It had been decided last year to have our 2010 AGM in the Midlands to facilitate those members coming from the west, north and south. We held Regional Officer meetings in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Athlone earlier and were impressed with the facilities. We got a great deal for the function room and accommodation and members who stayed overnight had a wonderful weekend.

The day started early with exhibitors assembling their stands. There were 20 stands offering a range of interesting products including Cydonia massage balms, Primavera essential oils, Warm Touch heated packs, ethnic jewellery, courses/workshops, plinths, general massage supplies and much more.

There was a buzz in the air by 9 a.m. when registration started and lots of old and new members and friends started to arrive. The AGM was held in a fabulous room with the river running under the huge windows. The room was packed with about 130 members.

As the out-going President, I started the meeting with a short meditation and a welcome to all members.

There were 2 proposals to be discussed. One from Patricia Cassidy suggesting that the AGM be held on Sundays rather than Saturdays to facilitate members who work Saturdays. It was pointed out that Sundays would not suit many Sports therapists, but after some debate it was agreed to alternate each year for a trial period. So next year the AGM will be on Sunday (27^th March) at the same venue.

The second proposal, from Jillian McGuiness, that the position of Education Officer be held by a person with a background in, and knowledge of, the education system for complementary therapies; however, to avoid any conflict of interest school /college principals or proprietors should be excluded. There was lively debate on this issue also. The proposal was not accepted as it was felt that a school principal would have the knowledge required for this position.

Next followed the election of officers. The executive always announces that they would be happy to step down if members would come forward to replace them. Any member that has been a regional officer is eligible for any Executive position. We repeat, year after year, that new blood is needed on the Executive….. so if you have any skills or desire to shape the future of the profession please involve yourself at your regional meetings !!

It was proposed that I continue as President but after about 10 years in this position I really felt that change was needed and happily accepted the role of Communications Officer.

The elected positions are as follows:

• Anne Ivory President,
• Eoghan McEvoy Vice- President,
• Judith Ashton Communications Officer,
• Frances Daly Education Officer,
• Aoife Mollin.Treasurer,
• Nicholas Flavin FICTA representative,
• Mary Mullally Administrator.

There were some changes at Regional Officer level also. New positions : Denise O’Connell (Kilkenny/Carlow); Angela Devereux (Wexford); Sean Blake (Cork), Frances Farrell (Leitrim & Sligo).

There was further debate about the work load of the Education Officer and the general feeling was that the load should be more evenly spread and there should be more help and input in this area. A number of new members were co-opted onto an expanded Education Committee.

There was an animated discussion about CPD points and whether the IMTA wanted to go down the route of creating an Irish examination system. This was not supported by members and it was agreed that CPDs are for courses that support professional development and they are not qualifications per se but complementary to a therapist’s original qualifications. Dolores Roynane from Waterford coined the phrase that “CPDs were CPDs and not CPQs”.

The morning session generated a lot of great energy and the discussions were very animated. It really was an opportunity for members to air their views and listen to the opinions of others. The feed back from this open forum was very positive, and frankly, I felt it was the best discussion and debate session at any AGM. As always the clock caught up with us.

After lunch there were a number of workshops including a double on cancer care, client attracting strategies, meditation, nutrition and seated acupressure. The feedback was really fantastic for all the workshops and I overheard one member say that it would be difficult to improve on the standards of the workshops as they were so inspiring (we have our work cut out for next year).

All in all a great day was had by everybody and a wonderful atmosphere was generated. Everybody really took home some of the sense of purpose and direction that our Association represents.

We received many renewals on the day and it should be noted that because of our wish to save paper and energy, the new certificates in future will have a yearly stick on disc. Also please note that any members who forgot to bring along their Private Health Petition Forms (for VHI & Quinn Healthcare) should now send them into the Admin office.

Date for next year’s AGM is Sunday 27^th March 2011, Radisson Blu Hotel. Please mark this in your diary as a day not to be missed!

I am looking for any interesting articles, ideas, insights book reviews or opinions etc for future “In Touch “ newsletters

Judith Ashton

Communications Officer

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Pictures from the event are now available (members only!).