Sunday, September 10, 2006

Pikelines highlights new beginnings

Restoring the PAC to its rightful place as the voice of pike fishing and building a club which will fight to conserve Britain's number one sport fish and your right to pursue it in sustainable fisheries.

That's the unanimous message from the new committee, in their first addresses aimed straight at the membership in the latest Pikelines.

Success and just how you define it is the question asked by PAC President Phil Wakeford.

"The committee that I head up is comprised of experienced pike anglers and they are all capable people in a variety of complimentary ways," he writes. "We are all determined to work hard to make the PAC more successful - but what does that mean, I hear you ask.

"Success to me means protecting pike stocks, promoting pike fishing and safeguarding our right to pursue our sport in our preferred way.

"It matters not to me how many members we have or how good our magazine is if we are not impacting on the outside world for the good of pike and pike anglers."

Learning from the mistakes of the past is high on the agenda, adds Phil.

"The committee needs to listen to the membership and respond to their messages and the membership needs to engage with the committee."

Secretary Mark Barrett said the membership were the life and soul of the club.

"The membership set the tone of the club, they portray the image of the club; they are the club. We are merely the guys entrusted to steer the ship."

The new committee has many battles on the horizon during its three-year tenure at the helm.

"Some battles we will win, some we will lose but we will at every opportunity be there fighting for you," added Mark.

Chairman Colin Goodge ended his address with a rallying call.

"Please give your full support to the new committee, with your help dreams can become a reality," he said.

"Just think if each member could persuade one person to join, the voice of pike fishing would instantly be twice as powerful."