.jpg)
THE ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION
2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
BLACKPOOL WINTER GARDENS
21 - 23 MAY 2010
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Association acknowledges with gratitude the help of all those who made the Conference in Blackpool a success, particularly the following:
The Mayor of Blackpool, Councillor Don Clapham BSc (Hons)
The Deputy Mayor of Blackpool, Councillor Tony Lee
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton KCB ADC BSc FRAeS CCGI RAF
The Air Member for Personnel, Air Marshal Simon Bryant CBE MA BA RAF
The Commandant Air Cadets, Air Commodore Ian Stewart BSc RAF
The Air Force Board of the Defence Council, for their help and for facilitating the attendance of Royal Air Force participants
The Chaplain in Chief of the Royal Air Force, The Reverend (Air Vice-Marshal) Ray Pentland QHC BA DPS MTh RAF
The Band of the Royal Air Force College (Director of Music, Squadron Leader C Weldon RAF)
The Guard of Honour provided by No 177 (Blackpool Airport) Squadron ATC
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
INTRODUCTION
The 2010 Annual Conference of the Royal Air Forces Association was held at the Blackpool Winter Gardens on the 21st - 23rd May 2010. The Conference was opened by The Deputy Mayor of Blackpool, Councillor Tony Lee. The Chairman of Conference was Air Marshal Philip Sturley CB MBE.
THE SILENT TRIBUTE
The Silent Tribute to the Fallen was conducted by the Chaplain in Chief of the Royal Air Force, The Reverend (Air Vice-Marshal) Ray Pentland QHC BA DPS MTh RAF
MESSAGES OF GREETING
The President announced that messages of greeting had been received from Her Majesty The Queen, Patron of the Association, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, past President, and from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, also past President. Other messages of greeting were received from:
Air Force Association
Aircrew Association
Association of Jewish Ex Service Men & Women
Combat Stress Ex Services Mental Welfare Society
Royal Observer Corps Association
British Limbless Ex Service Men’s Association
Bomber Command Association
Chief of the Air Staff
Polish Air Force Association Charitable Trust
Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
Royal Air Force Gang Shows Association
Royal British Legion
Royal Marines Association
Air Force Association of Canada
Royal Naval Association
Royal New Zealand Air Force Association
Royal Star & Garter Home for Disabled Ex Service Men & Women
Victory Services Association Ltd
PRESENTATION OF NATIONAL PRESIDENTIAL CERTIFICATES
The President presented National Presidential Certificates, awarded to coincide with The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2009 and The New Year Honours List 2010.
PRESENTATION OF FLYING SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
The Chief of the Air Staff presented Awards to Flying Scholarship winners.
PRESENTATION OF BRANCH FORMATION CERTIFICATE
The President of the Association presented a new Branch Formation Certificate to the Tactical Communications Wing and 90 Signals Unit Branch. The certificate was received by the Chief of Staff from 90 Signals Unit, Squadron Leader Paul James based at RAF Leeming.
ADDRESS BY THE CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF
AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR STEPHEN DALTON KCB ADC BSc FRAeS CCGI RAF
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton began his speech by saying it was a great honour to be able to address the conference about what the RAF had been doing in the last year and what was planned for future years.
He started with a quick review of highlights of the last year - the most important being a focus on operations in Afghanistan, but not forgetting other operations around the globe.
He added: “The key things had been trying to make sure we provide the right capabilities for supporting the operations in Afghanistan, in many cases the RAF was leading those operations”.
A few weeks ago saw the largest heliborne assault for many years, led and flown by RAF aircrew, in Chinooks, at the start of a major operation in Sangan Valley in Helmand. It was also supported by, and in some cases controlled by, RAF aircrew in Tornado GR4s flying thousands of feet above them because they had sensors to see what was happening on the ground and they were directing operations, not just the airborne operations but the whole operation in the important phase of the landing.
He continued: “We also have the RAF Regiment deployed in defending two airfields at Camp Bastion and at Kandahar - an absolutely critical role. They are there not just to dominate the ground but to provide protection for aircraft flying in and out of those airfields”. Camp Bastion five years ago was just a piece of desert - it is now the fifth busiest airport in the world, with over 15,500 movements per day.
Elsewhere, the Falklands saw the deployment of the Typhoon fighters there - the first operational deployment by the fighters.
He stated that it was important to make sure not to lose sight of lots of the other aspects of operations, for example search and rescue which had been airborne some 532 times up to the beginning of this month - mainly to support civilians in difficulty.
