NHMA Petitions - A Strong Voice For Change

I have shared this for another forum , looking for as much support as we can get .
AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL MACHINERY ENTHUSIASTS

Martin Luther King Junior once said that “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”.

I must say, that in light of current events, I couldn’t agree with him more, especially when I, and many of my fellow machinery enthusiasts, can see the issues confronting the machinery preservation and restoration movement in Australia.

You only have to read the many posts on the online forums (Smokstak and TOMM, for example and Facebook too) or to listen to the discussions held at rallies and events between machinery enthusiasts to know it is time to focus on what needs to be done . . . the ongoing dissatisfaction of NHMA members and the recent questions about insurance and who may, and may not exhibit at NHMA/non-NHMA events, and all matters pertaining to these concerns are only a symptom of what is the true cause of what is happening in our movement.

For too long, we have allowed the NHMA Executive to tighten its control on our “hobby”, we’ve been happy to sit back and let someone else take the reins and make the decisions. Unfortunately, in doing this, however, we have effectively lost our voice.

We are not being heard and nothing is being done to ascertain the level of our concerns. There is no appreciation of the grass roots membership of our movement, and there is no move by the current leadership of the NHMA to investigate or establish a platform where the concerns of member Clubs can be discussed openly without the fear of retribution.

So, I believe that NOW is the time for our voice to be heard . . . we need to send the NHMA Executive a clear and relevant message!!

NHMA Member Clubs, and their fellow machinery enthusiasts need to stand up and let the NHMA Executive know that they will no longer accept:
The lack of communication received from the NHMA Executive.
The failure of the NHMA Executive to be open and transparent in all its dealings.
The failure of the NHMA Executive in providing full disclosure to its Member Clubs with regard to insurance details (i.e. the failure to provide Member Clubs with full insurance documentation/policies).
The lack of consultation held with Member Clubs when decisions are made.
The poor decisions made by the NHMA Executive . . . decisions which are not in the best interests of the Member Clubs of the NHMA or of the movement as a whole.
The uncertainty and confusion created by these decisions.
NHMA Member Clubs have the power to effect change in their hands. They need to realise that there is a way forward. They need to utilise the rights afforded to them under the NHMA Constitution to rectify this situation and to overturn the recent decisions that have sought to splinter our movement. And, non-NHMA Clubs (and their individual members) need to support them in doing so, as the decisions being made will impact on the overall enjoyment of our “hobby”, and it will destroy the mateship shared between those in our movement.

To this end, I ask that you take the time to view two petitions that have been set up online.

The first petition is for all NHMA Member Clubs to sign invoking Section 10(5) of the NHMA Constitution to convene a Special General Meeting of the Association thereby providing the means to create a forum in which they can seek to discuss, debate, and hopefully overturn the poor decisions made by the NHMA Executive.

The second petition is for all machinery enthusiasts (NHMA/non-NHMA) to sign by way of giving support to the NHMA Member Clubs in their quest to have their voice heard.

In doing this, I am the first to highlight that this will not be an easy path to take, but nonetheless, I am a great believer in attempting something first, before admitting defeat. If we all sit back and say that it is all too hard, then we have indeed lost our voice.

Many of you may ask “why I have decided to take this path in light of a new body being formed?”

It is quite simple really . . . I have always believed that there should only be one national body to represent the machinery preservation and restoration movement. And, whilst I appreciate why the AHA has been set up, I also acknowledge that duplication of associations creates further confusion . . . it splits the movement even further, with different rules/guidelines applying to their members according to which body/association those members belong too.

At the present moment it would appear that the movement in Australia will be made up of NHMA Clubs, AHA Clubs and Independent Clubs (i.e. those that hold their own insurance).

I therefore, fail to see how this will alter the current situation unless the NHMA Member Clubs use their Constitution to address their current concerns. As I see it, the NHMA will need to allow their Members Clubs to participate at, and welcome participation from, the members of AHA and Independent Clubs to avoid the current confusion being caused by recent NHMA Executive decisions.

And, this is why I urge all of you to look at, consider and support the two online petitions. We will achieve a degree of unity if we are successful in doing this to ensure that recent NHMA Executive decisions are overturned and NHMA Member Clubs have the same rights afforded to them as is proposed by the AHA and is already enjoyed by Independent Clubs.

But we can only achieve this if we unite to create A STRONG VOICE for the movement. Please don’t let your silence be the end of this movement.

Please show your support by signing these petitions online:

• Petition One (NHMA Member Clubs Only**)

www.ipetitions.com/petition/a-strong-voi...a-member-clubs-unite

** This petition can only be signed by an authorised office bearer of an NHMA Member Club (i.e. President/Secretary). An authority to sign this petition should be sought via resolution at a meeting of the relevant Club.

• Petition Two (All Machinery Enthusiasts)
www.ipetitions.com/petition/a-strong-voi...ng-nhma-member-clubs

Regards,
Cindy Cooper.

P.S.: I am happy to field queries about this post and the associated petitions. Please call 0429 383 296 or forward an email to cooper.caATbigpond.com.