Update 13: Good riddance to bad rubbish Part II – Resigned Directors continuing deceit
Better late than never, as they say…
We refer to Saturday’s (17 December 2022) issuance of a response to the Briars-led ex-committee’s (to be referred to as the Briars Crew) nonsensical, irrational and wholly duplicitous diatribe of a communication (12 December 2022) sent to all members following their en masse resignation — that action automatically rendering the Company on an illegal footing.
Essentially, that communication [download here] was a pathetically desperate, but inevitably futile, attempt to convince the membership that the responsibility for their own reckless actions lay at the door of others. Specifically those they refer to as ‘The Group’, comprising ‘ordinary club members’ Shaun Walsh, James Dand and Tim Garratt.
The content of The Group’s response [download here] provides the explanation for their delay in responding to the Briars Crew’s diatribe. That, apparently, being a request made by the Briars Crew for a meeting, as the below extract indicates:
We, being Shaun Walsh, James Dand and Tim Garratt, met with Gawain Briarsand Richard O’Connor yesterday (Friday) on a “without prejudice” basis, to listen to a proposal they [the Briars Crew] had to make. The meeting was good natured and constructive with agreement that the club members need to work together to have a stable and happy future.
The underlying proposal however did not, in our view, deal with the key issues nor take the club any further forward. As such we have politely declined the offer made but committed that this would not prevent us working together as far as possible in other ways for the benefit of the club.”
Shaun Walsh, James Dand and Tim Garratt (The Group)
Communication to NSRC members
(17 December 2022)
Having relinquished their power by resigning their directorships en masse, thereby rendering the Company on an illegal footing, the Briars Crew appear to have deliberately misled the membership surrounding their intentions — that being to continue manipulating matters behind closed doors.
Firstly, in their resignation communication they stated — referring to the membership’s acceptance of The Group’s resolutions at the AGM — “It may be that future committees are prepared to engage in this process but it is one that is not acceptable to this committee.”
Secondly, contrary to the categorical statement made in their communication to the membership — that they would not correspond with The Group — they approached and actually had a meeting with The Group.
Further evidence, were any needed, in reinforcement of our often stated view that these ex-directors cannot be trusted.
On another note surrounding trust, we reasonably assumed that the reason for Richard O’Connor retaining his role as Secretary, the only officer left at the Company following his and the others’ resignations as directors, was to enable him to administer matters until the election of new directors — which should have included the swift convening of a General Meeting at which to elect those new directors. How wrong we were.
The true reason for his retention of the Secretary role was not to benefit the Company but to benefit the Briars Crew. The clue can be found in the opening sentence of their communication to the membership of 12 December, as linked above and part quoted below:
In order to reply to the response from Messrs Walsh, Garratt and Dand (“the group”), dated 11th December 2022, we have sought and been granted permission to write to the membership direct.”
Gawain Briars, Richard O’Connor, Sue Pynegar, George Thunecke, John Limb, Alan Turner, Kevin Gibbin (the Briars Crew)
Communication to NSRC members
(12 December 2022)
..and the only person able to grant permission, being the only remaining officer of the Company, was… yes you guessed it, club Secretary Richard O’Connor who just happens to be one of the Briars Crew.
That it’s been over a week since the directors resigned and not a peep has been heard from Richard O’Connor, save for his signature appearing at the bottom of communications from the Briars Crew, speaks volumes about where his priorities and allegiances lie. Certainly not with the best interests of the club.
Whilst we felt some element of dismay at reading that The Group had met with the Briars Crew leaders, Gawain Briars and Richard O’Connor, on reflection it seems reasonable for them to have, at least, listened to what they had to say. We are heartened, though, that whatever the Briars Crew were offering was declined.
That’s exactly as it should be. You’ve all, we’re sure, heard the phrase “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas” and understand how it applies in this context. There can be no place for backroom deals and/or under the table handshakes in a members club owned by members and run by members.
What needs to happen is for there to be a transparent election of directors, open to any and all members entitled to stand, regardless of their historical activities. That includes any of those ex-directors whose activities have inflicted such great damage to individual members and to the club itself, as chronicled throughout this website.
Whatever the outcome of any election the membership will get the leaders they deserve.
