“I couldn’t agree more with that last comment. Please get some change happening and my family will come back.”

“I have spoken to a lot of members now and the overwhelming reaction they have to my experiences is why do you bother putting so much effort in righting the behaviour and attitude of how things are run in the cheer squad. Move on and be happy elsewhere as you will never change it. And I have got to say its peaceful sitting with other happy fans at the moment away from the stress. And then I’m reminded of Mandy’s 15 years and my 10 years of active participation being cut off abruptly because we didn’t fit into the culture anymore and I think of the countless people who have told me they have left for the same reason. It shouldn’t end like this and it is time for change with a different approach to leadership and how things are conducted. I am aware that it is a melting pot of different personalities, members needs, expectations and abilities but this is no different to life itself. So, if everyone wants it to get back to where it was, a happy place to be then lets get some good operational directions and rules in place with transparency and fairness and the committee members working for the members (not just themselves) as it does in every other club or organisation. We can change things so its important that everyone turn up to the next AGM and vote in some change. Thanks Ken W.”

“Does the code of conduct apply to all cheer squad committee members. I can recall 2 incidents where inappropriate names were used against umpires and neither of these members were stood down from the committee.”

“To make things easier for everyone on game day last year we would store the floggers and flags down stairs at the MCG. It was obviously a temporary arrangement as it hasn’t happened this year. Why can’t we get the club to approach the MCG to get a more permanent arrangement or perhaps get a trailer like some of the other clubs do.”

“The Kens story explains why I haven’t noticed him at Banner making lately. I voted for him to be on the committee and for the leader to stand him down is wrong and the club needs to look at how the constitution is being applied. I have read the constitution and it needs an update as it looks like it was written in the 1950’s. I have been involved with constitutions for a couple of sports clubs and the constitution was always being updated to be in line with the changing values of the community. You can’t help but think that when the rule book has a small amount of inadequate rules that rules can be made up when required and judging by all the complains that I have read in the your say page here this is what is happening in the cheer squad over the last years.”

“Last year Mandy used to hand out the tickets outside the gate, why isn’t she doing it now? There were never any problems then and she was always there early so we could get our tickets and go and do things and if we were late she was still there after the gates open. We never had to go into the ground to get our tickets like now. Get her back.”

“I definitely agree about the kids in the aisle near the end of the game. I now sit in an area where that rule doesn’t apply. Work that out. So much for a feel good cheer squad. The Club needs to fix this problem.”

“My kids are stopped from going down the aisle minutes before the end of the game when a win is coming . They like to get a chance to get one of the footballs that the players give out. We keep getting growled at by old men who sit in their seats on the aisle near the front. I can’t see what the problem is, they keep their heads down so they don’t block anyones view. The leader of the cheer squad warns us that its breaking the rules and that its a safety issue to block the isles and fines are pending. I think that is a load of made up BS as I can’t find anywhere in the MCG rule book that says you can’t do it. And after the siren goes the aisles fill up anyway so why is that allowed? What difference does a couple of minutes make? Move the grumpy old men from the aisles and put younger members there and they will be more understanding. Talk about turning off our next generation of supporters.”

“I don’t think it is a good look when the most of the committee sit in the best seats in the front row on game day. If I was in charge I would make sure the committee sat through out the cheer squad seats so they could keep an eye on how it is running and would be able to address any issues straight away before they become a problem. I think when everyone sits down the front they can’t see what’s going on behind unless they have eyes in the back of their heads. The other thing is that it looks like all the efforts of the cheer squad is done for the privileged in the front row.”

“Part 6 . It was a normal banner night in May a couple of weeks after the chat I had with the Chairman. All was good and having a good time with all and still coping with the Presidents silent treatment. We finalized the banner up and packed up ready for the scheduled committee meeting . Can’t say I looked forward to these meetings as the discussions usually were about me. I wasn’t to be let down . The first item was the Chairman talking about unsettling times in the group and with that he advised me that I was being stood down. I responded “Are you sacking me?” answer yes. I have got to say I didn’t see that coming. Never been sacked before in my life. I did respond by stating that the cheer squad members voted me in and they should be the ones to vote me off. And according to the constitution I questioned his power to sack me. The chairman responded by saying he did and the club were ok with it. At that point he asked me to leave the meeting immediately. If the club gave the ok for this then clearly they have to decide whether the cheer squad group is going to be run as a properly constituted entity or like a work place where there is a management team and everyone else are just workers/followers with no power to be involved in decision making. If the latter applies then there is no point having elections if a committee member can be got rid of if they are asking questions and seeking some change. With a constitutionally run group if the situation was desperate there should be an extra ordinary AGM to let the members decide. The club needs to decide which it is. Personally  think the club will say its a constitutionally run show so I consider myself still a committee member and are awaiting to be advised when the next meeting is. By the way the reasons for getting the sack as explained in the letter were either false or totally exaggerated . Anyway you are now up to date and thanks for your time. Ken W.”

