20170101 - VK6WIA - NewsWest for Sunday January 1, 2017

Post date: Dec 31, 2016 9:36:49 AM

This Week

The new year in Western Australia starts with a bang that debunks the information being spread by the remaining board of the Wireless Institute of Australia and rips into statements made about the validity of training, the interest of the corporate regulator ASIC and other financial issues following a Christmas national broadcast with so much spin that you might be forgiven in seeing a cyclone revolving around the remaining board members of the embattled Wireless Institute of Australia.With the resignation of the Honorary Treasurer, Chris Hendry (VK3PAT), WIA Director, Paul Simmonds (VK5PAS), WIA Director, Andrew Smith (VK6AS) and Honorary Assistant Treasurer, Jeff Tubbenhauer (VK5IU), the Wireless Institute of Australia saw the loss of four more vocal member advocates last month, each whom have spent countless hours and considerable investment of personal funds to lift the lid on the financial and procedural mayhem that has engulfed the board of the WIA for some time. You can find their incendiary resignation letters on the http://vk6.net website.

Since the WIA President, Michael Owen (VK3KI) (SK) became a silent key in September 2012, the Institute has seen the resignation of ten individuals at board level:

  • John Longayroux, Treasurer

  • Greg James, Assistant Treasurer

  • Rowan Dollar, Director

  • Chris Platt, Director

  • Chris Chapman, Treasurer

  • David Williams, Secretary

  • Chris Hendry, Treasurer

  • Paul Simmonds, Director

  • Andrew Smith, Director

  • Jeff Tubbenhauer, Assistant Treasurer

It is clear that there are serious issues that are causing these volunteers to resign - many have publicly and privately expressed professional and ethical concerns as the reason for their resignation.

As has previously been stated, the Institute has been provided with several confidential, now leaked, Treasurer's reports that outline both financial and procedural concerns including clear conflicts of interest within the board. There is evidence of misleading and deceptive conduct, there are claims of defamation being made by current Directors towards WIA members. Legal advice is being ignored and the board is wilfully ignoring a constitutional right for members to call a general meeting.

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Producer: Andrew VK6AS