Imrie won’t restand
New Mardi Gras chair David Imrie has stood down and will not seek re-election at the AGM in August.
The decision comes eight weeks after Imrie and New Mardi Gras faced a barrage of criticism for deciding to split the 2010 party and parade over two weekends.
In a written statement to JOY FM’s Doug Pollard, Imrie said he no longer had time to chair the organisation.
[I] have not resigned but I am not restanding at the AGM, the statement read.
I had taken a year off work to do the Mardi Gras thing and went back to work in May.
Am also about to start my MBA program. So not enough time! I always said I would give it one year.
Imrie was elected chair in May last year after the resignation of Marcus Bourget, who spent three years leading the re-birthed organisation.
As chair he has presided over two of the organisation’s most poorly received decisions. In October last year Sydney Star Observer revealed New Mardi Gras was reviewing its financial relationship with the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation for the parade Glamstand – BGF’s single largest fundraiser.
It’s not commercially viable for NMG to continue to license the raised seating to any external organisations and we’re looking at other potential fundraising partnerships between NMG and BGF, Imrie said at the time.
We would like to think the public won’t react badly to the change in our business relationship with BGF. We hope they can see that the best thing we can do for ourselves, our members, and the broader GLBTQ community is refine our business model so we are there forever more to support BGF and all the other organisations we support financially.
The decision was condemned community-wide, attracting a record number of comments on SSO’s forum.
This sounds suss to me! NMG sees how successful the event is in raising money for BGF and now it wants to take it for themselves! They talk of long-term viability like it is under a cloud, despite the NSW Government decision to fund the event! Leave Glamstand to BGF and concentrate on improving the quality of the parade and festival! one poster wrote.
Eventually the two organisations agreed to work together to operate Glamstand. The agreement was reached after two months of negotiations after BGF claimed NMG had threatened to cancel the charity’s licence for Glamstand.
In May this year Imrie announced New Mardi Gras would be splitting the parade and party across two weekends in 2010.
The announcement created a buzz of community speculation and a massive amount of condemnation, including more than 120 comments on the SSO forum.
You’ve got to be bloody joking? Sounds like Mardi Gras is desperate to make that lame duck Harbour Party profitable – but are they prepared to do it at the expense of the official party – which is the only thing that makes money for them? Let’s hope this gamble pays off – or we might not have a Mardi Gras again -¦ one poster added to the forum.
This may well be the most ill-informed and thoughtless decision made by any Mardi Gras Board to date! They are making a disastrous mistake, and it will have a far reaching and negative affect in regards to tourism numbers associated the Mardi Gras event both International and Domestic, another added.
Former Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras chair Richard Cobden speculated the change was driven by something other than forward thinking.
I received credible information some 6 weeks ago that this change was driven by an agreement with the Atlantis people which obliged NMG to move the Parade to the last Saturday in February, while the standing booking for the RHI/Hordern is the first Saturday in March, he posted on the SSO forum.
Apparently an attempt was made by NMG to move the Party date to the Parade date but Playbill (who control the Showground/Fox venues) rejected it on the basis that the venue was booked for the Gift Fair. In other words, the separated dates were the result of a combination of an undisclosed commercial obligation and a plain and simple oversight.
Any suggestion that it is by design is an ex post facto attempt to cover up.
Imrie promised a new party after the 2010 parade, but as yet details of that event have not been announced.
Nominations for the New Mardi Gras board closed at 5pm on Wednesday. SSO understands there are more nominees than board positions, which means members will get the chance to vote.
info: The meeting will be held at The NIDA Playhouse, 215 Anzac Pde, Kensington at 6pm on August 19.
Most of these comments are a disgrace – based on little fact and a lot bitchiness. Thanks for your time and energy David Imrie. I appreciate all the time you have given back to our community – I think perhaps in time , you will be seen very positively for the changes you have set in motion ats NMG and their major events. Lets see some of these vocal complainers give their time and energy to the community in a similar manner – yeah, unlikely.
I wonder if anyone will be daft enough to take up the unpaid volunteer position as Mardi Gras President after such vitriolic comments? I think it will be who gets the short straw – & probably literally.
