PON E News - December
This E News can also be viewed by clicking here. Photograph - Aracdia Pony Club of the Month for November. In this edition of Pon E News;
December Mail Out
The bi-monthly mail out to Club and Zone Secretaries, Zone Chief Instructors and Zone Councillors will include;
The bi-monthly mail out is available on the state website under the Publications tab for everyone to access. All information available in the bi-monthly mail out to Club and Zone officials should be received soon.
Reminders CLOSURE OF OFFICE OVER CHRISTMAS BREAK: The State Office will be closed from Thursday 19th December until Monday 6th January 2014. The State Executive and staff at the State Office wish everyone as safe and happy holiday season and look forward to another busy year in 2014. OFFICE BEARERS FORMS: 2014 were sent to all Clubs in October, please ensure that these are completed and sent back to the Association office following your Club or Zone AGM (forms available on website under the Club and Zone Management tab then go to Zone and Club Resources and the forms tab). All clubs are now required to provide a copy of their yearly Safety Checklist with their Office Bearers forms. A reminder that all clubs are required to hold their AGM prior to the 31st December and all zones are required to hold their AGM prior to the AGM of the association (no later than 21st March 2014). FREE ADMINISTRATION SCHOOLS FOR 2013/14: Are you a new Club or Zone Secretary or other Office Bearer? Are you unsure about meeting procedures, codes of conduct or just where to find information? Zones are reminded that members of the State Executive are available for Administration Schools. These schools are booked via the office and will cover a range of issues to help Clubs/Zones including – affiliations, transfers, orders, incorporation, meeting procedure, NCAS, grants, insurance, risk management, conflict resolution and many others. Please contact Kerren Britton on 02 4229 8977 or email admin@pcansw.org.au for further details. FEES FOR 2014: As at the 31st December 2013 all affiliation fees for 2014 memberships will be $55.00 for riding members and $35.00 for non riding members. Members nominating for State Camp and Sydney Royal Show will need to organise their 2014 membership PRIOR to 19th December 2013 in order for their nomination to be considered. As of the 1st January 2014 there will also be an increase to the following fees; Regional Schools - $25 per rider total of 18 riders State Championship entry fees - $45 per rider (including first aid levy) for all Championships and $60 per rider entering both the Sporting and Campdraft Championship or $45 for either one of these Championships State Camp - $150 per rider. Members nominating for State Camp will need to organise their 2014 membership in order for their nomination to be considered. Clinics/Seminars - $20 per PCANSW member and $50 per non-member. The Pony Club Association introduces Hendra Virus policy for State run events The Pony Club Association of NSW (PCANSW) has announced a mandated Hendra Virus Vaccination Policy. The policy will apply to all horses attending future PCANSW official events, including State Championships and State Camp. It will take effect from January 1, 2014. “All horses attending State Championships and State run events (i.e. State Camp) must be fully vaccinated against Hendra virus and applications must include a copy of their current vaccination certificate from the 1st of January 2014,” this motion was passed at the Pony Club Association NSW State Council meetings on Tuesday 26th November 2013. PCANSW holds a Camp each year for seventy riders in the equestrian disciplines of Showjumping, Dressage, Advanced Horsemanship, Eventing and Mounted Games. These riders come together for the week long camp and are instructed by top Australian coaches. PCANSW holds nine State Championships a year in the disciplines of Sporting and Campdrafting, One Day Event, Dressage, Showjumping, Jumping Equitation, Mounted Games, Polocrosse and Showriding. Just to clarify that the policy in regard to mandatory Hendra Vaccinations only relates to State run events i.e. State Championships and State Camp. All other rally days, ribbon days, gymkhanas, club and zone competitions will run as per the club and/or zone by-laws and will only be affected if they club and/or zone has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy as well i.e. Zone 9 & 15. The vaccine is recommended for use in horses and is effective against the deadly Hendra Virus (HeV). The vaccine was launched at the beginning of November 2012 and it is now available nationwide through accredited Veterinarians. Horses will initially be vaccinated with two doses, a minimum of twenty one days apart, with the onset of immunity occurring twenty one days after the second dose. Zoetis would like to assist members with the initial cost of vaccinating their horses, and as such are offering to subsidise the second dose of the Hendra vaccination for PCANSW member horses (vet fees will apply) for any group vaccination event or individuals in the northern zones of NSW for a four week period in January 2014 and the southern zones for a four week period in March 2014 via their veterinarian. In order to take advantage of this offer members must register their interest by completing the Nomination form available from our website here. This is a Risk Management and member welfare issue and the Association has a duty of care for the health and safety of our members, spectators, event organisers and the wider community. For more information regarding the Hendra vaccination in New South Wales visit the NSW Department of Primary Industry website http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/ or the Australian Veterinary Associations website