Cairns businesswomen at war
FIFTY members of the Cairns Business Women's Club resigned yesterday after a long running internal dispute reached an extraordinary crescendo.
Disgruntled members called for yesterday’s special general meeting to address 20 key issues over how the 25-year-old club was being run.
Twenty-four women signed a letter to the management committee, featuring a range of allegations including breaches of the club’s constitution, misallocation of voting rights at its annual general meeting and problems with administration and communication.
Cairns Business Women's Club aims to make a difference
Those who signed it walked out of the meeting. Another 26 members resigned after the meeting at Cairns Colonial Club Resort, Manunda.
Leanda Kayess, a spokeswoman for the concerned club members, said the infighting at the club came to a head yesterday resulting in the on-the-spot resignations and walk-outs.
In a statement, she described the meeting as a "tussle of defence and emotion".
"A number of members, myself included, made the decision that we no longer wanted to remain a part of the organisation," Ms Kayess said.
"The future of associations in our region must always remain in the hands of the members and not in the hands of boards."
Also during the meeting, the club resolved its legal action against Unique People, the company owned by former club president Shelley Evans-Wild.
The company was being sued for an alleged overpayment of nearly $70,000 for secretarial services.
In a statement, Ms Jackson said it was time to "pull together" and develop a positive plan to focus on strengthening the club.
"As a club, we have taken this opportunity to reflect on a wide variety of issues facing an organisation which has grown and expanded beyond anything its founders probably ever imagined," Ms Jackson said.
Up to 80 people, of the club’s about 340 members, attended the meeting.
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