NA Northern Australia Service Board Meeting minutes held on 26th February 2024
Location: Virtual Zoom
Meeting ID: 487 569 8440
Pass code 865364
Meeting Link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86913016074?pwd=QjVpNFhXektBZUpiTXR3ajU5MFgwUT09
Date: 26th February, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm
Facilitator: John C.
Minutes: Sami
Attendees: Sami; Jason T; Brad N; Nate S; Brea; Rouz; Krissy; Michael B; John C; Meredith; Tia F;
Apologies: Cameron
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. Instil in us a sense of your purpose, make us servants of your will and grant us a bond of selflessness that this may truly be your work, not ours, so 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.
1.6. Minutes from last board meeting are true and correct:
2. ITEMS
2.1. RCM
2.1.1. Region will be held next weekend;
2.1.2. Brad requested reports be submitted to him by Friday;
2.2. Treasurer
2.2.1. Reports are posted on the web
2.2.2. Eftpos Air app decision – floating ideas on how to use it
2.3. H & I Hub
2.3.1. H&I is on track;
2.3.2. Received an email from Lotus Glenn about taking H&I into the prison; Meredith is chasing up with QCS to see if online meetings for Lotus Glenn is a possibility
2.4. PR
2.4.1. Calling it a PR Forum at the convention because there are non-addicts attending; This comes from world;
2.4.2. Joymaree contacted John as she is interested in establishing a new meeting in Gracemere;
2.5. Website
2.5.1. Nothing to report
2.6. Board enquiries and contacts – email/ mail / etc.
2.6.1. Emails:
| From: | Re: |
| Chair NAC24 | Convention |
| PR NA | Zoom details |
| Jason T. | Policy Stuff |
| Jason T. | Opportunity – Woolloongabba |
| PR NA | Zoom |
| Australia Post x 5 | Mail awaiting collection |
| PR | Zoom |
| H&I | Revised Quote and space hire for convention |
| H&I | Letter for Christ Vasiliadis |
| Monique D. | Zoom meeting |
| Australia Post | Mail awaiting collection |
| WebServant | Rainbow Community GSF report |
| H&I | Westpac Merchant Facility |
| Australia Post | Mail awaiting collection |
| Ross S. | Board meeting |
| Michael B | PO Box invoice |
| CoVice1 | Convention Flyer |
| Cameron W. | Request for item to be added to agenda |
| Aust. Post | Mail awaiting collection |
| PR x 2 | Zoom meeting |
| Secretary NAC24 | NAC Committee Meeting Agenda |
| Nathan S. | Request for item to be added to agenda |
| Michael | Minutes for Board Meeting |
| Ross S. | Convention Guidelines |
| Kristine A. | Convention Guidelines |
| Kristine A. | Policy Workgroup Report for Board |
| Michael B. | NANASA Financial reports |
| Secretary NAC24 | Committee meeting minutes |
| Kristine A. | Policy workgroup minutes |
| Ross S. | Previous email |
| Nina-Rae S | Service System complete tools |
| Chair NAC24 | Chair Report for Convention |
| Michel B. | RCM Treasury Report |
2.6.2. Mail: Letter from prisoner which was forwarded to Nate;
3. GSF FEEDBACK
3.1. Kerrie from Bundaberg has touched base with the board;
3.2. Joymaree to be included in the GSF email; John to forward her details onto Sami
3.3. Berny from Darwin advised Krissy that if anything needs to be passed on
4. CONVENTION
4.1. Meredith wants to propose to the NAC24 Committee that, going forward, the NANASA Board be given sufficient time to convene and discuss requests which have deadlines attached to them. While the timeframes of external organisations and our own governance structure may not always align, we can certainly adjust to a tight turnaround with adequate notice. Krissy will take note for the policy working group;
4.2. The Convention Chairperson submitted a written report which was discussed (see attached)
5. COVENTION TO DO LIST:
| Item to be actioned | Person Responsible | Due Date | Status |
| Convention committee to finalise booking the venue | ASAP | Completed | |
| Follow up Friday night re: fund flow | Cameron W. | ASAP | In progress |
| Follow up Wednesday night West End meeting and the men’s meeting re: fund flow | Michael B. | ASAP | Completed |
| Follow up with Townsville and Cairns groups re: fund flow | Sami H. | ASAP | In progress |
| Follow up with Darwin re: fund flow | John C. | ASAP | In progress |
| Investigate cashless payment system for the convention | Michael | ASAP | In progress |
| Update convention guidelines | TBA | Ongoing | |
| Email Convention guidelines to Sami | Cameron W or Jason | ASAP | Closed |
| Sami to email Convention guidelines to board members | Same | ASAP | Closed |
6. NEW ITEMS
6.1. Rouz advised that at the Friday New Farm Group Conscience meeting, Cameron raised a concern around recruitment of the new Board members and LSC. Cameron has requested 15 minutes on the agenda to discuss this; Unfortunately, Cameron was unable to make the meeting so this item will be held over to the next board meeting;
6.2. Brad nominates Rouz to be the Alt RCM; Rouz declined the nomination due to family reasons;