Would be nice if we can discuss this without personal abuse of each other as well – remember there are libel laws in Australia – I’ve read stuff on Facebook that was clearly libel & I think that person was lucky David Imrie didn’t see that comment.(I haven’t seen anything that bad here yet though as I presume this is partly moderated?)
While I can’t support all the Mardi Gras decisions over the last 12 months – I also can’t support peoples black and white assessments of the organisation and its activities.
The parade and party and festival and Harbour party were not monumental failures some of you are painting them as – they may not have been the best ever but neither were they the worst – & if you think otherwise please specify exactly how you come to your conclusions as I’m hearing a lot of general winging with few specifics.
One example of a positive is the Azure (harbour) party issues that were ongoing & never fixed. e.g. Cover over dancefloor in a predicted torrential storm? Forget it. NMG take over …& voila there’s a cover.
Anyhow, I hope you will all be at the AGM and are all members? you want change you vote for change & all organisations need voices of discussion and dissent to thrive.
listen to you all we should all be working on a positive solution.Mardigras is successfull as its was and should stay that way but reading some of the above shows how venomous,and horrible some members of our community can be.Take a deep breath and work on the positives for the future, im from the country and come down for mardigras evey year.We love it but every year we hear the moans and groans of people bagging it.We love mardigras and not a good idea to separate the party from the march,thats my beef but im not slagging anyone off its a hard job and when you put your life and guts into something that should be celebrated not crushed.however separating the two means we cant make it at all
I am actually very please to see David stand down from NMG. I have been a Volunteer at the Parade for more then a decade now. David has abused NMG Volunteers, he refused to allow Volunteers to wear black arm bands at the 2009 Parade to Support the Youth Suicides relating to their sexual preference.
Mr Imrie backed down on this decision at the very last minute as a lot of Volunteers were about to walk away, several days out from the Parade. This included Area and Assistant Area Co-Ordinators, people who make the Parade run.
A lot of Volunteers will not be returning to the 2010 Parade because of all this drama by him.
But my final word is, David is not going to be Chair after the AGM, so it’s now time to support the new Chair (whoever that will be) and then move forward to the future. And hope that NMG will again listen to it’s members and the greater Community.
Good-Bye Mr Imrie, you will NOT be missed.
as a melbournian i hear sydney is all over these days, anyway!
Nore should he restand with his prejudice against drag queens he should never have been part of this committee let alone chair it..I marched and protested in 1978 and am ashamed to be part of a community with people like this in it…
Lyndelle
the sx news website make chinas censorship look effortless….thx Peter Walton
feel free to direct complaints to
Peter Walton
I cannot believe what I am hearing. It is a total disgrace how people can be so cruel and disrespectful for a hard working volunteer. I would expect the begrudgers are not even member just bitter wingers.
I applaud David for giving up a year of his life for the community while others cant give up an afternoon or evening in support of one of the biggest gay events in the world.I just don’t understand way people have to focus on the negative aspects of MG and not on all the many positive aspects of Mardi Gras. I love Mardi Gras am a member and will continue to be a member and support all the changes
Well done David, and most of all thank you for your commitment and hard work not only this year but over the past few years.I wish you all the the very best.
“We hope they can see that the best thing we can do for ourselves, our members, and the broader GLBTQ community” – Even in his speech this man puts himself/the organisation first and the community LAST, kinda like his decisions hmm.
I don’t hold any strong pro or anti Imrie view, but our community newspaper should give us the facts.
Scott Abrahams article most certainly should have included the fact that NMG had secured NSW Government money for the first time.
That factual reporting should include a definitive effort to confirm or deny the story that the splitting of Parade and Party was a logistic screw up, not a strategic plan.
(C’mon SSO that is your job, get to the bottom of it, don’t let blogging rumours and assertions become fact!)
Perhaps now might be a good time to close down Mardi Gras for ever. Surely no sane person would want to take the reigns following this unjust crucifixion of Imrie. Whether or not you like what NMG did while he was there, he worked hard and for free, like the rest of his committee members.
Something that is indeed interesting is that Imrie is personally credited with everything unpopular yet is given no credit whatsoever for anything good about NMG.
