Chairman's Report AGM Jun 2019

ALGEMENE JAARVERGADERING – 2019 - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT -//- VOORSITTERSVERSLAG

As volwasse organisasie van 24 jaar oud het die PWAV al diep spore in die Suid Afrikaanse vuurwapenversamelbedryf getrap. Ons is ‘n trotse dog nederige organisasie wat al te bewus is van die politiese aanslag op ons bedryf en die besit van vuurwapens in geheel in Suid Afrika en ook internasionaal. Daarom mag ons nooit op ons loure rus en vir een oomblik dink die stryd vir die voortgesitte besit van vuurwapens is ‘n gegewe nie.

To quote Col Jeff Cooper

"Hoplophobia is a mental disturbance characterised by irrational aversion to weapons, as opposed to justified apprehension about those who may wield them."

Before we get into the report back, allow me to pay our last respect in honouring those members that passed on during the year:

Willem Van Heerden M0027

Hennie Coetzee M0278

Fido Smit M0582

Dit is my plig, as voorsitter van die PWAV, om aan u verslag te doen oor die bestuur van die Vereniging, en dit is u verantwoordelikheid om goeie bestuur te verwag en inderdaad te vereis.

Om te bepaal of die Vereniging goed bestuur word is dit nodig om die aktiwiteite wat aan die lede gebied word te meet aan die doelstellings van die Vereniging en die statutêre vereistes wat deur die owerheid gestel word, en om te verseker dat die finansies tot voordeel van die Vereniging aangewend word.

Wanneer ons die aktiwiteite van nader beskou is dit duidelik dat die verkseidenheid iets vir almal bied. Ten speite van die weer het u vereniging die afgelope jaar nie minder nie as vyf vuurwapen-versamelkunde programme en sewe praktiese aktiwiteite aangebied. Al hierdie aktiwiteite is daarop gemik om lede meer bewus te maak van hul verantwoordelikhede betreffende vuurwapenversameling en veilige gebruik van wapens. Nie alleen word lede die geleentheid gebied om al hul versamelbare vuurwapens onder veilige omstandighede te gebruik nie, die klaskamer onderrig is daarop gemik om hul kennis van vuurwapens en die versameling daarvan te verbreed. Dit is vir my ‘n riem onder die hart om te kan rapporteer dat laasgenoemde bywoningsgetalle sodanig vermeerder het dat ons lokaal te klein was by twee geleenthede. Omdat die kennis van en begrip in wapenversamelkunde die kern van ons bestaan is, het die bestuur dit goed gedink om voortaan gekeurde aanbiedinge te vergoed.

Ons veiligheidsrekord is boonop nogsteeds ongeskonde (buiten Piet Snyman wat ons plystervoorraad vars hou), en daarvoor bedank ek u elkeen persoonlik vir die verantwoordelike rol wat u in daardie verband speel!

Ek erken graag elke toegeweide baanoffisier en helper wat dou-voor-dag al bymekaarkom om die baanuitlegte voor te berei en weer op te ruim.

Teen hierdie tyd het u almal al die 2de nuusbrief in sy nuwe vars mondering ontvang. Ek dink u sal met my saamstem dat dit van hoogstaande gehalte is en leesstof bevat ideaal geskik vir ‘n bundelpublikasie wanneer die tyd reg is. Ek dink die bydraes deur lede gemaak waar hulle liefde en belangstelling in versamelkunde uitgespreek word is ‘n nederige herhinnering aan ieder en elk van ons waar dinge begin het en tot waar ons, as individue en as vereniging gegroei het. Gun my dan om spesiale woord van dank aan Chas Lotter, Francois Celliers en Jonathan Harvey uit te spreek vir die redigering, taalverwerking en uiteensetting daarvan. Ek moet dan ook op elkeen van u teenwoordig se knoppie druk om ons te help met nuuswaardighede, persoonlike staaltjies en artikels. Hierdie is allermins u nuusbrief!

Ons nuwe webwerf is nou vyf jaar oud. Die gebruik en funsionaliteit word deurgaans bygewerk en u insette om dit vars en relefant to hou is van kardinale belang. Nie alleen is dit ‘n kommunikasie medium met u as lid nie, dit bied ook aan ons lede die geleentheid om aktief deel te neem, hul menings te lug en hul kennis oor vuurwapens, ammunisie en versamelkunde te deel.

Om e-pos bombardering te voorkom publiseer ons alle nuuswaardighede eerstens op die web-blad met geringe kommunikasie direk aan u. As u egter sou verkies om alle nuuswaardigehe via e-pos ook te ontvang kan ons dit maklik so aanpas.