6.3. Grievence Policy for convention; Nina has requested clarity around how to submit a group grievance; https://www.na.org.au/multi/arsc-policy/grievance-resolution/ – Meredith, Michael and John agreed to meet up with Nina and Brea to discuss what the next step is;
6.4. Discussion on convention account; Nina raised concern over confusion on which account money is to be donated for the convention; Michael advised that we have a deposit account where fund flow and donations go into; going forward all money is to be deposited into this account; the convention committee should have a float that they use to pay for things which will be topped up when necessary; the convention committee will provide monthly reports;
6.5. Nate advised that he will be stepping down immediately from the board due to family commitments;
6.6. Policy working Group – Krissy, Rouz and Nina are in the group; Nate has resigned but will be kept in the loop; decision making by consensus (https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/servsys/CBDM%20layout_final.pdf) they have a proposed timeline which they will advise next board meeting; they are continuing to work towards an updated service system; once the policy is drafted it will be given to the board before being posted on the website for feedback from members; report has been emailed to board (see attached)
6.7. Westpac Eftpos Air discussion – a policy needs to be made to clarify how this will be used; .9% of the transaction is the bank’s fee; board members to have another meeting to discuss further
7. ACTION TABLE:
| Item to be actioned | Person Responsible | Due Date | Status |
| Need for a literature coordinator | Meredith | TBA | Ongoing |
| Recruit more board members | Everyone | LSC | Ongoing |
| Letters received from correctional facilities to be forwarded on to Sami | Brad | Next board meeting | Ongoing |
| Moonyah Meeting box to be checked | Michael | ASAP | Ongoing |
| Send out GSF list for updating | Sami | ASAP | In progress |
8. CLOSE
8.1. Next meeting Monday 25th March, 2024 at 7pm
8.2. 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.
ATTACHMENT 1: Convention Chairperson’s Report
| Chair | Jason T | |
| Report | February 2024 | |
| Positions | All positions have been filled. | |
| Venue | The NAC24 will be held at The Old Museum.
· Venue has been booked and confirmed. · Venue cost increased from $6,500 to $7,149. This price increased when the Friday morning venue was moved to 9:00 am for the Public Relations Forum. · Deposit of $714.90 has been paid. |
|
| Dates | The dates are confirmed for Friday, 5th July 2024; Saturday, 6th July 2024 and Sunday, 7th July 2024. | |
| Theme | The theme of the convention is H.O.W. | |
| Committee | Convention Committee meetings have been held monthly on the third Sunday of the month. It will be proposed that the committee meeting cadence will increase to
· fortnightly in May 2024 – being the first (1st) and third (3rd) Sunday of May 2024 – to be ratified by committee closer to the time. · weekly in June 2024 – to be ratified by committee closer to the time. All committee meetings are held at 2:00 pm in the New Farm Neighbourhood Centre at 967 Brunswick Street, New Farm Queensland 4005. All are welcome. |
|
| Show me the money | Still working through the budgets | |
| Treasury | Treasurer and Vice Treasurer have been updating the draft budget provided in the proposal to improve the fidelity of the budget and to provide a cashflow document.
Progress is being made with the Westpac Air Merchant Cashless Payment option. |
|
| Budgets | Realistic estimates were requested from each of the working groups. | |
| The following budget estimates have been received:
· Merchandise · Catering. · Registration. |
||
| The following budget estimates have not been received:
· Venue (for stage preparation – banner, flowers etc) · Arts and Graphics · Entertainment – awaiting venue sound engineer quote · Public Relations |
||
| Fundraising | Fundraising is in full swing with several fundraising events in various stages of planning and progress. For example, Convention meeting raffle, Talent night, Wellness raffle, Homegroup vs homegroup trivia, night/games night, cookbook, Easter egg guessing jar.
We are inviting all homegroups to put on their own fundraising events to raise money for the convention. [A]… calendar [has been created] to ensure there is no conflict of events. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c05eMDKa2HzxH9xA-1wLqRTCLQonEptk77IB5gqJeBI/edit?usp=sharing |
|
| Entertainment | Entertainment is in full swing.
The current focus of this working group is on the ‘NA’s Got Talent’ fundraising event –at 7:30 pm on Saturday, 23rd March 2024 at the Love Street Lunchie venue. A request is submitted for hiring the venue’s sound technician. |
|
| Arts and Graphics | Arts and Graphics have been working diligently to create graphics and artefacts to be used for the convention.
