AGM

I now have 986 posts on the blog to my credit so I might make 1000 although I probably won't! I'm going for 990!!! I have been asked by several people about how they make nominations for the committee - two parents and a senior man, to be exact. The Annual General Meeting is where the Committee is held to account by the club members for their stewardship of the club. The Committee has always been responsible to the ordinary member and the AGM is where its conduct of the club's affairs is examined and where the new committee is elected by the members. The AGM belongs to the members and not to the committee.
After the reports on the year just past by the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer all offices are declared vacant and the new committee is elected. When I joined the club and (for almost all my membership of the club) the outgoing President would ask for nominations for the post of President from the meeting. Any member could propose any other member including the outgoing President. There might be two or even three nominations and a vote was taken with the highest total being the new President. This procedure was followed with every other office. Of course fairly often the outgoing office-bearer would be re-elected. No offence was taken by any of those nominated at another nomination being put forward. Treasurers and Secretaries tended, and still do,to have a very long time in office for example and they provide the bedrock of any club.
Then in the early 1980's attendances fell away and nominations were sometimes lacking and the Committee decided after a fairly long debate to have nominations of its own in case there were none from the floor. The new system worked well.
Unfortunately it seems to have turned into one where the committee nomination is all too often uncontested - not healthy for any democratic club. As a matter of principle I'd have other nominations.
So, in reply to the question of how do you get someone on to the Committee, (1)you go along and (2) when the outgoing President (or the new President, who might be the same person!) asks for nominations, make your nomination of who you think will be the best man for the office. (3) The President will look for someone to second the proposal. (4) If there is no seconder then the proposal does not go forward. (5) If there are more than one nomination, then a vote will be held.
Don't be frightened to nominate someone just because someone else has already been put forward: there are no bad feelings in these things because there are different opinions on the kind of person required at any given time.
There were of course times when an office-bearer was not at the meeting for some reason but was still happy for his/her name to go forward. Attendance at the meeting is not compulsory for a name to be proposed for a post on the Committee.
Go and make your nominations! The AGM belongs to the members.