http://www.ava.com.au/ and the PCANSW website under the Policies tab, Hendra Virus tab. State Camp STATE CAMP WILL BE HELD 5th to 10th JANUARY 2014 AT THE SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, HORSLEY PARK.RIDERS HAVE BEEN SELECTED WITH INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE: All riders participating in the State Camp must be financial with their Club and the Association. Therefore Clubs must ensure that memberships are sent into the Association to the office with their applications to make these riders financial before the 19th December 2014. MyClub/MyWebsite Updating a rider on MyClub does not automatically make a rider financial with the Association as their risk warning or payment would have been received in the office. This is especially important for all riders nominating for the 2014 State Camp and Sydney Royal show. Clubs are encouraged to send in affiliations and risk warnings for riders wishing to participate in State Camp by mid-November to ensure that riders do not miss out on State Camp due to being un-financial. Please note that these affiliations should be sent via an affiliation form rather than MyClub with a note stating that these riders have nominated for 2014 State Camp or the Sydney Royal Show. Changes to RAS Entries The RAS has once again given Pony Club members the opportunity to nominate for the Individual Riding Classes and Pairs at the Sydney Royal. Riders must be financial members of pony club at the time of the competition, be of RAS standard and have completed three rally days. Riders must submit to the PCA NSW STATE OFFICE, the RAS nomination forms and fees (please see RAS website/entry form for details) by the 17th December 2013 so that they may be checked and reach the RAS by their cut-off date of 8th January 2014 at 5.00pm along with the PCA NSW RAS Nomination form and Horse ID form (see PCANSW website for forms). All forms must be completed and signed by the relevant club/zone officials and; sent to the State Office by the 17th December 2013. Incomplete entries without these forms, or entries sent direct to the RAS will not be processed. Numbers have been limited to 40 riders per class and will go through a selection process if necessary so please note that only riders who are of a suitable standard nominate for this competition this will ensure the continuance of these classes for Pony Club members. The RAS will be rejecting the application of any riders who nominate directly through the RAS, so please ensure that any rider who wishes to nominate has completed all of the paperwork from both the RAS and PCA NSW and sent all documentation and a Zone cheque to the office by the closing date. The RAS have once again agreed to support the Pony Club Team Sporting event into their program in 2014 for AREA teams. RAS Team Sporting competition rules may also be found on the PCA NSW website. Please note as per the pony club classes at the Sydney Royal the age for the Team Sporting riders is age 12 - under 17 as at the date of the event. All forms and entries must be submitted via the State Office as per Individual Rider Classes. The RAS would also welcome nominations from Associate age members to act as Stewards and nominations should be received at the State Office by the same closing dates listed above. State Championships The Pony Club Association of NSW (PCANSW) has announced a mandated Hendra Virus Vaccination Policy. The policy will apply to all horses attending future PCANSW official events, including State Championships and State Camp. It will take effect from January 1, 2014. Please take into consideration the time before entries close for State Champioships as you do need to provide a copy of the Hendra Vaccination certificate with the application form. Entries close around six weeks before State Championships at the State Office, so depending on when the entries close within your Pony Club Zone you will need to ensure your horse is fully vaccinated for this. For April events this would be around end of 2013 early January 2014. CHANGES TO PAYMENT SYSTEM: Zones are to submit TWO cheque payments with their entries, one Zone cheque to the Pony Club Association of NSW to cover the entry fee only, i.e. $45.00 per rider. The SECOND Zone cheque is to be made out to the HOST ZONE to cover the stable and camping fees. Both cheques are to be sent, along with the completed entry forms, to the State Office. The State Office will then forward the cheque to the Host Zone along with a copy of all entries. HOST ZONES will be responsible for the refund of scratching’s in line with the Association policy. Zones are requested to submit applications for all 2014 championships as soon as possible so that sponsorship can be secured. Dates and host details for State Championship Events for 2014 are as follows:
Nominations to host a state championship should be received at least twelve months in advance with applications needing to be submitted at least two weeks before the meeting dates listed below:
July Meeting; twelve months in advance
Showjumping Championships
Polocrosse Championships
Jumping Equitation Championships
Sporting & Campdrafting Championships
November Meeting; twelve months in advance
Mounted Games Championships
One Day Events Championships
Dressage Championships
Show Riding Championships
 Following on from the new Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 and the Child Protection (Working with Children) Regulation 2012, a new Working with Children Check has been released by the Office of Communities – Commission for Children and Young People. The new Working with Children Check commenced on June 15th 2013.
All members 18 years and above should sign the PCA NSW WWCC Member Protection Declaration form and check the website for further details www.pcansw.org.au.
