 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group President's Annual Report Spen Ingamells |
A Year of Challenge and Surprise
This year has been a period of formidable challenge and surprising circumstances for our Group, not the least of which was my surprise at suddenly finding myself holding the helm, entering previously uncharted waters, following John Drake's resignation.
I am happy to report that we have managed to cope with the adverse conditions, and, as you can see from the Group's financial statements, have achieved a strong growth during a period widely regarded as the worst recession in 60 years.
These results indicate the strength of our Group, and augur well for its successful future. For that achievement I must acknowledge the extraordinary efforts and support, not just of the present committee but also of John and other members who for what-ever reasons did not complete their terms of office.
New Attitudes Herald New Initiatives
Earlier this year we were troubled by a disturbing drop in revenue as a result of declining membership. The committee was presented with a bleak scenario of continuing decline and perhaps the demise of our Group. This situation has been averted, and we will end the calendar year with many new members, a substantial increase in revenue, and a constant flow of new activities and benefits for a rapidly expanding body of computer users.
I am indeed privileged to be able to report that in my first four months of office the current committee implemented many new initiatives. The results of just a few of these are: over 30 per cent increase in the membership; over 40 per cent increase in the size of PC Update, the publication of a Shareware and Public Domain Catalogue, the introduction of the incredibly successful Members' Buying Service.
Our membership has now passed 5,400. I believe by the end of the year it will have reached 6000, and we plan to achieve a membership of 10,000 by the end of 1992. We are by far the largest and most successful computer user group in Australia.
A significant factor in our growth, has been the membership drive, complete with tantalising prizes. Although the prizes represented a substantial financial commitment, we were confident that this lure would stimulate the interest of people who had not previously considered the benefits of membership. Happily, this has proved to be the case.
Just as important, however, has been the retention of existing members, due to expanding and improving the services we offer. A regular reminder is your heavier copy of PC Update. It now has more pages, due to increased advertising. For that I must thank our advertising manager Laurence Blake.
Our members buying service has been a tremendous success. For individual members it has meant access to software, hardware and various other products, at prices not available elsewhere. For the group it means a revenue increase of over $30,000 a month.
Activists Will Provide Much Needed Aid
The increased membership and the buying service have meant a heavy increase in the office workload. Had it not been for the gargantuan efforts of Gerry Roberts, much of what I have reported could not have eventuated. When we were without a Treasurer, Gerry volunteered "to do the job for a couple of weeks" until a new Treasurer was appointed - this was three months later. That task is enough to keep any non-accountant fully occupied, but when the Group was confronted with the problems of relocating, Gerry made it happen.
At the same time, our new activists' sub-committee, organised with a tremendous amount of work from Gary Taig, gives enthusiastic members the chance to contribute. Becoming an activist means that you can contribute your ideas and energy, influence the direction of the club, and make friends with other people who share your interests. The future vitality of this organisation will increasingly be a reflection of the input of activists.
Not all of our activities have been internal. This year we reached out to the community by making our training facilities and expertise available to youth at risk, through a number of volunteer organisations working in the field. Despite his already phenomenal workload for the Group, our training manager Tom Coleman has been performing valuable service in this area too. If other members have an interest in providing what might prove to be a life-changing influence on street kids and other youth at risk, please contact Tom.
By the time you read this, Peter Smith and I will have been to Comdex. There are many reasons the committee resolved that our Group should be represented at the APCUG Conference. APCUG (the Association of PC User Groups) is the umbrella body for more than 200 user groups internationally.
We will meet senior executives from all of the major corporations. This should ensure a good supply of top-flight international presenters for our monthly meetings through 1992.
Of more direct and immediate benefit will be our mission to obtain hardware and software, which is either unavailable or too expensive in Australia. The hardware we seek is to improve the audio-visual presentation of our meetings and to provide more material for our services to our regional SIGS.
New software for the bulletin board is another priority. It has become clear, as with other user groups, that the fairest way to provide the best service is on a user-pays basis. Accordingly BBS users will be asked to pay a small surcharge to fund what I am confident will be, by the end of the year, the best 8-12-line service money can buy.
A Vision for the Future
We have made great progress this year, but it represents only a small portion of the vision that I and the committee have for our Group. From the beginning of my involvement I have believed that we need to have our own building, to enjoy the sort of benefits that organisations like the Boston Computer Society provide to members. Most of the committee support the view that now is the time to take advantage of the depressed market and invest in something that will prove to be an invaluable resource for present and future members.
More than that, we can become a powerful and influential voice in the computer world. I commend you to share this vision and give your support to it. I thank you for your support during the year and have every confidence that this year, and those beyond, will be exciting and rewarding us all.
Reprinted from the November 1991 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
