President’s Message
“
I
am writing this message on 2 July, the third day of our snap lockdown across much of Queensland. I am hoping that the contact tracers manage to get ahead of the game so that the lockdown can lift completely tomorrow. Although we have been relatively fortunate in Australia and we have returned to more of a normal situation, we need to be prepared for the unexpected, and factor that into our day to day lives. It is encouraging to see more vaccinations happening across the nation and benefits will flow from that. Shows and sports events have been impacted across Queensland and interstate. Hopefully many of these events will be able to be rescheduled later in the year. A bouquet to those club secretaries who are juggling arrangements and changes often at the last minute and under considerable stress. They are some of the great volunteers of our dog world, dedicating many hours of their time to ensure that our events run like clockwork.
The Ekka
The Board has decided to have a Dogs Queensland stall at the dog pavilion this year. A Paw Prints message has called for volunteers to work on the stall on half day shifts. It is a great opportunity to engage with the public about what our dog world is all about and the many ways individuals, couples and families can have fun with their dog in our many, many disciplines. So, if you would like to participate in this event as an ambassador for Dogs Queensland please contact the office as soon as possible. I suspect the spots will fill up pretty quickly. If you are successful in getting a spot remember that you need to stay on duty for the entire shift. I would also like to thank our members who have agreed to share their expertise and steward at both the conformation shows and dog sports over the 9 days of the Ekka. It is major commitment and I know that a number of stewards take leave from their workplace to fulfil that voluntary commitment.
Board Matters
As members are aware, the Canine Control Council (Queensland) Limited is our corporate body and is a company limited by guarantee and is subject to the Corporations Act. Consequently, all of our directors have duties under that legislation, and it is so important that our Board works effectively for the good
governance of our Queensland dog world. For this reason, we have routinely had director training with Board Matters every 2 years and following an election. It is a good opportunity for new directors to undergo the one-day training and for continuing directors to have a bit of a refresher with good, open discussions in a round table format. This training happened this last Monday with Jennifer Robertson and was well received. It was immediately followed by a Board meeting, so it made for a very long day for those attending! But very worthwhile.
Presidents, Secretaries and Treasurers Meeting
We missed this meeting in 2020 but it is coming up on Monday 12 July at 7pm. We have nearly 200 affiliated clubs in all our disciplines, and this is the opportunity for members of club executives to meet with the Board and General Manager to discuss matters of mutual interest and to explore areas where additional support can be provided by Dogs Queensland to the clubs. New technology has been happening at many of our shows and events and I expect this will be on the agenda.
Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC)
On Saturday, 19 June, we had a Zoom meeting of our national body, the ANKC. Although Dogs Queensland has an independent and autonomous governance, we have the benefit of working cooperatively with the other States and Territories in the ANKC. The ANKC has overarching responsibility for our national database too. Larger States, such as ours, contribute 2 directors to the ANKC Board. The current Queensland directors are Senior Vice President, Carolyn Pearen and me. The operational costs of the ANKC are funded by the State and Territory bodies in a number of ways, including on a percentage basis, related to the proportion of members we have compared to the national total. There are some interesting and important matters being progressed by that Board and I will keep you informed of developments as the year progresses. Please stay safe and be kind to each other.
”
– Ulla Greenwood, President Dogs Queensland
