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Brisbane Social Chess

A place for casual chess, for fun and friendly people.

Meeting Minutes

May 2025 – Committee Meeting (25/03/2025)

Present: Jimmy, Steve, Rob, Matt
Apologies: Ben

  1. Need to either lodge an annual Not For Profit (NFP) self-review return to confirm eligibility for income tax exemption or cancel ABN.
    • Rob advised that this is a statutory requirement.
    • Rob noted that for non-profit organisations the return is fairly easy, an office bearer must lodge and can do so on-line, via mail or by phone. There are a few quirks to the "how to lodge" process.
    • The alternative is to cancel our ABN which could be appropriate as BSC has effectively not engaged in profit making business over the last 12 months.
    • Matt noted that an ABN is required to apply for grants.
    • Matt advised his tax agent is progressing an NFP on behalf of BSC.
    • The committee discussed the pros and cons of continuing the ABN.
    • A vote of the committee unanimously agreed to continue the ABN.
  2. Preparation for the Annual General Meeting.
    • Steve suggested that some early preparation for our next AGM would make the process easier.
    • Steve suggested that a list of tasks with identified responsibilities would be useful as would an early forecast of a date.
    • Rob stated that he would prepare accounts again after the end of the financial year.
    • Rob noted that there would need to be a call for nominations to office bearers and suggested that it would be ideal to prepare for actual elections should more than one candidate nominate.
  3. Business cards.
    • Matt noted that it is possible to get 250 business cards for about $100.
    • Rob noted the need to decide what goes on the card and that there is no BSC logo or phone number.
    • Matt suggested that contact could be via MeetUp as there are 14 people who can respond.
    • Steve asked if it was appropriate that any of the MeetUp contacts could respond to business enquiries without necessarily knowing the BSC committee view.
    • Matt wondered if we could use email however noted that this then required monitoring of the email account.
    • General discussion considered that business cards were a good idea however some details need to be worked out.
  4. General Business.
    • After some issues with payment of membership the status of Ben as a committee member in terms of the BSC constitution was discussed.
    • Matt moved that Ben be re-appointed to the committee, seconded by Steve and unanimously agreed.

Next meeting: in 2 months, Jimmy to advise of a suitable date.

June 2024 – Committee Meeting (24/06/2025)

Attendees: Jimmy, Matt, Steve, Rob, John
Apologies: Ben

  1. Business from last meeting:
    • Business cards - Matt advised that he has had 100 business cards created. They are available to members on a needs basis. The cost of this was approximately $50. Motion: moved Steve, second Rob: That Matt should be reimbursed for the cost of producing the cards. Unanimously passed.
    • Status of the submission of the Not For Profit report. Matt advised that he had submitted this and the matter is now complete for this year.
  2. Agenda items:
    • Rob: The need for a review of our subscription with meetup.com and consideration of possible lower cost alternatives. Rob submitted a separate email detailing pros and cons; and possible ways forward.
      Initial discussion noted the visibility meetup.com provides to BSC especially for people searching for chess opportunities via the internet. Matt advised that meetup.com has recently significantly increased the cost of subscriptions to $200 US per six months. Until recently meetup.com were going to pay for our subscription in return for affiliation however this arrangement has ceased and meetup.com are now not retaining any websites. In view of the changed situation the following motion was voted on:
      Motion: That the BSC meetup.com subscription is allowed to expire at the end of the current subscription period on 09/08/2025 and members are contacted in advance of this date to advise of this exit. Moved Rob, seconded Matt. Unanimously passed.
      Matt & John will work on improving our website & exporting member data from meetup.com to provide continued member contact and to manage our on line visibility.
      Steve will contact members via meetup to inform them of the impending change & the reason for this.
    • Matt: Discussions with meetup.com
      Matt has been in contact with Judit Sztaray, director of chess club relations with meetup.com. While chess.com have ceased support for external websites they have offered BSC a free account on meetup.com called "Brisbane Social Chess".
      Motion: That BSC accept and use a chess.com account called Brisbane Social Chess. Moved by Matt, seconded by Rob. Unanimously passed.
      This account will be administered by John.
    • Applications for grants
      Matt advised that he has prepared documentation for grant submissions to:
      • The Queensland Country Bank;
      • The Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor's Grants;
      • The Queensland Gambling Community Benefit Fund.
      It was agreed that all should proceed.
  3. Steve: AGM first steps
    Steve suggested that we should start preparation for this year's AGM. First steps could be to choose a date and prepare a Notice of Meeting. Rob noted the need to include a financial report in the Notice so that this can be approved at the AGM. This then requires that annual accounts are completed before the Notice can be submitted. Rob also noted that the Notice must include any resolutions to be considered and could include, for example, committee size. General discussion noted the desirability of including some reporting of BSC committee activity over the last year in the Notice such as some commentary from the President or an indication of how many committee meetings and resolutions were had during the year.
    A tentative date for the AGM of Sunday the 31st August 2025 was agreed. Matt will collect the necessary documentation and Rob will prepare the annual financial report when this is done. Steve will draft a Notice of Meeting for committee consideration.

