WSRA Trustee Election Hustings

Geoff May
WSRA Member 12932

 

A tenner to WSRA funds says you will not even get an acknowledgement!

 

Geoff

Many thanks.

Do keep an eye out for the resumed AGM.

kind regards

Robin White

 

Some posts ago,it was asked what is the WSR.To me it something beyond who owns what asset and a tangle of organisations.It could be a museum without soul with immaculate items, a dispassionate display. What is this extra that gives the WSR( and similar organisations) that magic something in the working railway beyond a journey from here to there.. It is the staff,volunteers and paid, communicating their interest and enthusiasm for their subject to the public, fulfilling without realising it,the charitable aim of education. It is they that ,indirectly, who encourage visitors to support the railway by joining the Association. That they will continue to support the railway is without doubt, they will, despite recent events, and the railway will survive.They are the beating heart of WSRA, and the Association must heed the signs of a thrombosis.

 

Without giving away any tactical secrets it would be interesting to know whether the reform candidates have any plans to engage with 'armchair' members, whose proxy votes might again carry weight at A&E GMs.

 

There is a plan for both resumed AGM and EGM.

As far as the resumed AGM is concerned, we have to live with the proxies that there are, and the plan takes that into account. Just be there if you can, please.

For the EGM, once we have it called, the arrangements which the law requires ensure that the 'reformers', assuming we use our opportunities wisely, are able to communicate with the whole membership.

kind regards

Robin White

 

Please can you confirm that existing proxies stand? AIUI there is nothing to stop extra ones being gathered? TIA

 

My understanding is that that is so, on both counts.

One would hope that clear, sensible arrangements, dealing with such matters would be set out by those whose duty it is to call the meeting in plenty of time for members to understand the arrangements.

History on that point is not encouraging.......

Watch this space.

kind regards

Robin

 

Robin

Not wishing to be rude but have you done the maths? Now we have a two old fogeys membership which from my railway contacts I believe that when we use our free trip the PLC gets around £17 for our free vouchers from the WRSA that leaves £7 to pay for the four journals and postage. At todays pricing can 4 journals be produced for that cost and if it can very little spare money will go into the piggybank. If as you suggest a discount is given for working members it will mean the WRSA loses money, so will we all have to pay more for our membership to compensate?


Know All

 

Do WSR volunteers or staff get free travel on the railway anyway? In which case presumably there is no need for the WSRA to pay for the travel concession? I suspect as well that even amongst non-volunteers, only proportion of members will actually use their concession.

In any case - surely having one extra person on a train is of marginal cost to the operator, unless the train is so crowded that it displaces a real fare-paying passenger. So surely charging what looks like the full price for the concession looks, well, interesting, on the part of the PLC... - especially as the extra passenger being conveyed at marginal cost is likely to contribute to the railway in other ways, for example, in the Minehead shop or cafe?

Tom

 

Working members get free travel on their ID cards, so have little use / value from the vouchers , which is (1) one of the 'beefs' working members have about value of WSRA membership and (2) why the maths do stack up.

Plainly the same applies to employed staff, and the 'priv' level is a potential loss but I was thinking that their journals might be distributed at no cost by internal post and in any event, if we are the supporters association for the Railway we should recognise the commitment and dedication of our staff, who are often paid below market rates for what they do.

Kind regards

Robin White

 

I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave some moments ago....

We also need to move back to the state of grace we tried to occupy some years ago where we avoided cross - charging. The 'daggers drawn' approach we have appeared to have between the WSR plc and the WSRA has to get fixed and, as we were about to vote on Membership rates anyway, it seemed to me a perfect opportunity to give a practical expression of an example where reform might take us.

I have also had comments that 'employed staff' should include the WSRA and subsidiaries, and that we should go a little further with our apprentices and give them free membership. Both seem sensible, and I wi issue a revised '8.2' in the morning in the light of any further comments this evening .

Kind regards

Robin White

 

Robins proposal is a good way of WSRA recognising the input of staff and volunteers on the railway, as does the PLC which recognises long term service or outstanding commitment by the award of a lifetime silver pass. I totally agree with the proposal for our apprentices. Now we are getting nearer the big 40,is it time that we should consider some form of special recognition to the valiant first 100(?) who started the whole thing off.

 

>>>we should consider some form of special recognition to the valiant first 100(?).....

I would go with that idea <G>, but Faol may have a problem .........

 

Ok - upto and slightly beyond his old number then !! it needs thinking about, anyway.

 

I have all the recognition I need each time the GM says thank you for my efforts. As for my number serves me right for not renewing for a few years. If you ask Robin, who has read issue 1 of the minutes, she will confirm I was there at the outset. I know Simon still has number 1, Robin P has number 13 I think and John Pearce number 25. Incidentally the early boys who have worked throughout were awarded silver passes some years ago.

 

I can confirm what Ken says about the minutes, and his (Great?) Grandfather status!

I do get a fuzzy warm glow every time I use my Long Service Pass, and now I live adjacent to Stogumber station, that's quite often.

The only reward I would like, would be a West Somerset Railway Association which matched my vision in post 849 on page 43 of this thread, and it really wont be that hard to achieve....

kind regards

Robin White

 

I use my free pass to take Mrs Greenway on a day out I did on Monday took the granddaughter to the seaside (still recovering from the energy a 3 year old has. I also look at it as the wsra is supporting the railway with the money it gives for me to ride.

Rodders

 

Do we know how many members actually use the free travel vouchers?

I travel to the WSR with four others all WSRA members but we all use our shareholder passes for travel so there is no cost to the Association. Two of us buy quite substantial amounts of books from the shop at BL each year and get a discount so there is a small cost there but the shop no doubt still makes profit on what we buy!

I would be quite happy to receive an electronic copy of The Journal to reduce costs.

David Smith