As many Australian amateurs know, WA Amateur Radio News hosted PerthTech last weekend. By all accounts it was a great success with about 65 in attendance. Of particular note, both the WIA President (Scott Williams VK3KJ) and RASA President (Paul Anslow VK2APA) attended and gave a joint presentation.
Their talk was very well received. This public demonstration of cooperation by both Presidents is a positive move for the WIA and the hobby at large. Last month, both Presidents also met with the ACMA and other key stakeholders. These meetings were also a great success, with the ACMA being especially pleased to see sector collaboration.
Regrettably, we understand that some disaffected individuals on the WIA Board don’t share their President’s vision. It appears Scott has received abusive phone calls and emails, not only from a small, disaffected number of “RASA haters”, but perhaps more alarmingly, from within his own board room.
We understand that even his Vice President has taken umbrage with Scott’s efforts and vision to work towards improving WIA culture and achieving positive outcomes. It seems Scott is being subjected to abusive emails, threatening phone calls, bullying, and what most would regard as churlish and destructive behaviour…. and this is from within his own board.
The WIA National News continues to censor any news from RASA.
And yet, RASA recently posted a news item from the WIA Vice President… it was a newsworthy item.
Those who control the WIA now have an active black-list – and even Scott (WIA President) cannot report independently. We understand that he also has no control over the WIA website content.
We can only report what we hear from very well-placed WIA sources.
We encourage WIA members to write to the entire board and ask for their views on the issues raised in this news release.
This dysfunction can not continue for much longer….