2023 AGM (Held May 28, 2024)

On Tuesday 28 May, 2024 we held our Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The new Committee is pleased to announce that the following elections for positions took place, with the results as follows: 

• President - Simone Hayes
• Vice President - Corrina Black
• Secretary - Stephen Redfern
• Treasurer - Annabel Hepworth
• Governance Officer - Myron (Zed) Zlotnick
• Director of Events - Lisa Sherman

The two latter positions are newly created, propsed by the 2023 Committee and were voted on by the members at the AGM. Congratulations to all those voted in for the next 12 months!

In more exciting news, members voted to go ahead with the landmark name change from AURA to AUTRA - a powerful move that will bring cohesion to our sport, bringing unprecedented benefits to the grassroots of the sport and to elites alike. In due course, when the paperwork is complete, the organisation will be officially known as the Australian Ultra and Trail Runners Association.

Members also voted in favour of the changes to the incorporated association’s Rules to include the word ‘trail’ with ultra. This will formally recognise that trail running of all distances will be under the AUTRA umbrella and we will be a united and undivided sport. Ultra and Trail – Together as One.

Passionate trail runner Simone Brick summed it up well at the AGM: “As an athlete, I could not be more excited for the future of trail running, ultra running and just running in general in the country if we have this governing body and a voice to be heard and governed cohesively. Let’s put cohesive as the main word there.”

Also at the AGM, other Rules pertaining to changes (as shown in the draft mark up of the Rules that were communicated to members) were all passed by member majority vote.

The association was also lucky enough to have IAU President Nadeem Khan address the meeting. The good news is that AURA’s constant communication with the IAU has hopefully brought a resolution to the track certification issue and its looking like it will be resolved in the very near future. “We have been working with Aura for quite some time on finding solutions,” he told the meeting. Please be patient while the association works with them to finalise this.

There was also a special announcement as the association inducted ultra runner Dipali Cunningham in the AURA Hall Of Fame. She dialled in from the USA and was clearly very emotional and ecstatic.

All in all, it was a very successful AGM and the Committee thanks all of its members for their ongoing support and for entrusting the association with each Committee member for another year. You have the Committee's promise that it will continue to strive to make now-AUTRA a cohesive, strong and thriving association.

Special thanks to Alexis Oosterhoff for managing the unprecedented turnout to the online meeting and ensuring that all of the votes were collected seamlessly and transparently.