2001 Annual Report

Presented at the Annual General Meeting in Tamworth, Wednesday, January 24, 2001

Chairman's Summary

As foreshadowed at the last AGM, 2000 has been a year of change, which has presented us with a number of challenges. The major challenge has been the opening of the Sydney office following advice from Max Ellis Marketing that they no longer were able to act as the CMAA's Secretariat.

A recommendation by the Executive was approved by the Board on the opening of a Sydney office to handle the day-to-day administration of the organisation whilst at the same time retaining a Projects office in Tamworth to follow through with the many CMAA branded events and activities throughout the year. The Tamworth office will also take on the responsibility of seeking additional Sponsors and servicing our existing Sponsors.

The official change from MEM to the two new structures took place on October 9th. I should point out that this move was made possible by ensuring that the cost of the new arrangement and staff compared positively to what we had previously paid through MEM to provide the same service. It has been an intensive period for our new employees, the CEO and the newly employed Tamworth staff. What with the Awards voting, the processing of the board nominations, organization of this year's College of Country Music, and gearing up for the many events and activities in which the CMAA is involved during the January Festival, our staff have been carrying a heavy workload..

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Max Ellis and the team at MEM for their dedication and commitment to the CMAA's Secretariat since we formed in 1992, often at the expense of their own business.

Another challenge was the organization of the new mid-year Hats Off To Country Tamworth Festival. We had previously identified the possibility of staging a weekend Festival with an emphasis on more traditional Australian country music and I was honoured that I was the focus of the first major concert as part of that weekend. We invested in this venture with the view that this mid-year event will eventually provide the CMAA with significant revenue which will enable us to continue to grow and offer opportunities for us to extend our activities.

The achievements of this organisation should be applauded given the limited staff and resources and once again I would ask that we all work together to develop the national and international market for Australian country music for the benefit of all members of the industry, large or small.

In stepping down this year as Chairman I would like to thank all those members of the Industry who have served on the Board since 1992 and I would particularly like to thank the hard working Executive who have been responsible for guiding the CMAA through some rocky periods and who have contributed significant time from their own businesses to ensure our organisation survived on a solid foundation.

I feel that it is time for me to move on to other challenges in my life, and I am confident that my successor, Joy McKean, will take over the Chairmanship with respect and enthusiasm.

In closing, I want to say that I will always keep my interest in the development of the CMAA and I will always be on hand to give the Association my support wherever possible.

Thank you for the support you have given me throughout my period as Chairman of the CMAA. I am very proud of what you have achieved.

Slim Dusty, January 2001