Soooooo. Back to the question.
What has Sunfish done for YOU.
Have you been to a fishing clinic as an instructor or learner? How many of these clinics happen every year and where are they held?
Those who keep saying about these clinics should have that information handy.
No mention of that on Sunfish's website. Happenings and education are a blank page.
Other then the clinics I don't think anyone has mentioned anything else positive Sunfish has done for them......have they?
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
Re: Sunfish. What have they done for those of us in QLD??
Maybe I could clarify for some of the armchair experts/critics here. Just pick up any old Sunfish magazine or check the various websites and you could find this out for yourselves.
“Sunfish” is not just ONE organization.
Sunfish Queensland is ONE organization, which is an umbrella organization made up of several parts. It does receive funding from government. As far as I am aware this money funds one paid position only, at a salary of something like or not much more than an average secretary/PA. The remaining VERY limited funds [do your own calculations of the 50 cents out of 17 dollars PPV mentioned previously for the total funds out of about 3-4million total PPV]] is used for basic admin and specific projects such as Angler Education Clinics. As far as I can see, the rest of the people involved are all volunteers.
Whether you think they do any good at all, I find the previous comparison to Craig Thompson offensive.
However I do agree they are not proactive/militant enough, nor do they participate in forums like this enough to give the average fisher enough info to keep up to date on their actions. There are a number of other criticisms I have of Sunfish Qld, but none of them relate to the effort they put in, the volunteer hours they give, or the fact that, whether I agree with them or not, in most cases they are doing what they believe is best for recreational fishing in Qld. Some fresh blood/fresh eyes are probably warranted, but who will step up to the plate? Yes there are a few examples of seat warming and protecting a particular patch, as well as a SEQ focus, but as others have said, at least they are making an effort.
As an umbrella organization, Sunfish Queensland has organization members. For reasons unknown to me, Sunfish Queensland does not have individual members.
The members of Sunfish Queensland include various organizations such as ANSA, QAFCA, QGFA, AUFA, FFSAQ, and the Blue Fin Fishing Club. Many of the committee have a strong allegiance to QAFCA.
The rest of the membership of Sunfish Qld is made up of branches.
There are at least half a dozen Sunfish branches around the state. BUT these should not be called branches because they are separately incorporated groups ENTIRELY run by volunteers with NO govt funding [some funding is filtered through Sunfish Qld for fishing clinics]. They are affiliated with Sunfish Qld but are not beholden to Sunfish Qld. I understand that there are parts of Qld that do not have a Sunfish branch active in their region.
I have the utmost respect for these branches and the people in them. They do their own thing in their own areas and this includes various forums, fishing clinics, submissions on various issues, delegations and deputations to fisheries managers, councils, politicians and ministers, etc etc. I know 3 people in just one of these branches who put in over 20 hours each per week working for the recreational anglers, mostly behind the scenes and getting very little thanks. They do it because they see what is wrong and want to improve things for the next generation.
Unfortunately, the biggest problem in this state is not Sunfish but they sure are an easy/soft target for the lazy armchair critics. the major problem in this state is the fisheries managers who have persecuted the recreational fishing sector for the last 20 years, and the politicians who have given them free reign. They continue to pay lip service, and then treat anglers with contempt.
The Burns Inquiry is one example. It was raised by one previous poster who seemed to claim it was all Sunfish’s fault that the recommendations have not been carried out. Sunfish has been pushing for these to be implemented for years but has NO power to force these recommendations into law. It is the politicians who could do that, and unfortunately there has not been one with the guts to take it on since Tom Burns. As far as I have seen, there has only been one with enough guts to even comment on this forum. There have been none with the guts to make any firm commitment to policy for recreational fishing in Qld.
Hi Finga, i'd be thinking there's a lot of much less visible stuff going on in the background that is benifiting recreational anglers. The kid's fishing clinics would only be a very small part of their operation i would imagine. ie. unless you were involved in sunfish you probably would never know what they were doing to defend recreational angling in the backrooms of government.
What are the websites can I check what Sunfish has done in the last 12 months?
How many fishing clinics have there been in, say, the last 12 months?
That sort of information should very easy to get.
I've looked but found didly squat.
Why can't Sunfish have their magazine viewable from the net?
What everyone has been saying that Sunfish does has been very broad in nature.