Next is to create a graphic that can be used for the Public Relations forum. |
|
| The word | The Arts and Graphics team have produced the NAC24 flyer. 1,000 flyers have been donated by an anonymous member. A number of these will be available for distribution by:
· The NA Northern Australia Service Area at the ARSC. · The FSO to be included with literature deliveries. · Members at meetings and GSFs all over Australia. · Members at the upcoming Gold Coast Convention. Events page on na.org,au and NA Northern Australia Service page has been updated with the event and flyer. |
|
| Registration | Pre-registration is live with EventBrite. The Registration working group is contributing to the Cashless Payment options with treasury. A 20% discount is available for February and March for early registration. | |
| Prices | $50 Full weekend registration; $30 Day rate registration; $25 Concessional weekend registration; |
$10 Concessional day rate registration; Gold coin donation for newcomer / rehab. |
| What Went Well | Confirmed venue and dates. Venue deposit paid. Venue walk through. Election of treasurer. Flyer has been finalised and ready for fellowship saturation. |
|
| Opportunities | The PR forum remains a really exciting opportunity for this convention. Flyer saturation within the Australian fellowship. Convention Tattoo Stand. Production and raffle of the first NAC24 T Shirt for fund raising. |
|
| Struggles | Convention Policy – “I don’t believe the old convention policy is fit for the current convention.” What does this even mean? This is like dropping a grenade and strolling off to the salad bar.
NAC24 Chair struggles include delineating between |
|
| Next steps | Increase the fidelity of the budgets. Continue planning for each of the working groups. Outreach program to rehabs. Continue Programming planning. Entertainment planning. Catering planning. Continue with Westpac Air Merchant facility application. Continue fundraising activities. Flyer saturation in the fellowship. Update proposal document for posterity. |
|
| Support required | 1. NA Northern Australia Service Area Board ratification of the venue cost of $7,149.
2. Flyer saturation – Flyers are available to the member physically attending the ARSC. Can you take some with you for distribution to the FSO and ARSC? 3. Review of NAC24 activities – see email sent 8:34 pm Sunday, 18th February 2024. 4. Send through Insurance query to the Australian Regional Administration Committee – see email sent 8:34 pm Sunday, 18th February 2024. 5. Additional funding of $2,000 convention seed funds. |
|
| Support requested | 6. Convention Policy Discussions
a. I am seeking clear communication around NANASA Convention Policy discussions of the Policy Project as it impacts this in-flight convention. Clearly and specifically. b. If not the policy in the proposal, then which one? How can members find this? c. Is it fair to policy shift in the middle of convention planning? |
|
ATTACHMENT 2: Policy Working Group Report
NASA Policy Workgroup Report
25 February 2024 Report compiled by Krissy A.
Members elected on to Board 22.01.24
Project: Form a Workgroup for Area Policies/Guidelines Development for NASA.
Workgroup Members:
Krissy A:
Chairperson/Facilitator; Rouz; Nina; Nate. Brea also joined in the 1st Workgroup
meeting.
Decision Making:
By Consensus.
Workgroup Meetings:
On Zoom fortnightly from 1st February 2024.
Update:
Workgroup has continued to meet fortnightly; contacting other areas; trusted servants and
reviewing online resources.
A proposed Timeline has been implemented and will be reviewed at our next meeting.
Resources shared with members for review and information:
• Greater Qld Area Guidelines (2013)
• Victoria Area (old Service structure Guidelines)
• Complete set of Tools and Information for the Service System (NAWS)
• Gold Coast Area Guidelines (current)
• A Guide to Local Service (NAWS)
• A Guide to World Service (NAWS)
• Service System Field Summary (NAWS)
Various Documents supplied to Cameron from PT’s Dropbox
Discussions & what we are working on include: (not necessarily in this order
• the skills and areas of interest with our Workgroup members regarding Policies Guidelines;
• information previewed and what most suits our service system;
• Understanding how the different levels/parts of the service system operate and dovetail
together;
• what didn’t work for our Area in the past;
• How many people is ideal to have working on the Guidelines to avoid wasting time and going
over things repeatedly when a new member comes on board;
• outsourcing or delegating tasks to members that are not on the Policy Workgroup;
• Timeline for project (to keep us on task);
• Reviewing drafts;
• getting Board and broader fellowship input and what this process may look like;
• using common language as throughout NA service literature:
• Communication and information sharing (which our members believe is paramount in the
project).
• Processes; clean time requirements; elections etc paramount to Guidelines:
• The workgroup believe this is an opportunity to create a more open process for the Area to
benefit from our collective resources, having input into a living document in the NASA
Guidelines.
• Recommendations for the Board.
In Summary
This is a big task and our members all hold other service positions, however we are getting
though a mountain of information at this stage and compiling rough drafts of various parts of the
service system.
We were advised that Cameron has discovered a set of ratified Guidelines for the Northern
Australian Area, however we have not sighted them up to the time of the writing of this report and
decided by consensus to continue our work unless otherwise directed by the Board
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