New Board selected AGM 2022

September 12, 2022 Raj Suri

Words Barbara Barkhausen

The 2022 AGM took place at the DFAT offices in Castlereagh Street, on 6 September, in Sydney, with 16 members present and another 15 online via Webex. Some dialled in from other parts of the country whilst others were as far away as India and the UK but still made the time (and in some cases got up very early) to join the event.
Roger Maynard led the AGM in his usual, very professional manner. We voted on a change in the constitution to adjust the number of correspondents that are required to take part in an AGM. This is the result of newsrooms and the work of correspondents changing over time and the FCA reflecting this change with a reduced number of correspondents working from Australia.
Laurence Arthur, who was confirmed as president again, also reflected on these changes in her speech. She also summarised a past year which was still largely influenced by the pandemic but had highlights like a Christmas party at Darling Harbour, an in-person event that educated our correspondents in terms of social media and copyright laws as well as several Zoom briefings. Amongst these was a briefing about the tense situation in the region due to China’s new assertiveness as well as an election briefing before Australians went to the polls in May. The new board was also elected during the AGM reflecting the diverse nature of the FCA with board members stemming from the UK, Germany, Peru, Brazil, India and Switzerland.

After the AGM members enjoyed a delicious lunch at Bar Cupola in the city, chatting about the past year, reminiscing about stories and exchanging ideas.