Where’s the year gone?
It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by since the last AGM and what a hectic year it has been, with a mixture of good and not so good happenings.
The one thing that is constant are the challenges that change brings and apart from death and taxes nothing is more certain in life. As humans, we seem to be hard-wired to resist change, yet we are continually confronted by it. I certainly believe that change for change’s sake is a waste of our intellectual capacity but change where real improvements and rewards can be realised must be embraced. One of my Dad’s sayings that has always stuck with me is – if it comes easy, it won’t last and was probably not worth having. I think he was right. The Board and Executive Teams have had a very challenging year, where lots of new ideas that will bring change have been worked through and adopted.
Strategic Plan
Our new 2025–2027 Strategic Plan was adopted earlier this year. There was not a lot of change from the previous version as many of the strategies were sound and ongoing. The plan is underpinned by Our Purpose, which is to develop and promote a safe and inclusive environment for experiencing the thrill of gliding, through advocating excellence, providing opportunities and upholding our responsibilities to the aviation community. We aim for lifelong enjoyment through development, training and leadership.
The essential difference to the previous plan is that the current plan has a number of Implementable Actions coupled with defined Responsibilities and Timelines. The plan is challenging and it is unlikely that we will achieve all we’ve set out to do – but we will give it a good crack.
If you haven’t done so yet, I recommend that Members have a look at the Strategic Plan and have a think about how they might best be able to support it. It’s on the front page of the GAus website.
CASR Part 149
In my report last year I spoke about our conditional CASR Part 149 approval. It was conditional as CASA did not initially grant us enforcement (disciplinary) powers. The problem was the result of a discourse between two competing federal jurisdictions and our decision to adopt the National Integrity Framework under Sport Integrity Australia.
Following further negotiations that took over a year and, with a few minor tweaks, we finally got there. GAus is now a fully accredited CASR Part 149 Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisation.
Now to the audits – the first is due any day now.
CLG and NSO
A few months ago I advised Members that the Board had decided to embark on a course to recommend to Members that we change our legal entity from an Incorporated Association to a company structure, specifically, Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG). The background behind this was that GAus was no longer recognised as part of a National Sporting Organisation (NSO), as the Air Sports Australia Confederation (ASAC), of which GAus ia a member, decided not to adopt revised Australian Sports Commission requirements.
By 2026, all Australian state governments will require NSO recognition of a sport’s peak body to qualify for state grant funding. As a precursor to applying to become an NSO we must first adopt a company structure, ie, CLG.
Our early advice was that this should be a fairly straightforward process, but alas, the reality is that it is complex, requiring fundamental change to our constitution and governance practices. NSO applications to the ASC will open in the second quarter of 2026 and we need to adopt a CLG structure prior to lodging our application to become an NSO. We have a lot of work to do, and to assist us we have engaged a legal firm experienced in the area.
Of course, any change to our Constitution will require Member approval.
Pawnees – the Ongoing Saga
Gliding’s love affair with Pawnee tow planes has certainly been challenged over the past 18 months. In my view, the Pawnee issue has posed the biggest enterprise risk to gliding that we have ever faced.
Following the initial grounding, many clubs are back in operation, albeit with an ongoing intrusive and expensive inspection regime. Other clubs have decided to take an alternate path using other aircraft as tow planes or have incorporated winching as an alternate launch method. There are also a number of clubs that have opted to install new spars and we expect to see these aircraft take to the skies soon.
We have been fortunate to have some very talented, skilled and dedicated people within Gliding that have been actively working with CASA in the pursuit of obtaining Alternate Methods of Compliance (AMOCs) against the Argentinian ADs. Without these AMOCs it would be difficult to see how any Pawnee in Australia would ever fly again. To Anthony Smith and his team – a huge thank you.
Our CEOs
Our inaugural CEO Doug Flockhart resigned at the end of June 2024. Although Doug had only been with GAus for a little under two years, his impact on our organisation was immense. Doug was an inspiration for all; he led the Executive and Head Office Support Teams in a cohesive way that encouraged excellence, individual input and creativity, but with a collective result that focussed on delivering GAus' strategic intent. He worked seamlessly with the Board and helped to guide us through many important decisions.
Sadly, Doug passed away on Saturday 8th November.
On a very much brighter note, our new CEO, Mariela Pocklington, is quickly settling into her new role. Mariela is a down-to-earth person with a friendly and approachable disposition. Her broad background in sports administration and extensive knowledge of good governance practices will be invaluable as we take on future challenges.
We are indeed a fortunate organisation where we have been able to recruit such high-calibre individuals to lead our management team.
The Board
Eleven people sit on the GAus Board, all from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Everybody brings something different to the table, but we all work with one goal in mind, ie, for the betterment of Australian gliding. Debate at Board meetings can be robust, we have serious, respectful discussions, along with some fun and I think we all get to know each other quite well.
This year we have a number of people leaving the Board. Peter Brooks (SA/NT), Lisa Turner (Qld) and Chris Bowman, our Treasurer extraordinaire, have completed their five years. Bev Alden, who was always an active contributor to Board deliberations, has also resigned.
I would like to thank them all for their contribution.
Keeping it Safe
Our sport is an inherently dangerous one, but with good management practises many of the risks can be effectively mitigated. The cause of the recent fatal accident at Darling Downs involving a well-known and experienced competition pilot may never be determined but it must raise the awareness of all glider pilots to the inherit dangers associated with our sport. Please be vigilant in maintaining IAMSAFE protocols and effective airworthiness safety standards.
I’m looking forward to the next year and working with you all to address the challenges it will bring towards meeting our strategic intent.
Fly safe and be kind to each other.
Steve Pegler
Chair of the Board