“Part 6 . It was a normal banner night in May a couple of weeks after the chat I had with the Chairman. All was good and having a good time with all and still coping with the Presidents silent treatment. We finalized the banner up and packed up ready for the scheduled committee meeting . Can’t say I looked forward to these meetings as the discussions usually were about me. I wasn’t to be let down . The first item was the Chairman talking about unsettling times in the group and with that he advised me that I was being stood down. I responded “Are you sacking me?” answer yes. I have got to say I didn’t see that coming. Never been sacked before in my life. I did respond by stating that the cheer squad members voted me in and they should be the ones to vote me off. And according to the constitution I questioned his power to sack me. The chairman responded by saying he did and the club were ok with it. At that point he asked me to leave the meeting immediately. If the club gave the ok for this then clearly they have to decide whether the cheer squad group is going to be run as a properly constituted entity or like a work place where there is a management team and everyone else are just workers/followers with no power to be involved in decision making. If the latter applies then there is no point having elections if a committee member can be got rid of if they are asking questions and seeking some change. With a constitutionally run group if the situation was desperate there should be an extra ordinary AGM to let the members decide. The club needs to decide which it is. Personally  think the club will say its a constitutionally run show so I consider myself still a committee member and are awaiting to be advised when the next meeting is. By the way the reasons for getting the sack as explained in the letter were either false or totally exaggerated . Anyway you are now up to date and thanks for your time. Ken W.”

“It is a good thing that ORCS management is tuning into what we are saying. And I am also glad to hear that personal records held by ORCS don’t get used in any way other than what they are intended. However as I noted in part 4 of my journey the President made it quite clear that she had verified knowledge that I re joined the EFC (Essendon Football Club) in November. I am still mystified how my membership details was obtained . I have confirmed with them that their strict privacy rules would have prevented access by anyone contacting them unless DOB and address was given. To put this issue of mine to bed perhaps the President could explain where my membership details come from. Ken W.”

“A few of us were talking about this at yesterdays game. We realised we know about 20 people and 3 families that don’t sit in the cheersquad anymore because they got a hard time. People who turned up every week for years. It’s disgusting and the organisers should be ashamed of it”

“Part 5. At a banner night a couple of months ago the Chairman called me into a private meeting for a discussion. This is not normal so I didn’t know what to expect. He in a round about way said things were only going to get worse. I questioned as to what was going to get worse. I not sure I got an answer but we continued to talk about a range of things that I had spoken to the club about. I guess I did most of the talking. I did inform him for the second time that as the membership had voted me onto the commiittee that I had a responsibility to act on their behalf and not just quit when it was getting too hard. I did suggest at the end that it would be a good idea to get the president into the meeting as well next time to sort out why she hadn’t spoken to me for last 2 months. Anyway we wound things up after 30 minutes , shook hands and went back to making the banner. Still a bit perplexed about what the chat was about. Part 6 covers the dishonourable discharge. Ken W.”

“The helpers list needs to be abandoned. After talking to a few different members they told me of a lot of people that used to be on that list that were cut off this year and consequently now don’t sit in the cheer squad at all. I know the intension is to encourage members to help out but its having the reverse effect. In a year when attendances are low and there are spare seats available why would you send a message to infrequent helpers that they have been down graded with respect to seating allocation. If they don’t sit in the cheer squad you cant talk to them anymore. If you keep people there then at least you can communicate with them. A list has the appearance that there is a special group of members that get special conditions. Drop the list and get the regular people back. Let face it just by them sitting in the cheer squad they are helping make it look vibrant and loud. So every one is a helper.”

“I know a cheer squad member who was, in my view, victimised in relation to going out onto the ground with the banner on game day. It started when he was one of six who attended the combined RFC Dee’s ANZAC banner making that was made at the Dee’s place in 2023. On game night (ANZAC eve) there are 13 from each cheer squad selected to go onto the ground. He was not selected which was disappointing. At the 2023 AGM the complaint was brought up in general business by the person and no reason or apology was given. From that time after numerous requests to go out with the banner they were denied even with the person still attending banner making. He made a complaint in the normal ORCS system and no reasonable excuse was given so he ultimately left the cheer squad at the end of 2024. Another good person falls by the roadside.”

