2. Colours had been received, but there was a question of whether they should be sent to individuals or Station Commanders.

3. Decisions. It was decided that:

a. The draft Constitution was to be read by all Committee members.

b. The STC/PTC Reps would issue Command Colours directly to individuals however; from next season, full colours were to be issued via Station Commanders.

c. All other outstanding issues would be presented as agenda items.

2. Flt Lt Tomala would be taking over as Team Manager (See Item 7) but was unable to attend the meeting due to an operational detachment. He would be sending out an e-mail to all Squad Members to update them on what was happening in the near future.

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2. A proposal had been received for the Command Inter-Unit and Inter-Command Championships, to be held at Tunnel Barn Farm in the second week of May. This was discussed, but a decision held in abeyance until others had had a chance to nominate venues, and the decision regarding the RAF Championships had been made. It was agreed, however, that providing a suitable venue near RAF accommodation could be found, the format for these events should follow that of last year’s mini-festival.

3. The Chairman stated that every effort was to be made to ensure that the dates for fixtures were spread about to reduce the congestion that had been seen this year. All Leagues wishing to have venues considered for inclusion in the 2005 calendar were to forward proposals to the Chairman by the end of October for Discussion at the next meeting to be held in mid Nov. Members were also reminded that the format for submissions could be found in the Constitution.

4. Decisions. It was decided that:

a. The Chairman would inform Committee Members of the decision regarding the mini-festival.

b. League Chairmen would ensure that venue proposals, in the correct format, would be with the Chairman by the end of Oct.

2. Decisions. It was decided that:

a. Flt Lt Tomala was to become Team Manager.

b. Sgt Kiddell was to become Deputy Team Manager.

c. Sgt Summerson would take over as Trophies Representative.

d. League Chairmen were to canvas for a PRO, however this post would be ideally suited to a member of the RAF Squad, and as such the Team Manager was to lobby Squad members. The Chairman was to be informed of any volunteers for this important post by the end of Oct.

2. A request was submitted to purchase 2 further sets of 20lb scales; this was accepted. The Team Manager would also be approached to determine whether any additional kilo scales were required for the NATO Championships.

3. The Chairman requested that the Trophies Rep examined the trophies to determine how many, if any, were in need of refurbishment. He also reminded League Chairmen that money could be made available for training or for initiatives to increase the interest in angling on Stations. Prior to committing to spending money, League Chairmen were to contact the Team Manager to ensure that funds would be made available. The importance of obtaining invoices and receipts was also stressed.

4. A request was made for the RAFCAA (Coarse) to provide funds for the Jeffries Cup.

5. Decisions. It was decided that:

a. Two further sets of scales would be purchased.

b. The condition of all trophies would be checked.

c. Funds would be provided for the Jeffries Cup.

2. Decision. It was decide that the NFA Rep would inform the Team Manager of the NFA costs as soon as they became available.

2. Only EMAL and EAWL leagues had match results included in the Angling Times, and all League Chairmen were encouraged to ascertain who, in their area, was responsible for inputting information to the paper. They were then to ensure they gave them a copy of the Leagues match results for possible inclusion.

2. It had been decided that the RAF would not enter the European Military Championships this year because of the current low profile of the event. Only 3 other teams had entered this year, and it was not considered that the high cost could be justified by the scale of the competition. In addition, detachments and other commitments meant that it would not be possible to field a strong team. The situation would be monitored for the following year.

3. There had been some confusion about who was, and was not, an ‘Old Lag’. The Chairman reminded everyone present that to become an ‘Old Lag’ an individual who had contributed to RAF angling in general had first to be proposed at a League meeting and, once that had been accepted, to be put forward by that League Chairman to the RAFCAA (Coarse) Committee for ratification. The other way for those ex RAF personnel who wished to fish in league events was to become an Associate Member by being voted-in by the respective league. Associate members would only be allowed to fish league matches and the Inter-League, and then only if he had fished at least 50% of that league’s fixtures. WO Chapman and WO Neal had been proposed and accepted as Old Lags at the last meeting, although as they had not, at the time left the service, their status was only ratified at this meeting.

4. The Chairman expressed thanks on behalf of the committee for all those who had helped with the organisation of the RAF Championships, which had been an extremely well run event. A total of 44 teams totalling 138 anglers had taken part, and £180 had been raised for the Moat Project charity.

5. The HM&OL Representative stated that he had contacted all HM&OL in his records and that the current membership stood between 64 and 67 active members, which was an extremely healthy number. The Chairman thanked him for his efforts and it was agreed that, as in previous years, a sum of £40 would be provided to the HM&OL Representative as a contribution to the admin costs (postage and telephone calls) incurred in running the OL&HMs.

6. The SCAL Chairman asked about the policy regarding mobile phones as he felt it might be worthwhile to impose a ban on them. It was felt that as the NFA, apart from the national Championships, did not ban them, there should be no need for the RAF to impose such a policy. Not only would this be hard to police, some RAF anglers had to be in contact with their place of work during fishing matches.