On 16 July 2022, at Baden-Powell Activity Centre, 90 members of the Scouting community gathered for a successful Scouts NSW Annual General Meeting (AGM), with a further 17 people viewing the proceedings online.
CEO Carolyn Campbell welcomed all to the first face-to-face AGM in two years, and The Hon John Price AM, President of Scouts NSW chaired proceedings.
Firstly, Ryan Kemp (Rover Scout, 2nd Castle Hill Rover Scout Unit) delivered an Acknowledgement of Country, followed by the National Anthem sung by Renae Swinkels (Venturer Scout – 1st/2nd Merrylands Scout Group).
After a minute’s silence for all those Scouts who have gone home, a moving reflection was delivered by Natalie Castellanos (Young Leader, 1st Kings Langley Venturer Scout Unit). This was followed with an address by Neville Tomkins OAM JP, Chief Commissioner, who summarised the challenges and achievements of the year that had gone.
A highlight of the meeting, some great insights into Scouting were given in a series of youth presentations by representatives of each Section (pictured below):
- Joey Scout: Kaysanne Lockman (Joey Scout of the Year 2022)
- Cub Scout: Liana Sherry (Finalist Cub Scout of the Year 2022)
- Scout: Gabrielle Parsons (Finalist Scout of the Year 2022)
- Venturer Scout: Thomas (TJ) Furness (Venturer Scout of the Year 2022)
- Rover Scout: Hugh Crawford (State Rover Scout Council Chair).
There were also formalities to cover, including adopting the minutes of the previous AGM, considering the Audited Financial Accounts and the Annual Report, and an amendment to the Constitution which passed, increasing the number of delegates from each Region Council from five delegates to six - with the additional delegate to be a Young Adult. This is in keeping with the World Scout Youth Involvement Policy adopted by the World Scout Bureau in 2015, encouraging youth involvement at an institutional level including representation of young adults in decision-making bodies of the Association as well as in delegations at Regional and World Scout Conferences.
The Branch Council elected three new Board Directors (pictured below in order) –
- Steve Fernie OAM (re-elected for three years as an Ex-Officio Director)
- Anthea Cudworth (elected for three years as a Non-Executive Director with expertise in Corporate Affairs)
- Renee Burkinshaw (elected for three years as a Non-Executive Director with expertise in Organisation Change and Culture).
We were also honoured to have Kerryn Boland PSM (pictured) elected as Scouts NSW Vice President for a three-year term – the first woman to hold such a high honorary role.
Wrapping up the AGM, the Chair Kerry McGoldrick welcomed the new Directors and thanked the three outgoing Directors for their dedicated service to the Board over the years:
- Matt Phillips – who had served on the Board since March 2020
- Kerryn Boland PSM – serving since July 2017
- David Hassan – serving since July 2015.
He also thanked everybody for their hard work and efforts over the past year.
In closing, the voice of youth was heard, with Meg Cummins, Assistant Chief Commissioner (Youth Engagement) – who couldn’t be there in person – delivering a virtual talk on ‘Scouts and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.’
In the evening, a Recognition Dinner was held to acknowledge and show appreciation to those in the Scouting community who had been recognised over the past year with Long Service Awards and Australian Honours and Awards.
