Invitation to the PBAS Annual General Assembly 2009

[KajF]

Invitation to the
 
PBAS Annual General Assembly 2009

 

 

 

Dear Pipe Bands


 

The Board of the Pipe Band Association of Scandinavia (PBAS) would hereby like to invite your band to the 2009 Annual General Assembly in the PBAS.

The General Assembly will take place at 7:00 p.m. Friday, February the 13th 2009 at Hjortespring Skole, Dildhaven 40, 2730 Herlev, Denmark, which is also the Venue for the Copenhagen Winter Competition 2009.

 

During the past two years, the PBAS has suffered heavily from lack of activity. The prospect of this general assembly is to discuss the need of a Scandinavian organisation to take care of rules and coordinating pipe band activities in Scandinavia. It will be influenced by the fact, that there has been no general assembly in 2008, and that many of the latest elected members, including the chairman, are no longer active on the Scandinavian pipe band scene.

The remaining board however would like to stress the importance of maintaining a Scandinavian association to deal with these issues. It is important to have an organisation, which to the greatest extent possible in the Scandinavian pipe band world neutrally can administer rules, and help to solve disputes.

With these words we would like to welcome you all to the 2009 General Assembly of the PBAS.

 

According to the laws of the PBAS, we prefer to have two representatives of each competing band present. Each Band has two votes, regardless of whether they have one, two or more representatives present, however, but a band can only vote with a representative present.

It has however come to our attention that you are not presently a paying member of the PBAS. This, however, will by no means prevent your participation in the meeting, however, you will not be able to vote on the occation. We kindly ask for your understanding on this issue.


 

The Agenda is as follows – with commentaries in italics.

 

1.     Opening of the Meeting.

2.     Adjustment of the Agenda – any suggestions kindly to be sent to the Secretary, Kaj Framke on email: kframke@gmail.com

3.     Confirming the register of votes, new members.

4.     Question of whether the meeting was properly summoned? - § 16 in the laws, reads: "Summons to any member meeting are to be sent out to the members no later than three weeks prior to the meeting". As this clause has obviously been broken with this late summon, we hope that the general meeting will dispense off this clause, considering the present circumstances of the organisation.

5.     Election of chairman and secretary for the meeting.

6.     Election of two members to check the minutes.

7.     The annual report. - As the last elected chairman of the PBAS has resigned, there is no current chairman to make the report. The secretary will make an attempt at one instead.

8.     Financial report, by Treasurer Lejf Fomsgaard.

9.     Auditor's report.

10.  Adopting the reports.

11.  Membership fee for the current year.

12.  Election of chairman for the next period. - A new one is to be found. None has yet volunteered or been suggested.

13.  Election of members of the committee (secretary, treasurer, two members and two deputy members).

14.  Election of two auditors.

15.  Election of two members to the electoral committee.

16.  Election of other officials (e.g. interpreter of rules, music board.)

17.  Appointment of organisers of major competitions. - For this season everything is in place. Benny Larsen is considering organising SOC in 2010.

18.  Issues to be put forward by the Committee. - Given the current state of the organisation a number of important issues must be discussed and cleared.

¨               The role of the PBAS in the future, including giving the board of the PBAS the authority of mediator and decision maker in disputes regarding judging and rules. – this would mean a change in the laws of the PBAS, which due to the late summoning of the General Assembly ought not be decided conclusively. However, an extraordinary assembly at the SOC would be a possibility to make the final decision.

¨               Contacting Norwegian and other Scandinavian pipe bands.

19.  Issues handed in by members. - As previously stated, any suggestions kindly to be sent to the Secretary, Kaj Framke on email: kframke@gmail.com

20.  Other issues of brief information

21.  Closing of the meeting.

 

 

 

On behalf of the PBAS Board

 

 

 

Kaj Framke

 

PBAS Secretary

[KajF]

A word from the Chairman

Hello everybody.

First of all, I'd like to thank you all very much for attending the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on february the 13th.

As i have stated so many times - before, during and now after the meeting, it is of extreme importance that we get the PBAS up and running again. In terms of attendance, quality of discussions, decisiveness and effectiveness, the AGM was a great succes and a large step in the right direction.

Going more into detail, I'll start by pointing out that we have now clarified a number of issues about which there has been too much confusion up till now.

• By scrutiny of the constitution, it has been established that the rule interpretors have the last word in questions of dispute about judging at a given competition.
• A harmonisation of the solo rules has been decided to make the rule systems match better at the CWC and the SOC.
• There has been made a clarification of the rules on Dress Code.

Moving on, to some of the challenges of the coming season:

• Contacting other Scandinavian bands, with whom the PBAS is not yet affiliated, primarily in Norway but also in Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
• The PBAS should take charge of ensuring that someone arranges the Danish Open Championships just like we do know with the Scandinavian Championships.
• Schedule the arranging of the SOC and DOC two years ahead rather than now - one year ahead.
• Implementing an evaluation of the arranging of major competitions approx. 4 months prior, to ensure proper standards of different issues, including but not limited to judge standards, official status and accomodation.

Lastly, the web site, our main means of communication needs a makeover, including:

• Updated competition rules
• Board Members, including e-mail information
• Account Information
• Minutes of the AGM and past AGMs
• Overview of PBAS-competition results from the past
• Competition venues of the present and the future
• Settings of the PBAS standard tunes with Highland Laddie to be included ASAP

All the details described here are to be found in the minutes from the AGM, which are going to be posted and uploaded shortly. I felt it was important to show you all that finally, something is happening in the PBAS and I look forward to address the many issues and challenges that lay ahead. I have no doubt in my heart that if you all show but a fraction of the spirit and determination i could feel at the AGM, all our goals can be fulfilled to the benefit of the Scandinavian Pipe Band World as a whole. I look very much forward to the cooperation with the new board, and the appointed officials, e.g. the newly (re)elected rule interpreters and music board.

Lastly and least importantly, I'd like to thank you for electing me chairman, and of course a personal thank goes to Secretary David Lundgreen for nominating me.

Yours sincerely

Kaj Framke
PBAS Chairman