Search and Rescue was due to be joined by Prince William in the autumn when he takes up his first post at RAF Valley.
Quick reaction alert was again something that didn’t appear very often in news but crews who man Tornado F3 and Typhoons at RAF Leuchars and Coningsby were regularly called to cockpit and sometimes launched either to investigate Russian aircraft or airliners in distress - the crews were on the alert all the time ready to help if that became important.
When the Tsunami hit Indonesia last year, there was a great need for aid to be transported to that part of the world and the RAF provided support for this too.
He mentioned the “fantastic young and seasoned warriors in the RAF”, most of whom have been on several overseas operational deployments for long periods of time.
To help them we had to make sure that we keep our processes and our management of them and provide the lifestyle and career structure that is contemporary and meets their aspirations. To do that we were having to change some traditions that had been in place for many years, but we had to change as an organisation if we were to keep pace with the modern desires and aspirations of the youngsters who come along - for example, trying to modernise the accommodation in which they live”.
He added his gratitude to the RAF Association which, in modernising its way of doing business, had provided a great number of the modern techniques and equipment that young people needed including Wi-fi for the blocks and most importantly when they were deployed overseas, so they could keep in touch with their families and friends.
He also thanked the RAF Families Federation whose tentacles spread throughout the Air Force and stated that they do an absolutely fantastic job for the men and women today. They identify precisely what an issue is, and try to ensure that senior personnel do what they can to pressure Ministers and Whitehall.
He added: “They also had not confined it to families because we had a lot of youngsters who needed help - particularly where things like debt get in the way of a potentially good career. People were still reluctant to ask for help, but we needed to encourage them to be prepared to ask.”
Sir Stephen commended the RAF Association for its relations with the RAF Benevolent Fund and stated that as the eyes and ears out there, the RAFBF could not do what it did to provide financial support for people who needed help without the help of the Association. He added: “It is outstanding and highly commendable the way that both organisations work together” and he was very grateful for the support and work that they do.
In the year ahead he mentioned the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and HM The Queen presenting a colour and two standards to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.
He commended the RAuxAF for providing key skills and people to support the RAF on operations on a daily basis.
A Security and Defence Review would also be taking place and the RAF would exist until 2018 and beyond.
A key thing was to demonstrate how the RAF is relevant to today and for tomorrow.
He said: “We have to change and adapt but we must maintain the ethos and core willingness of our people to do some fantastic work.”
He said people must also be reminded why the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain is relevant, not just as a celebration of events 70 years ago, but because it demonstrated one of the reasons why there was a professional independent air force today and because without control of the air, nothing else was possible.
The 70th anniversary also talked about networks and the teamwork that is part of the Royal Air Force today. A series of commemorative events were taking place this year.
The first and principal one was RIAT on 17/18 July. Spitfires, Hurricanes and a Me109 will fly in formation on both days as a salute to the people who gave their lives and did such a fantastic job in winning that battle.
In terms of making it contemporary he had invited the 11 air forces that took part in that operation to send fighter aircraft to fly in formation behind - from the Palestinians, Dutch, Czechs and Poles, to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Canada and now Zimbabwe and Rhodesia.
In closing he thanked all the RAFALOs who do a fantastic job with little thanks in public. He added: “They give their time and energy and they do it because they care about the Association and the relationships we need to have. They do a great job and I am very proud of them”.
“We must never stand still but must adapt and change to meet the needs of today. The Families Federation is a great example of that but other things are happening between the RAF, RAF Association and RAF Benevolent Fund and other areas where we must make sure we keep the development going and keep the Association alive. It is of great importance”.
“We need to demonstrate that we can meet the needs of the country for the future and make sure we understand what the Defence Review opportunities are for the air force to continue to deliver the air power this country needs. The RAF has a tremendous reputation and a great deal of good people in it that do a fantastic job and I hope that you will see that continuing for the next few years”.
He thanked the Conference Delegates on behalf of everyone serving in today’s RAF for the RAF Association’s continued support and commitment.
The Chief of the Air Staff’s speech was met by generous and long applause.
ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
The Chairman of the Annual Conference Committee, Mr J Allison, moved the adoption of the Report of the Annual Conference Committee, which was duly seconded and adopted.
THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2009
The Chairman of Central Council, Air Vice-Marshal Peter Liddell addressed Conference.
