AIPP Honours Committee Meeting 2019
Melinda Comerford APP M.Photog. reports on who the Honours
Committee are, what the Honour Committee does – and what our
various honours mean.I admit it, I’m more entrenched in the AIPP than
some people!
I’ve spent the past 14 years volunteering in
some capacity or another. Most recently, I joined
the Honours Committee, which is designed
to celebrate and highlight the achievements
of members of the AIPP and the wider
photography community.LOTS OF INITIALS!
I’ve recently returned from my first Honours
meeting with fellow committee members
Richard Bennett APP.L M. Photog. IV Hon. FAIPP
FAIPP, Ian van der Wolde APP.L M. Photog. III
Hon. FAIPP FAIPP and Greg Hocking APP.L G.M.
Photog. Hon.FAIPP FAIPP (check out all those
initials following their names!!!), who have been
faithfully honouring photographers and other
industry experts on behalf of the AIPP for the
past 13 years.
Although I have known the guys for a long
time now, I was clearly the new kid on the block
in the context of this committee and a little
nervous about my first meeting.
While I knew that the Honours Committeemet in person once per year, the process of
deciding the honourees is, by design, a bit of a
mystery.
So, here’s my take on how the Honours
Committee works, from the perspective of a
brand newbie.WHAT WE DO
Firstly, I didn’t really think we would need two
full days of meeting to find five people to
recognise. But it turns out that looking at the
lifetime achievements of a candidate takes time.
Two days was enough, but only just.
Despite the knowledge and stories we
share on the people we consider, the process
is remarkably unprejudiced, with personal
relationships completely irrelevant to the
discussions or the names put forward.
Richard, Greg and Ian are all past National
Presidents of the AIPP and their combined
knowledge of the photography industry and its
participants spans over 30 years!
Richard, in particular, can pick a date out of
thin air and tell you who received an honour
that year, and what they did to deserve it. I’mTAGS
AIPP HonursNEWS