Presidents Report August 2019

Motorcycle Riders Association of W.A. Inc.President’s ReportAugust 2019

Hello to all and I hope everyone has been keeping dry and warm during the cold winter months. There have been some excellent rider days albeit starting off cold but quickly warming up for a good sunny day. Always good to take advantage of these days when you can.My name is Jeff Thomas and I am the new President of the MRA WA. This report is my first and I have spent most of the last month researching and learning where the organisation has been, what are the key issues concerning our members and the motorcycle fraternity are and what can be done to address them. This information will help our new leadership group to plan the future and to do justice with the extraordinary work done by my predecessor, Dave Wright.I would like to welcome the leadership group of Steven Wheadon as Vice President, Steven Fish as Safety Officer/Political Officer and Ainslie who retains Treasurer and Memberships.Committee MembersThe new committee consists of the following 6 people:President - Jeff ThomasVice President - Steven WheadonSafety/Political Officer - Steven FishSecretary - VacantTreasurer - Ainslie KounisMemberships - Ainslie KounisWebsite - Ainslie Kounis, Jeff ThomasNewsletter - Jeff Thomas, Ainslie KounisRides Group - Chris Meyer, Steven Wheadon, Jeff ThomasGeneral Committee - Dave WrightAustralian Motorcycle CouncilOn the 19th July, I received an invitation for a video conference with the AMC which was very interesting for a first timer to these meetings. The discussions in this meeting was generally regarding:Getting their house in order to present a unified message to government and road authorities.Why are we here and what are we doing - develop an approach.Professional development to help give a better message.Skills, find people to help, get rid of emotion and directness.Riders are often not skilled, should be continuous learning.Steven Fish attended a second AMC video conference on the 15th August who will present this as part of the safety report.Road Safety Council - Vulnerable Road Users GroupIn the past month we have had 2 meetings with the Road Safety Council.The first was the MRAWA leadership team of myself and the 2 Steves’ as a meet and greet. We discussed the work the RSC is doing and how we can achieve greater road safety for our members. We outlined our vision for the future, what we wanted to achieve and where the organisation was headed. We came to an agreement that both organisations can help each other. The MRA WA has agreed to participate in the making of motorcycle safety videos and to advise on motorcycling techniques, tips and tricks.The second was attended by Steve Fish, details will be in his report.Our Safety Officer Steven Fish has been invited to the A Australasian Road Safety Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre  25-27 September 2019Dave Wright and I will be attending a meeting with the RSC on the 29th August to discuss motorcycle safety reforms.Council Roadwise CommitteesI was investigating the existence of a roadwise committee in my council area and while I found yes there was, I also noticed that the council has introduced 40km speed limits in two small areas of the council. I had not heard this before so it appeared to be by stealth and was done in conjunction with the RSC.Apart from this, I intend to contact the mayor and put a case forward for joining the committee so as to be active in my area.Fire Stryker InhibitorDave Wright, Steve Fish and I have attended a demonstration at the Emergency Response Group Training (ERGT) centre in Jandakot of a small fire extinguisher with a very impressive operating time. The unit weighs only 400grams, is much smaller the a 1kg extinguisher yet has an emission time of 100 seconds which is longer that a 9kg extinguisher.The extinguisher can be easily mounted on a motorcycle and is recommended to improve the safety of all road users. The MRA WA supports the sale of these extinguishers which will then be purchased through the MRA WA website for online purchasing.MRA WA ConstitutionDue to new laws and regulations, our constitution is required to be updated to comply. The closing date to have the updates completed was 1st July 2019. We were in the process of having this done, however it was not completed through no particular fault of our own. I propose that the MRA WA move forward with the changes to the constitution. Some of the changes are as follows:Modernise to the latest requirements and legislation.Facilitate the membership of other clubs at a suitable cost.The protection of members privacy.Expand the leader group to five members to include the Treasurer.Affiliated Motorcycle ClubsTo further the cause of allowing clubs to be members of the MRAWA, I will be speaking to different groups.I have met with the president of the Governors Motorcycle Club, he will speak to his members.I will be attending the meeting of the ORMTC on the 2nd September.Member RecognitionThe MRA WA has had one particular member who always turns up for meetings, busy bees, Numbat rally and just about every other function we hold. The member has been doing this for around twenty five years and a surprising fact is he does not ride a motorcycle. I give notice of nomination of Roger Jutte for Life Membership to say thankyou for your dedication and effort. This nomination will be voted on in our next meeting in September in accordance with our constitution and have a two thirds majority of the committee.Always remember - Ride like you life depends on it.Jeff ThomasPresidentMotorcycle Riders Association of W.A. Inc.email: president@mrawa.orgmobile: 0409 293 320