Objective: To provide and share information regarding research projects and technology that may be applicable to the Plumbing Industry and the people they serve.
Minutes of the third Triennial Meeting of the World Plumbing Council in the Eland Room of the Convention Centre, Sun City, Northwest Province, South Africa on 15, 16 and 17 September 1999.
WPC1/99 PRESENT
Member Organisation Delegates
Brian Collis (Australia), Stephen Movley (Australia), Stuart Henry (Australia), Ray Herbert (Australia), Michael Kefford (Australia), Ejvind Villadsen (Canada), Henry Hung (China), George Wingfield (England and Wales), Ray Brooks (England and Wales), Michael Von Bock und Polach (Germany), Heinz Heidemann (Germany), Adar Mirchandani (India), Graeme Mander (New Zealand), Robert Burgon (Scotland & Northern Ireland), Tong Chee Sun (Singapore),Mike Drake (South Africa), Jurg Tester (Switzerland), Patrick Whitworth (USA), Fran Williams (USA), Joseph Fugelo (USA), Russ Chaney (USA), Marnie Seeteram (Zimbabwe) with Ian Fraser, Chairman WPC (South Africa), Don Morin, Vice Chairman WPC (USA), George Verry, Treasurer WPC (New Zealand) and Andy Watts, Secretary WPC (England and Wales) in attendance.
Observers
Graeme Perry (Australia), Dean Tonkin (Australia), Udo Traeger (Australia), Bobbie Novotny (Australia), Jack Wishart (England & Wales), John Trowbridge (England & Wales), Brian Havercroft (England & Wales), Owen O'Neill (England & Wales), John Mayfield (England & Wales), Campbell Stuart (Scotland & Northern Ireland), Jack Watson (Scotland & Northern Ireland), Chris Burgess (South Africa), Tony Gordon (USA), Denvert Boney (USA), Gilbert Kissling (USA), Geoff Marsh (Past WPC Chairman), Derek McCorquindale (Past WPC Treasurer), Bernard Bateman (Past WPC Secretary).
FIRST SESSION - WEDNESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER
WPC2/99 CHAIRMAN'S WELCOME
At the Chairman's suggestion, delegates and observers introduced themselves.
WPC 3/99 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
WPC 4/99 APPROVAL OF WPC BY-LAWS
Robert Burgon went through the changes considered and agreed at Council and Executive Board meetings held since the second Triennial Council meeting in Chicago in 1996.
Stuart Henry enquired about Member Organisations which had failed to pay their subscriptions. The Chairman said several Full Member Organisations were in arrears with subscriptions. The Executive Board felt they should not vote at the Triennial Council meeting unless all arrears were discharged.
With regard to Article VII: Voting; Don Morin proposed that the "30 day rule" be applied from the end of the Conference in South Africa. This was agreed. Subject to this proviso, the WPC By-laws as circulated with the agenda of the Triennial Meeting were agreed unanimously.
WPC 5/99 MINUTES OF 1998 ANNUAL MEETING
WPC 6/99 FINANCIAL REPORT
Financial Statements
The Council was advised that in respect of subscription income, invoices were issued in March/April each year covering dues for the following financial year, i.e. the financial statements tabled included subscriptions in respect of the year ending 30 April 2000. An accrual had been made in respect of dues received after 30 April 1999 and prior to this meeting.
The meeting noted a surplus for the year of US$9951 had been recorded after payment of US$2000 which was the final sum paid for the Natal Water Project. The other major item of expense was secretarial costs which included postage, facsimiles, telephone and the direct costs of staff assisting the secretary.
The attention of the meeting was drawn to the sound financial position of the organisation and the current bank balance totally US$39,413. George Verry said that the need to increase these funds was dependent upon the direction the organisation would take in the future and the associated funding needs for future projects and initiatives.
