Major Items and Decisions

ABF Board changes

At the ABF’s Annual General Meeting held in Brisbane on May 24th, the ABF Board for the period 2024-2026 was announced as follows:

• Allison Stralow, Western Australia (President)
• Jenny Thompson, Victoria (Secretary)
• Dagmar Neumann, New South Wales (Board member)
• Richard Ward, Queensland (Board member)

The ABF Council elected Dr Laurie Kelso and Julian Foster as Supplemental Councillors for a period of two years.

David Fryda, the ABF Executive Director was also appointed as a Supplemental Councillor.

David makes recommendations to the Council and the Board for the adoption of policies promoting the objects of the ABF. He also oversees employees and contractors of the ABF. David has weekly meetings with key personnel to discuss issues and make recommendations.

Phillip Markey continues as ABF General Counsel as does Professor Michael Bryan as Deputy Legal Counsel.

Retiring Board Members

Rob Ward joined the ABF Board in 2020. I thank Rob for taking on the role of Treasurer in January 2023 and for his considered contributions to the Board. Rob will remain as Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, where his skills will continue to be utilised.

Chris Mulley stepped into the role as Secretary on short notice. His attention to detail and carefully considered views will be missed. This is not a farewell to Chris as he will continue as a BAWA delegate on Council, and he has also offered to assist Phil Markey on legal matters as necessary. Sue Falkingham filled the vacancy as an Ordinary Board member in 2023. The Board thanks Sue for stepping in when needed and for her contributions to Education. We wish her well as she continues to introduce a significant number of new players to our game.

Retiring Councillors

ABF Councillors are an integral part of the administration of Australian bridge. Thank you to the retiring councillor Rosemary Mooney from the Northern Territory for her time on the ABF Council. A warm welcome to Eileen Boocock who replaces Rosemary as an NTBA delegate.

Retirement of ABF Secretariat Jane Rasmussen

Jane made the move from Victoria to Canberra 18 and a half years ago to take on the job as the ABF Secretariat. She quickly learnt the skill base necessary to master the role, especially the Masterpoint System when she was in charge for some months as the ABF was transitioning from one person to the other. Jane’s knowledge of scoring programs/technology/dealing machines is second to none. When MYABF came onboard, Jane kept herself abreast of all the updates and was able to help people when they could not navigate their way.

We will not lose Jane from the bridge world as her intent is to increase playing club bridge and attend some more national congresses.

A huge thank you Jane, enjoy your retirement.

New Constituent Association of the ABF

A new entity, Bridge NSW Limited has been formed to replace New South Wales Bridge Association Limited. The ABF Council, in accordance with Clause 32(2) of the ABF Constitution, approved the withdrawal of New South Wales Bridge Association Limited as a constituent association of the ABF. Bridge NSW Limited will become the constituent association of the ABF for New South Wales, effective from 31 May 2024.

Capitation and Masterpoint Fees

Two resolutions relating to Capitation and Masterpoint fees were tabled at the Annual General Meeting and amendments to the resolutions were proposed and defeated. The original resolutions were passed by the majority of Council. The ABF Executive Director will provide details of the agreed changes in the coming weeks. These changes will be effective from April 1st, 2025.

Financial Performance

The ABF’s audited financial statements for 2023 were approved by Council. A copy of the statements is available on the ABF website

National Director Register

The National Event Coordinator Laurie Kelso is responsible for monitoring, mentoring, assessing and accrediting ABF National-level Directors. Based on the information received the Board approved:

Promotion to National Director – Level 3:

Brian Wade (WA)
Daryl Whitfield (ACT)

Congratulations Brian and Daryl

Player Behaviour

The Board continues to reinforce the importance of Law 74A. proper attitude.

1. A player should always maintain a courteous
2. A player should carefully avoid any remark or extraneous action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game.

This law needs to be enforced so that all bridge sessions are enjoyable to all, and we retain players.

Feedback and Future Meetings

The Board welcomes feedback and suggestions on the above matters or other subjects. The next Board Meeting is Wednesday 10th July, ANC Orange.

ABF Board:

Allison Stralow (President), David Fryda (Executive Director), Jenny Thompson (Secretary), Dagmar Neumann, Richard Ward (Board Members)

In attendance: Phil Markey (General Counsel), Michael Bryant (Deputy General Counsel), Jane Rasmussen (Executive Secretary)

May 2024