Dear Members,
My Christmas Greetings coincides with my second Presidential National Council Update. National Council’s last meeting for 2020 took place over two days on 5-6th November. I report back the outcomes around areas of particular focus.
Significant 20th Century Heritage
The National Heritage Committee has been working actively on rewriting the National Heritage Policy since its formation after the August National Council meeting.
Chapter Medallions
The naming of the Tasmania, South Australian and International Chapter Medallions was approved. Now every Chapter will have a Medal or Medallion for 2021 Awards.
National Chairs
Representation from the National Gender Equity Committee (Kylie-JoAnn Hughes) and CAST (Climate Action and Sustainability Taskforce – Ross Donaldson) presented to the Council. From this initiative I hope to include all National Chairs to a National Council meeting early in 2021 to strengthen the sharing of knowledge and understanding between the Council and committees.
International Chapter
IC brought the most papers to the meeting with proposes for formalisation of their structure, introduction of Named Architecture Awards and continuing membership of UIA. International Chapter is our youngest offshoot and seeing their enthusiasm and assiduousness acknowledged by National Council was very pleasing.
Fee Guide
The much anticipated reintroduction of the Institute’s fee guide is currently sitting with a Taskforce established by the Board.
Priority Session
In the last session on the final day National Council members were given the opportunity to craft priorities for 2021.
I seem to have graduated to a ‘P’ plate on my virtual chair, with the two-day meeting only overrunning by a handful of minutes and once again your Council generously humoured me with grace and tolerance.
As the year comes to an end it is my delight to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy end to 2020, the year of more challenges than we ever thought possible. Yet in my spare moments, I have been reading about the challenges faced by Sir Christopher Wren with the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral after The Great Fire of London, hampered by – amongst other things – Bubonic Plague. In all truth, COVID-19 seems a B-grade pandemic by comparison. Now that a vaccine is available I await the inventive architectural magnificence that I’m certain our members will respond as an antidote to our current crisis. Looking forward to welcoming you back in January!
Yours in Architecture,
Alice Hampson
National President
