AOPA Australia announced recently that it had appointed a new casual director to the post of secretary of the board.
The new director, Victorian pilot Keith Gray, is poised to assist both CEO Ben Morgan and Membership Officer Lorraine MacGillivray as the association tries to reconnect with the membership base in the wake of a COVID-induced downturn.
"I have for some time followed the advocacy of AOPA Australia and would like to commend our CEO Benjamin Morgan whom has fought on behalf of us for so many years on so many issues," Gray said when his appointment was announced.
"His tireless efforts to bring about positive change and reform are highly regarded by so many of us across the aviation community, which has motivated me to put my hand up and get involved.
"It has been refreshing to see someone encouraging public debates and discussions, challenging the status quo and daring to seek a different outcome for aviation in this country.
"I have been fortunate to travel to many airfields and amongst pilots at the grass roots there is considerable concern for the direction that general aviation is heading under the current system and rules. It has become impossible to ignore both the decline of general aviation and the increasing erosion of pilot rights.
"Therefore I have chosen to be part of the AOPA Australia movement for change and hope that my contributions as a Director and Secretary can assist Benjamin and the team in achieving sensible reforms outcomes for us all."
As part of the reconnection, AOPA has revived a members weekly newsletter delivered by e-mail, and has established a series of on-line members meetings for each state.
"To improve membership engagement and participation in each state of Australia, I have introduced our new state based Members Meetings, which will be held by Zoom video conference," CEO Ben Morgan told members.
"These meetings will be hosted on a monthly basis, with members invited to submit topics and issues for discussion. Members may take the stage, deliver presentations, discuss aviation issues and provide feedback to the association. Meetings will be limited to 1.5 hours per session with speakers required to register prior."
AOPA has scheduled seven meetings based on states, with the first one for Victorian members on 20 March.