Good afternoon members, it’s been a roller-coaster seven days of emotions following the 2023 Victorian duck season announcement last Friday.

Your board (all volunteers) and the FGA operations team have been hard at work and leading the way from mere minutes after the announcement and have been planning and responding to events within very short timeframes. Next week looks much the same with further external engagements and equipping FGA branches to mobilise at their local level as well as other strategically planned actions.

Our organisation proudly spends a large percentage of its income on servicing its members and branches; therefore, we have launched a fundraising process this week – and I emphasise that 100% of the Fighting Fund money raised will be spent on the extra unbudgeted items referred to above, to protect game bird hunting. The Fighting Fund is separate from, and will not end up in, general revenue streams.

It is very important for members and the wider hunting community and past members to remember this is 2023, and instead of expending energy criticising FGA for the past you should catch up to where FGA is NOW. There is little to be gained by looking backwards, and this energy is best focused elsewhere. We need to be united. It is an old cliché, but it has never been more important than now to be a member.

I want to thank our members for your contributions, advice, suggestions and support. This amazing organisation encompasses a wide range of backgrounds and still allows you to have and contribute your personal view. Please accept this response as recognition of your suggestions, and please allow us a little time to work through them. If you haven't had a response, rest assured we have been reading your input and giving it due consideration.

It's also important to recognise the board still has a corporate governance responsibility that must be maintained. We are a dynamic but small team, and we have a big jobs list to complete. We have a solid strategic plan and three weeks’ planning in advance to implement piece by piece. If any member has some time and expertise they can possibly offer, even answering some phones for half a day, assisting with contacting branches, working our member lists, compiling lists of contacts etc ... your help would be appreciated.

FGA is proud of its roots in leading hunting organisations to protect and promote hunting since 1958! For our members that have given passionately for such a long period of time, you have offered so much already – but I must ask you to dig in and give a little more. For our newer members I ask you to confidently engage, and you will get to see what this organisation was built on and why you should be proud to continue that legacy.

We must steel ourselves for the fight and be careful not to burn out; be engaged but don't let this consume you.

We have the opportunity to lock in a long tenure for all hunting, not only in Victoria but nationwide. Let’s continue to unite, encourage your friends and family to join our fight, and get those letters and phone calls to your local Victorian MPs actioned.

Of course, all this happens while we still have an organisation to run, membership renewals, normal weekly shooting events occurring, nationals planning within our clay target committee and waterfowl counts to complete so that our science remains consistent.

Have a great weekend.

Regards,
Danny Ryan
FGA chairman