MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 14 MARCH 2016 AT REAL ADVENTURES OFFICE PARYS
1. Opening and welcoming: Christo Meyer did the opening and welcoming
2. Attendance and apologies:
Present:
Christo Meyer, Jan Fourie, Ruan Ferreira, Hugh du Preez, Carl Cilliers, Michell Spiers
en Ria Myburgh
Apologies:
Samuel Seleke, Ester Ndweni and Bennie Pretorius.
2.1 Jan Fourie gives a feedback on International Tourist Guide Day (see attached document). On this Christo Meyer mentioned that networking is extremely important in getting the Dome Guides Association known.
2.2 Cathsseta will visit the office tomorrow morning for an onsite inspection to evaluate the Dome Guides Association’s application for this year’s grant. In having a good report with the Department of Tourism, will assist us when it comes to the Cathsseta application. Their visit to our office is more in a way of determine if the Association
really exist. Jan Fourie offered to attend the meeting with Cathsseta, although he is not of the Association’s management committee.
2.3 The minutes of the previous meeting is accepted and signed by all present.
2.4 Christo Meyer welcomes Ria Myburgh with her first official attendance of the meeting as a new staff appointment.
2.5 The Facebook page is up and running. Ria Myburgh asks for some written contributions and photos for both the Facebook page and the website. The website must be populated with the necessary information, such as a list of the members, committee, the constitution, and application for membership, a short description of the Vredefort Dome, Parys and a bit of history. The committee members decided that a link to a pdf-file containing the meeting’s minutes should also be created on the website for anyone who wants to read it. It is important for members to keep up to date what the committee is doing. The minutes should be posted in numerical (date) order in the category for “About” there must be info regarding the Dome Guides Association itself and wat die organisation is all about. There also should be a link between the Facebook page and the website to keep people up to date of new postings. Feedbacks and reports must go under the category “Latest”. The e-mail, website address and telephone numbers must appear on the letterhead of all correspondence. The website address should be changed from Dome Tour Guides to Dome Guides. Ria Myburgh will contact Webmaster in this regard.
2.6 As soon as the financial statements are ready it will be time for the next general meeting to give feedback. We should receive the statements during April/May of this year. Our finances appear to be positive with about R60 000 in the account. The training service provider indicated that they are willing to change from 10% in their 2015-fee to 24% in 2016. Carl Cilliers propose that we put R10 000 in our current account and the balance in a call-account which will generate some interest. The interest alone should cover any bank costs. Christo Meyer asks that Bennie Pretorius should attend to this matter. Hopefully the application to Cathsseta will be successful and that will place us in a much more positive financial position.
2.7 Ria must follow up regarding the guide badges ordered from the Registrar of North West and also to arrange an ‘event’ with Jeff Mabunda as a guest speaker to hand out the certificates and badges. (George, Mary or Andrew: 018 462 8509, 018 387 7700, 079 629 6409, 078 327 7694.) If North West cannot provide the badges in the next three weeks, Christo Meyer or Bennie Pretorius will contact the National Registrar in this regard.
2.8 Ria Myburgh is still busy with the data basis list. There must also be separate list of guides not registered by us. We did receive some inquiries about it. Hugh du Preez and other members of the committee could be of assistance in identifying some of the operators/contact people.
2.9 We are registered as a contender in Wild Africa.com’s competition for the “Adventure Town-of-the-Year”. This will create much needed publicity for the town and surrounding area, should Parys be a provincial/national winner. At some stage we will be required to supply them with some footage/material of activities in this area. Carl Cilliers is in possession of a lot of the material we will need.
3. Meeting closed at: 11:55
4. Next meeting: 11 April 2016 – 11:00 – R.E.A.L. Adventure Office