I applaud SSO for not censoring or editing comments unlike the SX website. SSO provides a forum for people to voice their views. One can conclude that since there are opposing arguments here that it is indeed an open platform.
As for Foxtel, how on earth can Imrie take credit for that? The parade used to be broadcast many years ago on national, free to air broadcasters and the internet. I dare say it has more to do with Foxtel wanting to be involved than NMG drumming up new business.. Of course it was great to watch, but I think u will find it didn’t make NMG a single dollar. In-Kind sponsorship is easy to get, it’s the cash that supports the organisation that matters.
I would be mortified to be the subject of this topic. I would be ashamed of myself and doing everything within my power to turn it around!! Not only was the position of Chair abused and run into the ground, the public display of behaviour at certain night spots was pathetic. There is a duty of care and community responsibility that comes with this position.
I hope the next person to fill the Chair will take it seriously and be committed to championing a cause for the community, not championing an already inflated ego.
Warwick, you gutless wonder … trying to blam the only paper that has allowed unfetted comments on Imrie’s decision’s as chair of New Mardi Gras.
Is your real name David?
Or perhaps you work for that Dolly rag you can’t find outside the clubs these days? You know the one, the one that posted an fluffy, non-substantial article about imrie’s resignation 30 minutes before the Mardi Gras board had even started meeting.
Hmmm – perhaps the bias is elsewhere?
” Who’s gonna love you when it all falls down and
Who’s gonna love you when your bankroll runs out
Who’s gonna care when the noveltys over when the star of the show isnt you anymore, nobody cares when the tears of a clown fall down “
“Warwick Bailey: Even the most cursory perusal of the articles and comments published on this web site about New Mardi Gras and David Imrie show a distinct bias against NMG and DI by SSO.”
Are you serious mate? What great achievements are you speaking about?
As far as I or anyone else in the community is aware there weren’t any.
Matthew Marshall, Please come out from under your rock and stop thinking with your cock. David Imrie was not a popular chair simply because he took the position and made it his own ego driven ride to fame.
If he had dome an amazing job (as you claim) he would not have been criticized, but merely debated.
He refused to listen to the members, despite promising when he was appointed (NOTE: NOT ELECTED) that he would have MORE opportunities for members to be a part of the organisation.
He has out right lied to the members and community on many issues including BGF and next year. And finally he continues to use his role and title to gain media attention and comp tickets to all the events he can manage.
The new board has a big job to do over the next year in winning back the respect of the members and community. I pity the poor schmuck who has to take up the reins this year and make something of a very poorly made bed.
Even the most cursory perusal of the articles and comments published on this web site about New Mardi Gras and David Imrie show a distinct bias against NMG and DI by SSO.
It is shameful for a publication that purports to be a community publication to so openly and aggressively attack a community organisation and a hard working volunteer.
The facts are simple, yet seem to be ignored: Whether you prefer to attend a parade and dance party on the same night or on consecutive weekends, no one will know whether it is successful until after the fact.
Aside from that controversial move, consider the last couple of years with an open mind: David Imrie and his NMG committee created a Parade that for once wasn’t boring, convinced Foxtel to broadcast it, convinced the NSW government to invest half a million dollars in Mardi Gras, threw great parties and donated large sums to ACON and Queer Screen.
At the end of the day, it appears to be widely known that the splitting of Parade and Party were the result of an administrative error and the NMG committee then had to go into damage control. If anything we should feel sorry for Imrie that he was forced by his committee to deliver the news as if it was the result of strategy rather than error, in order to protect McInerny.
Perhaps it might be more community spirited to report and remember the many great achievements of Imrie and his committee rather than seek out the one thing that doesn’t suit your social life but can’t be changed anyway?
The SSO publishes, in full, a third hand allegation from an SSO posting…
How about telling us the results of your own journalistic investigation of the decision to split the Party/Parade?
Shouldn’t this story have included the results of the SSO on-line poll that showed 50/50 support and opposition to split Parade/Party.
This is doesn’t read like a report so much as an opinion piece from the author.