Mack's forever....ta for the information about the branches. I worked out that the individual branches seem to be the ones doing the majority of the educational and informative work. All from very little funding.
And if I read you right the branches could be called something else entirely different to Sunfish ie Sunfish-South Moreton could be called South East Queensland Angler's Association?? Is this right?
And you are right. Lack of communications make things more difficult then need be for a lot of situations. If some of the questions asked are answered then a lot of 'misunderstandings' could be squashed as quick as a wink.
The lack of information and apparent privacy is what makes me sceptical.
As for people getting involved or shut up....well I to get involved and to start with I wanted to see what Sunfish was all about when they had their conference in Brisbane a year or so ago.
The cost prohibited me from attending. Simple as that. From memory it was $150 for a 2 day seminar.
The cost would have prohibited many people who wanted to get involved to attend to see what 'the go was' with Sunfish..
Were minutes from that conference available on-line?
Is there any specific information available on what Sunfish has done available on the net so people may decide they're doing a good thing and want to be involved?
As for people offering alternatives or shut up....how can an alternative be offered if we don't know precisely what is going on?
All people seem to hear is what we hear in the media which mainly goes around the stuff ups that happen which mainly concern Barry.
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
Agreed, Sunfish hasn't done a lot for me either, but we have to look at the other side of the coin as well. What are we really expecting for our 50c per year ?
I'm right 98% of the time - who cares about the other 3%
You know it was $50 to attend the Sunfish conference Finga, you've commented on that several times in the past and even mentioned that amount yourself 3 times in one of your own previous posts. All of your same questions have been answered many times in the past and all of your claims have been disproved in the past, it's almost like Ground Hog Day. Perhaps the last line in your last post reveals your true agenda here, is it to defame Barry Pollock? I've seen here in the past you've claimed that he's paid a salary for his Sunfish position, but the truth is he gives all his time as a volunteer. I've never met or spoken to Barry and I certainly don't agree with all of his actions, but I'm sure anyone who's been awarded the Order of Austalia for their services to recreational anglers is doing more than the average bloke to help our beloved pastime.Originally Posted by finga
Well blow me down. It was $50.
http://ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthr...ish+conference
My apologies. But still not economically feasible for a lot of people who may have wanted to be there.
How many people went?
Where can I see the final report? How much will that report cost me to view?
Please forgive me if I have not seen answers to my questions. I'm a simple person who needs simple answers.
How about outlining them in point form.
a) how do we see Sunfish's financials?
b) what has Sunfish done for me against the Jolly Green Giant?
c) how many kids fishing schools are there throughout the year that Sunfish sponsor and where were they?
d) How do we find out where they are and when so we may be able to help.
e) why is there no information regarding education or events on Sunfish's website seeing education is a key outcome for Sunfish?
That'll do for starters.
Ooops. Nearly forgot.
f) is it true that each 'branch' of Sunfish is not a true branch of Sunfish but a independent organisation that is just 'affiliated' with Sunfish and each branch organises the fishing schools with a little bit of financial help from Sunfish....the great?
And yes. Seeing I brought it up....why is it that Barry seems to be in the middle of each controversy that Sunfish seems to involve itself with?
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
I'm confused ... have you emailed them your questions and not got a reply or are we just fishing here on the forum?
Don't be ridiculous boney, facts would only clowd the issue.
i was involved with sunfish for 12 months, figured I wanted to help make a change but work got to busy and had to stop.... but in the 12 mths I attended 6 kids fishing avents myself, they help get blue cards for people so they could work with kids. they worked on the green zones and helped to get our ramps upgraded. I dont agree with them on alot of things but they do more for us than most of the people who complain about them. they have done more good than bad
All the Sunfish experts are here so why not ask here?
Well what are the answers to my questions then?
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
hi finga, i don't think anyone here is classing themselves as a "sunfish expert" but what boney-leg is saying in sending off an email has a bit of merit, maybe even try to track down a meeting of your local sunfish group or association (obviously not one that costs $50) to ask about what it is they do.
the reality is that by coming on here and having a go at a bunch of guys who are volunteering their time to try and promote recreational angling in queensland (either successfully or unsuccessfully as the case may be) you aren't going to get a nice response from them, basic communication skills should be telling you that.
