Legal and Insurance information
Upcoming AGM and Board Positions. AGM 26th April
The Fencing Victoria AGM will be held on the 26th of April. If you would like to consider nominating for the Fencing Victoria Board we recommend that you read this document to familiarise yourself with how the board operates and the commitments you will need to undertake.
Board Positions Document Link – https://fencingvictoria.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FV-Board-Positions.pdf
Fencing Victoria Inc.
The executive of Fencing Victoria (FV) has prepared this document of the current roles and responsibilities of the FV Committee (Board) Members.
Fencing Victoria Executive Board – Roles and Responsibilities
Fencing Victoria is a volunteer led organisation, with Board members required and expected to contribute operationally according to the position they were elected / appointed for, and as stated in the Rules for Fencing Victoria Incorporated (effective from 2015).
They will also be expected to contribute to general FV business matters.
Being a Volunteer led organisation it is essential that the FV Board members understand their responsibility to be operationally involved and that they have the capacity and capability to commit to these requirements.
As a sport recognised by Sport Australia, and affiliated and aligned with the Australian Fencing Federation, and having adopted and committed to the eleven Victorian Child Safety Standards, the compliance and acquittal requirements of FV as a sporting organisation has greatly increased.
Even though fencing is a very small (but growing) sport, it is increasingly operating in a more complex environment with greater responsibilities and accountabilities for both financial and general matters.
Directors need to have specific skill sets and have the time and willingness to ‘roll the sleeves up’ and
also contribute operationally as required. Without this commitment, FV would not be able to satisfy the
many and varied compliance deliverables now required. The FV Executive effectively serves as the
senior leadership team of the organisation.
The time required for each Executive role varies, and may increase during a period of strategic
planning; local and national event planning and staging.
The FV Board normally meets monthly, preferably in face-to-face meetings but during lockdowns and other circumstances can meet using Zoom. These meetings are usually 2-3 hours in duration, with some pre reading or preparation of papers required beforehand.
Each Board member however will also have defined operational responsibilities throughout the
year between meetings.
As per the Rules for Fencing Victoria Incorporated (effective from 2015) the following roles constitute
the elected Directors of the FV Board:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Director of Communication
The Board shall consist of not less than five and not more than nine members, up to seven of whom shall be elected and up to two shall be appointed by the Board.
The Board must not consist of more than two 2 people who are members of the same Affiliated club, unless, in respect of an election to fill a vacant position there has been no valid nomination of a member of another Affiliated club to fill the vacancy.
Members are appointed for a period of two years at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and at each AGM, not less than half of the elected members, being those who have been longest in office since last being elected, must retire from office and are eligible to be re-elected.
Members are elected to the Board. As soon as practicable after being elected or appointed to the Board a meeting must be held for the Board to elect the following position:
- a President
- a Vice -President
from amongst the Elected board members. All other appointments can be from amongst the Board members (elected or appointed).
The requirements of each of these roles, requires a range of different skill sets, experience and time commitment to meet these roles for FV to remain a compliant and effective entity.
Under its Rules, FV is able to employ staff as required and has employed a number of key Part-Time staff as well as casuals as they are required. It is the responsibility of the FV Executive to appoint and line manage these staff members, providing direction, advice and guidance when required. The key appointments are:
- General Manager (currently Ms Kayt Spano – Part time appointment).
- Operations Manager (currently Ms Robyn Hunter – Part time appointment)
- NM Centre and facilities supervisor – Part Time (Casual)
- Head DT (Directoire Technique) – Part Time (Casual)
- Head Referee – Part Time (Casual)
- And many others such as DT’s, referees, coaches and general assistance as required.
The Board also has the right to delegate duties and responsibilities to sub-committees, or to staff, but retains overall responsibility.
Please note: a Board Member cannot be an employee of the Association.
PRESIDENT
Being a volunteer led and driven organisation, the President role is effectively the CEO of FV and the
person in this role must have the skill set, experience, and most importantly the time and commitment to fulfil these duties, which can be time consuming.
