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NOTICE OF THE 2019 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AUSTRALIAN RANGELAND SOCIETY

(From the Range Management Newsletter 19/1)

(From the Range Management Newsletter 19/1 )

 

NOTICE OF THE 2019 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE

AUSTRALIAN RANGELAND SOCIETY

The 2019 Annual General Meeting of the Australian Rangeland Society will be held on:

Wednesday 22nd May 2019

at 5 pm (QLD time)

at 135 Wren Street, Longreach, Queensland, 4070

or

by teleconference

(Dial-in details available from the Secretary – Bob Shepherd 0467 802 430 or boblee.sheperd@bigpond.com)

 

The agenda will include:

    1. Open Meeting
    2. Apologies
    3. Minutes of the 2018 Annual General Meeting
    4. Receive the President’s report
    5. Receive the Financial Reports
    6. Elections for office bearers of the Society*
    7. Motions on notice**
    8. General business

The AGM will be followed by light refreshments.  Please let President David Phelps know if you will be attending in person on 0427270259 or david.gphelps@bigpond.com

 

*Elections for office bearers of the Society
Section 16 of the Articles of Association of the Society provide for elections in each alternate year beginning in 1983 commencing at the end of the next Annual General Meeting. Positions are held for four years and Members of Council may not serve more than two four-year terms (eight consecutive years) on Council.  The Officers of the Society are President, Finance and Audit Officer and Secretary. Up to five General Council Members complete the eight-member Council.  However for the 2018 AGM no members are completing their 8th term, therefore there are no council vacancies.

 

For the 2019 AGM the name is shown with an expression of their intention to nominate.

President                                                          David Phelps                      – continuing member

Secretary                                                          Bob Shepherd                    – continuing member

Finance and Audit Officer                      Don Burnside                     – continuing member

General Council Members                     Andrew Ash                        – continuing member

Cathy Waters                      – continuing member

Dionne Walsh                     – continuing member

Angus Whyte                      – continuing member

Megan Munchenberg     – continuing member

 

**Motions on notice are set out in this notice.
Any financial member wishing to place a motion on notice before the Annual General Meeting must ensure that the signed motion is lodged with the President by Wednesday 1st May 2019 at david.gphelps@bigpond.com .

 

Motions on Notice

Motion 1

Solvency resolution

“That the Directors have reason to believe that the Australian Rangeland Society Ltd will be able to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable.”

 

Motion 2

Appointment of Auditors

“That Lee Green Strategic Accountants be appointed as The ARS auditors for 2019.”

Motion 3

New Australian Rangeland Society Award

“That an annual Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management be established that recognises recipients who have rendered a significant contribution to the betterment of the rangelands.

 

Preamble

The ARS has only one formal award, being that of a Fellowship.  The Guidelines state that a Fellowship can be awarded to

“Any person who has rendered or is rendering distinguished service to the Society or to the rangelands, may be appointed a Fellow of the Australian Rangeland Society by Council acting on the written nomination of not fewer than six members, submitted to Council”.

Fellowships have only been awarded to members of the Society, with the criteria including both service to the Society and to the rangelands.  Further, the rules (established in 2010) require that the Fellow must have been a member of the ARS for 10 continuous years.  Finally, there is a limit of the number of Fellows to 4 per cent of Society members.  Including complimentary members, there are 205 members, allowing appointment of 8 Fellows at any one time.  We currently have 6 Fellows, with one retired Fellow.  Preparation of another nomination is underway.

These rules and their implementation limit the Society’s capacity to recognise people who are not members, but who are making or have made an outstanding contribution to rangeland science and or management.  These people include pastoralists, natural park managers, traditional owners, NRM managers, environmental managers on mines, philanthropists etc.

 

Proposal

Establishment of an annual Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management.  The recipient of this award shall have rendered, or is making, a significant contribution to the betterment of the rangelands.

 

Purpose

The Award will recognise people who have made or are making a significant contribution to rangeland management across biophysical, economic, social or governance domains.  Presentation of the Award will also raise the profile of the ARS as an organisation committed to the rangelands, its people and activities.

 

Determination

Awards of Excellence in Rangeland Management will be given, or not given, by the Council on the basis of a written nomination (not less than 200 and not more than 500 words), which documents the contribution of the nominee to the rangelands, together with citation of not more than 100 words for publication in ARS and other media.  The nomination is to be supported by six members of the Society, two of whom must be Council members.

 

Criteria for the nominations

  • Length of time associated with the rangelands.
  • Nature of the commitment to the use and management of the rangelands.
  • Unique contribution to the science and/or art of rangeland management.
  • Contribution to building capacity in the rangelands community.

 

Process

(The process presented here is similar to that for nominating and approving the appointment of a Fellow).

a)     Any member of the Society may nominate a person for consideration for an Award of Excellence.  The nomination is to be supported by evidence of meeting the criteria and endorsed by six members of the Society, two of whom must be Council members

b)     The award is to be made by Council, who may appoint a special committee to consider nominations, if they so wish.  Nominations are to be assessed against the ‘criteria’.

c)     Nominations can be submitted to Council at any time, but in the event that an Award is to be given, it will be announced at the subsequent AGM.

d)     Publicity can commence after the Award is announced, with the Awardee to be formally presented at their ‘home location’ in the company of family, colleagues and others by the nearest available Council member or their representative.  This will also raise the profile of the ARS.  The Awardee needs to be further recognised at the subsequent Biennial Conference.

 

Nature and benefit of the Award

A recipient of the Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management will receive a medal and framed certificate to be presented at their ‘home location’ with the winner recognised at the subsequent Biennial Conference, a year’s complimentary membership of the ARS and complimentary registration of the subsequent Biennial Conference.

In return, there will be an expectation that the recipient will give a talk to the conference about their life and work related to the rangelands.  Because the Conference is only held every two years, there will be up to two people receiving their Awards of Excellence at each Conference.

The presentation of the award needs to be publicised widely to raise the profile of excellence in rangeland management, and also the profile of the ARS.