I trained as an accountant and worked for one of the world’s largest multi-national organisations.

I’m someone whose glass is always half-full, never half-empty but I’m never complacent and I believe that there’s always something else that can be done.

I served on BASC Council from 1996 to 2006, the last two years as chairman. I have been chairman of the executive and finance committee, the disciplinary appeals committee and several other BASC committees. I was a trustee of the former staff pension fund. I am currently a member of the wildfowling liaison committee and the disciplinary appeals committee. I was elected a Vice-President of BASC in 2008.

I have been a member for 51 years and have considerable knowledge and experience of BASC and the shooing community, from assisting at shows and game fairs in my teens to involvement at the very highest level as chairman, which included regular interactions with other countryside organisations.

In addition to understanding what BASCstands for I’m also heavily involved in the grass roots of shooting through my involvement in one of the country’s most respected wildfowling clubs, so I know and understand the concerns and aspirations of the BASC membership, which are also my concerns and aspirations.

I abhor inefficiency because it means wasted effort and money and with a little thought it can be eliminated. BASC is a business and Council must manage it as such. The shareholders of the business are the members and they expect their money to be used wisely to protect and promote the sport they love.

I was able to use my knowledge and skills when as chairman, amongst a number of things, I reviewed the role and operation of Council, the committees, the chairman and chief executive which brought about improvements in efficiency that remain today.

BASC is on the cusp of change. A new Chief Executive will inevitably bring a different outlook to the organisation and it’s important that any change combines the best of the old with the promises of the new. With my knowledge of BASC and from my experience of working in industry, I believe I will be ideally placed to assist in the further development of BASC.

An opportunity should be taken by Council for a root and branch review of BASC’s structure and operations, and in my experience, if that hasn’t been carried out for a number of years then practices will have developed that will have weakened BASC’s efficiency and profitably.

I am also a firm believer that BASC must involve itself in land acquisition which will place BASC in a stronger position when representing the shooting community in matters involving Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations. We have fallen behind a number of other organisations in acquiring land but it’s not too late to start now. Land is an investment, not for the short term but for the future and I believe that BASC should be thinking about where it wants to be at the end of this century.

 

Thank you.