OUR PRINCIPLES
Clubs:
To form your A N.S.A. club, we suggest a minimum of six members. Australia-wide,
the average club has over forty members, which seems to be an ideal number for
social and fishing reasons. Membership in the Association is open to all clubs
and members who agree to abide by the rules and standards of the Association
Branches:
Branch Executives are elected by delegates from the clubs within each State.
Branches do much of the regional work in processing record claims and Master
certificates, advising on contests and representing their clubs in various ways.
Clubs benefit from active contact with their respective Branches.
National:
A National Executive is in turn elected by Branches, at a three-yearly meeting
which also fine-tunes the rules and administration of the Association as a
whole. National publishes the A.N.S.A. Rule book and record charts. supplies the
Branches with A.N.S.A. - ware and represents the Association nationally and on
other occasions as necessary.
USING THE A.N.S.A. SYSTEM
Well established clubs run very smoothly, however there may be times when State
Branch or National are needed. First step is at club level, where the majority
of locally relevant decisions are taken. It is difficult for Branches to move on
an issue unless its voted on by that Branch's member clubs. A couple of useful
points, all of us have to accept a majority vote. Most times we agree, but when
we differ. decision is by voting and results have to be accepted with good
grace. Secondly, because the A.N.S.A. system is democratic and relies on
discussion and voting, it's pointless to approach an executive member and ask
him to change the rules or investigate something. Voting is what counts. On rare
occasions, instant action may be vital. Typical case, a member discovers a fish
kill in a local stream. There's no need to hold a meeting before reporting it.
Keep cool, make no wild statements, stay factual. but get the media in and apply
pressure in as many ways as possible. The golden rule is to remain polite. Few
people are more impressive than a public spirited citizen with a strong case. A
final tip on any issue, you may not win a instant victory, so be prepared to
make a campaign of it, over a period. Persistence and a good case are hard to
beat.
REPRESENTATION
Jurisdiction over fishing issues rests mainly with State Governments, so
Branches play a vital role in representing clubs and members. Most A.N.S.A.
Branches are actively represented on State level amateur fishing councils. These
representatives should be an active member of the Branch Executive team, or
liaise closely \with it. Their responsibility is to represent their A.N.S.A.
membership by Voting all exerting influence according to the policy of the
Branch.
National Council is likewise represented on the Australian Recreational and
Sport Fishing Confederation a federally funded Canberra based organisation
composed of national fishing groups. Our representatives are required to vote
according to established A.N.S.A. policy and to report regularly to the
Association.
Remember, Branches and National function to help clubs and members. If you need
advice, have a case to put up or just want to know what's going on, use the
system. It is designed to be used.