April General Meeting Minutes

General Meeting

11 April 2018
Held at Harrington Grove Country Club

The meeting was opened at 6.42pm.

President’s Welcome and Report – Maria Sapienza, President

• Maria welcomed Chamber members and guests, life member Tony Perich AM, Cr Peter Sidgreaves, Wendy White of Campbelltown Chamber of Commerce, representatives from Camden RSL and Chamber executive members.
• Maria thanked meeting sponsor, Marsdens Law Group and Jim Marsden OAM, as well as event partner, Stand Alone Energy.
• Maria and VP, Brett McGrath, attended the Greater Sydney Commission Brief which discussed the 40-year plan for the area. Members are encouraged to provide feedback.
• Maria advised that Christmas in Narellan will be going ahead this year and that Amanda Good from Good Events will be managing the event.
• Surveys are being prepared to enable Chamber members and sponsors to provide valuable feedback about the Chamber. Prizes will be offered.
• The NSW Business Chamber Awards are open. Entries for Macarthur businesses close on 14 June.  Chamber will be promoting this on the website and Facebook.

Minutes of Previous Meeting – Pania Gregson, Secretary

Pania advised the minutes from the previous meeting held on 14 March 2018 are available on the website.  The minutes were moved by Geoff Rogers, seconded by Amy Woodley and accepted.

Treasurer’s Report – Geoff Rogers, Treasurer

Geoff presented the Treasurer’s Report as at 31 March 2018.  The Chamber is in a healthy financial position.  The report was moved by Ian Wolf and seconded by Dean Robinson. 

Meeting Sponsor Presentation – Jim Marsden, Marsdens Law Group

A video was played with Shaun Pereira taking a look at what goes on behind the scenes at Marsdens and interviewing staff.

Jim Marsden provided a history of the company, started by his late brother, John, in 1968.  Jim joined the business is 1973.  The company is celebrating 50 years this year.  He believes that their success is built on service, skills and community.  It is most important to give back to the community and employees are encouraged to participate in community events.

Jim announced a special offer to members – wills prepared for just $50.

Maria thanked Marsdens for their continued support.

Business Tip – Dean Robinson

Brett introduced our new ‘Business Tip’ segment which will be presented at each meeting.  Members will be treated to a short 5-minute presentation on a topic designed to help them in their business.  Brett welcomed our first presenter, Dean Robinson.

Dean shared an insightful and entertaining presentation on, ‘How to sack someone and have them thank you for it!’.

Membership Update – Amy Woodley, Membership Coordinator

Amy advised there are 202 financial members and welcomed our 4 new members:

• Macarthur Travel
• SWNG Narellan
• South West Property Inspections

Event Partner – Sue Robinson, Sponsorship Coordinator

Sue reminded members that the Event Partner package includes:

• a banner at the registration desk and the bar
• opportunity to meet and greet members as they arrive
• marketing material on tables
• visual presentation
• two free meals

Sue introduced Chris Weaver and Stephen Pauley from Stand Alone Energy as the event partner for this meeting.  Their business provides solar and battery energy solutions.

—————   Networking Break   —————-

Special Presentation– Camden RSL Sub-Branch

Ian Richard-Evan, President, and Ray Herbert, Historical Officer, provided some history into the involvement of locals on the battlefields, as well as some interesting information about the annual Anzac Day Dawn Service held in Camden.  Costing over $30,000 to run, the event attracts over 10,000 people and for that, 6,500 chairs have to be put up!

Maria presented Camden RSL Sub-Branch with a cheque from the Chamber for $2,000.

Guest Speaker – Dr John Hewson

John began by acknowledging having crossed paths with Tony Perich.  Trained as an economist, John has been forecasting and analysing world economics since the 1960’s.  He advised this is much harder to do now than ever before.

John shared his thoughts on the European, US, Middle Eastern and Chinese economies.  In Australia, he believes that there is a lack of medium-term strategic thinking in the government.

He is concerned about the future but believes we have the solutions.  One example he gave was renewable energy opportunities.   He questioned why Australia hasn’t created a booming new industry in this space and blames short-sighted politics.

Following a short Q&A session, Maria thanked Dr John Hewson and presented him with a bottle of wine.

Lucky Door Prizes

• Donated by Italian Food Project – $50 voucher, won by Joanne Read.
• Donated by Marsdens – a bottle of wine, won by Ken Wright.

Closing Remarks

Maria advised that the May meeting will be held at Camden Council chambers in Oran Park where Mayor, Lara Symkoviak, will provide an update from Council.

Other local events coming up:

• 18/4/18 – Campbelltown Chamber of Commerce meeting at Camden Lakeside
• 14/5/18 – Youth Solutions Ladie’s Movie Night
• 28/7/18 – Youth Solutions Annual Charity Ball

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on 9 May 2018 at Camden Council, Oran Park, arrival from 6.00pm.

There being no further business, the meeting was closed at 8.55pm.