Welcome to GFC's New CEO, Marc Anderson

Dear GFC Family,

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Marc Anderson as our new Chief Executive Officer this week. Marc brings a wealth of experience and expertise in fast-moving consumer goods, cultivated over years of dedication in the industry.

A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with a Graduate Diploma of Business in Marketing, Marc's leadership skills are matched by his strategic vision. His global market experience in brand development, supply-chain management, and stakeholder engagement, including collaboration with primary producers and government officials, will be invaluable in steering GFC towards continued success.

With over two decades of experience in the agricultural processing sector, Marc has demonstrated a consistent record of achievement, most recently as the Chief Operations Officer at Brownes Dairy. 

We are thrilled to welcome him to the GFC family and look forward to his leadership's positive impact on our organisation, our members, and the communities we serve.

Marc is looking forward to meeting our member base in the coming days, so I encourage you to attend one of the coastal barbecues planned.

On behalf of the Board, I'd like to sincerely thank Leith Teakle for taking on the extra responsibilities of Interim CEO. 

Warm Regards,

Basil Lenzo

Member Update

Geraldton Fishermen's Cooperative's online meetings allow Members to engage with their management team regularly. A summary of the most recent meeting is provided below.

Update from Leith Teakle;

• Leith gave an update on the Board meeting at Sultan Way last week. Some of the discussions of interest included a presentation from Decarbonology, a consultancy firm helping GFC understand our emissions footprint and pathways to net zero. 
• Leith gave a further update on the Safe Quality Food (SQF) audit successfully completed at Sultan Way recently. The SQF certification will create GFC market opportunities and improve our handling and processing protocols.
• Another topic discussed during the Board meeting included safety and GFC's safety culture - for staff, Members and visitors. Leith mentioned that some work is underway by our Workplace Health & Safety team to investigate improvements in lobster basket handling and weights, as some recent soft tissue injuries occurred due to moving or lifting heavy baskets. This activity can impact staff and Members, so fishers are welcome to provide their ideas or insights on how this can be improved to ensure our Members and staff all go home from work safe and well.
• Leith encouraged all Members to attend the GFC barbecues along the coast this month and use the opportunity to meet with new CEO Marc Anderson. Leith encouraged Members to use this opportunity allow Marc to get to know the Member base and find out what is important to you and your co-operative. Please see the separate article below with the location and dates of these barbecues.
• Leith announced an additional season loyalty payment of $0.50/kg for all eligible kilograms delivered to GFC during the 5.5 month 2023-23 season. This additional payment was possible due to the successful execution of our frozen sales program season. This additional payment underscores the purpose of our cooperative and our commitment to creating and returning value back to our Members who contribute to it.  

Market Update from Bryan Keay;

• Bryan shared a season-to-date intake report, noting intake is now around 3% below the pre-COVID average for the first time this season.
• The live market demand has been subdued in recent weeks following a period of strong demand. Bryan estimates with no significant market activities on the horizon, demand will remain subdued. Conversely, intake has significantly dropped off in the past three weeks, which has helped support prices recently.
• Bryan's market presentation included additional context for Members on how we forecast market demand. Importantly, Bryan notes market demand is only half the equation, and estimated intake directly affects actual sales and beach prices paid. Bryan reiterated that it's essential that GFC continues to communicate market forecasts and that fishers give their best estimates on intake and fishing activity to provide a more accurate picture of the trade team's forecasts.
• Bryan also spoke about the increase in live sale volumes from December 2023 to February 2024 compared to the previous season. However, the recent slowing in intake will impact the weekly intake/sales volume for the balance of the season based on the quota volumes.

The next Member online meeting is scheduled for the 29th of March 2024. The meeting link will be sent to Members via email before the meeting.

Member Barbecues During March.

Marc Anderson, our new CEO, officially started this week. Marc is keen to meet as many Members as possible, so we are hosting a series of coastal BBQs.

The barbecues will allow Members to meet Marc and catch up with fellow fishers and GFC staff.

All Members and partners are encouraged to attend. Please see the dates below for the closest function to you. We look forward to seeing you there!

GFC Board Visits Sultan Way Facility

Last week, GFC's Board met for its regularly scheduled meeting at Sultan Way. The meeting was a great opportunity for your Board to tour the Sultan Way facility following the recent Safe Quality Food (SQF) accreditation and understand what improvements to processes and procedures the project staff made.

The Board met the team responsible for the work behind achieving this certification milestone and thanked them for their enormous efforts.

Given GFC's increased frozen product and market initiatives, the SQF accreditation is a crucial certification that will increase market access opportunities for Brolos lobsters.

Image top, centre; GFC staff from the Quality, Compliance, Production, and Operations teams (L to R); Clayton Smith, Rachelle Brierley, Tom Hinchey, Steven McNulty, Jujie Zhou, Hafiizh Arief, Leon Lochrenberg and Nick Haokai

GFC's Footy Tipping is Back for the 2024 Season!

GFC will run an AFL Football Tipping competition through ESPN's footy tips platform. The competition is open to all Members, Staff and their families. Test your knowledge of the game and tipping prowess, have fun and be in for a chance to win a share of the prize pool.

Click the button below to go to the Footy Tipping page and register now.

Competition Name; GFC2024

Password; GFC2024

2024 - 2025 Total Allowable Commercial Catch Recommendations to the Minister for Fisheries. 

Readers may recall in a previous edition we shared information on the Western Rock Lobter Council's TACC Subcommittee recommendation for the upcoming season were to be considered by the Western Rock Lobster Board.

Based on the inputs, the TACC Committee recommended maintaining the current TACC of 7300 tonnes for the next season, from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.

The Western Rock Lobster Council board accepted the recommendation from the TACC committee and will submit this recommendation to the Minister for Fisheries. 

Read the letter here.

GFC Archive Committee Social History Project

GFC's archive committee has recently completed the archiving and digitising of your cooperative's business history - capturing meeting minutes, financials and other cooperative records from our inception in 1950.

However, the committee also recognises that its financial and operational achievements do not solely define the cooperative's legacy. Your stories and your experiences are an integral part of our shared history. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the cooperative's journey, members of the archive team will soon embark on collecting social histories.

Social histories will delve into the experiences of individual members and their family fishing stories with the cooperative. These records will offer a unique and fascinating insight into GFC's Members, the rock lobster industry, and the cooperative's impact over the years.

Members will have their oral stories recorded, transcribed and entered into GFC's archives. The archive team will begin approaching members to see if they're willing to participate in the coming months.

If you are keen to contribute, please get in touch.