[Lifemember] Notice to all Directors ,center's and life members

Sun Jul 28 22:42:00 AEST 2024

Dear Life members, centres, directors, and employees of RDA (NSW)

It is with a great sadness that I ask you to read the below email carefully.

Joseph Orland , former director, volunteer, and friend of many has stepped
down " resigned" from his role of a board member. 

"Effective immediately"

Joe, as we all know him has done this out of respect for all those who
supported him and volunteer with RDA (NSW).

Joe has asked me to share this with you as he sees the hurt that the current
angst has caused, and notes that this was never his intention and that
whilst 9 centres from 33 have voted he leaves, he will still be there for
those that need his help.

Joe still has the same number , so please do not hesitate to give Joe a
call.

On behalf of the directors - I wish Joe well and first and foremost hope
that his health improves . Joe will be missed within the ranks, leases,
grants and legals. 

I personally, with a few directors have asked Joe to continue his support in
a legal matter with a centre, as this matter has been in progress since
2019, this is a matter that new directors can not take under their wings.

I will now ask that ALL centre allow us the courtesy to adjust, the lose of
Joe means - centre lease, and many legal applications in progress. We have
also lost a company secretary too; this also has implications within ASIC
and ACNC. 

If we are late in attending to your needs, please just be patient whilst we
reshuffle to provide governance, transparency, and communication to all.

Kind Regards

Tracy Lucas

HON; Director

Executive Officer/Grants Officer and Assistant communication

0488727085

Email -  <mailto:tracy.lucas at rdansw.org.au> tracy.lucas at rdansw.org.au

               <mailto:Gemini.winsoft at bigpond.com>
Gemini.winsoft at bigpond.com

Web -     <http://www.rdansw.org.au/> WWW.rdansw.org.au

Directors,

RDA (NSW).

As you would all be aware, a Special General Meeting has been called by some
Centres in relation to a Motion that has been put that I be dismissed as a
director.

I have been involved with RDA (NSW) since I first enrolled my daughter as a
rider in about 1995 or 1996 and I became a volunteer at the Ryde Centre, and
soon afterwards was invited to join the Committee.  When the position became
available, I was asked to be the Secretary for the Centre and, after a few
years, was asked to take on the role of Treasurer of the Centre.  

Eventually, the Centre had to be shut down as the land on which the Centre
was located was being requisitioned for the construction of a new
Rehabilitation Centre and the balance of the land developed for housing.
The Centre was without a home and had to shut down.

In the leadup to the shutdown of the Centre, with the approval of the Centre
Committee and the Board of RDA (NSW), I approached the local Council to see
if RDA (NSW) could be given access to one of the local public parks,
suggesting to Council that the part of Marsfield Park facing Culloden Road,
would be very much appreciated.  This necessitated meetings with the Members
of the local Council and the Mayor, attending an open citizen forum on the
proposal and, finally, holding in-person discussions with the Minister for
Lands and his senior staff.  The Minister eventually approved the request
and allowed the Centre to access, and be relocated to, its current location
in Marsfield Park.

During those years I also represented the Board of RDA (NSW) in meetings
with the Office of Sport and with D-Sport (later called "Disability
Sports"), which was an umbrella group that was made up of most of the sports
groups that existed for people who had a disability.

In 2016 I was appointed as a director and then became an elected director at
the following AGM, a position that I have held since then.  As a director, I
have held the position of Finance Officer and Company Secretary and I have
recently swapped my role of Finance Officer for that of Development Officer.

In my nearly 30years with RDA (NSW), both at Centre level and as a director,
I have used my training and qualifications in both law and accounting to the
best of my ability for the benefit of our RDA riders, RDA Centres and RDA
(NSW) in general. 

This has included, in addition to my ordinary duties as director, such
things as:

*	Answering enquiries on various matters from Centres;
*	Reviewing lease and licence agreements for Centres, avoiding the
need for the Centres incurring legal expenses;
*	Ensuring that all funds due to Centres by RDA (NSW) were paid and
transferred expeditiously;
*	Assisting Centres with any procedural or legal issues that arose,
including in respect of a Court case brought against a Centre by a rider.

I am now the subject of an action to have me removed as a director via the
upcoming Special General Meeting.  A motion to this effect has been moved by
a Centre.  Unfortunately, only general comments have been made in support of
the motion to have me removed as a director.  As a result, I have not been
given any specifics relating to the reasons behind the action.  This does
not give me the opportunity to adequately respond to any supposed
allegations.  This is a denial of natural justice and therefore against the
law.

There are some Centres which have recently raised issues regarding the
accounts of RDA (NSW) during my time as Finance Officer.

RDA (NSW) uses the services of a professional bookkeeper and auditor, both
of whom are independent of RDA (NSW).  

Accounts and payments are prepared by the bookkeeper on a weekly basis and
are approved by the Board.  This process requires, under the Constitution,
approval of two directors for payments to be made.  However, when I became
Finance Officer, I insisted that all directors had to be responsible for the
decision-making in relation to RDA (NSW) funds, therefore all directors had
to be involved in all decision-making in relation to the RDA (NSW) funds,
including approving all payments.

As a result, at no times does any director, including me, have any
involvement with the accounts of RDA (NSW) other than the approval of
payments which have been entered by the independent bookkeeper and approved
by the whole Board.

Some of the allegations against me appear to be pointing to improper
dealings by me with the funds of RDA (NSW).  Such insinuations are not only
false, but are also defamatory.  

I have been subjected to these false, and totally unsupported, accusations
and other attacks, for a number of years, increasing further in the last two
to three years.  This has resulted in me being subjected to a great deal of
constant stress which, in turn, has taken a toll on my health.

Therefore, despite the inconsistencies and irregularities in the way that
the special general meetings were conducted, and while legal avenues are
available to me to rectify the situation (but will, no doubt, increase my
stress levels), I have decided to stand down as a director, effective
immediately.

Regards,

Joseph Orland.

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