[OT] Re: Australian Wireless Association AGM for 2003

[Duane]

Hi all...

With the year slowly passing by it's always good to reflect on what
has happened, and of course what we could do better if we had the
opportunity to do things again. This of course brings me to a recent
announcement about the AWA annual general meeting, and more to the
point an item to allow a change in rules to allow commercial entities
to become members of the association. It seems as if things have
finally come full circle, what started out an act of altruism, to
build up a community body for the community good, will turn into
nothing more then a trade association, a wolf in sheeps clothing is
the first analogy to pop into my head.

I thought the whole point of AWA was:

"The association is a non-commercial, not-for-profit body whose
members wish to embrace wireless networking technologies for the
benefit of the community."

So if the ideals have gone, then that sonic boom about 10 minutes back
was altruism heading out the window. 

When I was involved with AWA I copped a lot of flak for something I
believed in, I perhaps was a little over zealous at times, a little
quick to defend my ideals, however I was doing what I did because I
truly believed it would make things better for community wireless
users in Sydney and perhaps elsewhere. Those ideals were long ago
shattered with time wasting exercises, more in networking then it was
with actually getting anything under way. However I personally don't
see allowing commercial entities, some of whom would love nothing more
then for community wireless groups to disappear as it's interfering
with their bottom lines, to gain a foot hold in a group that could be
perceived by some as providing a voice for community groups.

Perhaps this might be a good thing, finally shaking off the stigma
about being a voice for community groups, when things couldn't even be
organised enough to promote wireless even at a local level, little own
Australia wide, the distrust from other groups, and those in the
Sydney area, I'd say has finally come into fruition.

-- 
Best regards,
 Duane                          mailto:support at sydneywireless.com

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