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13th February 2006, 7:30pm Huddersfield Sports Centre
Annual General Meeting

Agenda Points
 

1.	Apologies
2.	Matters Arising
3.	Chairman's Report
4.	Membership Secretary
5.	Diving Officer's Report
6.	Training Officers Report
7.	Welfare Officer Report
8.	Treasurer's Report
9.	Auditors Report
10.	Equipment Officer's Report
11.	New Committee Appointment
12.	Presentation of Club Trophies
13.	President's Address
14.	Any Other Business i)    Club Marketing responsibility ii)   Training of Vulnerable People

Minutes from meeting

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1.	Apologies Diane Hepworth, Steve Hepworth. Stewart Leahy, Syd Farrow Other members present; President: Steve Hepworth (Apologies received) Chairman: Pete Edwards Secretary: Jill Pickup Diving Officer: Kate Falkingham Membership Secretary: Helen Briggs Treasurer: Richard Robinson Equipment Officer: Andy Briggs Training Officer: Ray Dawson Ordinary Committee Members: Steve Hill, Stewart Leahy(apologies received) Syd Farrow (apologies received) Club Members Present: Richard Manning, Brenda Pearson, Mark Pickup, Chris Knight, Colin Williams, Richard Farrier, Matt Corder.
2.	Matters Arising The minutes of the last AGM (14th February 2005) were approved as correct.  Proposed  Richard Manning and Richard Robinson No Matters arising from last meetings
3.	Chairman's Report ·         Last meeting as chairman ·         Thanks of recognition and contribution o        Stewart Leahy for his work with octopush, o        Andy Briggs – for spending time filling cylinders and for working to get the compressor up and running o        Gary Exton – for spending time sorting out CRB checks so we can deal with vulnerable people o        Ray Dawson – training officer + instruction o        Diane and Helen for organizing 50th Party. ·         £60 -£90 increase for pool fees – under negotiation – the next chairman is needed to continue to sort out this issue.
4.	Membership Secretary 63 dive members 27 snorkel members (Octopush) 28 try dives during 2005 (excludes come dive event T-A-D) 20 trainees started during 2005 (TAD's & other methods of interest!) Helen.
5.	Diving Officer's Report The year got off to a flying start with the superb Anniversary Dinner Dance. The anecdotes and pictures of those early days of diving were fascinating. The DOs 50 years ago had very different reports to write. Not being caught up in issues around the HSE, criminal records and risk assessments meant that they could spend time worrying about where they were going to lift their next porthole. 50 years of diving has seen a lot of changes and many for the better. As a club we have seen some changes – which swimming baths we use and which pool – remember the old diving pool. Some issues were debated month after month – the club garage,– when to sell our boats – when to buy new equipment, the compressor – all the decisions that have led to change. As well as those, regular changes to the BSAC training methods and syllabi have meant that the instructors have had to be very flexible. Only in recent times have I, in my time as DO, really strongly disagreed with some of the changes. I will never believe that leaving SMB and compass training until Sports and Dive Leader courses is a good idea. We hear reports of divers being lost more often than having DCI and yet we take away the very skills that enable Ocean Divers to cope when, for example, they get caught in a current or just lose their way underwater. I made the decision to ask our instructors to give demonstrations and some basic training during the Ocean Diver course. I feel so strongly about it that I am unwilling to sign off people’s qualification books unless this has been done. Since last year’s AGM when I mentioned the responsibilities of Dive Marshall’s, our committee has spent time discussing the issue at length. I am very grateful to Stewart Leahy for putting a lot of thought into this and coming up with check lists for DMs on trips. Evidently boat skippers are increasingly being instructed to limit their responsibilities to the basic boat briefing and the safe dropping and picking up of divers. DMs will be expected to have extensive knowledge of sites, tides, currents, possible hazards etc and give thorough briefings. Clearly this would mean that the DM would have to be a diver with a suitably high level of knowledge and experience. Not that that would necessarily put less qualified divers off organising trips but they would have to appoint appropriate DMs. According to BSAC it is the responsibility of the DO to appoint a DM so presumably every dive organiser, and this should include training dives, should approach the DO about it.  