Årsmöte och mycket mer

juli 01, 2015

Årsmöte och mycket mer

I går var den stora grejen det årliga mötet där tjugofyra medlemsöar träffas för att slå fast riktlinjerna mot framtiden och välja ledamöter i styrelsen. Jag hade förmånen att väljas för en fyraårsperiod och ser fram mot att göra NatWest Island Games ännu bättre; för alla öar.

De inledande orden föll (ungefär) på följande sätt:

Dear friends,

Welcome to the Annual General Meeting of the International Island Games Association. I know, we dont have time. We want to be out there watching the competitors compete and we will soon go there again. But before that we have an Association to take care of. This meeting is the place where the defining decisions will be made. We organise the NatWest Island Games together and we act according to your decisions today. Welcome to all delegates, observers, politicians and many more and especially welcome to Louise Martin, chairman of SportScotland and honorary General Secretary of Commonwealth Games Association.

As we all know the NatWest Island Games can only happen if everyone work together and help each others.
Since we had our previous AGM in this building a year from now many things has happened. Here in Jersey Phil Austin and his wonderful crew have worked 24/7 in order to organise the 16th NatWest Island Games which in every aspect is a great success. Phil and Co decided to make a difference by taking responsibility and show Jersey and the rest of us that it is always better to say yes than no. Your Executive Committee has seen this happen. The atmosphere in the Organising Committee is positive which is necessary in an Organisation run by volunteers. Thank you Phil and everone else for your strong and unstoppable optimism. It is guys like you that make the world move forward.

Dear Member Islands,

Your Executive Committee has during the year had many Skypeconferences, we went to Frøya and Hitra for our springmeeting and we have dealt with our Assocation, the NatWest Island Games in Jersey, the upcoming in Gotland and so on. I believe our Games have a great future although we also have challenges to which we will come back to later in the Agenda. Wherever there are human beings there will be issues that has to be dealt with. We must never forget that what we do is to make people and socities grow by showing responsibility and by being role models. And we do that together. We develop sports within our islands.

During the built up of the NatWest Island Games in Jersey we have focused a lot on social media. We are today living in a proffessional surrounding where communication gets more and more important by the day. We have grown on Facebook and Twitter and we work strategically towards even more presence. You have all seen our new website which is a part of that work. I want to especially thank Anu Vares who has been the Social Media Ninja every organisation need. Thanks also to Sølvi Reinhardt Hansen for his contributions to the Committee and thanks to Paul Scope who was coopted when Andy took over from Kay Batty. Scopey has not only brought in more knowledge of football. He is also teaching us how large and international businesses work and how you protect and develop your Brand. From his background in international reinsurance he has unique knowledge which is vital for our common future.

Thanks also to Bob for these years of hard work as a Treasurer. He has now decided to retire to find more time for fishing and travelling around the globe, doing more important things in life. Although this will follow later I have to say that I am delighted that we have been able to find a replacement as Treasurer in Jerry Whitsey who knows the Association after seen it from the Title Sponsors view and know the Executive Committee and what we stand for. Yes, like you I don’t understand why he still decided to say yes. He should know better! Thanks also to Gillian Christian (Honorary Legal Adviser) and Carl Clinton (Honorary Medical Advisor) for all your input, knowledge and inspiration.

Finally I want to express my gratitude to the vice chairman James Johnston without whom this Association wouldnt function as good as it does. We work closely together and James handle all the vital matters on our Agendas. I prefer talking. And yes, its true. The secret behind every reasonably successful Committee is that all the members of the have to be smarter than the Chairman. That is not very difficult in this Committee. Everyone on the Committee work volunteerily and puts in a lot of time in the IIGA. Therefore it is important that we always have a positive attitude. It has to be joyful to work.

The International Island Games Association is already a truly friendly and pure Association but we can do even more. We are looking forward and we do want to develop and get better. We want to continue to say yes rather than no. Our future is exciting and flourishing, but only if we can upheld a professional and optimistic attitude towards Host Island, Sponsors, Politicians, Competetitors, General Public etcetera. We have to do what we expect our athletes to do. We have to work harder in order to get better for every competition.

And we must never forget why we do all this. We develop people and islands. Last Saturday we saw everyone arriving as islanders. On Friday we want to see them leave as friends.