Work Health and Safety Act (WH&S) As part of the Associations consultation process the State Office will continue to forward information to all Clubs and Zones, outlining Pony Club’s responsibilities under the Work Health and Safety Act. Pony Club Association NSW Inc. is already committed to the health and safety of all Members and visitors as demonstrated by various policies and procedures throughout the organisation. Club and Zone Executive, Zone Chief Instructors, Safety Officers and other adults supervising have always had a duty of care to the young people participating in Pony Club and this law formalises this duty of care. Club and Zone Executive, Zone Chief Instructors and other adults supervising young people who work wholly within the policies and requirements of the Association are already compliant with the requirements under the Act. Please be aware under the Act that all members and volunteers at Pony Club are classified as “workers” and as such have the same responsibilities and duties as paid workers towards Work Health & Safety, they may also be held accountable by WorkCover in the event that safe work practices and Pony Club rules and policies are disregarded and fines of up to $50,000 may be imposed. As part of Pony Clubs commitment to the development of further policies and procedures to assist Clubs and Zones implement the paperwork required under the Act, the State Office has already added a number of forms, check lists and other information to the Associations website (under the Risk Management tab) to help volunteers with risk management and the documentation process. Safety Officer A Safety Officer will be appointed by the host Zone for each State Championships. This person is appointed by the Organizing Committee to prepare, distribute and implement a safety plan AND to coordinate emergency responses during a competition. This person is not the first aid or medical officer and should not participate directly in providing emergency care, but rather should arrange for and facilitate the response by appropriate personnel and then record and document any incident(s). This person should not be assigned to any other function pertaining to the hosting of the competition Club and Zone Safety Officers need to hold a safety briefing before each Rally day or Event and post this briefing on the notice board. To assist Safety Officers with this process we have included a template on the website under the Risk Management tab. In the case where the club or zone does not appoint a safety officer, then the club or zone president is deemed to be the responsible person. Zones Chief Instructors or other Zone/Club officials who sign off on riders attending State Events who are not of a suitable standard, and/or have no outside performance for events like ODE or Campdrafting may be held responsible in the event that an accident occurred under the changes to the Work Health and Safety Act. The Technical Delegate, Advisory Committee, State Executive and office are not in a position to view individual riders, and Club and Zone officials must be aware that when they sign entry forms that are accepting responsibility for the rider’s capability to attend these events. For more information about PCBUs, visit workcover.nsw.gov.au and go to ‘New legislation 2012’. To read the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act, draft model WHS Regulations and priority codes of practice, visit www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO)An MPIO is responsible for providing information about a person’s rights, responsibilities and options to an individual making a complaint or raising a concern. They can also provide information and advice to sport administrators and complaint handlers with regard to the Member Protection Policy of that sport. MPIO’s are generally impartial they don’t mediate or investigate complaints. They may reside in a club and zones, the state association or a national sports organisation. The MPIO can play a key role in ensuring your sport is safe, fair and inclusive. MPIO’s do this through ensuring club people and administrators know their rights and responsibilities and ensuring policy’s that focus on member protection are being implemented. Such policies may include but are not limited to the complaints policy and procedures, child protection policies, harassment and discrimination policies for full details on the Associations policies please see the policy tab on our website www.pcansw.org.au Club and/or Zone MPIO’s must complete the FREE online course full details can be found on the link below. The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) also has a FREE Complaint Handlers Course which may be helpful for Clubs and Zones details also available on the ASC website http://www.ausport.gov.au/supporting/integrity_in_sport Play By The Rules http://www.playbytherules.net.au also have some great FREE online modules that will help Clubs and Zones. 2014 Partnership & Advertising Opportunities
Pony Club NSW seeks to nurture existing partnerships, and form new and exciting relationships. Our 2014 Partnership an Advertising Opportunities are now available. Please visit our website under the Partnership and Advertising tab for more information. 2014 Club Open DayClubs and Zones wishing to hold an Open Day Initiative in 2014 are requested to notify the Marketing Coordinator Lisa Ferguson by email marketing@pcansw.org.au before the 31st March 2014. The Executive suggests that Clubs and Zones use their registration days in 2014 for the Open Day Initiative. Suggestions for holding an Open Day include a “riding display”, hosting a “trash and treasure market”, “sausage sizzles” and a “morning tea”. Any fundraising that is done on Club grounds will be covered by insurance as long as the fundraising initiative is minuted by the Club prior to the event, any person riding is a financial Riding member and that details are supplied to the State Office in writing or via email. These details apply to any fundraising or special event that is organised by a Club this may include financial Riding members participating in the Anzac Day march etc. Details must be minuted and sent to the State Office to be placed in a special events file for insurance purposes. If you are in doubt as to whether your event will be covered please contact the office preferably via email at admin@pcansw.org.au so that this can be confirmed through the insurers. The Pony Club Association of NSW is kindly supported by;
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Office 7, 25 Victoria Street Wollongong NSW 2500
Postal Address: PO BOX 2085 Wollongong NSW 2500
Telephone: : (02) 4229 8977
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Email: admin@pcansw.org.au.
Website: www.pcansw.org.au