Ideally everyone should know about tides, currents and possible hazards but a good DM can cover these. It is every diver’s own responsibility to be very clear about safety issues such as having appropriate fully operational equipment including SMBs so that no-one has to rely on their buddy. Following the dreadful accident in the Farne Islands we discussed in committee and with the membership through emails, what we as a club felt about the incident and about our own experiences with Sovereign Diving last October. I was very pleased that so many members informed of their thoughts on the matter. I can now let you know about the letter that I received from Andrew Douglas in response to the letter I sent on behalf of our club. According to the Huddersfield Examiner what actually happened was that the diver was coming up to the surface near the rocks. The boat had come close to the rocks to pick up divers and the skipper realised that he was drifting onto the rocks. Rather than risk damaging the boat on the rocks he decided to reverse away and in so doing caught the diver’s legs in the propeller. This was a tragedy and the diver is now wheelchair bound. How could it have been avoided? In a sense it is amazing that this does not happen more often. Divers do surface near the rocks, skippers come perilously close to pick them up. I can only think that it is their skill and experience that enables them to judge just how close they can come to the rocks. Many skippers will make a point of asking divers to swim away from the rocks and it is often easier to do this underwater rather than on the surface. Once again it would be the duty of the DM to tell divers to surface away from the rocks and to deploy an SMB either when commencing ascent or even on the surface. It must, at times, be almost impossible for skippers to distinguish between divers’ black hoods and seals’ heads. Perhaps we should start a fashion for fluorescent pink or yellow hoods. I think there may be a need for the committee to look at the BSAC syllabus and decide whether some extra practical advice on entry in to the sea, surfacing and exit issues should be added.  I have had 82 dive sheets handed in this year as compared to 157 last year. I know that last year people were keen to qualify for their ‘I did 50 dives in our 50th year’ T-shirts but lack of sheets this year means that statistics are not really significant. A total of 709 dives were recorded but I know from asking club members that there were many more dives done. Nobody (except me) this year has handed in sheets from diving holidays abroad but there has been plenty of trips. We have not visited Capernwray and Stoney Cove as often but this was partly due to a lack of enthusiasm on the part of some trainees. Last year we had several members who did more than 100 dives but this year I seem to have come out on top with only 84. However, we have continued to visit St Abbs lots of times. Sadly we were blown out on two weekends, a situation I have never known before. We had super trips to Doune and a variety of other Scottish locations, proving, as always that diving in Britain can be superb. Steve and Diane are currently whale watching in New Zealand and no doubt fitting in some great diving. Hopefully they will have hundreds of good pics for the website. As always I am very grateful to Stewart Leahy for keeping the website up to date including those great trip reports. Also I would like to thank all the instructors who have given so much of their time to keep this club going as a top-rate training club. They have often pursued further qualifications at their own expense and the club owes a big debt of gratitude to them. I would also like to thank anyone who has organised a trip, it can be a challenging task particularly when it comes to arranging buddy pairs. However, we have had super trips and long may they continue. Finally, many thanks to our Chairman and members of the committee. As a last thought, there is a purpose to the dive sheets so hand them in!!  Happy and safe diving in 2006.
