SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

---------------------------------------------
Zone News - Southeast Ontario
Date last modified : October 24, 2005
Created by : Austin Taylor -- 61339
Subject : Notice of Special Zone Meeting
News: Notice of MAAC Special Zone Meeting (South East Zone)
7:30 p.m. November 17, 2005
Pickering Senior’s Lawn Bowling Centre
910 Liverpool Road
Pickering, Ontario

Dear fellow MAAC SE Zone members:

Due to a failure to obtain a quorum at the South East Zone’s
Annual Zone Meeting, we have no elected Zone Director. I’ve
been authorized to act as Temporary Zone Director and to hold
a special zone meeting at the time and location noted above
for the sole purpose of formally electing a Zone Director.

This special meeting is expected to take all of 15 or 30 minutes only. The Ajax RC club has graciously agreed to host this meeting as part of their regular monthly meeting. This avoids the expense to the zone of having to rent a facility specifically for this short meeting.

All SE Zone members with voting rights have the right to attend this meeting. It would be advisable that anyone seeking the Zone Director’s position be present. Seating space however will be very limited so participation by proxy is strongly encouraged.

To participate by proxy, you must explicitly sign your voting proxy to a named individual who you entrust to vote on your behalf. This individual must present completed proxy forms at the meeting. A proxy form is availble in the Forms/Documents section of the MAAC website.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact me by phone, email or post. Anyone wishing to give me their proxy can send it to the address below.

Sincerely,
Austin Taylor
Acting SE Zone Director
MAAC #61339

Phone: (905) 785 8476
Email: [email protected]

Mailing Address:
3385 Wild Cherry Lane
Mississauga, Ontario
L5N 7N7

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Kinda sad that the largest zone in the country can't get enough interest in MAAC to get a quorum. Much has been said about Southern Ont. being the focal point of model aviation in Canada. Any discussion on what problems exist in this region to get to this level? It's not a new phenomenon. The years I was on the board, that zone barely came up with enough bodies and proxies to pull of quorum each year.

This brings up an interesting rehash of the discussion regarding AGM voting and ZD's receiving all the votes of their zone's members by default. Anyone know if that will in fact change next spring? Might be a good thing. It would give more voting power to the zones with more active members.

Whatcha think?

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Expected yes, avoidable no,
Another indication to the board that maac does not connect with the membership in a large scale.
I'm sure the larkin northeast morrison mcnityre types can blame Sharpie or Kenair for this too.

It would be of note to see what other zones would have not met the quorum if they did not use the proxies to achieve the numbers.

Many flyers of maac have put forth suggestions to make maac fun but the small but very vocal small interest groups turn the ideas into a us verses them argument - hence the majority of flyers just stay home at zone meeting and the small interest groups drone on at the zone meeting.

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

LOL.......I think I've found the problem with SE zone:


"Pickering Senior’s Lawn Bowling Centre"

roflmao :)

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Man, lack of respect to seniors ... from a police officer no less. [X(]

The Ajax club (my club) meets there, we offered our club meeting location and time, this organization also permits indoor flying in their gymnasium ... for free.... Don't knock something you don't understand ... but that has been my advice to Kenny all along.

SE zone is just one of many pieces of Southern Ontario. Some of the downfalls of our zone is the number for achieving quorum is quite high and geographically quite dispersed. Meeting locations are at a premium, especially if you need to house a large number.

Makeup is quite different too. Unlike the SW zone (just past the middle zone, another Southern Ontario zone you're referring to) is probably comprised of more casual modellers. For example, events in my little corner are often single day and closed to other clubs. Definitely not desireable in my view, and I've been doing my best to change this but that seems to be the nature of the beast. That's why I often end up travelling to the Soutern Ontario zones to attend large events....

As for the rest of the trip, kindly keep your insinuations to yourself.:eek:

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Oh please enlighten us Ken with your astute profiling...whats our "type"

Maybe with that clairvoyance of yours you should have taken up a profession in some secret government agency predicting the future!! Tell us Ken what are the winning lottery numbers! LOL

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

1 6 9 16 18 32

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Bite me Ken.

I have always supported the widest range of inclusion in to MAAC, and see the associtaions role as being one to support and enable modelers to enjoy the hobby as they wish. Without a doubt - many zone meetings are a huge drag, and can be major bore fests ... and the fault lies directly with the members at large.
I have seen meetings held at aviation museums in the past in both Manitoba and Alberta that were dangerously close to not making quorum ...
The big problem is people waiting for the association to do something for them and to entice them to participate rather than being proactive themselves in making the meetings interesting.

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

that is not nice!

http://www.orsart.com/gallery/images/biteme.jpg

The traditional zone meeting is a part of the maac culture,
you said it

The fault is not with the members at large, they have attended, like you say the zone meetings become a huge drone fest when long time maac members drone on about the same old stuff, the good old days, each newcomer leaves the meeting with a "never attend again" attitude.

and part of the problem is that change is almost impossible, some good recommendations and resolutions get tossed out at the board agm due to wording.

- sorry, last post for me on this thread! see you.

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Nicer than the tripe you try to pass off as fact.
modus operandi for you my friend. When someone calls your bluf, you take your ball and go home....

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Now that he is gone --- without taking entrenched positions, are his comments anywhere near reality? Something is not working if the meetings are barely attended.

