President’s Message
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hope this message finds you and your families well and enjoying these beautiful Autumn days. April was a busy month for the governance of Dogs Queensland and tinged with some deep sadness with the loss of some wonderful people in our dog world. We mourn the passing of Mr George Ness, Mr Ken Iggleden and Mrs Rena Henderson. They were very much individuals who made huge contributions over many decades to the conformation show world as judges and exhibitors and also to their chosen breeds. Many members benefited from their generous mentoring over decades. They will be sadly missed, and our thoughts are with their families and friends. On the governance front, we had the Annual General Meeting (AGM) by Zoom of our company, Canine Control Council (Queensland) Ltd with the presentation of the independently audited Financial Statements for the 2020 COVID year. This happened on Wednesday, 31 March, with the meeting postponed due to the lockdown a fortnight earlier. As members know, we came through this difficult year financially well and this has given us a good buffer to meet the challenges that will no doubt continue to occur this year. March/April was also a transitional period with the old Board having its final meetings and the new Board forming for its first meeting after the AGM when the new Executive was elected. I look forward to continuing in the role of President for the next two years and congratulate Ms Carolyn Pearen and Mrs Barbara Murfet on their election to the Senior Vice President and Junior Vice President roles. Dogs Queensland has two director positions on the board of our national dog body, the Australian National Kennel Council Ltd and I welcome Carolyn Pearen to join me as a director in that governance role as well. As members would be aware, the Board has refreshed the description of committees and called for expressions of interest from members interested in making a contribution. This is a great way to give something back to your dog world and I encourage you to consider putting your hand up. I know we have
some real talent and expertise in a range of fields amongst our members and it would be great to tap into that more. Volunteers are in short supply at many of our events. Do think about contacting the office if you can assist at an event. For instance, COVID Compliance Officers are in short supply and on line training is available. Your assistance would be most appreciated in a whole range of roles. Last week we had a most productive meeting with the Brisbane City Council. Our Durack Sports Grounds are in the BCC area and they are most keen to collaborate with Dogs Queensland on dog ownership related initiatives. They have undertaken research recently that has revealed that 90% of dogs are microchipped. Although a high percentage it should be 100%. More concerning is the fact that only 48% of dogs are registered. It seems that many dog owners are unaware of the need to register their dogs with the council. This is an area where our breeders can assist with providing information to new puppy owners. The council is looking to provide us with online links and hard copy brochures for inclusion in puppy packs. BCC is running a Pet Fair at Whites Hill on Saturday, 19 June, 2021. We are looking at having a Dogs Queensland stand at this event. Breed clubs are also invited to have stands at this event free of any council charge. It will be a great opportunity to get our messages out to the wider community. For more information and to register your interest contact Rob at rob@dogsqueensland.org.au Thanks to all those involved in staging the Anzac Day Show and the quite beautiful sunset service honouring our troops and service dogs in this most important National day. It was very poignant. This is a wonderful collaboration with the RSL Forest Lake Sub Branch and we particularly thank the President, Mr Steve Ford, and Ms Margaret Wedgewood for their work. The ceremony was videoed by Mr Daryl Cross and is available through our website. Ulla Greenwood, President
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DOG WORLD May 2021
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