters and SponsorsI cannot close without thanking our funding agencies, sponsors and supporters. Make it a good day! Franz Venhaus | ||
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