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Keith....I doubt that the majority of the 12,000+ members in Maac are waiting for the association 'to do' something for them. In short, they join a club, pay their MAAC, and get insurance coverage, they may or may not read the mag, and they go and fly....no more no less. Most could care less who the executive are and likley can't even name their ZD let alone the president of the organization. Linda is better known to a lot of the membership than the executive for obvious reasons....

Just because a member chooses not to attend a meeting does not make him an individual that is waiting for something to entice him to attend...he likely just isn't interested.

Ron

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

.....lighten up again Jim, it's funny...........that's all. I'm sure it's very nice. lol.......still funny.

THe number for quorum was usually just over 100 and don't forget that includes proxies.

Ya wanna talk spread out zones?

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Geography changes everything. I assume (dangerous thing) that a quorum in a zone like Manitoba would be relatively easier to attain, given that a Winnipeg club meeting alone could achieve quorum. The SE zone is kinda strange in that there are many large clubs at great distances from each other, probably a much wider dispersion per member capita. What's worse, most large meeting places suffer from traffic congestion and lack of cheap parking, resulting in meetings at remoter areas where few 'townies' dare venture (thar be dragons). :eek:

I'm not inferring this is the only reason. I think the prime reason goes back to our earlier discussion about education and the "what's in it for me syndrome" prevalent in our modern society. Combine this with the typical time pressured mentality peculiar to this environment (Toronto is often described as the only Canadian city where running shoes are worn with suits and no one simply stands on escalators) and you have the results seen. Myself as example, as much as I wanted to attend my last Zone meeting, I was called in to work, it's just the nature of the beast if you want to make the big money.[:o]

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Agreed Ron ...

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Yeah, no need to explain Jim.

I agree, Toronto sucks. :D

Good Kenora boy helped Kick the leafs Butt on Saturday night as well. (Richards)

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

In many ways it does but, it's far too complex an animal to sum up as such. I enjoy the nightlife occasionally, especially concerts, my children enjoy the attractions (the subway most of all [sm=confused.gif]). I certainly enjoy the emplyment opportunities but, I grew up in the country (Port Sydney) and prefer it. I live in the country (on the Moraine), just beyond the burbs of "the big city" (thank God that's still an option). I work just this side on the fringe of "downtown". I dread the days I have a meeting at head office ... any more downtown and you'd be in the lake.[:o]

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

My son is down there as we exchange for the first time on a school trip. It will be interesting to see what his thoughts are. I enjoy a long layover at the airport, but not real happy when I have to leave the confines of the terminal. I'm not a patient person when it comes to waiting in line so waiting in line for everything there, shortens my lifespan.

I'm passing through on Sunday on my way to Ottawa, but fortunately only to change planes. Towards the end of Nov., I actually have to venture beyond and travel up to Orillia for a couple days..................that will be enough for a while.

As you say, I'm sure you can find your sanctuary, but just too many people for me. (I know, count your blessings) As you may have figured out by now, I wouldn't be very good at the corporate/head office game. :D [&:]

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

Orillia has always been nice, I often travel through there to visit my parents in Muskoka. The Orillia square was my first "mall experience", a one hour trip to a "big city".[sm=lol.gif]

Yes, I found my sanctuary, the hamlet of Claremont population is "about 1000" apparently, but general consensus in town is they included the deer to get that number.:D

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

It takes a lot of work but it is possible to make an AZM enjoyable. For some time we have been getting between 85 and 110 members out to our AZM from a zone population of some 800, so we beat our quorum by a factor of two. Proxies are on top of this for a total factor of about four.

Basically this is done by making the meet interesting to the members and now they are used to showing up, seeing old friends, seeing interesting things in modelling and seeing the latest at the National Air Museum. This involves delegating a lot of jobs which in turn helps guarantee a quorum.

Typically we may programme:
- an auction or silent auction,
- technical presentations,
- Interesting videos (we got the BC Zone to send us a tape of Shuswap one year), This year we ran the slide show of the World R/C Champs at Tillsonburg.
- a 'mini-expo' to showcase each special interest group, and any FAI team members. This can cover scale and giant scale, pattern, floatplanes, soaring, indoor rubber, indoor R/C, control-line, helicopters and autogyros, combat, small models and park flyers, vintage duration, rubber-powered free-flight scale, jets and ducted fans, sport models, electric models, unorthodox models etc. You set up a station for each (with signs) and have a coordinator for each who beats the bushes for a good display.
- photo montage of activities in the Zone

In addition we provide coffee and arrange to bring in a chicken lunch for those who wish to purchase it.

Although many attend from the immediate Ottawa area, we also get attendance from the far corners of the zone.

This involves about six weeks work for the Zone Director and some of his helpers, but it is worth it.

If AZM preparations don't go beyond setting a date, agenda and a location, the odds are that they are going to be boring with low attendance. The talent is there to make the day enjoyable, but it won't happen without organisation and hard work.

Our ZD, Richard Barlow, did a particularly good job this year and we had an excellent day.

If the MAAC Board would like it, we would be glad to do a short workshop on AZM techniques for the AGM (Then we can get suggestions from other zones). We plan on using some of these ideas, and others, to brighten up the AGM.

RE: SE zone Special meeting for ZD election
 

that is a hell of an good idea!