2006 AGM Minutes

Date: 28.9.06
Time: 5:00 – 6:15pm
Place: ASFLA Conference, UNE, Armidale
Chair: Bev Derewianka
Committee: David Butt, Marie Quinn, Susan Hoadley
Present: quorum present
Apologies: Helen Tebble

Welcome and distribution of Agenda: Bev Derewianka
Motion to accept last years Minutes: Kristina Love
Amendment: “Ferngrove” to be amended to “Ferny Grove”
Vacant positions and call for nominations:
President – Bev to continue
Vice President – open – Pauline Jones to be nominated
(Thanks to David Butt for years as Vice President)
Treasurer – open with no nominations
Membership secretary – open with no nominations

President’s Report: Bev Derewianka
State representatives to stay on, but executive recommends a 2nd representative per state.
Note of thanks: Thanks to the organisers of last year’s ISFC. Continue policy of supporting SFL groups in regional and developing countries eg David Rose to WA; Jim Martin is being funded to go to Indonesia; ASFLA supported Brazil conference with $2000. In order to facilitate people applying for this funding onformation will be put on the website.

From the states:
Acknowledgement of workshops and seminars eg Louise Ravelli on Friday afternoons; and Jim Martin’s course/seminar for PhD students every semester. Nothing to report from other states, but Bev offers support to people in other states.
Discussion from the floor: Mary Macken-Horarik queried what kind of help is available. Bev said financial support might be available. Thanks to those doing it.

Next year’s conference: WA declined so at Wollongong instead, in conjunction with ALAA (overlap day) and tertiary Educators conference.

Notes of thanks: thanks to Carl Nillson-Polias for maintaining the website. Thanks to Shooshi for stepping in as minutes secretary.

Treasurer’s report:
No full report from Susan Hoadley.
$2000 – to send Jim Martin to Indonesia
$3000 – seeding funding for Armidale conference
$600 – support for WA
Balance at $23,600 – good amount, as a result of windfalls (one-offs from past). Spent $10,000 this year but caution needed.

Membership report:
Marie Quinn – apologies for no report
Discussion from the floor:
Kristina said memberships not as robust as it could be.
Len said membership rolled into conference fee this year. Recommends conferences as a good selling point. Conference company will do a report for ASFLA. John Knox said he opted for this option as it was no extra fee on top of conference fee and recommends this continues.

Launch of ASFLA website
Bev walked us through the website, explaining the function of each page to promote increased use of the site. New innovation of forum instead of or as well as email for discussion forum.

Website management – someone has been approached to do it but nothing to report till they answer. This is intended to supercede the newsletter.
Discussion from the floor:
David Butt suggested looking at “ling-line” as a model as newsletter demands are unrealistic. Bev said people will be approached to assist that person in a voluntary capacity.

Report on future conferences:
ASFLA 2007 in Wollongong
ISFC 2007 in Odense Denmark
ISFC 2008 in Sydney with an institute at Macquarie because China is having the Olympics and the Chinese Government prohibited all conferences that year.
2008 – multimodality conference. Information about this will be given by Kay O’Halloran at the concluding session and will be put on the website.

Note of thanks: Bev thanked Len and his team for a fabulously stimulating conference. Len said 2 things made the job more manageable:
1) institutional support
2) the employment of the conference company to organise and manage the conference (Len strongly recommends all future conferences take this option)

David Butt – institute last year at Manly campus of Macquarie Uni held in 2005(?) just before conference (over 70 delegates). Thanks

Close of meeting