George Verry referred to the provisions of the Council's bylaws relating to the financial records. He advised the meeting that the Executive Board had appointed the international accounting firm of Ernst & Young to audit the financial records of the Council. It was noted by the Meeting that the Bylaws were ambiguous as to how the audit should be carried out, and it had been decided by the Executive Board that an appropriate course of action was to have a professional accounting firm undertake the task to allay any concerns of Members. The Treasurer advised that Ernst and Young would complete the task within 45 days of receiving the accounts. A complete copy of the audited financial accounts will be forwarded to the Executive board and Council members on completion.
In discussion George Verry explained that there were a number of controls in place to ensure the validation of expenditure and that appropriate clearances were obtained before any expenditure was incurred by the Council.
The meeting noted the financial statements for the year ended 30 April 1999.
Stuart Henry said he was concerned about the lack of a financial audit being available to the meeting because the management of WPC had to be totally transparent to maintain credibility and confidence. He was pleased that professional auditors were to be engaged.
In response to a question, the Chairman said the Executive Board had failed to meet the requirements of Article V(i) with regard to the audit but professionally audited accounts would be circulated to all Member Organisations as soon as practicable. He had no doubt that the new Executive Board would consider this issue in detail in order to prevent a similar situation re-occurring.
ACTION: GEORGE VERRY
WPC 7/99 CONFERENCE GUIDELINES
Ray Herbert offered to suggest refinements to the Guidelines and the Chairman said he should write to the Secretariat so this could be considered by the Executive Board.
ACTION: RAY HERBERT
WPC 8/99 LIAISION WITH WHO
Andy Watts felt this project and other liaison with WHO GoHAP presented WPC with a golden opportunity to highlight the importance of good plumbing to public health worldwide.
Stuart Henry queried who would hold the copyright under a joint WPC/WHO revision of GoHAP. Andy Watts said this would require clarification but he was confident that in presenting WHO with a draft, WPC were well placed to negotiate some copyright. The main objective was to produce a publication of value in promoting good plumbing standards.
Following further discussion, it was agreed that Russ Chaney should proceed with leading the revision of GoHAP along the lines of Option 1 of his Memorandum. Russ Chaney said with co-operation of WPC members, IAPMO would provide all the assistance necessary in bringing this project to a successful completion by June 30 2001.
ACTION: RUSS CHANEY
It was agreed Russ Chaney should represent WPC at this meeting which he would fit into his business travels. Don Morin also expressed an interest in attending on behalf of WPC.
ACTION: RUSS CHANEY/DON MORIN
Stuart Henry said he was attending the Edinburgh meeting. WPC members IAPMO, MPA and ASPE would also be represented. It was agreed to pursue links with the W062 sub-group of CIB and Stuart Henry offered to co-ordinate a report on the meeting in Edinburgh for consideration by the Executive Board.
ACTION: STUART HENRY
Ray Herbert objected to this change of timing because he had altered his travel plans for both the presentation and voting on that day. The Chairman put his proposition to the meeting which was agreed by a majority vote.
Ray Herbert then gave his presentation on behalf of the Master Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association of Australia to hold the 2005 World Plumbing Conference in Melbourne, Australia.
This was followed by a presentation given on behalf of the Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers of New Zealand by George Verry which proposed to hold the 2005 World Plumbing Conference in Auckland, New Zealand.
Following both presentations, the Chairman thanked Ray Herbert and George Verry for the high standard of their respective bids. The vote, in accordance with Article VII would be the first item of business at the second session.
SECOND SESSION - THURSDAY 16 SEPTEMBER
WPC 11/99 VOTE ON 2005 BID PRESENTATIONS
The result of the voting was:-
The Chairman declared New Zealand would be the country to host the Seventh World Plumbing Conference in 2005.
WPC 12/99 WPC STRATEGIC PLAN
Russ Chaney opened the discussion by emphasing that WPC had to take hard commercial decisions if it was to move on from its present level of resources and activity.
Andy Watts said that WPC had a dichotomy in that its income source should not jeopardise its status as an independent international body recognised by such organisations as WHO.
Robert Burgon felt Member Organisations should have received the paper before the Triennial Meeting. His own organisation SNIPEF, could not operate without voluntary input and he regarded WPC in the same light.
