Well Booters, it will soon be time for the Annual General Meeting – the time for potential new committee members to actually be elected.

Having been (re)elected to the current committee, and having been on the committee which “rescued” Boot Co. from almost certain demise, I can assure you that serving on your club’s committee can be a most rewarding experience.  It can also be a really enlightening experience – an insight as to just how all the fantastic stuff that the club does actually comes to fruition.  And there’s not a magic wand in sight!

All of this great stuff doesn’t happen just by accident – there’s no “bubbling cauldron” of functions just waiting to be picked out, nor is it a case of casting the “magic sticks” and seeing what happens.  Everything that happens for everybody’s enjoyment and/or participation is the result of (often) weeks or months of planning – work that goes on behind the scenes without thought to reward or acclamation.  The actual reward is in the positive feedback that the committee regularly receives following club functions.

Now, if all this planning stuff sounds like a heap of hard work, I have to be honest and say that you’re right.  However, when a committee works as a team, then the load is shared more evenly.  Of course, the Executive (President, Secretary & Treasurer) has a bit more work to do than the rest of the committee, but with a number of sub-committees also functioning, the workload is easier to cope with.

Being on a committee such as ours is also a way of finding out how various personalities are likely to interact, and taking on a committee position can also be a character-building exercise and make a person stronger.  It is also an opportunity for committee members to exercise their artistic, creative and administrative talents.  If you’re not sure whether you possess the necessary qualities, but think you might, then perhaps a position on the committee is for you.

So, if you think you have “the right stuff”, then I would recommend to you that you give serious consideration to considering one of the committee positions when nominations are called in the next month or so.  New blood is always welcome on committees – heaven knows I’ve been on enough of them over the last 40 years or so – and the opportunity to brain-storm with other committee members can be a most rewarding experience, as well as giving an insight into the “machinery” of your club.  Don’t be afraid – you never know what talents will flow when you scratch the surface – and you’ll be made to feel most welcome.

In the meantime, get that leather out that needs a good “Spit and Polish”, and bring it along to the next pub night for some TLC.. So I’ll see you all on March 7th.
In Leather Brotherhood,

Frank Croucher,
Mr Qld Leather, 1999.