6.	Training Officers Report Like to thank all the instructors who have given up their personal time for training. This is a club and therefore relies totally on volunteers giving this time for others without financial reward. For the theory training particularly Pete and more recently Julia. For the pool training Pete & Julia again but also Colin, Richard, Andy, Steve and Kate. For open water especially Andy and Pete who seem to have done the great majority of this training between them. We currently have 9 Open Water trainees getting close to be ready for open water. Good timing – The water is lovely in March. Through last year we only had 5 trainees complete Open Water, 3 complete Sports Diver, 4 completed Dive Leader and one Advanced Diver - Pete. Training helps us all become better divers. The more we practice the better we become. I encourage everyone to undertake further training, if only for the sake of making themselves safer divers. Ray
7.	Welfare Officer’s Report  The last year has been an uneventful year from a Welfare of Vulnerable people point of view.  There have been no incidents to report or should I say none that have been brought to my attention. This however does not mean that we can lower our guard or relax how we train and look after the vulnerable people in our care whilst at the club, be it as divers or members of octopush. It is every member’s responsibility to report any incident they deem inappropriate or where we as a branch is failing to protect the vulnerable. To add to the processes already in place for the welfare of divers it is hoped that during 2006 with the help of Stewart Leahy the Octopush setup will be looked at and procedures put in place where to further protect the vulnerable that wish to partake in that totally barmy sport. As a branch we have not had many youngsters under 16 through the door that wish to start diving so I cannot report on how effective the procedures setup for training of young divers has been. However Octopush has seen an increase in young players wishing to play the game and we will be putting in place a counselling suite where a trained psychoanalyst will try to get to the bottom of why anyone would wish to partake in what could only be described as legalised drowning. Only joking.  I will however be bringing my washing and a packet of Daz in next week as when they all go for the puck at the same time the ensuing foaming water looks like my washing machine the fast spin cycle. That’s another joke by the way. The swimming pool won’t allow anything in the water that might clean the water. Again that’s a joke!!! Throughout the year I have been processing CRB applications for people that will or could have significant contact with vulnerable people and have to report that most of the people that need to undergo the check have been contacted and now have the relevant certificate stating that they have no convictions that prevent them from undertaking the role in which they were undertaking at the time of the CRB application. With reference to the CRB check we must again vote, by show of hands, to keep the amended constitution as is with regards to paragraph 5a which states that 5.a  Members applying for new or renewed membership of the Branch (in any or all of the capacities listed below) will be required to give their permission for their criminal record to be checked through the Criminal Records Bureau. Full text of the amended constitution can be found on the Clubs web pages. Are we going to keep the constitution as it is and still train vulnerable people? Voted yes unanimously.
8.	Treasurer's Report The increase in pool fees has been significant and although we are under negotiations with the cost of pool hire, we have been paying the invoices in full. Another major outgoing this year has been the compressor. We have had it repaired and hopefully it should last another 20 years. The anniversary dinner was a success and the club paid for the welcoming drinks for members as they arrived at the dinner. Stewart Leahy did well getting a grant for the octopush for £600. All of which has been spent on new kit.
9.	Auditors Report The auditors confirmed that the above balance sheet and accompanying income and expenditure account were certified correct. Verified by Steve Hill
10.	Equipment Officer's Report Interesting few years as equipment office – compressor up and running – thanks to Jill for organising compressor rota. New kit getting used regularly Old kit to be disposed of. Lots of kit being borrowed – please bring kit back. Martin Charlesworth –  for getting first aid kit and resuscitating Annie at a cheap price Thanks to – Ray Dawson – for his calming influence with Deco Compressor Phil Morton – repairing compressor Stepping down as equipment office and wish new committee well
11.	New Committee Appointment The new committee were appointed (unopposed) as follows; President: Steve Hepworth Chairman: Ray Dawson Secretary: Jill Pickup Diving Officer: Kate Falkingham Membership Secretary: Helen Briggs Treasurer: Richard Robinson Equipment Officer: Chris Knight Training Officer: Pete Edwards Assistant Training Officer: To be confirmed in March committee meeting. Ordinary Committee Members with responsibility as Welfare Officer : Matt Corder Ordinary Committee Members with responsibility as Octopush Representative : Stewart Leahy Ordinary Committee Members: Richard Frank, Steve Hill, Richard Manning
