Non Sydney Based - Long

[Guest guest]

I am sorry if I ruffled a few feathers or offended anybody in

my suggestion for moderators to organise socials. I have not been well at

all the last week and in hindsight I should not have posted that particular

message until I was well and had a clearer mind and been able to put my point

across clearer; hence, why I have waited this long to reply because I am almost

back to my old self now, hopefully by tomorrow I’ll be 100% well.

I would like it known that although I am not Sydney based I lived in Sydney for

45 years, longer than some of the younger Sydband members have been on this

planet. I left Sydney to find a safer environment to live in after 3

handbag muggings, having an egg thrown at me from a speeding car and narrowly missing

my face by centimetres while I was sitting at a bus stop (the impact of the egg

on the bus shelter beside my ear sounded like a gun shot and I thought I had

been shot at), being a victim of the Kensington Storm Disaster when my car was

written off and the house I was living in wrecked, being the only witness to an

armed payroll hold-up, being the only witness to a gang warfare bashing where I

was trying to stop myself from being hurt by cowering on the inside of a shop

window trying to protect myself when one of the thugs tried to hurt me buy

bashing a baseball bat through the outside of the window – thank God it was

safety glass and only shattered and did not fall out but I did not know it was

safety glass and I thought I was a goner. The last straw was when I was

watering my front garden and a schizophrenic stranger off his medication jumped

my low fence and was madly wielding a knife in the attempt to kill me. After

this I had a severe emotional breakdown and was eventually diagnosed with Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder and after many months of struggling to keep my job I

was asked to leave. After lengthy talks with my doctors it is was decided

that it would benefit my healing to move away from Sydney so I reluctantly did and not only that

I did it alone, moving to a new state and leaving my family behind. I was

very concerned that I was making a bad decision but five years later after

living on the Gold Coast it has proved to be the best decision I could have

made. When I left Sydney, like how Tony

left his heart in San Francisco I left

my heart in Sydney.

I have an equal passion for both Ozband and Sydband and enjoy giving back what

I receive from these sites by supporting and encouraging members through their

banding frustrations and struggles. In fact I have such a passion for

Sydband that the reason Sydney

won the 2007 Conference is because of my vote, I actually voted against my own

state regardless of the fact that I had already spent countless hours in

preparing for the Gold Coast Conference and inspecting possible venues. I

originally voted for the Gold Coast and Cath had only just warmed to the idea

of having the conference in Queensland,

she had sent out a post seeking volunteers for the conference and the results

were very poor. On the other hand Ghyll had sent a lengthy post

describing how various Sydband members would be capable of doing specific tasks

for the conference, so I reconsidered my decision in view of the fact that

Sydband apparently seemed to have more hands on people than what Qld did and I put

favouritism for my new home town Gold Coast aside and used common sense and

practicality to change my vote to Sydney. If I understand correctly by

voting two or more times it cancels out the previous votes.

One of the reasons behind my suggestion for having moderators organise the

socials and as I said in my previous post on the subject “Please note that this would not stop any

member wanting to organise a Sydband social themselves from doing so” was

an attempt to try and cut down on unnecessary posts. As I previously stated “I enjoy supporting and encouraging members

through their banding frustrations and struggles” but

I am recently finding it more difficult to find these people requiring support

and encouragement because of the time needed to wade through the general chit

chat and social chat to find the people in need of support. Please don’t

misunderstand me, I think all the chat is wonderful because the group is based

on friendship and support but I am finding it difficult having to read nearly every

post to find those people who need support and I am looking into the future and

wondering, as the site is rapidly growing in six or twelve months time when

perhaps the membership has doubled, how are we going to give the people who

are looking for support the support they deserve.

I have often felt like an outsider on Sydband but thanks to Ghyll’s

encouragement she has told me a couple of times now that she doesn’t want

me to feel like an outsider or non Sydney based because she wants all people to

feel welcome and comfortable no matter what part of the country they live

in. When I was in Sydney last I told Ghyll that I really enjoyed and appreciated

being seen and treated as the “guest” but in future I want to be

seen as just another Sydband member and will take a turn in organising a

Sydband social prior to me leaving the Gold Coast for on one of my future

Sydney visits, no doubt to Star City lol, I have a liking for that place, it

brings back fond memories of when I first met with Sydney members.

I may have been over the top in suggesting Agenda items but I could not at the

time think of a more informal word to explain the points to be raised and I

still can’t think of a more informal term so I will stick with the term

Agenda unless someone can give me a more informal and friendlier name for

it. I would have liked to have put on the Agenda the point that I

previously raised on chit chat/social chat/support. As I am in the

process of designing the Conference Website I would also have liked to have had

the Website on the Agenda because I would have liked to have brought the draft

website with me to Sydney and get feedback from the moderators as to how I

could improve it or where I am going wrong and any other suggestions. I

only need feedback from a few people not the whole group as the old saying goes,

too many cooks spoil the broth. As this is the first website I have

attempted my aim is too make it look as professional as I possibly can because

when I do a job I always try to do my best not settle for “that will do”

and to do this I would have liked to have had the moderators support. I

have a friend who is a computer engineer on an oil rig who is teaching me how

to do the website and I am currently studying a 300 page website manual but neither

my friend or the manual can help when it comes down to what Sydband and Ozband wants.

I would have also liked to have on the Agenda, Friendship Pins versus Wrist

Bands for the Goody Bags, so I could get some feedback because I am going to

see if I can find a sponsor for these.

Anyway like I said at the beginning, I do apologise if I offended anyone but I

hope I have been able to make myself clearer in this email as to why I thought

there was a need to have Moderator Meetings. Oh and if I have offended anyone

through this email it certainly wasn’t my intention and I apologise for

that as well.

Kind regards

Leanne