A Message from the Executive Officer to the Members: Welcome to 2020 and Happy New Year!
Such a productive and successful year was had in 2019 and we are looking to make this year, a new decade, the best one yet!
Before moving into the plans that we have for the year ahead, there have been some sobering events happen over the last few months that are worthy of mention.
Australia, over the last months, has been inundated with Mother Nature’s wrath. We have experienced unprecedented bushfires, flooding and dust storms. Few people will have been untouched in some way or another; our hearts goes out to anyone affected by the fires, especially in those places worst hit. It has been heartening to see in so many instances where Australians have pulled together yet again; we are grateful to the volunteer firefighters and emergency service teams who have been risking their lives, in the thick of the bushfires, standing by our communities Australia wide.
Also, it is with great sadness that I write to inform you that Paula Porter, wife of Martin, passed away peacefully on Tuesday the 31st December 2019.
The Porters have been long-time supporters of the RWTA, our social events and particularly encouraging the next generation of Cold Chain Leaders through the Frank Vale Award.
Paula will be remembered for her warmth and capacity to engender a sense of fun, no matter what the situation; her passion for golf, entertaining at home and love of her family.
Paula will be greatly missed.
For the year ahead we have a few things planned for you.
Please keep an eye on our RWTA 2020 Calendar as we have plenty planned for the year! In addition to what we are doing at the RWTA, we add in International events and other functions around the country that we think may be of interest for you. Things change and we update the calendar at times, so please save the link to your desktop and check it regularly! We have much planned and many opportunities to meet and network in 2020; we are looking forward to seeing you there and making you part of the Cold Chain Communication Chain!
We are also introducing an RWTA Interactive Feature on our website for our cold storage facilities to use. This will be a forum for Member Warehouses to discuss varied topics that concern them Nationally. This will include companies requesting space or alternatively needing space in their own state or interstate; advice on shared topics and generally sharing information that is relevant nationally. You will see more information on this in the coming weeks.
You will recall that we had changed the RWTA Constitution back in May 2019. One of the changes that is included in this is that Membership Renewals will now be due on the 1st January every year. Looking to make this as seamless as possible for you, we will be offering options for payment to be flexible for you. There will be more information published soon to get the ball rolling. Keep an eye out!
Insurance has been an ongoing and increasing issue within the Cold Chain Internationally now for a couple of years. The RWTA are looking at options and advocating with Government Departments to find solutions and transparency. You will be contacted in the near future regarding information required to self-insure; requesting your willingness to be involved in the first instance and to give permission to be contacted by a third party to garner intelligence to explore this option and others for our sector.
The RWTA Ammonia Emergency Management Training will be held again during the year; please refer to the calendar for more information and dates. Let us know please if you have any queries pertaining to this in the meantime.
RWTA Sub-Committees have been well supported and attended in 2019 and we are looking to expand on these this year. Keen to promote and gather interested parties to collaborate , you will see more information soon regarding Committees that address Climate Change and Food Wastage. We will be partnering in earnest with Food Bank this year, this will be a synonymous topic and opportunity for the Cold Chain in Australia and Internationally to discuss and find meaningful answers in the future.
Stay tuned and we will be in touch with updates and information to do with these topics and others soon!
