‘Apathy’ prompts Jensen to quit
PETER LAMPP
Bowls Manawatu’s executive is on the verge of disintegration with president Tony Jensen signalling he has had enough.
Jensen said he will be pulling the plug come the annual meeting in July and at least three others are expected to follow him.
Everything boiled over at the Palmerston North Bowling Club on Sunday when eight of the centre’s 16 clubs failed to turn up to a Bowls Manawatu special general meeting.
Jensen said he felt "personally insulted" because the clubs had had plenty of notice about the meeting and had been emailed reminders on Friday. He interpreted it as a vote of no-confidence from the clubs.
"They can do it without me," Jensen said. "Apathy is the only word to describe it."
He had taken over as president in November after the death of Maggie May and by the annual meeting will have served two years on the executive.
The special meeting was convened to make a change so members of the executive could be appointed or elected on merit rather than having to be club delegates, effectively to remove roadblocks.
"This was the first of the changes we needed to take the game forward, and it drew a blank," Jensen said.
"It all revolved around one thing. It was precluding us from getting the best people involved.
"You try to do good for the game but if the game doesn’t want to go with you, you can’t do anything."
Vice-president Brian Looker has confirmed he will follow, as has treasurer David Gibb after only a year. Executive member Stewart McGrail, who came on to the centre with Jensen, will probably also walk. Northern’s John Hayes has earlier indicated he would be standing down.
The clubs who failed to attend are Ashhurst, Dannevirke, Himatangi Beach, Kimbolton, Pahiatua, Shannon, Te Kawau and Foxton & Beach (who did supply an apology).
The only two clubs to provide their full quota of three delegates were Johnston Park and Terrace End. Northern and Palmerston North supplied two each (both executive members) and Takaro and Bulls one.
So of the 38 potential delegates, 20 were needed for a quorum and only 14 turned up. "The game is in huge strife anyway," Jensen said.
"I’ll leave it to those who keep returning to the past to run the game.
"This was about changing the method of how the executive is put together.
"It was the first step of a lot of things we have to do differently. How are you going to take this game forward?"
Another rule demanded that the president be a person who had served two years on the executive. That essentially made Jensen’s election invalid.
He said Sunday’s non-event was symptomatic of what is happening in bowls, and within the clubs.
Jensen, from the Johnston Park club, intends to remain the Manawatu Standard bowls columnist, an award-winning role he filled before he became president.
Steve Toms was elected as the Palmerston North Bowling Club president on Sunday, taking over from Dave Free whose two years were up. Ian Jamieson is the new club vice-president.
- © Fairfax NZ News
Article courtesy of http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/sport/7006915/Apathy-prompts-Jensen-to-quit
