2016 to 2018
At the 2016 BFC AGM, the BFC 2015 management committee (BFC2015MC) presented constitutional amendments for member voting. These included a change to the club year, shifting it from March 1st to February 28th, and from September 1st to August 31st. The stated rationale for aligning the financial year with the annual CapeNature (CN) hunting season was accepted by the members. Until 2015, it was standard practice for all club documents to be available at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for members’ review and inquiries. This transparency fostered trust within the club. However, in 2016, this practice was not followed, marking a concerning departure from the established norm that had been in place since 2006. Furthermore, a revised Disciplinary Code was proposed for simplification, which involved changes to disciplinary procedures and protocols. I objected, emphasizing that all raptors have protected status and that the existing disciplinary code, protocol, and procedures within the club’s statutes closely mirrored CapeNature’s (CN) standards. Ultimately, as is the nature of majority rule, the proposed changes were adopted. Notably, the same BFC members who were elected at the BFC 2015 AGM were re-elected as the BFC 2016 management committee (BFC2016MC).
Furthermore, a revised Disciplinary Code was proposed for simplification, which involved changes to disciplinary procedures and protocols. I objected, emphasizing that all raptors have protected status and that the existing disciplinary code, protocol, and procedures within the club’s statutes closely mirrored CapeNature’s (CN) standards. Ultimately, as is the nature of majority rule, the proposed changes were adopted. Notably, the same BFC members who were elected at the 2015 BFC AGM were re-elected.
In 2017, the BFC began to show signs of internal issues. At the AGM, members voiced concerns regarding the club’s administration and financial records. Furthermore, it was highlighted that certain members possessed raptors without meeting the eligibility criteria defined by SAFA grading standards. Continuing the trend from 2016, no club documents were made available at the BFC 2017 AGM for member review and verification. Despite these concerns, the same BFC members were re-elected to the BFC 2017 management committee (BFC2017MC) at the 2017 AGM. The BFC 2018 AGM was held in June 2018, where members expressed dissatisfaction with the limited communication from the BFC Management Committee. For the fourth consecutive term, the same BFC 2018 management committee (BFC2018MC) was re-elected.
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