From the President

Dear Old Virgilians

As you will have recently noticed, the OVA has delayed the Annual General Meeting until Monday 29 April. This was done in consultation with our members to ensure that all members were fully informed of the timing as required by the Constitution and in the required format. Hopefully, there will be good attendance at the AGM.

Please note that for those members contemplating a role on the committee, the nomination forms need to be received by the secretary no later than Friday 19 April. Further details are included in this newsletter.

Your committee met two weeks ago to be updated on the various discussions with the College, and our membership based on confirming the role of the OVA in recommending the investiture of members and the removal of members where deemed appropriate from the OVA Honour Roll. It has become clear that there has been considerable angst and anxiety surrounding this matter in recent times. The OVA respects the role of the College, indeed, its support of the OVA in recent times. Unfortunately, with new people involved at the College and the OVA, the ownership and responsibilities of the maintenance, including appointments and removal, have not been as clear as is necessary.

The OVA has now committed to work closely with the College to address some shortcomings in the founding documents, including a review of the Constitution and the process of inducting new members or removing those on the honour roll, as a matter of urgency. The processes remain unconfirmed as of the date of this writing.

Accordingly, your Committee has resolved that this be completed before any confirmation of the appointment or removal of inductees on the honour roll can be advised. Our membership base has represented that the honour roll is the responsibility of the OVA, and the Committee has confirmed this. The College has an important role in the appointment of inductees and is and always will be consulted by those charged with reviewing nominations of the members for inclusion in the honour roll.

As a matter of priority, I, as President, and as a representative of the OVA Committee, met with the daughters of Robert Hamilton last week to explain the position of the OVA in relation to the College’s communication to our members and the actions that have been necessitated as a result of that communication.

The OVA will continue to work with the College and the Principal to seek improvements in the interactions between the College and its OVA membership group and to ensure the purposes are aligned where appropriate and the management of communication between the OVA and its membership is improved.

This places certain obligations on the OVA and the Committee, and as a result, I am hoping for increased feedback from members at any and all OVA forums over the next year. Without positive member feedback, we are unable to work as effectively with the College as your Committee thinks appropriate. Now is the time for the OVA army to be present and contribute where possible.

Our interstate membership is both significant and important. I am looking forward to another successful member forum in Melbourne in October this year.  We also have significant members in other states. It would be pleasing to engage with some of those members to enable a similar forum to be held in those states over the next 12 months. If members could advise the Secretary of a desire to convene such forums, your committee will work to do so.

I was in attendance on Friday 12 April at the opening of the new buildings at Austins Ferry Campus representing the OVA membership base.