The Chairman of Trustees began by stating that this was his 5th Annual Report to Conference and in that time he had always been able to report significant progress and it gave him great pleasure to do so again, in that 2009 had been no exception. Overall the Association’s financial position was strong and we had successfully modernised our image and raised our profile. We had achieved great success in attracting serving members of the RAF and had continued to give our veterans the support that they deserved, but importantly had become more relevant to the serving Royal Air Force.
He began his presentation giving an overview of the Association’s financial position, informing the Conference that last year our legacy income was once again very strong. The Association received over £2.8m from legacies which was the largest amount that we had ever received in one year. He acknowledged the kindness of all those who remember RAFA in their wills. He also thanked the Glasgow Branch for their donation of £100k from the sale of their Branch property and stated that this very generous donation had gone into the Association’s Heritage Fund.
In 2009 the value of our investments rose significantly as a result of a disciplined investment policy, and the administrators of Kaupthing, Singer & Friedlander had so far returned 35% of Association funds. The frozen investment continued to be a concern but the Chairman remained positive about the outlook for the outstanding amount. Overall the Association had achieved a budget surplus of over £1m and currently had free reserves of over £9m. The overall message was that despite the economic downturn, the Association had had a successful year financially and our financial position was strong.
On Membership he stated that whilst we were slowing the decline, the Association continued to suffer a steady downward pressure on membership numbers. Our membership now stands at approximately 71,500, a reduction of just less than 4% over the year. However he was delighted to say that the recruitment of serving RAF members was going very well; over 30% of the current Royal Air Force were now members of our Association and this was the highest percentage that had ever been achieved. To produce that result we were recruiting at Halton, Honington and Cranwell and were achieving a success rate of approx 80%. This was not just the good work of the team in CHQ that had produced this outcome but the RAF itself was very supportive and our RAFALOs were doing an outstanding job. On behalf of the Association, he extended sincere thanks to all RAFALOs for their exceptional support.
The challenge, of course, was to retain these members throughout their RAF service and beyond, thus ensuring the future viability of the Association. We needed to be as relevant to them as we are to our veterans and to make them equally proud to be members of RAFA. To support that aim, we held a number of high profile events throughout 2009. The highlight of the year was the opening of our Remembrance Garden by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal at the National Memorial Arboretum in September and our Eagle on the Globe centrepiece is simply stunning. The Association also had a most successful Brew for the Few at Cosford to launch Wings Appeal week where Cpl Hefti from the RAF Regiment set a world record for 14 loop-the-loops whilst drinking a cup of tea. Another important event was the carol concert in Liverpool Cathedral which was another success in raising our profile.
The Chairman also commented on the new corporate look of the Association following approval at last year’s Annual Conference and was pleased to note the clean, consistent image of RAFA that we are now presenting to the outside world and the fact that the Association had achieved much more regional, national and international media coverage this year which supported our improving reputation.
Turning to fundraising, the Wings Appeal was also more buoyant than expected and the Association raised almost £2m, a 6% improvement on the total for 2008. This was an absolutely superb result especially in view of the economic conditions and the Chairman wished to place on record his sincere thanks to all those whose hard work and dedication had made this result possible. He highlighted the Shoreham Branch who made a record donation of £160k thanks mainly to their Air Show and also mentioned the superb results from the Northern Ireland branches and, in particular, Carrickfergus Branch whose members had raised over £30k. Another superb effort was that of the Solihull Branch who also raised over £30k. Last year saw the introduction of the Lift-Off Lotto which had been a success and now attracted over 4000 players each week, raising almost £0.25m in 2009 and this year the Association planned to make it available to the serving RAF. The Chairman also introduced Rachel Huxford, who, following open competition, had now been confirmed as the new Director of Fundraising.
Increasing fundraising remained one of the major challenges facing the Association and it was clear that we were becoming too reliant on legacy income and the cost of raising each £1 of funds was increasing. Hence there was a need to reverse that trend quickly which would not be an easy task. The Fundraising Director was launching a number of new ideas; an exciting development that she had facilitated was our link-up with The Blades Aerobatic Display Team. The Blades comprises 4 aircraft piloted by ex-Red Arrows and are renowned as the leading civilian display team in the world. They participate in over 100 public and private Air Shows throughout the season and are the only display team in the UK allowed to carry fee-paying passengers.
The tie-up with the Blades would allow us to market the Association strongly at Air Shows across the country and abroad in this the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. TV coverage meant that our branding would reach into homes throughout the UK. This was a very exciting development that gained unanimous approval by Central Council. It gave the Association a unique opportunity to present ourselves to a very large, aviation-centric and relevant audience, and it provided a superb platform for our fundraising efforts.