12.	Presentation of Club Trophies So---the trophies. The Anne Eaves Trophy is always awarded to a female member of the club who has made her mark. We have quite a few female members of our club and it has been a difficult choice. Helen has continued to do a great job with the membership and sitting at the desk welcoming people to the club. Jill has worked hard as secretary and kept us laughing on dive trips. Jules has been a breath of fresh air being our only twinset carrying female. I could mention quite a few worthy wenches but there’s one who deserves the trophy. When she joined we knew we would have an interesting challenge on our hands. It wasn’t her advancing years, or her impaired hearing, no, it was the fact that she was a friend and trainee of Syd’s. Anyone who can survive his unorthodox training methods and even use some of his very ‘experienced’ kit, has to be a special. Brenda spent some soul-searching hours in the pool, wondering whether she would ever master the skills. But there was no stopping her once she got out into open water. My hats off to Brenda Pearson who, against all the odds qualified as an Ocean Diver. Well done Brenda. The next trophy was given to the club by Gary Brook. He was a keen wreck diver but over the years we have looked for someone who does more than just caress rusty metal. We look for someone who has put time and effort in for the club. I remember a certain wreck dive in May 2003. We didn’t get slack quite right and dropped onto the Tabarka in a raging current. I was flung against the hull and started to grope my way round to the damage area so that I could get inside the hull, out of the current. I lost my buddy but found someone else’s. We greeted each other and he followed my lead through the hole in the hull. Unfortunately this poor unfortunate diver became impaled upon a spike of metal. When he eventually met up with his buddy he had to make him understand that he needed to ascend – urgently, his suit being full of water. I don’t think Pete has a passion for rusty metal, particularly the spiky type, but he’s an excellent chairman, he has spent hours training others as well as furthering his own qualifications, he’s overcome medical problems that might put other divers off, and he’s got enough energy left to be getting married. He deserves a trophy. The Gary Brook trophy goes to Pete Edwards. The Naismith Trophy was a difficult decision. There were several contenders. I’m so grateful to people like Stewart who has done such a lot for the website and for Octopush, Steve Hill who has not only done lots of instructing but produced the world’s most scrumptious little boy, Ray Dawson who has worked so hard as training officer. I could mention a lot of members but I decided that there was one person who has done a tremendous amount on the committee, come on lots of dive trips and kept us laughing, calmed things down when we were nearly arrested in a certain Indian restaurant, and produced one of our best ever trip reports. The Naismith trophy is going to Bletherer, better known as Gary Exton.
13.	President's Address My third AGM as President and drawing the short straw Diane and I find ourselves having to try out the diving in New Zealand on behalf of the branch. So unfortunately I cannot be with you tonight and must apologise for my absence. I hope the meeting went well and according to plan and would like to thank Pete Edwards for being in the Chair. Following last years AGM we had our 50th Dinner, which everyone agreed was a brilliant success, congratulations to all involved. The evening allowed divers of the last 50 years to meet and exchange stories. Early members met up with old friends, rekindling lost friendships, current members had a chance to see some of our history. After the Dinner I received messages from past members saying how much they enjoyed the evening and a common question was:-       When will there be another one?           My reply ------ The answer lies with future divers and committees. After last years very successful Boxing Day dip in Redbrook, I am pleased to say that this time we managed to get some decent support from people but not from the weather unfortunately, however we did get 9 divers to complete some 56 lengths in a reasonable time, well done to all concerned. As well as the regular dive destinations, two new places have been visited this year, both in Scotland. The Moray Firth on the east coast was very kind with the weather. Over an extended weekend it offered some excellent diving from a good boat and skipper. Loch Fyne on the west coast was not as kind with the weather but offered the potential for excellent diving with a skipper you could describe as a character --- what else would you expect from someone from Whitby? There are plans to dive both places in the coming year. It is encouraging to see that we are very busy in the pool at the moment, I hope everyone continues with their training and look forward to seeing these divers on future trips. It has been nice to see that over the past 12 months we have had increasing interesting in the octopush side of the branch. Thanks to Stewart for his enthusiasm and the time he has devoted to coaching the juniors. I would like to sincerely thank the outgoing committee for their efforts during the year, and I am sure everyone would like to join me in expressing their gratitude to Andy Briggs for all his persistence with the compressor and all his efforts in transporting cylinders for filling when the compressor was out of action. Thanks also to all instructors and organisers for their time and efforts throughout the year. Finally I would like to welcome the new committee and wish them every success for the coming year. Stephen M Hepworth President BSAC 18
14.	Any Other Business Brenda – Questions concerning lack of instructors available to train in open water. Is there a way to find who is available to train? Steve Hill – Questions regarding the pulling down the sports centre? Something might come of asking when we are negotiation pool fees.