Landing the kinder presidency
By Stephen Mayne
January 17, 2008
This was in Crikey on November 24, 2006. Sadly, it turned out to be a pretty ordinary experience and I bailed after a year.
Not since reaching the summit as President of the 12 member Doncaster Chess Club in 1988 has Crikey managed to crack a board – until last night. Yes, with no-one else prepared to take on the job, I volunteered to become President of our local kindergarten. There were no objections and no alternative candidates, so a losing streak of 27 has finally been broken.
Mrs Crikey has retained her post as vice-president, so our husband and wife team has stitched up the top two posts on the management committee, which hopefully won't become too factionalised with three couples nominally having the numbers.
Turnover at pre-school committees is always an issue and there were only two members of the ten-person committee who are staying on in 2006, although the shop is in good shape after declaring a $25,000 surplus for 2005.
To celebrate the end of a five year losing streak, let's details all of those 27 losses in chronological order, with the two unopposed victories as nice little book-ends at the start and finish:
January 1988: elected President Doncaster Chess Club
December 1999: by-election for Kennett's seat of Burwood, 6.7% to finish 3rd out of 5 (beat the Green)
May 2000: AMP, last with 33.89%
October 23, 2000: ASX, last with 13.52%
October 26, 2000: Commonwealth Bank, last with 39.71%
November 2, 2000: WA News, last with 28.41%
November 9, 2000: Westfield Holdings, last with 0.37%
November 20, 2000: Telstra, 7th out of 9 with 5 incumbents re-elected
November 2000: Woolworths, 54.74% of proxies but defeated on show of hands
November 29, 2000: NRMA Insurance, 45.59%
December 11, 2000: David Jones, last with 11.46%
December 14, 2000: NAB, last with 9.14%
February 2001: Axa Asia Pacific, just 1.1%
July 2001: Melbourne Lord Mayor, 13th out of 19
October 29, 2001: ASX, last with 10.69%
November 1, 2001: Southern Cross Broadcasting, last with 3.85%
November 7, 2001: John Fairfax , last with 20.58%
November 16, 2001: Telstra, last with 4.76% out of 11 with 5 incumbents re-elected
November 27, 2001: PMP, last with 11.24%, other challenger got 15.62%
June 2002: Melbourne Press Club, 17th and last
October 2, 2002: Copyright Agency Ltd, third out of four with top two elected
October 9, 2002: News Corp , last with 12.89% but line-ball from the floor
October 2002: RACV, 4th of 5 with 2 incumbents re-elected
October 29, 2002: ASX, last with 18.7%
May 2003: AMP, last with very disappointing 11.41% which prompts two year retirement
October 14, 2005: RACV, last out of 4 (couldn't even beat Mrs Crikey)
October 27, 2005: Gunns, last with 14.7%
November 18, 2005: John Fairfax, last with 7.85%
November 24, 2005: elected President of local kindergarten unopposed.
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