Moving to welfare, the Chairman stated that this was a crucially important element of our work. The backbone of our welfare effort remained our Honorary Welfare Officers. They keep in touch with RAF people in the community, advise on their needs and direct them towards any necessary help. Last year over 23,000 welfare visits were made and he extended his sincere thanks to all involved in this vital service. The Association had improved the training provided to the HWOs and last year over 40 of them were trained as Caseworkers to handle the more complex cases. We have had very positive feedback from the RAF Benevolent Fund and they are committed to doubling the number of cases that they refer to us.
Our 3 short-term respite homes, jointly funded by the RAF Benevolent Fund, and our sheltered housing complexes remained popular and well used and provided almost 3,000 welfare breaks in 2009. The War Pensions service that the Association provided for veterans and serving personnel was very highly respected across the RAF family and last year we helped over 2,500 individuals. David Wright, who retired recently, had provided an outstanding service for many years and the Chairman wished to publicly acknowledge his contribution.
Support to the serving Royal Air Force had continued, the Association had provided internet cafes and Wi-fi access at a number of bases and had provided home comforts for the Halton Recruits Mess. We had also provided enhanced facilities for over 50 on-base “contact houses”, where split families can come together, and over 400 children have so far benefited from the Storybook Wings initiative.
The Association continued to support some residents at Sussexdown and the relationship between Care South and the Association remained strong with Care South continuing to provide an excellent service to the residents there.
Moving to the role of the RAF Families Federation, the Chairman stated that they were there to provide an independent voice for the serving RAF and their families to ensure that senior RAF staffs and Ministers were kept informed of issues of concern. The Federation performed a vital function and he was delighted to report that it had gone from strength to strength with the number of RAF families bringing issues to their attention growing all the time. Dawn McCafferty and her team had won well deserved accolades for their work, which had been universally acclaimed for providing unemotional, fact-based evidence to policy makers within the RAF and wider government. Indeed, such is their reputation, that in December the Secretary of State for Defence said that he saw a very strong role for Families Federations in influencing the policy agenda. He thanked Dawn McCafferty and her team for all their hard work supporting the serving RAF and their families and for all they had achieved in a very short time.
The Chairman also thanked Ruth Martindale for combining her Director of Resources role with that of Acting Secretary General since the beginning of April. In her primary role she had done a first class job as evidenced by the fact that we had just had an extremely detailed financial audit and the comments made on our accounts were very minor and the job she has performed as Secretary General under very demanding circumstances had been exceptional.
In conclusion he stated that 2009 had been another successful year for the Association. He was now passing the Chairman’s baton to Air Vice-Marshal Nigel Bairsto who was already known to many in his role as President of the Northern Area. He was delighted that he had agreed to take on the role because he believed he was ideally suited by virtue of his drive, energy and experience to take the Association forward from here. The Association had come a long way in the past 6 years but many challenges remained and he was delighted that our Association would have a man of Nigel’s calibre at its helm.
Before he concluded he thanked Sir Rob Wright, Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund, for the way in which both organisations had worked together in support of the RAF Family. Standing down after 5 years in the Chair there were a number of individuals, past and present, that he thanked for their support. The Association’s President when he first assumed the post was Sir John Sutton. “It was Sir John that so single-mindedly set the Association on the right path. Without the foundations he had laid this Association would, I suspect, be in a very parlous state indeed today. The current President, Philip Sturley, then took over and it would not surprise anyone when I say that he has been a tremendous support to me when times were tough. We are very fortunate to have him at the head of our organisation” he then thanked him publicly for his support. He also thanked David Whittaker, his predecessor, for all the support and advice he had given him during his period of tenure. David had an encyclopaedic knowledge of our Association and had provided much wise counsel to him over the years. He paid tribute to the members of Central Council and the Executive Board, including our Non Executive Director, Tim Lee, who worked very hard on behalf of the membership. Both Honorary Treasurers that he had worked with, Allan Vaughan and now John Harrison, had been towers of strength as well as John Tisbury and Bryan Pattison who had been Deputy Chairmen during his time and provided him with cheerful but firm guidance. He also acknowledged the outstanding work of the Area Chairmen, who had pushed him hard but always with the very best interests of the Association at heart.
In ending he thanked all those dedicated individuals of the Association who work unstintingly in so many ways to support our Association. It was through all their efforts that the Association was prospering once more.
