Thank you for the acknowledgment, Charles (and the RCSA)

The RCSA Awards Dinner last Thursday took an unexpected twist.

After the eleven award winners had been announced, RCSA CEO Charles Cameron took to the lectern to announce an award that was not listed on the program.

The CEO’s award for Outstanding Contribution recognises “an individual who has donated their time and demonstrated outstanding dedication to the industry and our association.”

When Charles announced me as the winner I was genuinely shocked.

I contribute to the industry because it’s in my family’s DNA.

My paternal grandfather was an ANZAC, landing at Gallipoli in April 1915.

My maternal grandfather provided 29 years of service to Clarence Football Club as a committeeman and administrator.

My maternal grandmother was made a Life Member of the Lindisfarne Mother’s Club for her services to local families.

My father was, among other things, President of my high school Parents & Friends Association.

My mother has served on the Ladies Committee of the Tasmania Golf Club for many years including two terms as President.

I contribute because I get more out of contributing than I put in – I meet newer members, I learn about different aspects of the industry I was never exposed to when I was an agency recruiter and, mostly, because I believe that as an industry we are stronger together.

When people like me volunteer their time and skills to the RCSA we do so in the hope we will make a difference, even a small one, in building the industry’s credibility, professionalism, and broader community reputation.

I stretched my memory (and combed through my files and archives) to construct a list of my full involvement (# denotes I was paid for some of these services, * denotes I was paid for all of these services, all other services voluntary) with the RCSA, and one of its predecessor bodies, the National Association of Personnel Consultants (NAPC).

NAPC

1993 – 1996        NSW Counciller

1994 – 1995        Convenor, Membership

1995                    Convenor, Ethics

1995/6                NSW Vice-President

RCSA committees

2012 – present    Victorian PEARL committee member/PEARL matching

2012 – 2015       Victorian PEARL Award judge

2016 – present    Staffing Technology Working Group (National)

2019 – present    Professional Practice Council (National) including ad-hoc membership of the Professional Conduct Review Committee (a sub-committee of the PPC)

2018 & 2022       RCSA Awards judge (Australia)

NAPC/RCSA International Conferences

Attendee at 7 conferences

Attendee and presenter (#) at another 8 conferences

RCSA National Breakfast Series presenter *

2006 – Candidates the New Clients (4 cities)

2007 – The DNA of Champion Recruiters (5 cities)

2010 – The Era of Brand You (3 cities)

2011 – Different Thinking (4 cities)

2013 – Consult or Die (4 cities)

Consultant/State/PEARL Forum or Conference

Presenter at 8 conferences (#) plus a member of the organising committee for the 2015 event

RCSA Workshop presenter 

2005 – 2013       134 workshops *

RCSA Webinar presenter

2009 – 2014       53 webinars*

2020 – present     6 webinars

RCSA Advocate

I have been a consistent and vocal promoter of RCSA membership, events, professional standards, and ethics via the RCSA Journal, Recruitment Extra, my own blog and many other third-party blogs and publications with such topics such as one-sided hit pieces from the mainstream media,  slave labour, industry strength in numbers, incoming RCSA President profile, incoming RCSA CEO profile, women’s advocacy, industry compliance, industry innovation, Code of Professional Conduct, RCSA award winners, and many other related topics.

I have been in the recruitment industry for 33 years and contributing my time and skills on a voluntary basis to the relevant industry association for a large majority of those years.

Thank you, Charles (and the RCSA) for the acknowledgment.

I won’t be stopping for a few years yet.

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