11 Months Late(r)...
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 19 September 2012 04:00
but not so late that WIRES has started circling me for a bequest! Not dead yet!
Well here we are with the WIRES 2012 AGM nearly upon us.
It's been a fun year of mad-capped laughter as WIRES swings from branch to branch doing one stupid act after another. I don't have to do anything: All I do is sit back, feet up, vulture perched and note down what WIRES does next. As CNN used to say: "I report - you decide".
Where's That Annual Report Already?
Finally we have for you the financial returns for 2010-2011 that WIRES has been hiding from its members. That's this time in OPEN UP.
I want to make it clear that rw.com has had these documents for some time. Being fair, we gave WIRES every opportunity to produce them as they are required to do, but with the AGM nearly here and WIRES refusing to communicate with its members, we are forced to release them.
If you're in WIRES you need to demand that your local WSC representative force the Board to hand over a detailed account of all the spending that goes on in WIRES. And while you're at it, direct them, by resolution at a General Meeting of the branch, to vote out the current Board.
WIRES Ignores the Rights of Others
You may remember that on 6 August 2012, rw.com published a brief article titled "The Last of the WIRES Vans Being Sold on RN". It was a critique of a radio-magazine programme on ABC Radio National where the presenter spent a day in the WIRES rescue van. This article prompted many to visit the RN website and take a look. Some of you then posted truthful comments about WIRES.
WIRES of course did not want anyone to see these comments, but they just couldn't stomach a free juicy nation-wide PR opportunity going unexploited. So... They just ignored the comments entirely. In fact, they ignored the ABC entirely.
So used to just doing whatever they wanted, WIRES quickly knocked up a blurb and placed it prominently on their web-page (see image above). The blurb did not link to the ABC website and did not acknowledge Radio National - that would make it difficult to find, you think? They also brazenly downloaded the ABC's copyrighted material and broadcast it on the WIRES website without acknowledgement or approval.
One of you out there, with a primary school education at least, knew this was illegal and contacted the ABC. rw.com believes that the ABC Content Rights Management Division then contacted WIRES... the blurb vanished from the website and the illegal broadcast suddenly stopped. And so failed another of WIRES most important rescues - the rescue of it's image.
So much for that new "Governance Team" - it is pretty standard operational procedure not to steal someone else's property - physical or intellectual... Intellect! Oh, I see... I see the problem now! What a joke!
WIRES AGM Looms - or is that "Vrooms"
Remember back in 2009 when Blue Mountains WIRES almost unanimously voted Merrilee Verhoeven out of office? She was no longer able to stand for the Board. But, WIRES has more chicanes than the Monaco GP. Merrilee got herself onto the Administration Standards Team (after her husband's "consultation" recommending that a new team be created for her was rejected as too obvious).
It would seem its about to happen all over again. The Wingecarribee Branch recently kicked-out the, some would say, pointlessly aggressive and undeservedly arrogant Mike Jupp. He is now jostling to get himself the position of representing the Reptile Management Team, so he can get himself back on the Board and spite the wishes of his branch.
Question is: Who else are the Board maneuvering into poll positions? (And I was so looking forward to a holiday... alas... Oh, pimp my ride.)
Elections to the New South Wales Wildlife Council
WIRES finally did something in the spirit of democracy. Since we last spoke WIRES elected for the first time ever a representative to the NWC. They have always been represented of course just not by elected representatives - usually they appoint an employee to represent the WIRES membership...
There was Stan Wood - a very well paid employee,
Caroline Enfield - another employee,
Leanne Taylor - who is still the alternate NWC representative and quite well paid thanks very much.
Now its Bill Thompson - not an employee?
It would be the first time the Board has not sent an employee but then again with so many Board members employing themselves its hard not to.
Lets Go Feral - like we haven't already?
One last comment about the shooting in National Parks issue which we addressed here on 25 July 2012.
First things first: rw.com has no position on this issue - that is not what rw.com is about. We are here to give you an opportunity to openly discuss issues that affect you as a wildlife rehabilitator - something WIRES does not allow. On this issue some valid points were raised with rw.com.
Is WIRES right to weigh-in to this issue? Did they consult with the membership? Is there a conflict of interest between the protection of native animals from the feral threat on the one hand and opposition to shooting ferals on the other?
All legitimate points which rw.com gave you the opportunity to discuss - something WIRES did not give you the opportunity to do and never does.
One last point. rw.com was sent a rather interesting document written by WIRES in which they state:
"The average domestic cat brings home 16 mammals, 8 birds and 8 reptiles each year"
One can only image how many native animals a feral cat kills in that time.
Cats & Wildlife - WIRES - September 2004
Housekeeping
You may have noticed that rw.com went through a shutdown several weekends ago. That was due to the website making its usual scheduled move. We are happy to announce that we have left Panama and are now living it up, not too far away, in the beautiful country of Belize.
You may also have noticed that we made it to 30,000 visits. Thank you to all of you that have stuck with us over the last year.
Oh yes, before I forget...
I found this vulture perched outside WIRES Head Office in Forestville. If anyone knows who he belongs to could they please get in contact with me - he's making my flying-monkeys nervous.
Write the minister
What is reformwires?
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