Anne Budgen, St Kilda PCYC President, has called for the community to engage constructively and respectfully as they work through this challenging period together.
‘It is also important to confirm that the decision to sell the Inkerman Street facility was made collectively by the Board after an extensive financial and strategic review, with all possible funding avenues explored and exhausted,’ she wrote in an email to members.
‘[The CEO’s] role has been to implement and communicate the decision to members and the community. We stand by him and by our staff, who continue to work tirelessly and professionally under very difficult circumstances. Please treat him and the rest of the staff with respect i.e. don’t shoot the messengers.’
Budgen also distributed a letter from the grandchildren of PCYC founders Olive and Cuthbert Johnston supporting the shift of focus to a statewide PCYC. [Read letter]
Critics respond with call for Special General Meeting
Tim Webster, the organiser of the change.org petition, responded saying:
‘It feels disingenuous for the Board to now call on the community for “constructive ideas.” That opportunity existed months ago, when members and local not-for-profit leaders sought to engage and offer practical support. Instead, community members were met with legal correspondence rather than open dialogue, and genuine offers of collaboration were dismissed.
‘The current public concern is not only about the fate of the Inkerman Street building. The deeper issue is the Board’s lack of transparency and consultation in making key decisions.
‘The community’s frustration stems from the sense that decisions have been made behind closed doors, without the openness or inclusion that should define a community organisation.’
Webster wrote that ‘a truly constructive outcome would be for members to exercise their right under the constitution to call a Special General Meeting and vote on the composition of the Board.’
‘If not for the community speaking out, the Inkerman Street site would already have been listed for sale and equipment disposed of. Members and supporters have sought meetings with the remaining Board members but have been rebuffed and those responses came through their lawyer – also a former board member.
‘At this stage, a fundamental question arises: what is motivating the Board’s determination to keep going on this?’
Watch this space