Six years ago he sat in the upper circle at Blackpool listening to the debate; “I didn’t fully appreciate just what I was letting myself in for. As I pass on the baton I now do know what it is all about - it is all about the people and it has been a privilege to be Part of Something Special”.
PRESENTATION OF THE ANNUAL ACCOUNTS FOR 2009
The Honorary Treasurer, Air Commodore John Harrison, presented the Accounts of the Association for 2009.
He began by stating that in his role of Treasurer he did not act alone and was advised by many people inside and outside the Association but especially the Director of Resources at CHQ. He had two roles as Treasurer, the first was to ensure that the Association complied with all the financial regulations and the second was the husbanding of the finances held by the Association. In terms of compliance, the Association was held in high regard and this was confirmed by a very rigorous audit of the Association a few months ago and the Director of Resources and her team were to be congratulated on the very high standard of the accounts. The second part of his role was to ensure that the finances held by the Association were made to work in the best way possible in conjunction with the Investment Managers.
Reporting on the balance sheet he stated that at the end of 2009 the Association had an operational surplus of £1.6m and the key statement was the fact that the organisation was better off than it was at the end of 2008 with total assets in the region of £17m, which was a very creditable performance especially as the Association had to take into consideration the issue of KSF and the pension assessment.
Legacy income remained high during 2009 but the Association was taking measures to wean itself off the dependency on this income. He reminded those that came into contact with members to have a conversation about leaving a legacy to the Association, he was well aware that it was a difficult subject to talk about but they could be safe in the knowledge that it would be used to good effect.
He congratulated the Association on its level of free reserves which was something to be justly proud of. It meant that the Association did not live from “hand to mouth” and could continue their operations in the most extreme of circumstances.
On the subject of KSF, and despite the Treasury’s comments that charities should receive their money back, the Government did not do so. The FSA considered the Association as an “institutional grade” investor and as such are not afforded the same legal rights as individuals over savings. KSF are presently in administration and by July the Association will have received back a total of 40p in the pound. .
Moving to investments, the Honorary Treasurer stated that following poor performances in 2007 and 2008 the market climbed steadily during 2009. A bold stance was taken by the Association and our Investment Managers and as such the Association’s investments did very well and much was achieved to regain our former position during 2009. This attitude changed approximately six weeks ago when the policy over investments changed from risk to caution, with the impending election and the uncertainty in Greece, the time had come to unload the risk and this policy had proved to be correct. The Honorary Chairman briefed the Conference on all the Association’s portfolios, the Branch Deposit, the Lady Peck Bequest and the Welfare Homes Fund.
Overall the Honorary Treasurer believed that the Association had achieved a good recovery during 2009 because the Association had taken some risk. A more cautious approach would now be the way ahead because of the uncertainty of the future at this time. He thanked Rathbones, the Investment Managers, for all their hard work on behalf of the Association.
He continued by thanking the Audit Committee for all their efforts over the last year, it was vital that he, as the Honorary Treasurer, had an audit team that were active and knowledgeable and in whom he had complete confidence. He requested that Branches engage with the Audit Committee with their particular issues as they were excellent at solving problems!
This year through the Audit Committee, the Association had employed the services of a new external audit team “Baker Tilly”. The Treasurer had met with them and requested a rigorous audit of the Association’s accounts; he was pleased to inform the conference that they had found very little to report upon and that gave him great confidence for the future. He thanked Ruth Martindale and her team for all their hard word on achieving such an outstanding audit report.
Going forward he believed that the main risks would be income from the Association’s investments in light of the economic conditions as well as membership/relevance of the organisation. The Association must remain conscious of the market risk whilst driving down the operational risks to the organisation. We must also have prudent but bold investment discipline working alongside our Investment Managers as well as focusing on the long-term delivery and sustainment on what we as an organisation do best.
In conclusion the Honorary Treasurer thanked everyone for the warm welcome he had received and stated that the previous 12 months had been a very interesting time and one that he had enjoyed very much. He believed that the next 12 months would not be as spectacular in terms of investment performance but with the Blades Aerobatic Display initiative coming to fruition we have some interesting times ahead. He finished by stating that the Association was very relevant and vibrant with a lot to look forward to.
ADDRESS BY CONTROLLER OF THE RAF BENEVOLENT FUND,
AIR MARSHAL SIR ROBERT WRIGHT KBE FCMI AFC FRAeS
The Controller began by thanking the conference for the opportunity to update delegates on how the RAF Benevolent Fund was working in partnership with the RAF Association. The key objects of both the RAF Benevolent Fund and the RAF Association remained the same; to support the RAF Family. Both charities needed to do more for more.