Next meeting: in 1 month.

Dec 2024 – Committee Meeting (03/12/2024)

Present: Jimmy, Matt, Steve, Rob
Apologies: John, Ben

  1. Applications for grants:
    • Matt advises that he has submitted an application for a $35,000 grant to the Gambling Community Benefit Fund. He is optimistic about the prospects of the application. Applications generally take 2-3 months to be assessed.
  2. Sponsorships:
    • Matt has pursued contact with Chess.com via meetings with Judith from that organisation, seeking to negotiate an arrangement more suited to BSC needs. Matt has proposed that BSC should be affiliated to Chess.com with Chess.com paying meetup.com fees. Matt sought committee confirmation of this position.
    • Motion: Steve moved that: BSC should agree to affiliation with Chess.com, with Chess.com to pay BSC meetup.com fees. This was seconded by Matt and unanimously agreed to.
    • Matt noted that Chess.com would also provide a subscription to Chess.com. There was some discussion about what should be done with this subscription.
    • Motion: Rob moved that the sponsorship should be treated as a donation. Seconded by Matt and unanimously agreed to.
  3. Event management and host responsibilities:
    • Rob noted the need to ensure that when venues are closed, for example over Christmas, that meetup events should also be cancelled to reflect this. He noted the potential impact on BSC reputation should this not be done. It was agreed that this is best practice.
    • Rob queried whether events should go ahead if the nominated host can't attend the event. His concerns are linked to legal liability and BSC reputation. He noted the potential to impact new members. There was some discussion around the appointment of proxy hosts and the slightly unusual arrangements at Chocolate Moments where there is a nominal host and an actual host. No definitive rules were established however all agreed that the committee needs to continue monitoring venues.
  4. Stripe payment system:
    • Rob noted that receipts issued via Stripe for BSC membership and sponsorship still show Rob's name on the receipt rather than BSC. He has made some efforts to change this however this has not worked as yet. Rob has passed on email contact details for Steve, Jimmy and Matt to Stripe with the intention of allowing others to operate Stripe as required. He will pursue changing receipts to show BSC and the club ABN.
  5. Status of current meetups:
    • Jimmy advised that Thursday nights are going well, with 8-12 attendees, that the venue is supportive and that John manages players well through shuffling match ups. Also noted that John is providing small 'prizes' for players.
    • Matt advised that Sundays are continuing to be well attended with 14-20 players.
    • Jimmy advised that Saturdays are also well attended with usually 12-18 players. Sunny is also a very supportive host.
    • Steve advised that 6-8 are playing on Wednesdays.
    • Steve advised that 10 played on the initial meetup at Chocolate Moments.

Next meeting: To be held about the 3rd week of January - Jimmy to advise via email.

Sept 2024 – Committee Meeting (17/09/2024)

Present: Steve Anderson, John Bampton, Rob Garvey, Adam Lomsargis, Jimmy Joe, Ben Martin

  1. Chess.com
    • As the administrator of our meetup group Matt McLean advised he has been approached by chess.com who have offered to pay our meetup cost in exchange for running the meetup account for chess.com. Matt advised he had declined this offer as it cedes control of the meetup account to chess.com and is contrary to the aim of playing live games of chess. He has contacted chess.com with a different offer however has not had further response at this time.
  2. Annual report to be lodged
    • Rob noted that he had sent out an email on the 15th seeking committee members' personal details as these are required to complete the annual report as required by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Rob offered to prepare the annual report if committee members returned the necessary information. Matt agreed to allow his home address to be used as the official BSCI address per OFT requirements. Rob said that there had been an email via the BSCI gmail account regarding this.
    • Rob also noted that another form needs to be submitted detailing the 2 special resolutions passed at the recent AGM for changes to the BSCI constitution. This needs to be signed by the Secretary (Steve).
    • Rob noted that there is an annual fee of $62 (and some cents) to lodge the annual report and $20 to lodge the change of constitution. It was agreed that Matt would lodge the annual report, pay the fee, and be reimbursed from the BSCI account. It was agreed that Steve would lodge the change of constitution form, pay the fee and advise Matt of details of his bank account for re-imbursement.
  3. Chessmas location
    • It was agreed that, subject to availability of a casual non-costing booking, Chessmas this year would be held in the back room of Netherworld on the 17th December starting around 6pm. Ben agreed to follow up a booking.
  4. Need to change the location of Sunday chess for summer?
    • Steve noted that BSCI members had expressed concerns last year about the heat at Roma St Parklands Cafe and that wet weather could be problematic at this venue. He suggested a change of venue by the start of November. Matt suggested returning to Albert St or possibly 124 Creek St, both of which venues have been used previously. Committee members to check venues & make a decision.
  5. GitHub
    • John has created a GitHub account for BSCI. This can be useful for file storage and sharing. It was agreed that John, Rob and Matt would be the administrators/owners of the GitHub account.
  6. General discussion
    • Matt advised that he is keen to move forward and apply for grants. It was agreed that this could go ahead, and that Matt would contact committee members when assistance was required. Rob noted that if controversial matters arose in this process that it would be necessary to seek the approval of the committee.

