About BR&RA

BR&RA Constitution:    Please click here to view our constitution. 
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Minutes of Bathurst Residents and Ratepayers Association
Annual General Meeting 2024
Held on 13th November 2024 at Memorial Hall, Bathurst Showgrounds

Elizabeth Milne opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. She read out several apologies.
Attendance Register and apologies are available on request.
Minutes of last year’s AGM were proposed, seconded and accepted.

Chair’s report: Elizabeth reported on the past year’s activities, “What we hoped to do, what we didn’t succeed at, what we managed, what’s more or less under way, and what we hope for in the coming year.” See attached Chair’s report.

Financial Report: Warwick Lewarne reported on Finances and membership. See attached Financial report.

Chris Boyd raised some questions about dogs, zoning and tourism plans and what BR&RA’s stance were on these questions. Elizabeth explained that these were touchy subjects on which BR&RA was not going to take sides, so as to not create a division amongst the community.

Elections:
The entire committee stood down and Ryana Johnson proceeded to hold the election of the committee for the new year. The entire committee was re-elected, namely

Elizabeth Milne                 Chair
Warwick Lewarne             Finances
Clare Rothwell                   Special Projects
Monty Roodt                     Commonage Management
Danie Boneschans           Safety & security
Thea Venter                        Pineapple Festival Coordinator
Michele Rowley                Sunshine Coast Tourism Liaison
Maya Stricker                     Website and records

Elizabeth thanked the community for their support.  She expressed the wish to co-opt more volunteers for the specific areas where the committee needs to have a helping hand.
These are:  Membership Recruitment and Relations, Municipal Liaison, Environmental Care and Township Liaison.

The meeting closed at 19.40 pm.

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BR&RA Committee Meeting dated 16th October 2024
  1. Monty reported on the progress of the Commonage management as follows:
    • The commonage committee met last week with the council, which Monti chaired and Danie took minutes. At a meeting tomorrow this committee will be launched properly to elect a chair and other officials as well as 2 representatives of horse owners, cattle owners. traditional healers, etc. This will become a model for municipalities with the official status a sub-committee to the municipality.
    • Cattle owners are fencing the commonage along the R 67 for which project they need some materials, like poles, wire etc. Warwick reported that we had received donations for this project and will hand over the money to Monty to purchase materials. The department of Agriculture had promised a lot of poles, but then retracted their promise again, when progress was too slow.
    • David Gradwell is opening old roads in the commonage for grazing cattle.
      It was suggested that clearing thorn trees would get more grazing for the cattle.
    • The application to re-open the quarry for sandmining is a concern and an application for a shooting range was discussed.
  1. Clare reported that a film company had approached Sue from Sunshine coast tourism.
    • We will only know if the money applied for regarding waste pickers and fencing will only be decided upon by the end of the year.
    • She also mentioned that Abbi’s sister who has a certificate from Lego should maybe be approached for funding.
  1. Warwick reported that the last year finance report was awaiting approval.Thea reported that the Pineapple Festival in February to be held at Summerhill was sorted with regard to music and vendors. She will engage with the Museum and Selena at the Stage for local talents. She will put out an appeal for volunteers to help with the Festival organisation closer to the time. Caitlyn needs to be contacted regarding the pineapple costume to ensure that this will be done in time.
  1. Elizabeth said
    • that she met the chair of the PA Rotary Club and spoke about the possibility of Bathurst becoming a subgroup of this rotary club.
    • Met with the new roads manager for the eastern side of Ndlambe, as well as
    • The new water manager from Ndlambe.
    • AGM to be held at 5.30 for 6.00 pm on Wednesday 13 November in the Memorial Hall at Bathurst Showgrounds. There will be the chairs report, the financials report and then the election of the new committee.

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      BR&RA Constitution:    Please click here to view our reworked constitution.   

      History of BR&RA

      In 2021 some residents in Bathurst reinstated the Barthurst Residents and Ratepayers Association  and thus a General Meeting was held on 28th August 2021. A second GM was held on 19th April 2023, the first Annual General Meeting in November 2023 and regular AGM’s are scheduled every November.

      Minutes of General Meetings and Chairmans report: please click here to read GM minutes and the BR&RA annual  report from Chris Boyd dated 19th April 2023.    

      Minutes of monthly Committee Meetings are filed separately and can be viewed in the Archive.