He placed emphasis on the much broader base of support not just from uniformed and ex-uniformed personnel but from the general public, industry and young people. He added that “We needed to go out and find people to advertise what we do and this is where the RAF Association, as the eyes and the ears, were vital to that task. If we are at the heart of the RAF Family, then the Association was the eyes and ears and without your members and structure, we cannot really do our job and we have to do more”.
The RAFBF’s 1919 object was: “The relief and assistance by all available means of those who are in need by reason of poverty, disability, sickness, infirmity or otherwise.” There was now an additional object to enhance the morale and wellbeing of the serving RAF.
Last year the RAFBF spent more than £21 million on core tasks. He highlighted the spectrum of care provided by the RAFBF and added: “The image that we are only looking after retired veterans is absolutely not true. This is the message that all of us need to get across.” In highlighting some of the fund’s work, he mentioned the building and refurbishment of 27 childcare centres on RAF stations at a cost of £13.5 million.
He said the philosophy was that relieving stress at the main base will relieve stress at the front line. “I believe it will help us identify and nullify welfare cases in the future by reaching people early with support. We can save a great deal of effort later on”. Youth issues had been highlighted to the fund by the RAF as an area that needed support. Initiatives in development include multi-use games areas for teenagers, run by professional youth workers and planned for 20 RAF stations.
A fast-track money and benefits advice service had been set up with the RBL and the Citizens Advice Bureau. Providing extra staff in 50 bureaux across the country meant they could fast-track veterans or serving personnel to obtain debt advice. He said 15,000 customers had discovered £35 million of government money they were entitled to but hadn’t been claiming.
The RAFBF also had 270 housing trust properties and £0.5 million was spent on wheelchairs and mobility aids. Princess Marina House continued to be the flagship of the RAF Benevolent Fund, but they were now focusing increasingly on respite breaks. Including the homes jointly funded with the RAF Association, over 4,000 respite breaks were provided every year.
He praised the development of the RAF Association’s caseworkers scheme and spoke about the two charities working together, making sure that they co-ordinate and facilitate their resources. He cited the recent opening of RAF Halton’s Newcomers Club as an excellent example of the two charities working together. Overall both organisations were working very much hand-in-hand, sharing initiatives, ideas and philosophies all for a common cause.”
RESULTS OF ELECTIONS
Elected as Vice-President - unopposed
Air Vice-Marshal Peter Liddell
Elected as Chairman of Council - unopposed
Air Vice-Marshal Nigel Bairsto
Elected as Members of Council
Mr R Bertam Mr I L McEnnis
Mrs J Boothman Dr B Pattison
Mrs W J ConlonMr K Stone
Mr J LeeMr J B Wilkie
Elected as Members of the Annual Conference Committee
Mr J H Allison
Mr E Day
Chief Technician A Rees
The following are the Area Representatives serving on Council for 2010/11
South East & Eastern AreaMr F Barrett
Wales, Midland & South WesternAreaMr J Tisbury
Northern AreaMr G Middleton
Scotland & Northern Ireland AreaMr J Skelton
European AreaMr B Darke
RESOLUTIONS CARRIED
1. This Conference endorses the recommendation in Paper CC 2/10 that those Council Members elected to the Executive Board, the Annual Conference Committee and including the Vice-Chairman of Central Council remain in office for a period of 2 years commencing May 2010 and that the Association’s governing documents be amended accordingly
2. This Conference resolves that Byelaw 5 (3) be amended so that only one Ordinary or One Life Member is required to propose a candidate for Associate Membership
3. This Conference resolves that the tenure of office for Officers, Vice-Presidents and Elected Members of Area Councils be increased from one to two years, commencing with the 2011 elections, and that the Association’s governing documents be amended accordingly
4. This Conference resolves that the tenure of office of Area Representatives to Central Council be increased from one to two years commencing in 2011 and that the Association’s governing documents be amended accordingly