Give more facts, less corroboration from SSO blogs (there were also blogs in favour of the split!) and let readers make up their own mind.
David Imrie just resigned as he knew the writing was on the wall. He thought he was so great he couldnt do anything wrong whereas he was the worst chair the organisation has had in its history. At least he doesnt have to be voted out, I say good riddence Imrie.
More importantly good luck to whoever has to clear up your mess and bring the organisation back to a culture of truth not lies and a Mardi Gras for the community not the sponsors.
This is definitely not a case of tall poppy syndrome. The decisions made under Imrie’s leadership were controversial, unpopular and not supported by community research. Whether people liked him personally or not is irrelevant.
Please look to the poll at the side of this article!
I really think the results speak for themselves!!!
It disturbs me to read such spiteful comments against David Imrie.
Whilst I don’t know him, and absolutely want more information on why such comments are left about him on these sites, all I have seen over the year in these types of posts worries me!
Last year’s AGM for NMG was postponed due to lack of quorum yeah?
So the people that form the board of NMG and elect a president out of that have to then feel under seige for making decisions ,which may well be out of sync with the community, but we then expect the few that have come forward for the leadership roles to know somehow exactly the lay of the land(which is not unreasonable, but it’s not an easy feat for newcomers surely)!
And then, when people disagree with a decision, out floods the ‘wait til the AGM” types of posts!
How do we encourage the youth in the community to step forward if we start creating the environment we have at the moment?
If NMG members feel angry over the choice of president, I guess the best start would be to go to the AGM so that at least this year it can reach quorum!
I’ll see you there!
Will be interesting to see who is foolish enough to take on the job of President now that Imrie, who did an amazing job but was continually criticised, has come to his senses and is retiring. This year’s Mardi Gras was the best in years. Well done Imrie and co. Tall poppy anyone?
Although the decisions made were not popular at least David Imrie was Chair at a time when MG were trying something new and innovative. sure, it pushed a bit too far splitting the parade from the party but in this day and age we do need to freshen it up, instead of the same thing year in year out.
As for Bourget, he’s done his dash. It’s time for someone new, someone attentive to the community, who will lead with passion and vision.
David, what Marcus built up over 3 years bringing NMS to the successfull organisation it was when he left the chairmanship, you have successfully, single-handedly brought crashing down, bricks and all. You have broken the comunity spirit and made the worst decision in Mardi Gras history in spliting parade and party. You will not be missed but it will take a while to fix what you have broken.
Shame on you!
The most egotistical person I have ever come across has left New Mardi Gras.You only have to tune in to his postings on FACEBOOK TO SEE THIS. Good riddance.
Marcus Bourget is needed back to pick up the mess this guy has left New Mardi Gras with.
Who knows he may have enough gaul to apply for the CEO’S job at ACON.
Can we convince Marcus Bourget to come back? His 3 years as chair saw Mardi Gras gain great momentum leading to the incredible 30th anniversary. I think we have Marcus and his team to thank for the strong financial position New Mardi Gras finds itself in. We need a new Chair with passion, dedication and ideas and not someone only in it for the short term
I do hope that the new NMG board elects a spokesperson who will not squirm around the explanations of decisions that the organisation makes. It took readers no time to realise that the communication of decisions around the 2010 parade and party were not as wholesome as relayed.
To the new board, be honest with your punters and they will support you.
As a long standing member of and Volunteer with both old Mardi Gras and New Mardi Gras, I have to say that David must be in the running for the most egotistical Chair ever. This is not to be confused with the title of -˜Worst Chair’.
David’s claiming full credit for the decisions of the Board and the organisation and then also taking centre stage on every announcement and putting himself forward as the official spokesperson in glamour shots overseeing Oxford St etc. was to say the least a little bit over the top.
This capacity for self-promotion even continued in his -˜resignation interview’ with SX. I somehow suspect hat NMG didn’t generate a profit of over $1M this year so the money in the investment account can’t all be the work of the organisation during his term of office, so he can hardly claim credit for it.
I look forward to a Chair (and a Board) who do what most Chairs & Boards do in the real world. They provide advice and direction and let the people who are paid to do the work do it and get the credit it.