Due to a large amount of emails I have received, telephone calls, and rumours from BFW and BS members regarding my relationship with a certain angling club, I hope that BFW team and those with an interest will indulge me and allow me to set the record straight.
I also appreciate that certain anglers will see it as an opportunity to call me an idiot etc, but I do believe there is an important lesson for us all.
Three weeks prior to the recent AGM, I was contacted by a senior member of the Club Committee. He was very concerned that new rules to be imposed in would have a detrimental effect on the fishing of Pleasure and Specimen anglers. He was also very concerned that the number of fishing matches organized on a prime bit of water was increasing every year. To put it into perspective, the matches have an average attendance of 32 anglers out of a club membership of 750.
I discovered that the AGM notification would not include any details of the rules to be imposed and that the Match anglers on the Committee would separately notify the match anglers to attend and support the rule changes. (for information, when one of the new rules was voted on the year previously, without this planned manipulation, it was turned down by the general membership 3 to 1! The Committee still imposed it!)
Hence my initial request on BFW for all Club members to attend the AGM. I could not reveal the actual rule changes planned as that would have compromised my source of information.
A group of friends of mine got together in an attempt to balance out the Committee at the next AGM and managed to get three of us voted onto the Committee. Having been a Chairman and current Trustee of the Club, I was delighted to be voted on as Treasurer. This was important to me as legitimately the Committee have not the power to impose general rule changes without a 2 to 1 vote of the members. This fact has been abused over the past few years. (let me explain)
A number of years ago, when I was Chairman, we wanted to purchase a water. As the current constitution, meant that members voted each year on the amount of the membership fee, The Committee could not purchase it without a pre knowledge of annual income. I called an EGM, explained the situation to the attendees and asked for a Constitution change to allow the Committee to set fees and also included a needed amendment to allow the Committee to change general rules in any emergency situation, eg. The landowner wanted change of access mid term.
It is this Constitutional change that is being abused and letting the Committee change general rules without reference to membership.
In fact what has happened is that a Group on the Committee is now block voting and basically running the club as they wish. Exactly what the membership votes were meant to prevent!
Just prior to the end of the AGM, after we had been voted onto the Committee, one of the group decided to add to the agenda a motion that guiding should not be allowed on the Clubs waters. This would have no affect on me, so I declared it was a good idea. This bought some laughs and a number of people spoke up for me. The motion was heavily defeated.
About 20 minutes after the meeting, as I was talking with a lifetime member and another angler, a previous Barbel record holder, I was attacked from behind by the Committee member who had raised the guiding issue. I was grabbed by my collar and kicked in the back. Despite being told to get away, he said, Thats the last time you make a fool out of me and attacked me again and I defended myself. We were pulled apart and his friends led him out of the hall.
10 minutes later, I left with the Chairman of the Club and on my way to the car he attacked me again. This time I avoided the attack apart from some bruising and made a point of not defending myself.
He was later charged by the Police and pleaded guilty to ABH. My witness statements were investigated by them and they pursued the matter.
The Committee decided to hold a meeting to discuss the incident, unfortunately the timing coincided with a Holiday overseas with me, but I was assured that it would be handled fairly. I knew two of the Committee members had clearly seen the incidents and I included in my statement details of the two witnesses that I had been talking to at the first attack.
Whilst overseas I received notification that I was found guilty of Gross misconduct and been banned for 5 years! I discovered my attacker had been allowed to talk to the Committee personally and that none of my witness statements had been included or contacted.
Once this information came out, a significant number of club members and trustees contacted the Chairman and asked that the sentence be reviewed. I asked that I be allowed to talk to the Committee and give my verbal evidence and also that they take account of my witness statements.
Meanwhile, one of the Committee members that had supported my version of events was telephoned by my attacker a number of times asked to change his story. He refused but resigned from the Committee.
I was asked by the Chairman to attend a meeting last week, to give my version of events. However, prior to me going into the meeting the Committee voted 7-6 that the sentences should stand and I would not be allowed to give my evidence or present my witness statements.
This led to two further Committee members resigning in disgust at the unfairness of it all and walking out of the meeting. Meanwhile my attacker has, despite a 7year ban, been fishing as a Club Match member on a guest ticket with the support of 3 of the Committee.
I would add that the Chairman and Secretary of the Club have been fullysupportive, to the best of their ability, throughout.
I wanted the opportunity of clarifying, what to many must seem insignificant, however a message I believe, amongst many, that must be heeded, is that all specialist and pleasure anglers MUST contribute to the running of any club they belong to, to prevent it being hi-jacked by a minority group with self interest, not membership interests at heart.
