NA Northern Australia Service Board Meeting minutes 31/01/2022

1.    OPEN

1.1.  Chair’s welcome.

1.2.  Service prayer:

God, grant us the knowledge that we may act according to your divine precepts.  Instill in us a sense of your purpose.  Make us servants of your will and grant us a bondage of selflessness, that this may truly be your work, not ours – in order that no addict, anywhere, need die from the horrors of addiction.

1.3.  Acknowledgement of Country

Today we stand in footsteps millennia old.  May we acknowledge the traditional owners whose cultures and customs have nurtured, and continue to nurture, this land, since men and women awoke from the great dream.  We honour the presence of these ancestors who reside in the imagination of this land and whose irrepressible spirituality flows through all creation.

1.4.  ID of those present

1.5.  Apologies. Bonnie

2.    ITEMS

2.1.  RCM

• Nothing to report

2.2.  Treasurer

• Reports can be found on the website
• Tony has officially been removed as administrator; John will take over;
• Sub-accounts for Townsville – Michael to speak via Zoom at the next GSF for Townsville to explain the accounts and answer any questions;
• Take it back to each group regarding fund flow – as members not as a direction of the board
• Darwin needs a sub-account as well but Matt will get back to Michael with the details;

2.3.  H & I Hub

• Correctional facilities are on stage 3 restrictions so no visits at present;
• Rehabs have stopped visits; Michael will check with Moonah and confirm this week;
• Lives lived Well will notify when they are up for visitors again;
• Caboolture is also not receiving visitors;
• Nothing happening as we are not going into the facilities;
• Yesterday’s event at Toowoomba was a great opportunity to discuss coming onto the roster
• A prisoner reached out looking for a sponsor when he is released on the 18^th February; Meredith has emailed him some information and provided her phone number so he has a contact when he is released;  Michael to take it to the men’s group to see
• Not much is happening with H&I in Darwin; the facility takes a break over the Christmas period so they haven’t been back into the rehab; roster is a bit messy due to work commitments of members; there isn’t a staff member at the rehab who is interested in running it or facilities like a laptop; Matt wants to get them to be self sufficient but needs a laptop to do this;
• Purchasing newcomer banner; Meredith sent an email out to the board; Board agreed to the purchase of 7 banners for H&I; Townsville ordered 2; Darwin ordered 3; Meredith will check on the FSO connection with regards to the printing of the banners;
• Should members on drug replacement/maintenance programs be included on H&I rosters; this was put to John by a coordinator at Lives Lived Well; discussion held between the board members and the consensus is that it is a gray area with regards to individual groups but members need to be clean to be included on H&I rosters which means not on a maintenance program;

2.4.  LSC Tasks and Planning

• Put off the planning till the next board meeting;
• Prefer to do individual events to build unity between groups before we do a more formal LSC; the board needs to be more proactive in supporting groups; the next event is Northside;

2.5.  PR

• The inner city is starting to get a hold; Brisbane City Council libraries have said we can put one poster up and put pamphlets there;

2.6.  Website /  Outreach

• No update for the website but it is due;

2.7.  Board enquiries and contacts – email/ mail / etc.

• Emails:

• Brad checked the mail and there is a letter from an inmate which he will pass onto Meredith

2.8.  New Items

• IT administration for meetings in Qld and NT; the regional IT committee met and want to restructure who does the administration; the current responsibility that is held by the IT chair is being spread out; IT regional would like Northern Australia to take care of updates for the Northern Australian region meetings on the website; the board agrees that it should be our responsibility; Jason to look at setting up the process of how to do this; Jason will advise the regional IT committee that we will take it on but with notice;

3.    ACTION TABLE:

4.    CLOSE

• Next meeting Monday 28^th February, 2022 at 6.30pm
• Serenity prayer in the plural:

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change.  The courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.