“RECOGNITION OF FAMILY BUSINESS”

By Paul Wilkins

Recognition of Family Business was the theme of the night as members from all over the state came together for the CMPA Annual Dinner.

From Bendigo to Ballarat, Cohuna to Campbellfield, or Trafalgar to Tylden, CMPA members and their partners turned out in force for a night of fun and inspiration.

William Adams in Laverton was the venue for the festivities, which was preceded by the Annual General Meeting of the association, as well as tours of the facilities. A roast meal was served, and the drinks flowed freely as a night of networking, catching up with old friends, and good fun and relaxation ensued.

The night was compered by the witty and humorous Mr Tim Connellan of Connellan Business Communications. The crowd was bursting with laughter as Tim retold stories (some true, some partially true, some blatantly untrue) about life in Charlton. Stories about Chemists and Bible salesmen in Charlton ensured the audience was kept well amused.

The theme for the evening was “Recognition of Family Business”. Many of the businesses involved with the association have been passed through various generations of family heritage, and it was great to see members of the association at the dinner with members of their own family.

Chairperson of the Management Committee, Mr Ron Kerr, stepped down in this role at the AGM held prior to the dinner. But by no means is Ron cutting off his involvement with the association. In his farewell speech as chairperson, he mentioned that the association had chosen to expand the power base of the management committee, which would improve people’s overall skills. Ron said that the new committee will certainly ‘get the best result possible’ for the association.

Patron of the CMPA Professor Ross Williams gave a stirring speech that praised the role of the association in the workforce. Professor Williams commented that attitudes and standards within the industry have risen dramatically since the inception of the CMPA in 1999. Professor Williams theorised as to ‘what might have been’ if the association had not been formed, and looked at what has been achieved when acclaiming the role of the CMPA. Professor Williams also spoke about the importance of training, and mentioned that the introduction of more technical subjects into the VCE was pleasing to see.

Mr Bob Beaumont also spoke on the importance of corporatisation within the association.

Mr Bruce Edwards from William Adams spoke briefly on the proposed trip to the Bauma conference held in Munich next year. Bruce’s presentation, which included photographs from France, Germany, and various other European destinations had many in the audience salivating at the prospect of the tour. Bruce’s final pictures of the Greek Island of Santorini were simply amazing.

And the Annual Dinner wouldn’t have been complete if it wasn’t for the Raffle. Associate members showed amazing generosity in donating some excellent prizes, which sent a lot of people home happy.

The night was an unmitigated success, with members already in anticipation of next year’s dinner.

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