“Part 4 . The next committee meeting in March was one I wasnt expecting. All normal items were discussed and then at the end general business went around the table. The last person the president noted there was a committee member who was a member of another football club. I straight away said ” You referring to me” . the answer was yes. To which I said that that was common knowledge and as long as I wasn’t a part of another Cheer Squad and stated in the constitution then that was OK. The president said that all the commitee members didn’t trust me and there would be a backlash from all the members if they knew I was a member of another club. To be told I wasn’t trust worthy came as a bit of a shock as I had worked for the last 10 years as hard as anyone in the best interests of the Cheer Squad. I advised them that the only reason I was a member was to attend games with my son who was a member of EFC and that I had been a member of RFC for twice as long. When I said that I had only just re-joined EFC the president interjected an said that I had been a member since November last year. The question now is how did the President know that. I rang the EFC the next day and cancelled my membership there and I also asked them could someone just ring up and confirm that I was a member. The membership person at the EFC said as long as they had a date of birth and a home address they could. Now nobody in the cheer squad would know both those bits of information in the cheer squad except the ORCS membership records. How easy it could have been to access that. Is this what you call dirty tricks campaign against me. Anyway the chairman had said he had run it past the club and they had no problem with it. OK next item. Part 5 is the banner night meeting with the chairman a few weeks later. Ken W”

“Part 3. We had a meeting with the club Supporter Group Liaison Officer in January to see if I could find anyone who cared about the issues I had taken to the last zoom meeting in November (a long 3 hour heated event) . So we met with the gentleman there at the club rooms and went through all the items of concern. These items were generated over the past ten years of seeing how situations are handled and listening to other members stories. A lot of these people have since left the ORCS. Our meeting went for 3 hours and were very impressed with his interest and handling of our concerns. We expressed our concern about how it doesn’t always end well for members that go to the club. It is effectively going over the Chairman’s head (The Chairmans job is as the clubs representative to see that the operations of ORCS is carried out with in the boundaries of the clubs expectations). In our case I felt that the items that were talked about at that November meeting were being ignored. He appeared to understand our whistle blower concerns and said to be in touch if there were any issues. So far so good. Rocking the boat but we are still in it. Part 4 will be the next committee meeting. Safety gear required. Ken W.

“Part 2. The second committee meeting was a zoom meeting and was conducted in the normal way. The Chairman spoke of an analogy using an iceberg which to this day was over my head. Next was an official complaint which was read out and then discussed. I thought that could have been handled differently but it didn’t matter at that point as the person had left the cheer squad and wouldn’t be accepted back in the following year. That is how you fix a problem child. I had prior to the meeting advised the chairman that I would be raising a number of issues that I had noticed in my so far short term. These were where as follows:

– Constitution updates
– Committee rules ,discipline power and protocol
– Committee visibility and disclosure to the cheer squad
– Club to committee communications
– Planning and decisions within
– Office holders
– Tigers v Hawthorn dispute
– Committee benefits
– Electronic election issues
– Sales within
– Passes and key allocation
– Preliminary on site equipment storage proposal.

I had put a fair bit of time into these topics before I raised them and they were based on what I had observed in my time in the cheer squad. I do admit that it was all probably a bit too much in one go but I was hoping to get discussions going from the start. Most of the answers that were given were of a defensive nature and in some cases what I would have said outside what the club would have wanted. All I have to say is when you ask questions about how things are run expect a rocky ride after that. The only thing I managed to achieve is the rest of the committee basically disliking me. I really starting to understand why there were so many dead bodies along the track from people who have tried to change things. Part 3 – Meeting with the club.” – Ken W

“Can anyone tell me how it is that ORCS management can tell me what I can and can’t say on my personal Facebook page. If I want to let my hand picked followers know what I think of something or someone how is it that I can be disciplined by the leadership. My space they don’t have to go there. Two ORCS members I know have had the book thrown at them for having online arguments with some of their followers. The last time I checked we were living in the land of free speech.”

“Over the last year or two I have noticed that the ” helping out at banner making” statement is not graded by doing what you can but by how much you achieve in the given time. My experience when running other work group has been that people bring different skills and some don’t unfortunately have few skills. Whilst this may be frustrating more effort needs to be made to make people feel welcomed and useful and not judge their worth by their output. . Banner making needs to have a more friendly and inclusive nature to it so the numbers build up again.”

