@helmesy hi mate I think a link to the petition should be displayed more prominently on both this site and WTF. I have signed already but I couldn’t find the petitionlink when I came back online today.
Some ideas I had
- run a banner with a petition link across the top of every page of the forum.
- for every visitor to the forum have a pop up appear after 30 seconds in the centre of the page prompting them to sign.
‘Sign the petition & bring about real change to the board at WT’
@helmesy also another point of think needs further exploration is one that Rick Wayde made in his recent interview. He said that ‘St George once had a debenture system at board level but they did away with it years ago.’
We need to understand how St George went about doing away with debenture holders because it is highly relevant to the outcome we seek here. I’m talking about the formal process that led to the change being made. More than the outcome itself.
I am travelling with my family from today until January 5 but can do some research on my return.
FWIW I don’t believe we can be assured that Liquor & Gaming can or will investigate. But I was also questioning the merits of the last petition and was wrong about so what do I know!
I am confident nevertheless that Romero and Burgess will simply walk away if there’s more pressure forthcoming from this petition and additional media scrutiny in the new year.
I look forward to Richo’s next public comment in response to the last Chammas article as well.
@helmesy hi mate I think a link to the petition should be displayed more prominently on both this site and WTF. I have signed already but I couldn’t find the petitionlink when I came back online today.
Some ideas I had
- run a banner with a petition link across the top of every page of the forum.
- for every visitor to the forum have a pop up appear after 30 seconds in the centre of the page prompting them to sign.‘Sign the petition & bring about real change to the board at WT’
Can do, good suggestions
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
@tiger5150 I have at times thought that your comments have been strongly negative and critical but I support your right to express your opinions on this0platform as much as the next person.
I understand your position on this matter and also your frustration with some comments from others.
I encourage you to continue bringing balance and and knowledge/expertise to the discussions on this forum. I appreciate it.
Much appreciated @tgrzmn & Garry.
I actually very much value this forum and the way the members treat each other. A rare place on the web for that. I do have a dissenting opinion on this but Ive said what I think and dont think it serves anything to continue to bang on. I share the sentiment of everyone here and hope that the petition is wildly successful.
I agree with @tiger5150
In that we should be petitioning solely for the full implementation of the review (which includes adequate separation from HBG, review and update of constitution, new skills based
board, plus many other actions which sets this complex club up for future success)
Instead of the governance and politics of HBG board. Particularly, given if the review is implemented in full, WT board would be adequately safeguarded from HBG internal politics anyway.
Also the reports today that Balmain are in discussions with the NZ South Island bid - doesn't get addressed with this petition. Whereas, the full implementation of the review would ensure all ownership stakeholders have confidence in the new WT board and also have a revised WT club constitution
But in saying that, I've signed the petition, as I think we are all trying to get to the same destination
I really enjoy how open and constructive discussion can occur in this forum
Top 8 2023
I am confident nevertheless that Romero and Burgess will simply walk away if there’s more pressure forthcoming from this petition and additional media scrutiny in the new year.
Petition or not and regardless of the success of the petition, I dont share your confidence. I dont think Romero or Burgess will walk away because by doing so they would betray the debenture system, and also their positions would be taken by other debenture holders and god knows what they would be like.
IMO the best and only positive outcome possible (by this petition or not) would be that due to pressure (media pressure would be best) Romero & Burgess are "true to the review" and approve the recommendations.
I look forward to Richo’s next public comment in response to the last Chammas article as well.
The poor bastard. What has he walked into? He has been so successful in turning around this club already (despite last years results) and if we lose him because of this stupidity it would be the death.
Remember Luai can revisit his decision in 10months as well.
A member of the Wests Tigers Forum (who have joined us in Wests Tigers Unite), ‘Snidest 0’ just went “whack” against those panning us for calling for a review into the governance of HBG.
Simply, too good not to share:
You continue to ignore the context of the gross over-representation of a small group of faceless debenture holders on the HBG Board - where they are able to install a permament voting block of FIVE directors with only two popularly elected Directors representing the members!
The debenture holders are NOT the sole OR majority owners of HBG - but STILL control 71.4% of Board appointments!
The HBG ownership includes the 17 active debenture holders - and 27,000 voting members of the registered club under the Registered Clubs Act 1976...
Meaning that on a per capita basis the current debenture holders represent 0.0006% of the total ownership - but have a 71.4% controlling stake in the Board!
As @BZN likes to repeat - surely any fair-minded, unbiassed individual can see that this archaic governance model where 17 debenture holders (20 when at full capacity) - have exactly 2.5X the representation on the Board compared to the 27,000 financial members with just 2 is prone to abuse and is entirely unrepresentative of the broader ownership!
All Directors are still bound by the HBG constitution and their Directorial fiduciary duties under ASIC regulations plus the Registered Clubs Act - and that is where Liquor & Gaming NSW will focus any investigations.
Given there are currently public allegations that:
1) The Board acted improperly in suspending the two elected Directors on trumped up & petty charges - due to an undisclosed private agenda
2) The Board did not mandatorily report/investigate an inappropriate workplace incident between a continuing Board member & a club staffer at Ashfield (as per Rick Wayde on Youtube)
3) The Board unanimously voted for a governance review into their subsidiary asset WT (following a petition) - but one Director did not avail herself to the review and has been obstructive to implementation of the recommendations (while making public statements to the contrary)
4) The Chair has since sent threatening emails to the new WT CEO to ensure that the interim Board remains in limbo while the HBG Board continue to undermine the independent skills-based selection process that they publically endorsed).
