Minutes
Annual Assembly of IMPERO, Saturday 16 June 2012
The Strand, Omeath, Co Louth.
Agenda
- Minutes of the previous annual assembly held in Omeath on 12 June 2011
- Election of officers
- Discussion of activities during the past year. See https://imperodotorg.wordpress.com
- To read and adopt a written constitution
- Annual account
- Application for ECOSOC status with the UN
- Funding
- Human Rights
- Strategy for 2012/2013 and beyond
- Any other business
The assembly commenced at 14.00 immediately following a communal meal of brown bread and butter, chips, ham salad, tea, trifle and cream. The meeting which was fluent and interesting concluded at 15.20. The secretary recited grace after meals at the start of the meeting and the archbishop spoke a short extempore prayer at the end.
Present: Anne M. Muldowney, chairperson; Seán Crudden, secretary; Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes OMD PhD, joint treasurer; Dermot Mooney, vice-chairperson; Kevin Hynes; Mary O’Shea, Omeath Active Retirement Association, delegate observer; Michael Farrelly; Kevin McGeough, joint treasurer; Eric Cuthbert.
Apologies: Joan Hardy, mentor; Edward S. Crudden
The minutes of the previous annual assembly were read aloud by the secretary and adopted on the proposal of the archbishop seconded by Dermot Mooney.
Joan Hardy will continue as mentor having been installed for a minimum of 2 years at the last annual assembly.
The secretary reported that he had visited Ita Daly in Omagh on 17 August 2011 and again on 8 June 2012. She is willing to continue as president and the assembly unanimously agreed that she should be president for the coming year.
The secretary also reported that he had visited Bishop Tom Daly’s grave in Clostohen on 31 May 2012 almost a year to the day after Tom’s funeral. He passed round a photo of the headstone.
The following team of officers suggested by the secretary was ratified for the coming year: chairperson, Anne Muldowney; vice-chairperson, Michael Farrelly; secretary, Seán Crudden; joint treasurers, Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes, Dermot Mooney, Kevin McGeough: on the proposal of Kevin Hynes seconded by Eric Cuthbert. In addition it was agreed that the others to be members of the committee of IMPERO for the coming year would be: Kevin Hynes, Eric Cuthbert, Edward S. Crudden
The secretary read out loud the written constitution he was proposing for IMPERO. It was unanimously adopted by the assembly on the proposal of the archbishop seconded by Dermot Mooney.
The secretary reported that the balance on IMPERO’s account in Ulster Bank, Dundalk, stood currently at €86.85, before today’s expenses have been discharged. Basically a zero position.
The secretary requested a written financial account for the year ending 31 May 2012 necessary to complete the application for ECOSOC status with the UN.
The chairperson stressed the urgency of fundraising and some possibilities were discussed.
The secretary tried to explain why the UNCRPD had not been fully ratified by Ireland. He pointed out that Irish Law some of it very old was not in harmony with CRPD (Convention on the rights of people with disabilities) and that laws on legal/mental capacity and The Mental Health Act 2001 would have to be reviewed and rewritten at least to some extent to bring Irish law into harmony with the convention. The secretary also read aloud a letter from Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Children inviting views on the welfare of children. The secretary pointed out that psychiatry was increasing its profile among children and he wondered if all this was compromising children’s human rights? Anne undertook to answer the minister’s survey.
There were no major decisions or suggestions on strategy. The secretary said the outing to Conca Wood golf club on Mayday this year was enjoyable and liberating. He suggested an outing to Monasterboice next Mayday with maybe a few cars or a small bus. Someone remarked that the mentally ill are not assertive and are not noticed.
The next interim meeting was fixed for Our Lady of The Wayside Church, Jenkinstown, Co. Louth, at 14.00 on 13 October 2012. The next annual assembly was fixed for the afternoon of 15 June 2013, in The Strand.
The archbishop pointed out that the annual winter workshop to be held by Cooley Environmental and Health Group on Saturday 26 January 2013 in The Strand would address the theme, “Mental Health; Peers in Progress.”
impero 
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