I will not be adding anything else to this statement. The Committee will probably be pushing for my position as a trustee to be terminated. It needs a 2-1 majority vote.
Good Fishing.
Graham
I also appreciate that certain anglers will see it as an opportunity to call me an idiot etc, but I do believe there is an important lesson for us all.
Three weeks prior to the recent AGM, I was contacted by a senior member of the Club Committee. He was very concerned that new rules to be imposed in would have a detrimental effect on the fishing of Pleasure and Specimen anglers. He was also very concerned that the number of fishing matches organized on a prime bit of water was increasing every year. To put it into perspective, the matches have an average attendance of 32 anglers out of a club membership of 750.
I discovered that the AGM notification would not include any details of the rules to be imposed and that the Match anglers on the Committee would separately notify the match anglers to attend and support the rule changes. (for information, when one of the new rules was voted on the year previously, without this planned manipulation, it was turned down by the general membership 3 to 1! The Committee still imposed it!)
Hence my initial request on BFW for all Club members to attend the AGM. I could not reveal the actual rule changes planned as that would have compromised my source of information.
A group of friends of mine got together in an attempt to balance out the Committee at the next AGM and managed to get three of us voted onto the Committee. Having been a Chairman and current Trustee of the Club, I was delighted to be voted on as Treasurer. This was important to me as legitimately the Committee have not the power to impose general rule changes without a 2 to 1 vote of the members. This fact has been abused over the past few years. (let me explain)
A number of years ago, when I was Chairman, we wanted to purchase a water. As the current constitution, meant that members voted each year on the amount of the membership fee, The Committee could not purchase it without a pre knowledge of annual income. I called an EGM, explained the situation to the attendees and asked for a Constitution change to allow the Committee to set fees and also included a needed amendment to allow the Committee to change general rules in any emergency situation, eg. The landowner wanted change of access mid term.
It is this Constitutional change that is being abused and letting the Committee change general rules without reference to membership.
In fact what has happened is that a Group on the Committee is now block voting and basically running the club as they wish. Exactly what the membership votes were meant to prevent!
Just prior to the end of the AGM, after we had been voted onto the Committee, one of the group decided to add to the agenda a motion that guiding should not be allowed on the Clubs waters. This would have no affect on me, so I declared it was a good idea. This bought some laughs and a number of people spoke up for me. The motion was heavily defeated.
About 20 minutes after the meeting, as I was talking with a lifetime member and another angler, a previous Barbel record holder, I was attacked from behind by the Committee member who had raised the guiding issue. I was grabbed by my collar and kicked in the back. Despite being told to get away, he said, Thats the last time you make a fool out of me and attacked me again and I defended myself. We were pulled apart and his friends led him out of the hall.
10 minutes later, I left with the Chairman of the Club and on my way to the car he attacked me again. This time I avoided the attack apart from some bruising and made a point of not defending myself.
He was later charged by the Police and pleaded guilty to ABH. My witness statements were investigated by them and they pursued the matter.
The Committee decided to hold a meeting to discuss the incident, unfortunately the timing coincided with a Holiday overseas with me, but I was assured that it would be handled fairly. I knew two of the Committee members had clearly seen the incidents and I included in my statement details of the two witnesses that I had been talking to at the first attack.
Whilst overseas I received notification that I was found guilty of Gross misconduct and been banned for 5 years! I discovered my attacker had been allowed to talk to the Committee personally and that none of my witness statements had been included or contacted.
Once this information came out, a significant number of club members and trustees contacted the Chairman and asked that the sentence be reviewed. I asked that I be allowed to talk to the Committee and give my verbal evidence and also that they take account of my witness statements.
Meanwhile, one of the Committee members that had supported my version of events was telephoned by my attacker a number of times asked to change his story. He refused but resigned from the Committee.
I was asked by the Chairman to attend a meeting last week, to give my version of events. However, prior to me going into the meeting the Committee voted 7-6 that the sentences should stand and I would not be allowed to give my evidence or present my witness statements.
This led to two further Committee members resigning in disgust at the unfairness of it all and walking out of the meeting. Meanwhile my attacker has, despite a 7year ban, been fishing as a Club Match member on a guest ticket with the support of 3 of the Committee.
I would add that the Chairman and Secretary of the Club have been fullysupportive, to the best of their ability, throughout.
I wanted the opportunity of clarifying, what to many must seem insignificant, however a message I believe, amongst many, that must be heeded, is that all specialist and pleasure anglers MUST contribute to the running of any club they belong to, to prevent it being hi-jacked by a minority group with self interest, not membership interests at heart.
I will not be adding anything else to this statement. The Committee will probably be pushing for my position as a trustee to be terminated. It needs a 2-1 majority vote.
Good Fishing.
Graham
