Note from the EA Chair

Dear Members,

The AGM has come and gone, and I find myself as Chair of your Board. I write this as an interim and quick note as a first of what I hope will be many such notes.

There have been changes in Board membership as individuals make choices about their comfort with the direction EA should take. Your Board and I want to acknowledge the contribution they have made. We thank all those Directors who have gone before us, for their contribution, recognizing that we are all only temporarily granted the privilege of guiding the organization, on behalf of the members.

EA is in better shape than it was even twelve months ago. Our financial position is sound but not great. There have been significant improvements in safety and this very important work is continuing with the upcoming employment of a full time safety officer.

We need to be efficient and effective in our administration, governance and structure. We should seek high performance always and everywhere. The structure of our sport no longer serves us well.

The Board doesn’t have an answer but we all know that our current structure is not good enough. We need to put the entire organization under a microscope and consider all approaches to simply be better. No one person has all the good ideas. We will look for a mechanism for broad contribution to and debate on, our future. However, communication must always be respectful.

It saddens me to say, some communications on social media in particular have been unacceptable. Personal abuse and vilification is not ok. EA disciplinary processes will be invoked, if required. We are quick to find fault, rather than accepting that mistakes do happen. We cannot control the behaviours of commentators outside EA, but we can and must control ourselves.

As a Board we are concerned about the culture and behaviour across the sport and are directly initiating a program, controlled by the Board, to look at cultural change.

We encourage the contribution of all. We must practice thanking one another personally, more often.

EA has some 18,500 amazing members. We are all inspired by the love of the horse. We have the most incredible volunteers, officials, organisers, sponsors, horse owners and breeders, coaches, riders, drivers and vaulters. Many of these amazing people have spent a large part of their lifetime involved in our sport. Let’s salute one another; we have so much more in common than in ways we differ.

We will strive to encourage a kinder and more compassionate place, in which members matter – each and every member, in each State and Territory. From Interschool children, some as young as seven years old on ponies, through to those members, who have seen it all and done it all and may be over 70 years of age.

The welfare of the horse is always and will always be our priority. The whole community consents to our right to be custodians of our wonderful horses only because we put their welfare first.

We hope to reach out and engage with you, by meeting face to face around the country over the next year.

We will work to ensure members services are improved and take care to work to keep our sport affordable.

Our aim is to encourage mediation before litigation.

Your Board and I are here to make EA a better place. It won’t happen overnight, but if we work together, we can do what has to be done.

We will make mistakes and am bound to disappoint some of you. However, rest assured we will do our best to work with you and for you over the next twelve months.

There is much to be done to put EA back on a sound and respected footing.

Please be kind to one another,

Ricky MacMillan
Chair EA