At a public meeting in Shepparton involving about 50 people on Sunday, October 25, BV general manager of members, participation and growth David Huxtable outlined the organisation’s plans for the association’s future.
BV took over governance on October 2 after the Greater Shepparton Basketball Association committee of management requested assistance. The committee subsequently resigned, leaving BV in control of the association.
A group grievance was lodged following the 2026 annual general meeting, alleging breaches of the constitution, including a lack of notice for the AGM.
Mr Huxtable told the meeting that BV’s lawyers ruled the AGM had been properly conducted, while acknowledging members could challenge that position in court.
“We need to forget about the 2026 AGM and look forward, not back,” he said.
“We’re really here looking at going forward with this and putting things in place, rather than always reacting to another complaint.”
Those complaints were diverting BV’s attention from progressing its work, he said.
Mr Huxtable is required to report to BV’s board on the association’s progress after 30 and 90 days.
He said the main concerns with the GSBA were that the association’s constitution was difficult to apply and its membership status was unclear.
BV wanted to clarify membership, review the association’s governance and operations, and develop a workable constitution.
A membership drive would then establish who was eligible to vote, before developing a new constitution and holding an AGM to elect a new committee of management.
“We want those members to determine the next constitution,” he said.
About 15 attendees raised questions about the GSBA’s future, grievance resolution and transparency.
One parent, who did not want to be named, told The News they were disappointed by the meeting, arguing the community needed a clearer understanding of how the association had reached its current position.
“As a parent, we want our kids to be able to play basketball,” they said.
“But we have to be confident in the association that they’re playing within.”
The parent said community members had genuine concerns that needed to be addressed, rather than being expected to remain quiet, so basketball could continue.
“Part of being able to move forward is understanding how we got here in the first place,” they said.
20°C