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Welcome
It is my honour and pleasure as President of the Garda Representative Association to welcome you to our 32nd Annual Delegate Conference in the
city of Limerick. A city steeped in history but blighted by an unfair public image; an image that does a great disservice to the warmth of the people and the beauty and character of their city.
I extend a warm welcome to all delegates, but especially to those who are elected for the first time. When I became President two years ago, I
stated my commitment to encouraging new lifeblood into elected positions in the Association. I am glad to say we are some way on the path of that transition. With such a large proportion of the force having less
than ten years’ service, is it vital that they are proportionally represented at every level in the Association
Every delegate carries a great responsibility at our annual conference. We do not act for ourselves, but for those who have sent us here. I ask
that you give reasoned consideration to all arguments made in the debates and use your best judgment to decide your vote on every motion for the benefit of your members. I assure you that the Officer Board and
Central Executive Committee will pursue diligently each motion passed by this conference in the coming year.
The role of a GRA elected representative is a demanding one. We have to juggle our work as operational garda with our representative role and
balance them with our personal lives. However being operational garda gives us great moral authority when dealing with garda officers who may not have been on the frontline for many years.
I welcome our fraternal delegates and hope they enjoy our hospitality. Their presence enhances conference and allows us an opportunity to learn
from their experience - and no doubt they from us.
I extend a particularly warm welcome to the members of the press who are attending conference. It is very easy to be critical of the media
after they way public servants were lambasted by it over the last 18 months. But we must separate our anger with the corporate media and the individual reporters. They, like us, do a demanding and, by-and large,
thankless job for a modest salary. Over the last year or so I have set out to a number of reporters the true facts about garda and our pay and conditions and was honestly told by them that those articles would not
be published; because obviously they went against the corporate agenda of the owners of the media outlets. Because Corporate Ireland decided that to deflect from its crimes, public servants were to be made the
scapegoats. All media outlets in this country are an integral part of Corporate Ireland.
I extend a cead mile failte to you all.
Sadly since our last Conference a number of our colleagues have passed to their eternal reward. It is with sadness and respect we remember
those who have passed from this life since Conference 2009. May God look after them and comfort and console their families.
I thank the Standing Orders Committee for the work they have done in compiling the conference agenda. I look forward to meaningful debate and
democratic policy decisions; I declare conference open.
Michael O’Boyce
President
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