Word From The President

When I stepped into the role of President, I did so without years of committee experience. My background has largely been in small business, where decisions are often made promptly so teams can move forward quickly.

Community organisations work differently. They require broader consultation, shared decision-making & balancing transparency with practical day-to-day operations. That’s something I’ve been learning along the way!

In the early stages of the new committee, I leaned heavily toward openness & inclusion. At times, that meant sharing a very large volume of information, updates & operational detail with seasoned committee members in an effort to keep everyone informed during a period of rapid activity.

Four of those who later resigned thanked myself & the Secretary for the “extraordinary volume of work since their election, and their multiple achievements, often undertaken in response to external deadlines.” At the same time, concerns were raised that the “volume of communications and/or requests” & the pace of activity within what is “a small voluntary not-for-profit committee” had become overwhelming. The President & Secretary had been “attempting to do too much, too soon,” & had “not allowed enough time for due diligence, adequate assessment & considered discussion.”

I took those concerns seriously.

One of the practical challenges for any volunteer community organisation is that formal Committee meetings often occur only once per month, while operational matters, external deadlines, Council processes & community issues continue moving in real time between meetings. Balancing appropriate consultation with the practical need to keep the organisation functioning effectively has been one of the more challenging aspects of the role.

As the committee evolved, attempts were made to streamline communications & separate routine operational matters from broader Committee decisions. In doing so, concerns were then raised around transparency. In hindsight, there were certainly moments where processes, delegation & communication structures could have been handled differently.

Many of these experiences ultimately highlighted the need for clearer governance frameworks better suited to a modern community organisation operating in a digital environment, while still remaining compliant with an older model Constitution developed decades ago.

In response, the Association has since implemented a range of updated governance processes designed to improve efficiency, participation, transparency & accountability, including formal policies supporting electronic participation, circular resolutions & structured out-of-session decision-making processes.

These changes have helped modernise how the organisation operates while ensuring decisions remain properly documented, transparent & constitutionally compliant.

Throughout this period, the intention was never to exclude, overwhelm or act without integrity. The intention was to respond to community expectations, manage external deadlines, keep momentum moving & achieve meaningful outcomes for Suffolk Park.

I remain genuinely grateful to the many volunteers & community supporters, committee members, including those who chose to resign, who contributed their time, energy, experience & feedback during a period of significant organisational change. Those experiences, including the challenges, have helped shape a more sustainable, measured & collaborative approach moving forward.