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UKMAMS ASSOCIATION DISBANDMENT-
THE OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Dear All
My thanks to Tony Gale for supporting the UKMAMS Association over the
years and his current offer of assistance in publishing this message
on his OBA website.
There have been several Movers who
have expressed concern about my letter in the last Team Brief (also
reproduced here) explaining why we, the Council of the
Association, thought that the time had come to call an Extraordinary
General Meeting (EGM) to arrange the winding up of the Association.
So, with your indulgence, can I now add to that message as we have had
time to reflect upon it, gauge reactions to date and discuss the ‘way
ahead’ for the Association?
Where we are now
The ‘bottom line’ for many of us has been the lack of new, practical
support for the running of the Association. I have been Chairman for
some 13 years and, several years ago, I called for ‘new blood’ and new
ideas and asked for someone to take over the Chairmanship from me.
However, over the ensuing 4 years there has not been one volunteer
and, although I have been proud and privileged to lead the
Association, I am not willing to preside over its decline and fall.
Paid up Membership has fallen by about 30% in the past 3 years. The
replacement for UKMAMS, No 1 Air Mobility Wing at RAF Lyneham, is
extremely busy on operations and unable to provide a replacement
Editor for Team Brief or recruit new members from within the Wing. We
must also recognise that the modern RAF and No 1 AMW are very
different in their tasking, priorities and attitudes from the RAF that
most Association Members were part of in the 20th Century.
The outgoing OC 1 AMW believes that there is little interest in the
Association from members on his Wing and suggests that we should
become an Association of ex-MAMS personnel who would be invited to
join the Wing from time to time; for example when they hold a Families
Day.
Mick Cocker has been Editor of Team Brief for some 8 years, over 3
years longer than his commitment at the start! Although the latest
Team Brief would indeed be his last in that format, he remains willing
to continue to edit and produce a Newsletter sized publication
(probably less than 10 pages) in the future, mainly consisting of
information for those who have retired from the Service:
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From the 540 -
looking back at past glories (thanks to Ian Berry’s work),
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Membership news
(thanks to Colin Allen and Steve Beaumont’s contributions)
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Publication of your
inputs and old memories as submitted to him in the future.
However, unless this Newsletter can be delivered by e-mail, and only
a third of our current Members have given us their e-mail addresses,
there would be a cost of publication and postage to be paid for.
Below are some of the ideas which have been discussed by the Council
and amongst various members in recent weeks. There are 2 alternative
solutions that we have evolved which will be discussed at the AGM and
finally decided upon at the EGM.
Alternative 1 –
UKMAMS Association “Lite”
The fact remains that the UKMAMS
Association Council has largely depended upon the same dedicated
people serving on the Council since the Association was formed in
1991. Although there are attractions of continuing an Association in
the form of UKMAMS Association “Lite”, there would still be a
fundamental requirement to appoint a Treasurer and Committee to
administer payments made by members and to be accountable to them for
the Association’s funds. Under Alternative 1, the Association would
continue to collect subscriptions and function as follows:
-
Retain the website (and continue to cooperate with
the ‘Old Bods Association’ website run by Tony Gale in Canada.)
-
Maintain records and administer the Membership as we
now do, but concentrate effort on recruiting members from those who
have retired from UKMAMS and RAF Service. Membership will remain
open to all Movers who have served with the RAF (as it is today) but
it should be recognised that, to date, very few non-MAMS personnel
have joined the Association since it was opened up to all Movers.
-
Re-write the Constitution to simplify the way the
Association is run.
-
Produce a periodic
Team Brief Newsletter (see above) and send it to interested former
members by e-mail and surface mail.
-
Maintain liaison with No 1 AMW but run the
Association separately with an all-civilian and smaller
Council/Committee)
-
Elect a
new
Chairman, Treasurer and Membership Secretary and confirm the current
volunteer for Editor of the Team Brief Newsletter.
-
Only consider
retaining the Association “Lite” if the following criteria are met:
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Membership
increases by a minimum of 60
paid-up
members (returning or new members) by the date of the EGM, thus
restoring the membership to 400.
-
Volunteers for the appointments of Chairman,
Treasurer and Membership Secretary are forthcoming before the EGM.
Alternative 2 -
UKMAMS Association “Ultra Lite”
The other alternative will disband
the organisation, disperse the funds in the account and then bring
together an informal group of people (possibly mostly drawn from the
present Council Members) to maintain a framework of the Association,
without subscriptions from
Members, as follows:
-
Retain the website (and continue to cooperate with
the ‘Old Bods Association’ website run by Tony Gale in Canada.)
-
Try and keep a record of members and former members
on a spreadsheet, updated largely by word of mouth.
-
Produce a periodic
Team Brief Newsletter (see above) and send it to interested former
members by e-mail only and place it on the website.
-
Arrange the odd ‘Meet and Greet’ in Swindon/ local
area/ China Fleet Club etc and perhaps the occasional dinner or more
formal event from time to time.
Alternative 2 would keep the Association flame alive pending any
resurgence of interest in a formal organisation in the future. (We
might have to approach friends from time to time to contribute a small
sum to pay for hosting the website and retaining the domain name of
UKMAMS.) This Alternative 2 was what was envisaged when I wrote my
first message to inform you about the calling of an EGM to disband the
current Association.
The Way Ahead
The way ahead has been planned as follows:
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Following the AGM
a special Team Brief Newsletter will be sent to all Members
to
explain where we stand and it will notify the date and venue for the
Extraordinary General Meeting.
-
The
EGM will be held (on a date and
venue to be decided) in January 2009.
This meeting will debate and decide the future of the Association.
If sufficient members attend who want to retain the Association in
some form, and they offer direct and practical commitment to
sustain the future organisation, then the current Council will
confirm either disbandment and winding up arrangements or the
formation of a replacement organisation to take the UKMAMS
Association into the future. (ie Alternatives 1 or 2 discussed above
and as modified in the intervening period)
We have much to remember with pride (and some sweat!)
It is with a heavy heart that I write these words but the ‘writing has
been on the wall’ for some years. You will recall that I have
discussed the future of the Association in the Team Brief on several
occasions and debated it during the annual General Meetings. I think
that Members have had good value from their modest subscriptions and
have enjoyed several very successful reunions as well as smaller
events and the arrival through the post of the Association’s own
publication - Team Brief. I would commend to you the enthusiastic and
dedicated work of your Council members. It has been a great pleasure
to work with them. I hope that the name and reputation of UKMAMS,
earned over 40 years, is remembered with respect and warm memories of
good friends and colleagues. They have done a good job for the RAF
and the nation.
Very best wishes for the future

Bob Dixon
Chairman
24 August 2008
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