NA Northern Australia Service Board Meeting minutes held 24th April 2023

Location:  Virtual Zoom
Meeting ID: 487 569 8440
Pass code 865364
Meeting Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86913016074?pwd=QjVpNFhXektBZUpiTXR3ajU5MFgwUT09
Date:  24/4/2023
Time:  7.00 pm
Facilitator:  Sami
Minutes: Sami
Attendees: Nathan; Sami; John C; Brad
Apologies: Meredith

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.

2. ITEMS
2.1. RCM
2.1.1. The next region meeting is coming up and Brad needs reports from PR, H&I and Treasurer by the last weekend in May;
2.1.2. An email has been forwarded to board members about the changes in the ARSC travel policy and procedures

2.2. Treasurer
2.2.1. Reports are pending and will be posted on the web in due course
2.2.2. Everything is running smoothly; has been a big month for fund flowing;
2.2.3. Redcliffe meeting emailed John about fund flow they made but forgot to put a reference on it;

2.3. H & I Hub
2.3.1. Cabolture mental health has closed down due to staff member who has left the position; there will be no meeting tomorrow night or the foreseeable future; John is looking for another detox for H&I;
2.3.2. Chermside Secure Mental Health is picking up; two attendees are on the cusp and will hopefully join NA
2.3.3. Nothing else to report

2.4. LSC – Strategic Group Service Planning
2.4.1. Feedback is that we need to have a regular business meeting every three months; doesn’t need to be bells and whistles, just a basic business meeting where groups report on what is happening with their groups and any issues; Nathan will prepare a draft agenda for the next board meeting, he will email a copy to Sami to distribute to the board members prior to the meeting;

2.5. PR
2.5.1. Still following up on Brad’s idea about putting an ad on the revolving digital platform on the trains;
2.5.2. John forwarded PR material to Townsville and Toowoomba; Rockhampton will get back to him about PR material
2.5.3. Brad noticed Caboolture Mental Health Facility didn’t have any posters up in their waiting room; John will follow up

2.6. Website 
2.6.1. Sami emailed IT about updates to the website and is still waiting on a reply; John knows a couple of members who are interested in being on a committee for IT; John will approach them to see if they want to review the information on the Northern Australian website; Sami is happy to do the amendments but doesn’t feel confident in reviewing it

2.7. Board enquiries and contacts – email/ mail / etc.
2.7.1. Emails:

2.7.2. Mail: Nothing in the postbox

2.8. New Items
2.8.1. Email from Infoxchange requesting Agency Details Update (QLD) – Infoxchange maintains an online directory of Queensland community support services that other agencies use; The listing for NA has an address in Bundaberg which is not current; Sami recommends that we update the listing by deleting the address and leaving the national contact details (phone line number; web address); the board agreed to this and Sami will update accordingly;

2.8.2. Email enquiry from Rouz requesting material on NA Service Structure in Queensland and templates for GSFs as well as information about LSC positions; Sami has replied advising that it would be bought up at tonight’s meeting and provided a link to our section of the website for him to have a look at in the meantime; after discussing this matter it was agreed that Sami would forward the template she uses for the Townsville GSF and advise about the LSC structure under consideration at the moment; Sami will send the email to the board for approval prior to sending to Rouz;

2.8.3. Bruce from IT sent an email asking about the Brisbane Meditation online group as the phone line is receiving complaints that no one is turning up to open it; none of the board members know about this group or are aware of who is running it; consensus is that it may be from lockdown due to covid and no one advised IT to close the meeting on the webpage; the meeting does not use our Zoom account so it might not be related to NA; Sami to advise Bruce to go ahead and delete the meeting;

3. ACTION TABLE:

4. CLOSE
4.1. Next meeting 29th May 2023 at 7pm
4.2. 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.