Dear DANA Member

The DANA Annual General Meeting is rapidly approaching. I would urge all DANA members to attend this meeting. It will be held in New Zealand on Friday June 21^st at 8:00am at the Rendezvous Hotel in Auckland.  Follow this link to access the  official  Notice of DANA Annual General Meeting 2013 .

DANA is incorporated under NSW law and as such is required to provide 21 days notice of a special resolution; in this case to amend the DANA Constitution. Follow these links to access copies of the DANA Constitution 2012 and the  DANA Proposed Constitution 2013.

One of the items to be addressed at the AGM is the election of the DANA Management Committee. Nominations for these positions closed on May 15^th 2013. However as no nominations were received for the position in Victoria,  time allows for a further nomination. Follow this link to access a copy of the AGM Nomination Form 2013 for the Chapter Representative for Victoria.  The nomination for this position will close on June 7^th 2013.

You might also find the following information of use as you prepare for the AGM:

DANA AGM report 2012-2013

DANA Balance Sheet

DANA Profit and Loss

Information will shortly be available about the DANA Annual General Meeting (AGM) that will be held on Friday June 21^st 2013 in Auckland. One of the agenda items deals with changes to the DANA Constitution.  To give you plenty of time to familiarize yourself with the proposed constitution, and to have any question that you would like to ask answered, we have prepared the following information.

There are two main reasons for the changes; to bring the constitution in line with the laws that apply in NSW (where DANA is incorporated) and to position DANA for the future.

Some of the specific changes and inclusions that are proposed:

• An important sentence about “cultural awareness” has been added to the Mission statement;
• A comprehensive list of definitions has been added;
• Electronic signing of minutes will be allowed;
• In recognition of the changing nature of nursing careers there is no longer a requirement for life member nominees to be retired;
• There is provision to appoint a patron or patrons to further the interests of DANA;
• Simplifying the  administration of  joining DANA;
• Increasing flexibility around membership renewal dates in that the joining date for new members becomes their annual renewal date ;
• The award of “commendation”  has been added to allow formal recognition of work that has furthered the interests of DANA;
• With the introduction of electronic technology and fully automated membership payments the role of membership secretary may not be required;
• There is the potential to combine Management Committee positions and the ability to combine chapters if required;
• “Deemed nomination” allows Chapter Representatives or Office Bearers  to continue in their roles unless another person is nominated for the position or they choose to step down;
• The availability of electronic (direct) voting;
• The ability to appoint Advisory Committees;
• The possibility of using proxy voting;
• The introduction of non-DANA member volunteers (e.g. professionals offering their services pro bono).
• Italicized quotes and footnotes are used throughout the constitution to guide readers, and future DANA Management Committees,  to the relevant sections of the Act should they need clarification in the future.

Follow this link to access DANA Proposed Constitution 2013.  Follow this link to access DANA Constitution 2012. If you have any questions please direct them to president@danaonline.org

It’s that time of year again; time to prepare for the DANA Annual General Meeting (AGM) that will be held during the 1st Australasian Mental Health and Addiction Nursing Conference in Auckland at breakfast time on Friday June 21st.

One of the many important agenda items at the AGM is the appointment of the DANA Management Committee. Positions become vacant every two years and while the incumbents are welcome to renominate, other candidates can also be put forward for these positions. When there is more than one candidate for a position a vote is required.

If you are the type of person who would like to contribute fresh and innovative ideas to drug and alcohol nursing, even if you haven’t been a member for long, give serious thought to nominating for one of the vacant positions or, strongly encourage another DANA member/ colleague to nominate. Nominations close on May 15th 2013.  The form to use  is available by clicking at this link to nomination form

There is a time commitment that you should consider carefully as you will be required to participate regularly at monthly teleconferences and various working parties. In return you will be provided with a great professional development opportunity.

The vacant positions are:

• Secretary
• International Vice President
• Qld Representative
• NSW Representative
• ACT Representative
• Vic Representative
• Tas Representative
• WA Representative
• NZ Nth Island Representative
• NZ South Island Representative.

Would you like to know more?   Feel free to contact Colleen Blums (president@danaonline.org) for more information, or your local chapter representative. Contact details are available by clicking on the tab labelled ‘people’ on this website.

Would you like to be more closely associated with DANA’s organisation and management?  Keep reading even if you are a really new member.

Some exciting changes are happening within DANA which means that we are looking for members to join the management team and help fulfil important roles for our organisation.

You would have a chance to be directly involved with:

• Conference planning;
• Regional educational activities;
• Strategic planning;
• Policy development;
• Development of DANA submissions;
• Influence nursing workforce development;
• Support innovative practice;
• Organising local chapter meetings;
• Contributing to DANA communication tools;
• Hosting DANA trade booths at conferences and events;
• And more!

There is a time commitment that you should consider this carefully as you will be required to  participate regularly at monthly teleconference meetings and various working parties.

In return for your hard work you will gain:

• Valuable experience and professional development (looks great on your résumé);
• Opportunity to meet and learn from other nurses who work in the field from across  Australia and New Zealand;
• Increased  knowledge about all aspects of drug and alcohol nursing, and
• Satisfaction in the knowledge that you are doing something really useful for your colleagues and professional area.

Positions on the DANA Committee become vacant every two years. The incumbents are welcome to renominate. However other candidates can also be put up for election for these positions.

Under this system several positions are due to become vacant and need to be filled at the next DANA Annual General Meeting in June 2013 either by the incumbent re-nominating or by alternative candidates. When there is more than one candidate for the position an election is required.

Would you like to know more?   Feel free to contact Colleen Blums (president@danaonline.org) for more information, or your local chapter representative.