The FCA requires accredited associations to report on their membership “good standing”. A person or organization in good standing is regarded as having complied with all their explicit obligations, while not being subject to any form of sanction, suspension or disciplinary censure.

The FCA defines a “person in good standing” as someone who “(a) is and remains acceptable to an accredited hunting association, sports-shooting association, professional hunters association or collectors' association as a dedicated member, professional hunter or collector, as the case may be;

(b) complies with the aims and objectives of the Act in respect of his or her status as a dedicated hunter or dedicated sportsperson, professional hunter, or collector, as the case may be;”.

By definition, this is a subjective matter leaving the interpretation wide-open. In terms of this definition, the accredited association primarily decides what is acceptable to it for its members to remain persons in good standing.

During the 2018 AGM we launched the activity register on our website. Some members are using the functionality well while I urge the rest of us to also start claiming event participation. We will be using data from the activity register in our annual report back to CFR this year regarding membership status.

To refresh your memory, the system accumulates participation points for a wide variety of activities, including the following:

Payment of annual dues

Timeous submission of the annual written declaration

[The first two activities are prerequisites to any other and no points will be allocated unless the member is up to date with the payment of his membership fees and annually signs and submits his declaration.]

Participation in the association’s activities, for example taking part in practical and firearm knowledge events; acting as range officers; making presentations at the firearm knowledge events; writing of articles; formal sharing of information with other members; acquisition of collectable firearms, accessories and ammunition; visiting firearm-related museums, firearm festivals, exhibitions and the like; and a point for the every 10 years of continuous membership.

A minimum of 5 points must be collected annually counted from the 1st of June.

Although this list is not exhaustive a member must convince the Executive Committee that s/he is and remains a person in good standing.

You are most welcome to keep a logbook of your participation and involvement in the Association’s affairs. Also, make sure that the information supplied is verifiable.

The PAAA’s member administration system evolved over the last couple of years and yet again the PAAA led the way in matters administration. Our member administration system received great accolades at the previous NAACCSA AGM, so much so that SAAACA Gauteng approached us to make available a licensed version for use by them. A big thank you to Dirk and Wentzel for the tireless effort and thinking that went into the system to bring it to its current mature and commercially ready state.

At the 2018 AGM you gave us the mandate to engage with the broader firearm fraternity to establish and participate in a National Firearm interest group. Your president and I were invited to participate in the re-energising of the UFF (United Firearms Forum) and continue to play an active role.

John will, in his role as President of the PAAA, provide in-depth feedback of such interaction and progress over the past year.

A current challenge that NAACCSA has is to ensure legislative compliance with regards to the certification of the collectability of prohibited and restricted firearms and the legitimate use of such firearms. This is an ongoing discussion point in our recurring sessions with SAPS. Sadly SAPS have turned a cold shoulder the past six months citing their inability to engage with us due to the various legislative matters against them.

an election year we didn’t expect any rumblings regarding matters legislation. This then was also the main reason for the lack of action on the part of the legislature and the SAPS. Frustratingly so also hampering our continued engagement with the CFR. More about this in your president’s report later.

‘n Aantal van u is al onderhewig aan die herlisensieëring van versamelbare wapens. Met die aansuiwering van die SVR se kaliberdatabasis en register het die SAPD verskeie kaliberkodes, vuurwapenmake en vervaardigerskodes geblok waarvan die inligting tegnies foutief of onvolledig was. Om u frustrasie te spaar het u vereniging verskeie kommunikasie-aksies en riglyne gepubliseer. Ook hier is die PWAV se riglyn deur NAACCSA aanvaar om verder te versprei na die ander lid-organisasies. U kan die riglyn op die web-werf vind.

Laastens moet ek u, ons geëerde lede, bedank vir u getroue ondersteuning, hulp en onderskraging die afgelope jaar.

U is die PWAV en u sin vir verantwoordelikheid en veiligheid het dit vir ons makliker gemaak om u op die versamelpad te lei.

Volgende jaar is die PWAV 25 jaar jonk! As bestuur beplan ons ouder gewoonte om dit op gepaste manier te vier. U is dus vooraf gewaarsku en plegtig uitgenooi om nie hierdie geleentheid te mis nie.

In closing, and in the words of David W. Loeffler

"It is a lesson of history that it is ethically, morally, and philosophically impossible to have too many personal weapons, whether they be edged, impact or projectile."

God bless South Africa and God bless the PAAA.

I thank you.

Hubert Wentzel

Chairman

8 June 2019