5. This Conference resolves that Associate Members be eligible for election as Life Vice-Presidents and that the governing documents be amended accordingly
6. In line with Resolution 13/09 Conference receives Paper CC1/10 and endorses the recommendation that the Association joins an existing Credit Union if it is considered to be in the Association’s best interest
10. This Conference requests Central Council to investigate methods whereby the CHQ and Area HQ rolls be reviewed and reduced in favour of increasing Branch membership where practical and report back to Conference 2011
13. This Conference resolves that, where possible, and when requested by a Branch, correspondence should be sent to a designated email address and that the same option should be afforded to individuals not belonging to a Branch
RESOLUTIONS NOT CARRIED
8. This Conference resolves that European Area Branches should be reimbursed the cost of obtaining the same levels of insurance cover as UK Branches through Central Headquarters funding
9. This Conference, regretting that Central Council has chosen not to accept the sentiments behind Resolution 5/08, resolves that all proposed subscription increases must be ratified by Conference in accordance with the Rules and Byelaws
12. This Conference resolves that Branches be encouraged to participate in the Grand Draw and that their achievements be included in Wings Appeal gross proceeds as was originally intended
RESOLUTIONS WITHDRAWN
7. This Conference instructs Central Council to obtain an Insurance Policy that will provide European Area Branches with the same non-contributory benefits of cover that is provided for UK Branches
11. This Conference regrets that Branches attending Annual Conference as observers or visitors only are not allowed to purchase tickets for the evening events and requests the Annual Conference Committee to rectify this situation
SEMINARS
On completion of the Resolutions, the following briefings took place on the following subjects:
·Recent Welfare/Policy changes in the RAF by Air Commodore Ross Paterson RAF
·An insight into the work and thoughts of a RAFALO by Warrant Officer Ian Palmer
·An update on the City of London Salute to the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain by Bob Hounslow and Brian Hartley
VOTE OF THANKS
The vote of thanks was given by Chief Technician Rees and the following were thanked:
The Mayor of Blackpool, Cllr Don Clapham and the Mayoress, Mrs Gillian Clapham. The Deputy Mayor, Cllr Tony Lee and Deputy Mayoress Mrs Eileen Lee and the Borough of Blackpool for all their kind support and commitment over the Conference weekend. The Blackpool and South Fylde Branches of the Royal Air Forces Association. The Air Training Corps Guard of Honour, No 177(Blackpool Airport) Squadron ATC, under the command of Flt Lt Andrew Nickson. The Blackpool Combined Division of St John Ambulance. The Staff of the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The Lancashire Constabulary, in particular PC Graham Mattock. The Band of the RAF College and their musical Director Squadron Leader Chris Weldon RAF for providing the musical backdrop to the weekend. For their very impressive flypast, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The Chairman of Annual Conference, Air Marshal Philip Sturley. The Chairman and Members of Central Council. The Annual Conference Committee for their “behind the scenes organisation”. The National Standard Bearer, Mr Mike Facey, and all Area and Branch Standard Bearers under the watchful eye of the Parade Marshal, Mr Peter Stockdale. The Staff of Central Headquarters and Area Offices and Mrs Margaret Duff, the Conference Organiser.
VENUE FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2011
The RAFA Annual Conference 2011 will be held at Eastbourne between Friday 13th and Sunday 15th May 2011.
MAKE YOUR DIARY ENTRY NOW!
Conference Office contact details:
RAFA Conference, PO Box 316, Leyland, PR25 9AX
Telephone/Fax 01772 600211
e-mail: Margaret.duff@rafa.org.uk <mailto:Margaret.duff@rafa.org.uk>
Photographs taken over the conference weekend are available on CD by post from “Yorkie” Kay, 29 Huntershaw Way, Darlington, DL3 0SE. UK Members should forward their name, address and telephone number along with a cheque for £5 (standard delivery), £8 (special delivery) made payable to: SM Kay. Overseas members should write for details of postage pricing or email contact@kayzone.com <mailto:contact@kayzone.com>
A full transcript of the President’s Address, the Chairman of Central Council’s Address are available from the Secretary General at RAFA CHQ.
