The reason for keeping audio recordings

Public

I would not be so quick to accept that the reason for keeping audio recordings was simply to assist the minuting of meetings, while it might be presented as the purpose, it does not take into account the history of the BC Medical Association, the Doctors of BC, and what gave rise to making and keeping audio recordings, not just for minutes, but as an archive.

As I understand, and hopefully those who lived through the times might help with any details and corrections.

It was Dr. Euan Horniman, amongst doctors in the 1970/80's that raised questions of what does it mean to be a Board director and who decided to record meetings for reference and reflection while publishing details in the District 6 Newsletter to doctors. This led to some raucus following which the BCMA board decided to make and keep it's own recordings and the practice of preserving tapes for decades began.

Only after requests from members for access to audio recordings in this millennium were obstacles encountered, including the declaration that some were lost or not recorded due to technical failure and subsequently the rationale that they were only for the purpose of minuting.

The purpose of minuting may be adequate for some purposes, however, it is not the depth of purpose presumed by the medical profession who on a daily basis record details for use decades later and certainly years later, not simply after minuting.

During the years when it was common for Board directors to talk with members in hallways and doctors lounges we did not hear calls to play back the audio recordings. Everyone was talking about whatever was going on at the Board. However, the audio recordings were still made and preserved.

A previous post on this can be found at https://doclounge.net/content/destruction-tapes-bcma-board-meetings

The BCMJ report of the 2013 AGM does not include my questions to the President and CEO and the responses.

I would like to see the BCMA, Doctors of BC, make the 2013 AGM audio recordings available to members and all those that were members at that time.

People might also be interested in these short videos, "DeJa Vu" Dr Norman Rigby former GP and CEO of the BCMA in the 1980's https://doclounge.net/content/deja-vu-dr-norman-rigby and Dr John O'Brien-Bell GP and 1986 president of the BCMA and 1988 CMA president https://doclounge.net/content/more-things-change-dr-john-obrien-bell