Annual General Meeting - 22 February 2025
Geraldton Foreshore
Meeting open: 9:10am

MINUTES

Welcome: Chantal
Minute taker: AI/Amber
Apologies: Cath, Kym
Attendees: From the GYC board: Chantal, Julie, Shelley, Amber, Denise, Katie, Suz; Teachers: Meg; Community members: Vicki, Rachel, Eike, Vivek, Laura, plus one other member.

PRESIDENTS REPORT:

• Good year, steady growth, new developments such as the membership process has gone online. This reduces our carbon footprint which is important in Yoga principles.

• We increased our membership fees last year because we have to pay for the use of the QE2 centre in the cooler months, whereas in previous years, this was free.

• We had successful events such as the International Yoga day which was well attended and strengthened our partnership with the Midwest Indian Cultural Society. We also had our members only workshops which also were well attended and members gave us great feedback.

• We have 15 Yoga teachers that make up the Geraldton Yoga Club, and currently 130 community members.

• Community Yoga classes continue to maintain their momentum, welcoming new members and supporting our regulars to deepen their Yoga practice.

• We sought feedback from Members last year who said they liked the variety of teachers and their different teaching styles. There was mention that people arriving to class late or leaving early particularly inside at the QE2 Centre was disturbing. This will be addressed when we move back into the QE2 Centre.

MATTERS ARISING:

When will the community sunset yoga classes move indoors to the QE2 for winter?

• We will go inside when the weather becomes cooler and it gets darker – maybe early/mid-May.

• We will be sending out a poll asking members for their feedback on seasonal location mix as we have done in the past 8 years, Foreshore/QE2 centre.

The year ahead:

• International Yoga day event which will be held in June, with a committee organising the event in collaboration with the Midwest Indian Cultural Society.

• Two member-only workshops will be offered, with planning starting after the AGM.

TREASURERS REPORT- Denise

• The club remains financially stable and is able to meet all current financial obligations.

• Main sources of financial support: sponsors and dedicated members.

• Outgoings for the year were $23,655.

• Current bank balance: $14,219.

SPONSORSHIP 2025

• Signworks is continuing their financial sponsorship. Ross and Crystal from Signworks are passionate about the Geraldton Yoga Club.

• Midwest Settlements have yet to be contacted to see if they will stay on as sponsors

for 2025.

• Indah, Flow and Quiet Life contribute In-kind i.e. with vouchers for workshops.

• Without these sponsors, it would be really difficult and challenging for us to maintain the momentum and financial requirements of the club. The board will put the call out to the community for further sponsors for 2025.

NOMINATION OF BOARD MEMBERS

Following nominations and a vote by show of hands, the following were successfully elected to the Board of the GYC:

Office Bearers

• President - Julie Myers

• Vice President - Shelley Brown

• Secretary - Vicki Taylor

• Treasurer - Denise Hackland

Board Members

Katie Clune, Kym Coulthard, Suzanne Ottersen, Chantal Bachere Crinquand

Community member representative on the board

Vivek Bhat

Briefly discussed Secretary responsibilities as including: taking meeting minutes and distribution; monitoring emails, especially junk, with most emails actioned by the president and treasurer; Handling membership inquiries; Minor admin tasks. The new membership system has reduced the need to manually process memberships which was a key part of the role in previous years. Time commitment: a couple of hours a month.

All other Geraldton Yoga Club yoga teachers are secondary committee members, being involved in the running of the association, but do not have voting rights.

OTHER BUSINESS

• The board reminds attendees to support GYC teachers by attending their private yoga classes to continue to develop their own yoga practice.

• Memberships: Shell reported some minor teething issues with new membership process, however it seems to be working out ok. According to Mailchimp, there were 176 members last year, and there are already 130 this year. The new process is more effective and efficient and potentially more motivating for people to sign up online.

• QE2 Centre costs: A community member reported surprise that the council is charging a fee for use of the QE2 hall hire. Chantal confirmed there are new policies under new leadership at the city, and they have changed their processes with all private businesses and community groups now required to pay hall hire. The board considered alternative options for classes last year, however finding adequate space for a large group is challenging, as is parking and accessibility. The Wednesday class is sponsored by the City, so it's free, but the Saturday class is not. The board decided to keep classes at the QE2 for consistency, as it has been that way for seven years, and having two locations would confuse people.

• Sponsorships: Community member asked if all sponsorships are the same amount. Confirmed that there are different levels of sponsorship – Gold, Silver, and In-kind and sponsors can choose which option best suits them. Last year, the board looked into possible grants for sponsorship, however the function of the GYC did not fit the criteria for most grants as they were more for specific events or new projects, rather than ongoing activities.

• Safety Concerns: Community member (Vivek) reported concerns about some of the branches on the pine trees needing attending due to potential risk of them falling on members during Saturday classes. ACTION: the board will contact the City to address these safety concerns.

• Gratitude and Transition: Katie and the rest of the board expressed gratitude to Chantal for her hard work and efforts over the last 7 years in establishing and building the GYC into what it is today. Chantal acknowledged the team effort and support from the board. Special thanks to Shelley for her efforts updating social media, the GYC website and membership process.

• Yoga Teacher Information: Community member requested an email with a list of yoga teachers and their specialisations be sent to members. The board confirmed this information is available on the GYC website under the "Teachers" page, including links to their private websites/social pages. Printing a physical sheet was discontinued due to the cost of printing over 150 copies annually and to be more environmentally conscious.

Closing Remarks

• Chantal expressed her appreciation and wishes everyone well in their new roles.

Meeting closed: 9:30am