“Be warned !!! Just letting you know that if you put in a complaint on the ORCS complaint line and if it includes some one on the “in group” then this will not work out well for you. Investigations may well be carried out but at the conclusion you will receive a letter that appears to have the clubs backing from the Chairman and 9 times out of ten you will be effectively given a warning that if any discussion continues you will be disciplined which is short for being exited from the cheer squad. Does this seem like a fair , right of reply, democratic system. I think not.”

“I have been a member of the football club for over 50 years . I had to come to Melbourne on the train from the country so I would be at the ground and line up for game day tickets sometimes hours before the gates open. When it come to final series tickets I unfortunately missed getting tickets to the final series.I understand that with only 250 tickets available then members will miss out but when you get told that those who regularly sit up the front get multiple sets of tickets for family and friends I can only conclude that the ballot system is rigged so I join the with all the other members that call for the ballot to be supervised by others outside outside the cheer squad. Thanks for allowing me to have my say. Disappointed ORCS member.”

“Part 1 . I was elected onto the ORCS committee at the AGM last November. Thankyou to those who voted for me. I had thought that I could have a roll in relieving Troys game day commitments as he did seem to be relied on a lot. I had noticed last year that he appeared to be overworked and that’s no good for anybody. Especially with the games at Marvel and the transportation required to make all that happen. By me being on the committee would allow me to have some of the responsibility. That was the original plan. At the first meeting the chairman went to great lengths to point out that if there is any conversation outside the committee on anything that person would be severally dealt with. I wasn’t to sure about that. The next occasion we all met was at the last AFLW game at punt Road late in November. The day didn’t start well with conflicting views about who was poling the banner that day. There was a few personality clashes initially and that settled down and the game went on. The next day when arrangements were being made for the trip to Adelaide I couldn’t help but notice that half of the committee were taking no noticed of any of my arrangement questions. This is when I noticed a change in the room temperature towards Mandy and I. I was told that any complaints should be heard at the next committee meeting. OK that’s fine by me. Also at this point I’m starting to feel the pain that others had warned me about. Just as well I don’t give up easily. I will go through the meeting in part 2 of this drama. Thanks for listening Ken W.”

“After the game on Saturday and reflecting on discussions I had with a few different CS members that they showed doubt about sharing their experiences on our Your Say forum . I asked them why and the common reason was that over the years they have seen attempts to bring their concerns to the leadership of the CS and in two cases contacted the club and have seen no change or as little as acknowledgment of what their concern s are. They have questioned our ability to be heard. All three people choose now not to sit in the CS area and don’t talk favourably about their experiences. Over the past 3 months I have spoken to at least 12 different people who share similar experiences. All I can do at this stage is try and re assure them that our group will do our best over the coming months to high light the amount bad feeling that exists with in CS members who in most cases are not outspoken and wish to remain anonymous . I will at times bring their concerns to this Your Say column myself which hopefully assists them. Ken W”

“All committee members should have to be re-elected every year.”

“At the last  ORCS Annual General meeting held last November in the Moris Reolli room . The president at one stage prior to the election votes being read out on the night did say that the computer program allowed access for who ever is the administrator to view who is voting and who they are voting for during the voting period (2 weeks I think). Now I am almost certain that neither the club or an independent person/s is the administrator which means some one from the committee is responsible for managing it. This in my way of thinking allows the results to be managed by way of contacting members who haven’t voted and getting them to vote a certain way if there is an unwanted nominee. Now I’m not suggesting this has happened but I think moving forward this part of the election should be carried out independent from the cheer squad.”

“I don’t trust the elections. Who counts the votes? Can anyone see them before they are officially counted?”

“I remember back 10 years ago the Cheer Squad was a fun place to be. Banner night was fun to be at with a lot of different people there. We would go out for dinner after. There would be dinner dance functions during the year. The cheer squad seems to have moved away from that for some reason now and you get the feeling its just a job now for everyone. Maybe its because we have now seen the premierships and the good times have been had. We need new ideas to revitalize the feel. Does anyone else agree with me. Thanks”

“Good on you change is definitely needed, I have my grievances with the CS”

“I have always loved being part of the cheer squad to support the club and players and felt like one big family catching up every week watching the game and catching up on the latest goss but now seems to be a sad time loosing Ken and Mandy off the committee over nothing but crap , so please committee sit down with our fellow brothers and sisters over a coffee and scone and bring back our family please”