Presidents Report 2022

To say this year has been turbulent would be an understatement. The effects of COVID continued to plague Council and Club operations for the entire year and the return to normality is still considered a long way off even though Government regulations have eased the personal impacts remain.

Our long-term planning was well entrenched with our regular venue at the Grand Chancellor in Hindley Street however the fact that it was a designated Covid Hotel weighed heavily on those few arranging the event which unfortunately had been cancelled in Victoria for the previous two years.

A late call was made in January to also cancel the SA event and this was not well received throughout the various ANBC states and zones.

This then lead to a submission to assess a restricted access event controlled by Covid regulations that allowed the event to run in a far reduced format that was the usual programming. Incredibly the event was arranged in three months with the extreme vigour of a very small group led by Wayne Weidenhofer and this group, with limited or no experience in National operations, pulled it together and the event proceeded at the McCracken Country Club at Victor Harbor with Covid still effecting club members and even staff at that venue. Many changes had to be made to the usual operations and these immense variations saw the event run and managed with strict guidelines in place. Some of these inventive changes may well be looked at in the future by other
host states and zones in their future operational processes to manage their events.

Financial changes to money raising allowed the Council to turn around a perceived substantial loss, through regular income streams, to run the event with a minimal impact to the BCSA and these changes must also be a precursor to the Council moving forward with the help of fresh faces and processes in its general operations.

To all that assisted in the planning and operations of this ANBC National event, seen as the premier event on the Australian calendar for the hobby, my heartfelt thanks goes to all involved. Further I wish to thank all Club Delegates for their involvement during the year, along with those who sat in on ANBC meetings and expanded their knowledge in that area. This made the role of President / Secretary a far easier operational activity during this past year.

I have been involved with the BCSA since its inception over 20 years ago and in that time undertaken every role in management that exists along with some others we had created. It is now considered timely that I hand over these management positions to someone who can continue the enhancement of the Council in the 21st century. Actions by members over the last six months gives me some solace that the operations of Council will continue to move forward.

I would also like to extend my thanks to John Mulley who is standing down as Treasurer after an extended period in that role. All should give thanks to John for a job extremely well done. If required I can assist this coming year in the role of Immediate Past President of the ANBC to ease the transition in that area. The ANBC Constitution accepts a nominated person from the past state to hold that position if so elected.

I will look forward to a more active role on the show bench rather that the administrative impacts of the past twenty years and try to get that elusive fourth ANBC win in the Black Eyed Self class.

Peter Glassenbury
4/7/22