Patrick Whitworth of ASPE felt WPC should:-
Ian Fraser felt the greatest thing about WPC was the sharing of knowledge and information. Don Morin suggested the Executive Board appoint a Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) and the Board would be looking for volunteers.
George Verry said the key to WPC's future development was commitment and funding. During the past three years, WPC had moved to a higher level of interest and activity and it was timely to reappraise long term goals and strategies.
Adhar Mirchandani of the Indian Plumbing Association made a passionate plea for greater understanding of the situation in his country which has more televisions than WC's.
Stephen Movley enquired about WPC's legal status. Andy Watts said this had been explored but the Executive Board had decided this should not be pursued further for the time being.
After further discussion it was agreed that the Executive Board should examine WPC's future strategy through a Long Range Planning Committee.
ACTION: EXECUTIVE BOARD
ACTION: ANDY WATTS
WPC 14/99 ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE BOARD 1999 - 2002
Don Morin (USA) - Chairman
He declared them elected which was agreed unanimously.
He reported that Max Park had stood down as a Vice Chairman 1996 - 1999 and he paid tribute to his sterling work for WPC during that period. There was a vacancy for a Vice Chairman on the Board.
Don Morin paid tribute to Ian Fraser's work for WPC spanning some nine years, the last three as Chairman. He felt the vacancy for Vice Chairman should be filled in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article IV (k) bearing in mind Article IV (c ) III restricted the Board to "one member per country".
WPC 15/99 6TH WPC CONFERENCE, BERLIN, GERMANY 2002
ZVSHK estimated 1000 - 1,500 delegates would attend. Registration fees would be kept low so widespread sponsorship was needed. The Berlin Conference Centre would be the venue for all main events including a 10,000 square metre exhibition. Already programme and organisation Committees had been established to which WPC Executive Board input would be welcome, Michael Von Bock felt the Berlin Conference would be a golden opportunity to embrace those organisations in the world plumbing community which, as yet, were not members of WPC. He invited the Executive Board to hold a future meeting in Berlin.
Don Morin thanked Michael Von Bock for his report and agreed the Board should hold one of its meetings in Berlin.
WPC 16/99 1999-2000 BUDGET
George Verry tabled a budget in respect of the year ending 30 April 2000 - see Annex 2. He explained that this budget had been reviewed by the Executive Board and endorsed as a realistic forecast. The meeting noted that subscription income was budgeted at the same level as previously but income in the coming year would be boosted by the final instalment of the levy payable in respect of the 1999 World Plumbing Conference and the deposit payable for the 2005 Conference.
Reference was made to the various costs anticipated and the secretarial costs were expected to remain at the same level. Provision had been made to cover costs that might be incurred in special projects planned during the coming year and also an amount of US$1000 had been set aside to cover travel by persons required to represent the organisation as required at meetings or in relation to projects. George Verry pointed out that the item "Professional Fees" would include the cost of the audit. Andy Watts confirmed that a revision of the web site/internet would take place in the current year.
After a brief discussion the Council endorsed the budget.
Russ Chaney and Stuart Henry both voiced their frustrations on operating an international organisation with such low financial resources. Adhar Mirchandani re-iterated the many problems in India and asked for the understanding of WPC members.
Andy Watts said the Indian situation illustrated the vast diversity of the global plumbing community - from the German "Smarthouse" to the squalor and depravation in parts of India.
WPC 17/99 ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Ian Fraser said the IoPSA organising Committee had made it quite clear that all hotel bookings should be placed direct with Sun City International. It was always advisable to confirm bookings prior to arrival.
Don Morin agreed this was restrictive and said the Executive Board would examine the position. Stephen Movley suggested that once the Chairman was elected then his "country place" could be freed up.
WPC 18/99 CLOSING REMARKS
Archived News
October 1999
Ref: WPC/Minutes 9/99
Ian Fraser warmly welcomed all delegates and observers to South Africa. It was gratifying to he and his colleagues in IoPSA that the Conference had attracted 626 people from 23 countries. Thanks to the efforts of the Executive Board and others WPC was growing in maturity and stature. He was confident that the third Triennial Council meeting deliberations would take WPC further forward in meeting its objectives and in bringing together the global plumbing community.
