Hauptversammlung Saturday 16 October 2014

by Janet Britnell

In 2014 the ÖAV Hauptversammlung was held in Linz, on the Danube, the provincial capital of Oberösterreich (Upper Austria). On Thursday morning, 16 October, Philippa Carling and I visited the elegant Office of our hosts, Alpenverein (Sektion) Linz at the southern end of the beautiful old Hauptplatz. I returned in the afternoon as a guest at the ÖAV Huts and Paths Committee meeting. In the evening our Chairman, Mike Garrett, met with Helene Eller (ÖAV Chief Financial Officer) to discuss administration matters while Philippa, John Nolan and I were brought up to date on several hut projects by Georg Unterberger (Huts & Paths) in preparation for meetings with hut-owning sections during the next few days.

Hauptplatz
Photo Philippa Carling

Next day the Ausland sections were represented by Bart Vercruyssen of Sektion Flandern at the Bundesausschuss meeting held all day Friday. Mike met with the Club's IT company. Later Georg introduced the four of us to the Chairman of Österreichischer Gebirgsverein which has 21 huts, including the Hugo-Gerbers-Hütte in the Kreuzeckgruppe. An hour later we met with members of Sektion Reichenberg to talk about the Neue Reichenberger Hütte in Osttirol. Then we moved on to a traditional Gasthaus in a courtyard off the Hauptplatz for our annual meeting with the other Ausland section, Sektion Flandern.

Early on Saturday morning we joined 500 other representatives in the Oberbank Donau F orum for the Hauptversammlung itself. After music and speeches from local dignitaries and a welcome to honoured guests and new section chairmen, six Green Crosses were awarded for outstanding contributions for mountain rescue, including two to helicopter pilots and one to a doctor who had often been winched down to minister to injured mountaineers. The 2013 Annual Report was followed by the 2013 Accounts, the auditor's report and the budget for 2015. The youth report highlighted the setting up of the ‘young alpinist’ programme whereby 16 young mountaineers will join a two year programme of training working with experienced mentors, and then undertaking an independent project of their own. In 2013 membership of the ÖAV reached 457,288. Sektion Britannia was announced as the section with the largest growth and presented with a cheque and a climbing rope.

President Andreas Ermacora reported that the increase in federal funding for the Huts and Paths had been maintained in 2014. Membership numbers have continued to increase. The touring portal ‘alpenvereinaktiv.com’ is now up and running. Work is ongoing on the implementation of the basic principles for sustainable development in the Alps alongside environmentally responsible mountain sports. Peter Kapelari, Head of the Huts and Paths Department, outlined the way the total 2014 budget for Huts and Paths, €,701,589, would be distributed. For the first time for many years Category II huts were eligible for grants. Environmental ‘Seals of Approval’ were presented to 4 huts belonging to Alpenverein Austria, and to the Schwarzenberghütte (category I) belonging to the Österreichischer Gebirgsverein.

After lunch Dr Raimund Rodewald, head of the Swiss Foundation for Landscape Conservation gave a talk on ‘Valuable Landscapes - a threatened species’. A progress report followed from the working party for sustainable development in the Alps. Then the new ÖAV Logo was presented to the Hauptversammlung. After this, two motions were put to the Hauptversammlung. The first concerned the distribution of 15 seats on the Bundesausschuss (BA)among the Landesverbände based on membership in each Land and reviewed every 5 years. The two Ausland sections, Britannia and Flandern, continue to be eligible for one seat on the BA. In addition a clause was introduced requiring the Landesverbände to aim for equal gender distribution. The second motion was that Wehrfried Graf, who had been a member of the BA (and the former Hauptausschuss) from 1984 to 2013, should be made an Honorary Member of the ÖAV. Both motions were duly approved. The elections to the Präsidium and BA followed.

The day also provides an opportunity to network with members of the many Hauptverein departments from Alpenvereinshaus, and also with other sections. During the afternoon Sektion Lungau gave us an update on the Franz-Fischer-Hütte, and we were presented with a bag of local produce by Sektion Sillian by way of thanking Sektion Britannia for the Hut Fund donation. Later we talked to the Chairman of Sektion Voisthaler, about their problems with the Materialseilbahn for the Voisthaler Hütte in the Hochschwabgruppe. Then we met officers from Sektion Steinelke to discuss the Salzköfel Hütte in the Kreuzeckgruppe. Finally, Alpenverein Innsbruck brought us up to date with problems at the Bettelwurf Hütte. Saturday was rounded off with the traditional Festaband.

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