I cannot put what I really think about that statement as it could lead to me facing legal action..BUT..Sunfish HAS NOT pushed the proposals of the Burns Inquiry..they have pushed their own agenda.
Have you read the Burns Inquiry? Have you seen who was on the panel for the Burns Inquiry?
I had some respect for one or two of the members on that panel..one was a top comp fisho in the SQAFCA comps back in the day..but now..pfffft...totally lost my confidence and respect.
As I am not a member of Sunfish and never will be, I really don't care what they do..as long as they realise they do not represent me in any way shape or form.
A couple of responses from me if I may, please, Paddles.
I actually don't want anyone to promote recreational angling in Queensland. There is no benefit to me that I can think of by adding even more people to the hordes who are to be found at popular fishing spots at particular times. The boating and tackle industry might want that for commercial reasons but there are no lifestyle reasons that I, as a regular angler, would want it. Nor, if you think about it, should any fisherman who is struggling to catch a fish where once there was plenty. Likewise, with less anglers, the greenies will have less to worry about and leave the few remaining of us alone.
Above all else, I don't want any government monies at all promoting the growth of more people fishing. Let the money go to better boating facilities such as boat ramps but not as handouts to any activity that tries to get more people fishing. If governments want to spend money that encourages a healthy lifestyle, let the money go to childrens' sport, especially the less popular, less well funded but active sports like hockey. The cost per kid would probably be a lot less than for fishing and the physical benefits in fighting obesity would be much greater.
Much of the heat in this thread has been defensiveness about communications with Sunfish. So let me share some learnings from the experience of many years in corporate senior management about that very topic. By now, the Sunfish guys should have responded directly to this thread. For all I know, they may have responded in the posts herein but not directly and honestly indicating who they are and certainly not without defensiveness and indignation.
Being able to handle criticism well from a hostile set of stakeholders is the sign of excellence in management talent. The talented ones will recognise, maybe even with some surprise but never with indignation and defensiveness, that something is wrong in the minds of their constituency and be willing to seek to understand and research and, if necessary, rectify the concerns of their constituency.
So at a very practical level, what that would mean is that someone representing the senior levels of Sunfish should arrive on this thread and acknowledge that there appear to be some concerns expressed and summarise them in a post here as they appear to be and then to ask - that is, ask and not defensively argue - if they have the summary of the concerns correct.
Such a post will immediately take heat out of the discussion because someone with authority is paying respect to the concerns emanating from their constituency. Generally, people don't like complaining about anything very publicly. It is stressful and much can be gained at a psychological level with them and many brownie points won, if their concerns are acknowledged respectfully.
It is likely that some confirmation or clarification of the concerns will arise in the subsequent posts.
The Sunfish guy could then propose some ways forward to alleviate those concerns and then seek feedback on whether his proposals have merit in the eyes of Ausfishers.
Again, there may be some healthy discussion emerging in the thread and perhaps some useful other suggestions might arise.
Trust me fellas, if you are in a corporation or fronting on behalf of an organisation of any sort, this is the time tested way of handling constituency crankiness and frustration, not by resorting to the raw emotional responses of defensiveness, self righteous indignation and name calling as the less gifted negotiators amongst us will sink to. You will go from zero to hero instantly taking this approach. Trust me on this one.
Charlie takes no credit for this approach. When Charlie was making a buffoon of himself as a middle manager in defensively and arrogantly handling business constituent concerns in the mid 1980's, it was the coaching from the very talented Professor Charles Margerison of the University of Queensland Business School that taught Charlie much about turning around hostile audiences to a point where anger flips over to become praise and optimism within the space of one business meeting.
If, on the other hand, the major government funded lobbying body representing fishos in Queensland is not monitoring major online fishing forums such as Ausfish on a daily basis, they have already sunk well below the Plimsoll line and their committee is carrying far too much ballast.
.
Bruce..if senior management listens to the beef of every pleb below them they will achieve nothing. Senior Management must make decisions and move forward based on those decisions.
I don't hear the Governor of the Reserve Bank listening to every mortgage holder saying..no more interest rate rises.
Th biggest danger for any manager is to listen to every person under their umbrella...the danger is sinking to the lowest common denominator.
The danger is that management got to that position by their own resources and intelligence..by listening to too many others they will invariably end up being at the lowest common denominator.
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