Chairman's report from 65th annual general meeting



IT HAS BEEN been a year of significant events and progress in some respects, but unfortunately also of stagnation and setbacks in others, Bill Rawson, chairman of the Western Cape Region of the Institute of Estate Agents, said at their 65th annual general meeting on Thursday. The regional membership increased by 210 during the course of the year, making it the strongest of the body's eight regions. However, said Rawson, the institute did not yet have all the region's registered estate agents as members, a problem the organisation was still trying to solve. The institute's core business is training, and the region's training centre remained active throughout the year. It held 14 courses and 21 seminars and workshops, attended by 2 137 people. Rawson said the most popular courses were the Estate Agency Affairs Board exam, the property sales course and the property development course. The most popular seminars were the website launches, Capital Gains Tax and stress management. Until now, training has been carried out regionally. However, said Rawson, now that national qualifications were being developed, the institute would have to centralise training in the not too distant future, to meet the government's requirements. The region also held social functions to give members opportunities to break away from the pressures of work and to interact with their colleagues. They included a train trip to Darling and the annual ladies' day. "We launched our new website in February," Rawson said, "and it is proving very successful. We intend expanding it to the other regions, to make it a strong online presence for the institute as a whole." Rawson described the region's finances as "healthy" and acknow-ledged the sponsorship which the institute had received from various firms. As an industry body, the institute was affected directly and indirectly by various changes during the year. Rawson highlighted the introduction of Capital Gains Tax, the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, the new labour laws, the recently passed Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, and the proposed new electrical safety regulations, about which theinstitute had submitted formal comments and objections. Rawson concluded his report by pointing out the challenges that lay ahead in the coming year. "The members who accept office as directors will, in my opinion, need to possess strong leadership skills, vision, purpose and creativity, and lots of available time." He thanked the outgoing committee, the region's administrative staff, the members and the sponsors for their support during the year. GRAHAM NORRIS Property Editor The Weekend Argus 7 September 2002