South East & Eastern AreaMr F Barrett
Wales, Midland & South WesternAreaMr J Tisbury
Northern AreaMr G Middleton
Scotland & Northern Ireland AreaMr J Skelton
European AreaMr B Darke
RESOLUTIONS CARRIED
1. This Conference endorses the recommendation in Paper CC 2/10 that those Council Members elected to the Executive Board, the Annual Conference Committee and including the Vice-Chairman of Central Council remain in office for a period of 2 years commencing May 2010 and that the Association’s governing documents be amended accordingly
2. This Conference resolves that Byelaw 5 (3) be amended so that only one Ordinary or One Life Member is required to propose a candidate for Associate Membership
3. This Conference resolves that the tenure of office for Officers, Vice-Presidents and Elected Members of Area Councils be increased from one to two years, commencing with the 2011 elections, and that the Association’s governing documents be amended accordingly
4. This Conference resolves that the tenure of office of Area Representatives to Central Council be increased from one to two years commencing in 2011 and that the Association’s governing documents be amended accordingly
5. This Conference resolves that Associate Members be eligible for election as Life Vice-Presidents and that the governing documents be amended accordingly
6. In line with Resolution 13/09 Conference receives Paper CC1/10 and endorses the recommendation that the Association joins an existing Credit Union if it is considered to be in the Association’s best interest
10. This Conference requests Central Council to investigate methods whereby the CHQ and Area HQ rolls be reviewed and reduced in favour of increasing Branch membership where practical and report back to Conference 2011
13. This Conference resolves that, where possible, and when requested by a Branch, correspondence should be sent to a designated email address and that the same option should be afforded to individuals not belonging to a Branch
RESOLUTIONS NOT CARRIED
8. This Conference resolves that European Area Branches should be reimbursed the cost of obtaining the same levels of insurance cover as UK Branches through Central Headquarters funding
9. This Conference, regretting that Central Council has chosen not to accept the sentiments behind Resolution 5/08, resolves that all proposed subscription increases must be ratified by Conference in accordance with the Rules and Byelaws
12. This Conference resolves that Branches be encouraged to participate in the Grand Draw and that their achievements be included in Wings Appeal gross proceeds as was originally intended
RESOLUTIONS WITHDRAWN
7. This Conference instructs Central Council to obtain an Insurance Policy that will provide European Area Branches with the same non-contributory benefits of cover that is provided for UK Branches
11. This Conference regrets that Branches attending Annual Conference as observers or visitors only are not allowed to purchase tickets for the evening events and requests the Annual Conference Committee to rectify this situation
SEMINARS
On completion of the Resolutions, the following briefings took place on the following subjects:
·Recent Welfare/Policy changes in the RAF by Air Commodore Ross Paterson RAF
·An insight into the work and thoughts of a RAFALO by Warrant Officer Ian Palmer
·An update on the City of London Salute to the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain by Bob Hounslow and Brian Hartley
VOTE OF THANKS
The vote of thanks was given by Chief Technician Rees and the following were thanked:
The Mayor of Blackpool, Cllr Don Clapham and the Mayoress, Mrs Gillian Clapham. The Deputy Mayor, Cllr Tony Lee and Deputy Mayoress Mrs Eileen Lee and the Borough of Blackpool for all their kind support and commitment over the Conference weekend. The Blackpool and South Fylde Branches of the Royal Air Forces Association. The Air Training Corps Guard of Honour, No 177(Blackpool Airport) Squadron ATC, under the command of Flt Lt Andrew Nickson. The Blackpool Combined Division of St John Ambulance. The Staff of the Winter Gardens, Blackpool. The Lancashire Constabulary, in particular PC Graham Mattock. The Band of the RAF College and their musical Director Squadron Leader Chris Weldon RAF for providing the musical backdrop to the weekend. For their very impressive flypast, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The Chairman of Annual Conference, Air Marshal Philip Sturley. The Chairman and Members of Central Council. The Annual Conference Committee for their “behind the scenes organisation”. The National Standard Bearer, Mr Mike Facey, and all Area and Branch Standard Bearers under the watchful eye of the Parade Marshal, Mr Peter Stockdale. The Staff of Central Headquarters and Area Offices and Mrs Margaret Duff, the Conference Organiser.
VENUE FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2011
The RAFA Annual Conference 2011 will be held at Eastbourne between Friday 13th and Sunday 15th May 2011.
MAKE YOUR DIARY ENTRY NOW!
Conference Office contact details:
RAFA Conference, PO Box 316, Leyland, PR25 9AX
Telephone/Fax 01772 600211
e-mail: Margaret.duff@rafa.org.uk <mailto:Margaret.duff@rafa.org.uk>
Photographs taken over the conference weekend are available on CD by post from “Yorkie” Kay, 29 Huntershaw Way, Darlington, DL3 0SE. UK Members should forward their name, address and telephone number along with a cheque for £5 (standard delivery), £8 (special delivery) made payable to: SM Kay. Overseas members should write for details of postage pricing or email contact@kayzone.com <mailto:contact@kayzone.com>
A full transcript of the President’s Address, the Chairman of Central Council’s Address are available from the Secretary General at RAFA CHQ.