Next meeting: Jimmy said the next meeting would be held in the first week of December. He will pick a date and advise.

Aug 2024 – Committee Meeting (25/08/2024)

Attendees: Steve Anderson, John Bampton, Rob Garvey, Stuart Holt, Jimmy Joe, Andrew Jones, Peiqi Sun, Ben Martin, Andrew Jones.
Later arrivals: Maria Conomos, Matthew McLean
Apologies: Nil

  1. Presidents Report from Jimmy Joe
    • People want to play chess.
    • Meetups were held at 7 different venues this year, including a number of pop-up events.
  2. Minutes of previous AGM
    • As this is the inaugural AGM there are no previous minutes,
    • Minutes of this AGM to be confirmed at the 2025 AGM.
  3. Financial Report
    • A financial report was tabled to all members via email prior to the AGM.
    • Jimmy Joe moved that this be accepted. This was seconded by John Bampton. There were 9 votes for and nil against this motion.
  4. Election of Committee Members
    • As there was only one nominee for each leadership position the following persons were elected: Jimmy Joe as President, Steve Anderson as Secretary, Matthew McLean as Treasurer.
    • The following committee members were also elected: John Bampton, Rob Garvey, Adam Lomsargis, Ben Martin.
    • Rob Garvey moved that these persons be duly elected. This was seconded by Ben Martin. 9 votes were recorded for this motion with nil against.
  5. Special Motions
    • Two special motion were nominated for this AGM
      1. That a patron for BSCI be appointed. Matt McLean has approached GM David Smerdon who has agreed to be the club patron. Steve Anderson moved that this motion be accepted. Ben Martin seconded this motion. There were 9 votes in favour and nil against.
      2. That only financial members could fill the elected positions of BSCI Rob Garvey moved that this motion be accepted. Andrew Jones seconded this motion. There were 9 votes in favour and nil against.
  6. Appointment of an auditor or accountant
    • Rob Garvey addressed this motion, noting that BSCI finances precluded appointing a paid auditor. Rob offered to prepare accounts on behalf of BSCI on a pro bono basis while noting that he is not an auditor or accountant. Maria Conomos offered to assist.
  7. Treasurer's report
    • Matt McLean advised that he had now created an official website (www.brisbanesocialchess.org.au). This had been created to link our MeetUp and FACEBOOK accounts, to make us easier to locate via the internet and as a requirement for applying for grants. Possible granting organisations include the Queensland Government, Queensland Country Banks, the gambling fund and the Commonwealth Bank. Matt noted that the potential purposes of seeking grants were to run tournaments, purchase chess sets for our venues and, longer term, to initiate a building fund.
  8. General business
    • Maria Conomos asked if BSCI have Director and Organisation insurance should there be an issue while playing. There was brief general discussion concerning the cost of such insurance and the potential risks. Maria said she would be happy to look into the cost and availability of such insurance.
    • Steve Anderson moved that this offer be accepted, Matt McLean seconded this motion. There were 11 votes in favour and nil against.
    • Steve Anderson raised the matter of a requirement in the Constitution for the Secretary to be domiciled in Brisbane City and suggested that this might not suit all financial members. Ben Martin advised that Queensland articles of association require an office bearer to have a Queensland address.
    • Matt McLean moved that the constitution be amended to allow financial members domiciled in Queensland be eligible to be elected to the Secretary of BSCI. Maria Conomos seconded this motion.
    • Rob Garvey raised a point of order, noting that the constitution can't be changed without notice to financial members. As this had not been given, it was agreed that there would be no further action in respect of this matter for the present.
    • Maria Conomos offered to run a social marketing campaign with a marketing brand. This could help with grants.
    • Andrew Jones asked if the BSCI web site was in place. Matt McLean confirmed that it was and it can be found at www.brisbanesocialchess.org.au