5) The Board failed in its fiduciary duty when it cancelled the recruitment contract for the Independent WT Directors due to internal politics. With a second tender process leading to re-appointment of the same company who won BOTH contracts on merit!
Note: This duplication not only further delayed the implementation of the independent WT Board - but the huge financial cost of two contracts with the recruitment company and a second tender comes from the members funds (NOT the debenture holders)!
6) Dennis Burgess is an agitator for a Magpies revival - and is unfit as a Director
FACT: The new Chair reinstated Dennis Burgess as the WSDRLFC rep on the WT Board against the review recommendations when the debenture rep Directors executed a coup against Andreacchio!!
While I am happy to stress that points 1-6 above are all just "allegations" - Liquor and Gaming NSW have plenty to sink their teeth into.... and the petition will only help to bring it to their attention!
To those sitting on the fence - ask yourself this:
If any of the above allegations that besmirched them (published in SMH and podcast via Youtube) were GENUINELY untruthful & defamatory to the "Gang of 4"- why haven't Denny and Julie et al - OR HBG as a legal entity engaged a legal team to have the articles/podcast taken down under a concerns notice??
Hint: truth & public interest are defence in a defamation suit!
If not for the initial petition (& I was a doubter) = and subsequent independent governance review - the Axis of Mediocrity aka Hagipantelis/Pascoe would still be at Concord and our 2025 squad would still have fricking Nofa on $500K....
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
This is an outstanding analysis of the situation. Wish I'd written it lol. Just makes it so easy to understand and not emotionally motivated either
This is an outstanding analysis of the situation. Wish I'd written it lol. Just makes it so easy to understand and not emotionally motivated either
It’s just a comprehensive shutdown of some of the rubbish that’s come up in the past 24 hours.
I wish I’d written it too! 😂
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
@tiger5150 I have at times thought that your comments have been strongly negative and critical but I support your right to express your opinions on this0platform as much as the next person.
I understand your position on this matter and also your frustration with some comments from others.
I encourage you to continue bringing balance and and knowledge/expertise to the discussions on this forum. I appreciate it.
Much appreciated @tgrzmn & Garry.
I actually very much value this forum and the way the members treat each other. A rare place on the web for that. I do have a dissenting opinion on this but Ive said what I think and dont think it serves anything to continue to bang on. I share the sentiment of everyone here and hope that the petition is wildly successful.
I agree with @tiger5150
In that we should be petitioning solely for the full implementation of the review (which includes adequate separation from HBG, review and update of constitution, new skills based
board, plus many other actions which sets this complex club up for future success)
Instead of the governance and politics of HBG board. Particularly, given if the review is implemented in full, WT board would be adequately safeguarded from HBG internal politics anyway.
Also the reports today that Balmain are in discussions with the NZ South Island bid - doesn't get addressed with this petition. Whereas, the full implementation of the review would ensure all ownership stakeholders have confidence in the new WT board and also have a revised WT club constitution
But in saying that, I've signed the petition, as I think we are all trying to get to the same destination
I really enjoy how open and constructive discussion can occur in this forum
there is definately merit in this approach ie keep it simple, if they implement the review then they lose majority of board seats and can’t disrupt WT. it is a fair point to say rather than another review, if we implement the original review in full then our objectives are met even without HBG reform.
-
Julie Romero
-
Dennis Burgess (HBG appointment to the Wests Tigers board which currently has only four board members)
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Stephen Montgomery (HBG appointment to the Wests Tigers board which currently has only four board members)
-
Vince Tropiano
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Dave Gilbert (suspended, pending expulsion)
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Rick Wayde (suspended, pending expulsion)
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Tony Andreacchio (suspended, pending expulsion)
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
This talk of Balmain and Kea hookup is bizarre. The only people who benefit are the drongos on each of the Balmain and Wests boards.
I think what’s really become clear to me in recent days, despite what looks like the vast majority support for the Wests Tigers Unite petition, is that there are still a collection of Wests Magpies and Balmain Tigers fans who have not fully embraced the Wests Tigers.
When push comes to shove the old allegiances are there, just under the surface. I don’t knock anyone for loyalty, but it would be great if you could recognise the enormous value of our Wests Tigers.
For 25 years we have been bashed pillar to post, we’ve been flogged and laughed at, lost once in a generation players, we’ve been mocked and humiliated. There’s also been some amazing highs as well. Like in 2005 when we stood together as one in that finals campaign.
Wests Tigers needs us to get on one page. It needs to be just as loved, embraced and valued as the two amazing foundation clubs were. But primarily Wests Tigers needs to be our number 1, 2 and 3 priority.
Why? Because Wests Tigers is something special. It’s that little boy that’s going to go to a game with his dad this year and fall in love with the club (just as I did with the Tigers in the 1980s). Wests Tigers is about today and tomorrow. Respecting and remembering the past, but not being beholden to it.
That is why Wests Tigers Unite has come into being. To protect and help move something bigger than all of us into a place it deserves - the top.
I’m sorry if our action has caused distress or hurt, but fighting for Wests Tigers is something myself and my colleagues will not stop doing.
I hope you can join us in giving Wests Tigers a chance.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Real strange. Balmain had a good following in NZ in the 90's but thats a long time ago.
I think that this story is to make trouble and shows this is going to be a fight
Edit sorry this was meant to quote TigertownSFS