Apologies were received from Max Park, Vice Chairman WPC (Australia); Peter Jackson (New Zealand).
Ian Fraser referred to WPC paper By-laws 5/99. He said it was important to clear this item early in the meeting and he invited Robert Burgon, who had assisted the Executive Board on this subject, to explain the changes.
The minutes of the 1998 Annual Meeting in Singapore circulated prior to the meeting were approved by majority vote.
George Verry provided information on the financial statements for the year ended 30 April 1999 which had been earlier reviewed and endorsed by the Executive Board before issue - see Annex 1.
The Chairman said that the Conference Guidelines (ref WPC Guidelines 7/5/99) approved by the Executive Board in Zurich and circulated with the agenda required ratification.
Russ Chaney reported on his visit to the World Health Organisation in Geneva in February accompanied by the Secretary. They had met Dr Jamie Bartram, Acting Co-ordinator, Water, Sanitation and Health Unit. Dr Bartram had subsequently attended the WPC Executive Board meeting in Zurich in May at which several suggestions regarding co-operation between WHO and WPC had been discussed. One suggestion was revision of the WHO publication Guidelines on Health Aspects of Plumbing (GoHAP) and Russ Chaney referred to his Memorandum to the Council of 9th July which suggested how WPC could contribute to the revision of GoHAP.
Robert Burgon referred to a letter he had sent to Mr Karel de Cuyper, Co-ordinator of W062 Water Supply and Drainage of Buildings which was a sub-group of the International Council for Building Research Studies and Documentation - CIB. The primary purpose of CIB W062 was to provide a forum for researchers in plumbing/public health engineering and many aspects of its work would be of value to WPC and vice versa. Robert Burgon had written following a meeting on 4th August between he, Russ Chaney and Professor John Swaffield of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh which was hosting a meeting of W062 immediately following the WPC Conference in South Africa.
Ian Fraser suggested that the vote on the venue for the 2005 World Plumbing Conference should take place the following day when other delegates would be present.
Following brief reviews of the presentations, votes were cast by paper ballot with Past WPC Chairman Geoff Marsh and Past WPC Treasurer, Derek McCorquindale acting as scrutineers.
8 votes cast for New Zealand
6 votes cast for Australia
1 Abstention
The Chairman referred to a "White Paper" discussion document entitled "The World Plumbing Council Yesterday, Today and Beyond" submitted by Russ Chaney.
Stuart Henry said the greatest challenge facing WPC is in addressing two significant issues - globalisation and the environment. Globalisation would have a major effect on standards, regulation and training plus the encroachment of large multi-national utilities into the plumbing industry. The worldwide plumbing community could have a leading role in tackling issues surrounding the environment, water and energy efficiency.
Andy Watts reported that the WPC's website http://www.worldplumbing.org had been fully operational for over two years. The Executive Board had agreed to a revamp of the website which would be carried out by "Webmaster" James Robshaw. A printout of Member Organisation information was circulated for amendment and correction.
THIRD SESSION - FRIDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
Ian Fraser declared he had received four nominations to the Executive Board 1999 - 2002 namely:-
Stuart Henry (Australia) - Vice Chairman
George Verry (New Zealand) - Treasurer
Andy Watts (UK) - Secretary
Michael Von Bock und Polach of ZVSHK outlined arrangements for the next Conference 22 - 25 May 2002. He said the emphasis should be on the role played by small, medium enterprises in a "state of the art" industry. There would be special focus on a world standard for plumbers centred upon technology and business efficiency. The concept of a "Smarthouse" would be featured to highlight the plumbers role in promoting water and energy efficiency.
It was agreed that the Executive Board would consider the suggestion.
ACTION: EXECUTIVE BOARD
ACTION: RAY HERBERT
ACTION: EXECUTIVE BOARD
Ian Fraser closed the third Triennial Council Meeting by thanking all delegates and observers for their constructive contributions. He was delighted that WPC was in such good hands and was confident it would go from strength to strength.
