The Board held its third meeting for calendar year 2019 on Tuesday 28 May.
Highlights from this meeting were:
Board Directors
Deanna Varga joined the Board for her first meeting as our newest non-elected appointed director. Deanna brings much needed skills and experience to the Board and we all look forward to working with her going forward.
New Strategic Plan 2019-24
Thank you to all our members, volunteers, staff, sector colleagues and other stakeholders who took the time to read and provide feedback on the draft THNSW Strategic Plan 2019-24.
The Board has now adopted an updated and final version of the new strategic plan, which will soon be released on the THNSW website.
The Board and I appreciated the constructive feedback and excellent engagement received in developing this important document that sets out our direction and aspirations for our organisation over the next five years.
2019-20 Business Plan
The Board considered a first draft of the 2019-20 Business Plan and budget – our first under the new strategic plan. The business plan will outline the activities we will undertake next financial year towards achieving our five-year goals. An important role for the Board is to set the risk appetite of the organisation.
Loop Line Funding Commitment
Discussions continue with the NSW Government and other stakeholders concerning the recent $5.5m commitment made during the recent NSW State government election campaign to upgrade the Loop Line. Further information will be provided as details are finalised.
Annual Membership
The Board is looking forward to introducing new rolling annual membership from July for new individual members as per our recently updated constitution.
The Board also determined there will be no increase to individual membership fees for MY 2019/20.
Member Events
Thank you to the small number of members who attended our April Members’ Information Forum (MIF). The next MIF will be held in September or October. We will also be announcing soon new ‘member only’ events. More details on these events, which will include some exciting site visits, will be announced soon.
New Heritage Transport Assets Coming to THNSW
THNSW are in discussions with Transport for NSW about the future preservation of electric rolling stock currently being phased out of the Sydney Trains network. Further information about this will be announced in the coming weeks.
Locomotive 3801
The Board received an update on progress with the boiler. The boiler is currently being prepared for hydrostatic testing. A full update on the locomotive 3801 project will be released towards the end of June.
Safety & Environment Committee (SEC) Chair
The Board determined to temporarily vary the SEC’s Terms of Reference requirement that the SEC Chair cannot also be the Chair of the Board for a period of up to 12 months, to allow me to take on this role until after our AGM 2019 when Board Director specific governance roles are determined. I look forward to working with the SEC to build on the work that has already been achieved in this critical space.
Board Committee Expressions of Interest
We are currently calling for expressions of interest from members who wish to join one of two new committees - Collections & Curatorial Committee and Rail Operations Support Committee.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible during the June long weekend, supporting our largest annual event at Central Station – the Transport Heritage Expo!
Rob Mason
Chair