After the Monday meeting, not all of the executive vacancies were filled immediately.
This is fine in the eyes of freshly-installed president Michael Nielsen, who has observed a fresh set of interested candidates put their hands up.
He says this can only be a positive step for the short and long-term.
“There’s a lot of handover still under way and everybody involved is still getting their heads around the process, but it’s not looking bleak at all,” Nielsen said.
“We have a few executive vacancies, but plenty of people have turned up who want to help and keep it all going.”
So, what sparked such a dramatic reversal in the GVHA’s outlook?
After all, it was only last week that suggestions of a financial crisis and increased reliance on Hockey Victoria were rife.
According to Nielsen, the answer resides in the age-old expression ‘many hands make light work’.
“I don’t think it’s a bleak situation overall, but everyone is sort of time-poor,” Nielsen said.
“It seems that, while we may not have the numbers of committees past where everyone could devote lots of time, they’re all prepared to do a bit.
“So with a lot doing a little bit, you get the same amount done as a few people doing a lot.”
This aligns with former president Cam Druitt’s concerns going into the AGM, where the intent to share workloads among more volunteers became an urgent focal point.
“Since COVID, everybody has taken stock of what they’re doing and how much time they’ve got for things other than themselves,” Nielsen said.
“Volunteering is something people have less time for generally and I don’t think hockey is alone in that regard.
“The trick is figuring out how to make people commit an hour; people may not have 10 (hours), but you can get 10 people to do one.”
The new faces in charge have earmarked this ‘we all lift together’ style as the philosophy that could keep the GVHA more independent, as opposed to earlier fears Hockey Victoria would have to intervene in the league’s scheduling operations at great additional cost.
Looking ahead though, the new committee will want to have its affairs in order reasonably quickly.
Not only is another GVHA season approaching, but with it comes Shepparton’s hosting duties for the state junior titles next year.
“The (Junior State Championships) is a major event for us to take on as a new committee, but we’ll be able to deliver that,” Nielsen said.
“Hopefully, in 12 months, we’ll be in a scenario where there aren’t concerns about participation, having had a successful year.
“I’m generally optimistic we’ll be able to continue doing the things we’ve been doing well and, hopefully, improve on what we haven’t.”
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