MINUTES OF THE SANCOLD ANNUAL MEETING 11
17:00 Wednesday 06 November 2019
aha Kopanong Hotel, Benoni.
1. Welcome and attendance
The Chairperson, Dr Quentin Shaw, welcomed all of the attendees and requested them to sign the attendance register. The meeting was attended by 29 members and 6 observers. No formal apologies had been received.
2. Minutes of the 2018 Annual Meeting (Approval and matters arising)
The draft minutes of the 2018 Annual Meeting had been circulated to members of Manco who commented and then placed on the SANCOLD website. No further amendments were proposed. The minutes were approved, (proposed H-J Wright, seconded L Hattingh) and will be placed on the website. No issues were raised under Matters Arising.
3. SANCOLD Chairperson’s Annual Report 2019
The Chairperson verbally presented the SANCOLD Annual Report for 2019. The written report is recorded separately on the website.
The Chairperson also raised the possibility of holding regular, more informal and participatory workshops on topical issues which could be developed into SANCOLD Position Papers.
There was a query as to access to ICOLD and SANCOLD members only websites. This was covered by a password which would be supplied on request to either the SANCOLD Webmaster or Secretary.
4. SANCOLD Website
The website under Webmaster, Mr Henry-John Wright, was functioning well and any issues could be brought to his attention at webmaster@sancold.org.za.
5. Financial Matters
The SANCOLD Treasurer, Mr David Cameron-Ellis pointed out that membership numbers have increased but there are a number of membership fees outstanding so when defaulting members are removed, the picture will change somewhat. They will shortly be receiving letters requesting payment or membership termination in terms of our Constitution. There had been a modest increase in fees for 2019 in line with inflation.
The bulk of SANCOLD banking activity has been moved to Investec mainly due to excessive bank charges for items like proof of banking details which are requested by some organisations and are almost equivalent to the Individual annual membership fees per letter. There are still problems experienced where bank deposits have been made by members with no reference details to enable the correct account to be credited. Please ensure sufficient reference details are recorded on deposits which should reflect both Invoice number plus Membership number.
SANCOLD now has a Payfast account for credit card payments which can also now be used. Contact the Treasurer and he will supply a link which can be used for using the facility
The overview of the financial situation for 2019 where a modest loss accrued, had been budgeted for. Not all of the budget for the Scholarship was used in 2018 and was carried forward to the 2019 Scholarship. The higher attendance at the 2019 SANCOLD Conference is expected to boost income somewhat.
The Chairperson expressed his appreciation for all the work that the Treasurer had spent on SANCOLD financial matters.
6. YPF Issues
YPF Chairperson Jaretha Lombaard highlighted that YPF membership had reached 60 members.
YPF had held an informal lecture session by Alan Chemaly in February 2019 which they intended to place on the website. The June event had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances and would be rescheduled for early 2020. They also planned to hold informal quarterly discussion sessions on topical subjects that would be open to all SANCOLD members.
7 Discussion
Henriette Anderson had received a request from the French Organising Committee for the 2021 Marseilles ICOLD Congress to comment on their proposed themes for discussion. Comments required by 30th November.
The Chairman stated his concern that there was an urgent need to consider APP training for the future and challenged the YPF to consider and propose new ways for transferring skills and experience to younger professionals.
Alan Chemaly commented on the benefits of mentorship while Henriette Anderson stressed the importance of being able to network with colleagues. The idea was raised of regular discussion groups under the YPF where common issues could be discussed and solutions shared.
8. Closure
The Chairperson concluded by mentioning that SANCOLD has continued to be active.