No 42
August 25, 2001
Hi
friends,
To date,
my own experience of this hobby of ours has been very positive. I thoroughly enjoy every
aspect of the game and not least the fun and fellowship of club membership. I
have never met such a friendly, helpful bunch of lads as those with whom I share
membership at my club, and the gentle ribbing that goes on between us -
generally in respect of our respective demonstrations of flying skills from time
to time - is just up my street and adds a great deal to the enjoyment of an
afternoon at the field.
But it's
not always like that, apparently! In the last couple of weeks I have heard
first-hand from someone (I'll call him Fred) who has been kicked out of his
club by the club committee because he disagreed with their non-acceptance of the
result of a vote taken at an EGM (Extra-ordinary General Meeting), and dared to
say so. Fred told the committee that they were acting illegally by ignoring the
decision - and then
received a letter telling him he was out! Arising from this, the members of the
club passed a vote of no confidence in the committee, but it has not been
accepted as the Committee was voted in at the AGM (Annual General Meeting) and
cannot be voted out! The majority of members stand by Fred and continue to fight
his corner for him. It seems to me that it is perfectly reasonable for an
ordinary member to query why a vote at an EGM has been ignored just because some
members of the committee do not like the decision reached - and as to the
retaliatory action taken by the committee on being challenged - well, for once
I'm lost for words! Such actions make a complete mockery of the democratic structure of a club,
don't you think?
Officially,
Fred is now not supposed to fly at the club site but I get the impression
that, in view of the support of other members and that he has paid his fees for
the year, he may well still put in an appearance. I'll let you know if I hear
more.
The sad
thing about this sort of situation is the damage it does to the hobby and the
ill-feeling and rancour that it engenders. Those who act like this are,
thankfully, in the minority but often they are the noisiest and therefore more
noticeable and make the biggest impression on newcomers to the hobby, with
obvious results.
On the last issue, I introduced you to 76-year-old John Anderson,
for whom the love of flying has been part of his life since his earliest boyhood
memories. Fighter pilot, airline pilot, crop duster pilot and stunt pilot were
all part of an adventurous career "in the clouds" that spanned more
than 40 years. I was quite overwhelmed when John recently sent me a copy of his
autobiography A Life in the Clouds and I am now thoroughly enjoying
reading it - thank you so much, John. The spin-offs of this little website
continue to amaze me - my circle of model flying friends gets ever wider!
Regards to all,
 |
On the opening screen, a
delightful shot of our friend Tore Loodin from Sweden launching
his I-Don't-Know-Wot ('cos he didn't identify it!). Click the minipic on the left to return to the
opening screen; click
the thumbnail on the right for an unobscured view of the photo.
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ModelFlight
Reg Heath
·
60 South View
Gardens ·
Andover ·
Hants ·
SP10 2AQ ·
UK
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