Bluebell Cottage,
Tillingham,
CM0 7UB
01621 778859
Dear fellow member,
Sadly I have to report that the proposal to ensure the EOA remained an owners Association, was defeated by 23 votes to 16 at the AGM. You no longer have an ‘Owners Association’. I had received over 50 positive replies from you, the members, which gave me the heart to take it forward. It was however defeated. Not by a large majority but a defeat all the same. Even worse, some of those attending, who might have had an open mind, were influenced by the libellous letter issued by the president and may have voted against me as an individual, rather than perhaps against the proposal.
Those members wishing to include any person to the EOA, and more especially to its prime posts, (those who voted against the proposal), were predominantly the committee (and family) with one or two additional members.
I have tried my hardest for the members over the years and on Friday 24th listened and watched in amazement while people I had once known and liked heaped invective against the proposal. As one member, (a non boat owner!), who voted against the proposal sadly noted to me afterwards, 'the Association was no longer a friendly one'.
The former Webmaster, Barry Sturrock, my brother in law and former E.24 owner, and I, are demanding a full public apology and retraction of this letter, the president sent to members prior to the meeting, but as yet, none is forthcoming. The president and committee are refusing to respond to mail. We are taking legal advice re the lies contained in the letter.
This letter implied that we deliberately stalled the handing over of the web space, (Barry requested a letter of authority on Oct 19th, I eventually got an e-mail from the president apologising for not sending this letter on the 22nd November, and when his letter to Barry did eventually arrive on 25th November it was dealt with by return of post!) All of this is documented. As we had acceded to the committees request to cease our involvement, we wished to hand it over as soon as was possible. Until this defamatory letter was sent out by the president we were happy to donate all our work to the EOA. Not any more.
Secondly, the allegation that the website was registered in my name and therefore some wrong doing, or misappropriation is implied is totally untrue. The website owner is registered as ‘The Eventide Owners Assoc’, my name appears only as the administrator, (I was Hon Sec at the time!). This information is readily available. It would appear whomever looked up the site details did not read the second line! The other details, address etc, were that of myself, as the credit card holder who paid for the domain name and web space. This has to be so. The EOA does not have a card of its own and I doubt anyone else would have given me theirs to pay with!
When confronted about the letter at the AGM in Any Other Business, the president refused to answer any questions from the floor, to the uproar of members! The meeting ended in fiasco as the members present walked out in protest when he closed the meeting!
All the correspondence from members had already been called inadmissible by the chair, and he actually went round tearing up copies of a report and meets calendar organised by me for the East Coast, that I had placed on chairs prior to the meeting! There was no way the president was taking any note of the members’ wishes.
After all the vigorous argument, put up by the committee, it was simply a case of 'bums on seats' and there were not enough members there to insist we are an owner’s assoc. So now we are, apparently, an ‘any boat’ or even ‘no boat’ assoc!
They won the battle but, as I said to them, they had lost an association. They seemed to be totally unfazed, by the strength of feeling against them, voiced on all sides. That night members from both sides were at the very least embarrassed by the attitude of the chair, and some of the committee, sufficient for some to say to me that the friendly, good natured EOA had gone forever. Some members stated they were to resign outright, just as I feared. They did not wish to be part of an ungentlemanly, non EOA, or non boat owning, assoc. Those who might have become associate members and who supported the proposal were also deeply disturbed by events and attitudes from the chair.
After the display from the ‘other’ side, and the vote against, all the members present who had supported the proposal to be a true owners assoc, abstained from further voting, as it was pointless, it was sewn up.
Because the president had managed to get sufficient committee and members to support him, he was re-elected, even though he has sold his Eventide and stated he is probably buying outside the EOA. A vice president was re-elected, also non EOA boat. After that they elected onto the committee more members who did not have our boats, it seemed that they wished to increase the size of the committee, especially non boaters, despite calls from all sides of the floor that the committee was far too large for just 165 members and should be reduced.
We were told by members of the committee that the EOA would collapse without non owners being at the helm, an affront to you, we thought. Also that we would disappear as an ‘owners only’ association in a few years anyway, as our boats are wooden and old! We like them that way, and we did not think they had a ‘sink by’ date on them!
My brother in law, Barry, is so annoyed over the damage to the design of his web site, that they wished to take as theirs, that he has now deleted his part of it. They even claimed at the AGM, once again, that he had been paid by the EOA, for the design of it. He did it for free.! They had no idea of the actual cost of such a site, (probably well in excess of £3500!). He has now withdrawn his ’Intellectual Property Rights’ from the site, the design. I have withdrawn my words too, 90% of site.
Where to go from here?
It has been suggested we publish our own web site, without infringing copyright, (which is what we are now doing), simply to help other owners and builders and we should reopen a public forum on our site, to replace the one the president eventually admitted to closing down. (What’s the first act of a dictator, the suppression of free speech?). They are really determined not to listen to you.
The
We have been approached to start the 'Bona fide or True EOA' , and will give it consideration. However, at this stage, we do not intend having a rival association but simply a source of real information and help for owners. I will, of course, continue to answer queries via the new website, on the Eventide design and the Riptide rep and Waterwitch rep who are also both supporters of the owners, will do so as well. We hope others will join to help owners/builders, (without wanting exalted rank!).
I have already personally funded a new web space, (this time ownership is registered it in my name!), it is not very expensive, and my brother in law is willing to be webmaster again, to ensure it all runs smoothly. I would hope that owners might contribute ideas and letters, by e-mail perhaps, or give permission to use articles they have written in the past, so we can publish them. Suggestions that we could have a newsletter, sent out by e-mail, or for those without e-mail, on receipt of a SAE will have to wait as yet, but have not been dismissed. The address of the new site for Eventiders is:-
We hope to have it up and running within the week and on our site the comments page will work and will not be censored!
Several longstanding members, present at the AGM have agreed to give a second opinion of the fiasco on the 24th, so please contact them, to ensure I am not overstating the events!
They are,
Doug Hoadley, ex committee member: - 01708 477028
Geoff and Sandra Hyde-Fynn: - 01392 259529
Brian West, ex auditor: - 017082 24721
I wish publicly to thank those who did most to represent the wishes of the 50 plus members who wrote to me, by speaking at the meeting, namely Brian West and especially Geoff Hyde-Fynn, and his wife Sandra. They were all brilliant.
My personal e-mail address is still ‘bluebell.cottage@virgin.net’ I would love to hear from you if you have anything to give to our fellow owners. Or, of course, you will be able to get me via the new website. All comments will be able to be made in open forum on the new web site, and rest assured we will listen to you. Sad to say that even if the age of chivalry and gentlemanly conduct might be a thing of the past, we will try to stay rooted in that past as long as we may, true to the memory of my late friends, Maurice and Marjorie Griffiths.
Yours Faithfully,
John S. Williams,
(owner/builder Eventide, ‘Fiddler’s Green’)