- The President has the ultimate responsibility for all activities of FV, including the appointment and removal of staff, the establishment of sub-committees and the overall development, operations and financial performance of FV.
- Represent the sport at official functions.
- Key point of liaison with the Australian Fencing Federation (AFF) and other state fencing organisations.
- Drive the development and implementation of the FV Strategic Plan.
- Manage all salaried staff members.
- Oversight of FV performance against Sport Australia’s Sport Governance Principles
- Chair Board meetings and any general meetings.
VICE-PRESIDENT
Responsibilities:
- The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, chairs Board meetings and any general meetings.
- In the absence of the President deputise for the President
- Carry out delegated task as assigned by the President or the Board.
The remaining specified positions are that of Secretary, Treasurer and Director of Communications.
SECRETARY
Responsibilities:
- The Secretary must perform any duties of function required under the Act to be performed by the secretary of an incorporated association including the responsibility for lodging documents of the Association with the Registrar.
- Give each member at least 14 days’ notice of a general meeting or 21 days if a special resolution is to be proposed at the meeting.
TREASURER
Responsibilities:
- The Treasurer ensure the financial records of the Association are kept in accordance with the Act and must prepare the financial statements of the Association and their certification by the Committee prior to their submission to the Annual General Meeting and
- Take responsibility for the overall financial operations of Fencing Victoria including the receipts and payments of all moneys.
Make any payments authorised by the Executive or by a general meeting from FV funds.
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Responsibilities:
- Ensure that copies of the Rules are available for distribution to members and clubs.
- Manage the correspondence of the Association.
- Accept or reject persons wishing to join as members of Fencing Victoria.
- Call for nominations for people wishing to become Board members at least 7 days before a General Meeting.
- It is also expected that the Director of Communications take overall responsibility for communicating with the FV membership base through newsletters, the FV web site, social media or other appropriate channels.
In addition to the above “formal” and legal responsibilities, there are many other areas and tasks that Board members are expected to be involved in and take responsibility for. These are assigned by the Board to individuals to ensure Fencing Victoria can operate and progress to the benefit of the fencing community.
2023
At the Annual General Meeting of Fencing Victoria which will be held at the North Melbourne Fencing Centre on the 26th April 2023 up to four new Board members may be elected.
The Board members who were elected in 2022 and can serve until 2024 are:
- Alicia Rendell – Cross Swords (Director Finance)
- Tim O’Loan – VFA (Infrastructure)
- Vacant due to resignation of Graeme Orrman VFA (Vice President) in December 2022.
Positions becoming vacant are:
- Norbert Riedl – Dragons (President and acting Company Secretary)
- Emily Marotta – Cross Swords (Communications Director)
- Jeremy Drossinis – VRI (Technical Director)
- Vacant due to resignation of Krista Thomas, Geelong Fencing Club (Volunteers) in December 2022.
There are two Appointed members whose appointment finishes at the AGM and may be re-appointed for one year by the FV Board. They are:
- Tulja Ijaz – Rogue (Member Protection and Equity)
- Andrew Guo – Kirin (Youth representative and liaison with the Chinese Community)
*****
We ask all members of the fencing community to consider nominating for one of the four vacant positions which are to be filled by an election that will be held at the AGM on Wednesday the 26th April 2023. It is important that Fencing Victoria has a strong and committed Board which will allow our sport to grow and succeed after the last three difficult, Covid affected years.
2023 has started in excellent fashion with a large number of competitors at both the recent National Junior and Youth Circuit competitions and the first of the Novice and B Grade competitions. To ensure that FV can continue to hold the many scheduled competitions and other events in the year ahead will require the input and support from everyone in the fencing community, not just the Board. The Board is however a starting point where your skills may be invaluable, so please, consider nominating and help Fencing Victoria to grow and succeed.
If membership on the Fencing Victoria Board is not your “thing”, please consider helping us in other ways as a casual volunteer, so that Fencing Victoria can continue to have a great and successful year.
Norbert Riedl
President
Fencing Victoria