In September, your Board met for its first face-to-face meeting for 2020. Although we have had the phone and video to connect us for previous meetings, coming together in person was great. One of the strengths of how the Board was designed from its inception was to ensure it captures the knowledge and skill from various geographical areas of the Cape, and the sectors in which we work, live and breathe.
We came together towards the end of September for a workshop that gave us an opportunity to not only consider why we sit around this table and who we are as the Board of Cape York NRM, but also to challenge our thinking. The workshop was a combination of training, sharing, information, consideration and rethinking how we function, as well as the first step to our broader strategic process.
One of our reflections was that when we come together as a Board our focus is always the organisation. We discuss the direction we are heading and we review reports and items that fall under our Business Plan. We oversee the financial management and other areas that are core to the functioning of the organisation, but we have placed little focus on getting to really understand each other as individual Directors... as people.
If we, as your Board, are going to deliver the best for this organisation then it is crucial that we spend a little more time getting to know each other. We are excited about rethinking how we function as a Board, and after ten years it is time for change.
It has been great to see members putting up their hand to nominate on the Board and this year’s election will bring some change. If any member wishes to get to know the Board more, please get in touch through our website.
As we approach the end of the dry season, we hope our members have had a ‘good’ year, however that looks for you. Some businesses have closed their doors and some have turned over more revenue than previous years. The weather is warming up and the landscape is drying out quite rapidly, which brings unwanted fires across the Cape.
We would like to thank our staff for all their hard work this year. 2020 was supposed to be a ten year celebration for the organisation and even though that celebration might look slightly different to the original intention, we should certainly all be applauding our efforts and achievements.
Thank you to all who have worked with us this year and supported us through 2020. Happy Birthday, Cape York NRM!
Warm regards
Emma Jackson, Chairperson
