October General Meeting Minutes
General Meeting
12 October 2022
Held at Camden Valley Inn
The meeting was opened at 6.03pm
Welcome & President’s Report – Steve Moore, President
Steve welcomed everyone to the meeting and acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land. He welcomed life member Tony Perich AM and his wife Cathy, also former President Steve Grabowski, guest speakers Pamela Rutledge AM, Deputy commissioner for of the NSW Mental Health Commission, and Kieran Keane, Engagement Manager at Beyond Blue, and all the Chamber members in attendance.
At the last meeting held at Harrington Grove was the AGM. In line with the updated Director terms in the Constitution there were 5 positions declared vacant with the remaining 5 up for election at the 2023 AGM which will then continue as a rolling 2-year term for Directors.
The Directors elected at the AGM were:
Vice President – Josephine Byrnes Luna
Treasurer – Karina Rauch
Marketing Director – Daniel Fenech
Membership Director – Sandra Bartlett
Sponsorship Director – Kelly Stanford
Returning Directors:
Secretary – Roland Blackstone
Meeting Director – Carla Upfill
Governance Director – Jean Alim
Announced at the AGM was the resignation of Brad Martino from the Events Director role. This became a casual vacancy and when the Executive met at the September Board meeting, Natalie Balabka of Club Menangle was appointed to this role. Steve congratulated Natalie along with the other elected Directors and looks forward to working with them over the coming year.
The Board will now move into a strategic planning day this month where they will design advocacy and engagement activities for the next 12 months. Of particular focus will be the engagement with members. It has become increasingly clear that members are placing a greater scrutiny on both their time and money and the Chamber needs to react to this to tailor its activities to changing member needs. The Executive acknowledges that its traditional engagement platforms require some tweaking to continually engage with members and deliver value of both membership and sponsorship fees.
This being said, a number of events are planned to finish off the year where the Executive are hoping to re-engage with members in the lead up to the festive season.
In November Craig Rispin has been booked – an exciting speaker, a business futurist and topically a cyber security expert.
In the lead up to the 2023 State election, the Executive e have also organized a number of events to grant members access to their potential representatives prior to polling day.
In conjunction with the Campbelltown Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Narellan Business Chamber will be hosting a special breakfast event on November 28th with guest speaker Chris Minns, the Leader of the Opposition.
Chamber will also be hosting a State election panel for the candidates of Camden in March 2023. Both of these events will give members the chance to ask questions of our prospective leaders
Finally, the Christmas Party will also be held in conjunction with the Campbelltown Chamber at Ottimo House, tickets are available for this event through our website.
October is Mental Health month in Australia and to acknowledge the advocacy of mental health in the workplace the Executive have organized a slightly different format to our standard meeting. 2 fantastic speakers have been organised and the Executive are really looking forward to hearing from them and hoped the membership will be able to get something out of the presentations that may assist in the awareness and management of mental health in your workplace.
Apologies
Josephine Byrnes-Luna – Vice President
Kelly Stanford – Sponsorship Director
Secretary’s Report – Roland Blackstone, Secretary
Roland advised the Minutes from July and August general meetings were on the website. The Minutes were moved by Karina Rauch, seconded by Carla Upfill and accepted. Any business arising please contact Roland Blackstone, Secretary.
Treasurer’s Report – Karina Rauch, Treasurer
Karina presented the Treasurers Report for July, August and September. as of 30 June 2022. Total income for the 3 months $40,581, total expenses $22,850, net profit $17,810. Current cash at bank is $176,115. The report was moved by Carla Upfill, seconded by Roland Blackstone and accepted.
Speaker Presentation
Carla introduced the first guest speaker – Kieran Keane, Wellness & Prevention Engagement Officer for Beyond Blue.
Money and Mental Health, & New Access for Small Business Owners
Services and Support:
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au
Headspace 1800 650 890 www.headspace.org.au/eheadspace
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 www.kidshelpline.com.au
1800Respect 1800 737 732 www.1800respect.org.au
Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back 1300 659 467 www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Mensline 1300 78 99 78 www.mensline.org.au
QLife 1800 184 527 www.qlife.org.au
- What is Mental Health
- Current mental health trends in Australia
- Trends in 2022
- Covid fatigue
- Rising costs
- Impact to work
- Community challenges
- Current state of mental health in Australia
- Financial wellbeing – Getting on top of your finances can help in more ways than one.
- Establishing the link
- There’s a relationship between money and mental health, but understanding and evidence of that relationship is limited
- Research approach
- Impact: Money and mental health
- Bidirectional relationship
- Cumulative and compounding
- Adverse life events
- Rise and protective factors
- Inequitable experiences
- The role of stigma
- What can help
- Upward spirals
- Value of positive support
- Things we can do: opportunities from the research
- Community
- Organisations
- Individuals
- Our Next Steps
- Supporting Small Business
- Why Small Business
- Key issues for small business owners
- NewAccess for Small Business Owners (NASBO)
- Fully funded mental health coaching program
- Specifically developed for Small Business Owners
- Coaches have small business background
- 100% confidential
- No requirement for a doctor’s referral
- Strong evidence and clinical framework
- Coaches have training and clinical supervision
- Available nationally via phone or video call, from 8am – 8pm (AEST), Monday to Friday
- Eligibility: people in Australia aged 18+ who:
- own a small business (20 people or less) or
- are a sole trader
- Where do I start:
- beyondblue.org.au/newaccess-sbo
- 1300 945 301
- newaccess.smallbusiness@rfq.com.au
- You can’t poor from an empty cup
- Scheduling ‘timeout’ for yourself
- Pursuing hobbies or interests
- Connecting with friends and family
- Developing healthy habits
- Setting boundaries
- Seeking help when needed
- Reflecting on what supports your happiness
- Learning more about mental health
Camden Council Update – Vi Girgis, Co-ordinator Economy & Place
- Camden Economic Development Strategy
- November 2022 Small Business Month
- 1 November, Julia Reserve, Apprenticeship & Traineeship Info Evening
- 16 November, Alan Baker Art Gallery, 5 to 9 Networking Event
- 17 November, Camden Civic Centre, Creative Collab Social Media Workshop
- 23 November, Disaster Preparedness Workshop
- Have Your Say
- 2022 Business Census
- Survey – Destination Management Plan
- The Larkin Place To be
Sponsorship Update – Sandra Bartlett on behalf of the Sponsorship Director
Silver Sponsor presentation by Wests Group Macarthur
Bronze Sponsor presentation by Grimes Finance & Mortgages
Membership Update – Sandra Bartlett, Membership Director
Member Spotlight Presentation – Grabowski Financial Planning
Speaker Presentation
Cara introduced the second guest speaker – Pam Rutledge AM, Deputy Commissioner, NSW Mental Health Commission
- Who we are
- Our strategic priorities and workplan
- Strategic framework for suicide prevention in NSW
- Minister’s Charter Letter and workplan for 2022-2023
- Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic
- The mental health issues facing small business
- What is the NSW Government doing
- Community resilience, recovery and wellbeing
- What is the NSW Mental Health Commission doing
- Mentally healthy workplaces matter
- Mental Health Month October
Lucky Door Prize
Gift Hamper from Grimes Finance & Mortgages – won by Peta Borg of Hamper Culture
Closing Remarks – Steve Moore
Steve thanked everyone for attending and supporting the Mental Health Summit, the sponsors for their support, and the great guest speakers.
The next general meeting will be on November 9th at Camden Lakeside Golf Club with speaker Craig Rispin, commencing at 6.00pm for 6.30pm.
And the combined Christmas Party on 16 December at Ottimo House
There being no further business, the meeting was closed at 8.45pm.