francis kelly - life membership

francis kelly -
life membership citation

Rosemary Hobbs' nomination for Life Membership for Francis Kelly:

Francis Kelly aka "The Quiet Achiever"

Francis Kelly attended the 1st national gathering of short statured people in Port Macquarie in 1968; Francis was then 5 years old.
Francis, you could say is a member who has grown up not just within the LPAA/SSPA but also with the LPAA/SSPA. He has witnessed many
changes and developments to the Association over the past 40 years such as the development of State branches, the ratifying of the Constitution, journal development over the years, national and state branch positions, media interest, publications, changes to the name LPAA to SSPA and members coming and going and so on.

Francis contribution to the growth and sustainability to the LPAA and SSPA has been phenomenal, for example:
- He successfully has published his own book on the first twenty years of the formation and development of the LPAA titled "Growing in Stature:
twenty years of The Little People’s Association of Australia (1968–1988)
- He has served as President of the LPAA/SSPA: 1987-1988, 1988-1989, 1993-1994
- He has served as Vice President of the LPAA/SSPA: 1985-1986, 1986-1987, 2005-2006, 2006-2007
- He has served as Chairperson of the LPAA/SSPA National Council from 1990-1991, 1995-1996, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000 -2001
- He has served as Chairperson of the Victorian State Branch from 1983 – 1984, 1984 - 1985, 1985 - 1986, 1986 -1987

- Francis is one of the original and oldest members of the SS Spitfires Basketball Team.

- Francis received the Frank McHugh Award (Senior Division) in 1978 for his cricket achievements.

- He created the official SSPA website, which is a comprehensive website about the history and recent developments of the LPAA/SSPA. This website has served as a significant medium in giving the SSPA positive representation. It has been accessed and used widely (locally and internationally) for members to keep up to date with what is happening within the SSPA, for prospective members learning about the LPAA/SSPA, new parents seeking information about short statured people and their conditions, students for school projects, medical professionals seeking further information about short statured support groups for their patients and the list goes on.

- Francis has recently completed the first stages of archiving all the LPAA/SSPA Journals online from 1969-2006. This in itself is an incredible feat and shows the commitment and dedication Francis has in maintaining the history of the organisation for future generations of short statured people to come.

- Francis has and continues to make significant contributions to the discussions and decision-making on a State and National level.

- Francis's incredible elephant memory bank serves as constant resource to tap into when needing clarification on significant issues or for a bit of trivia!!

- Francis’s reputation within the SSPA is highly regarded. He is someone who is looked up to and respected, so much so, he acted as a mentor to Oliver Lynch and has used this positive example of mentoring peer to peer within the SSPA as an example for other members to adopt.

- Francis’s continued support and dedication in upholding the values of the SSPA and all that it stands for in his public life is in itself an asset to the SSPA.

One of Francis’s wonderful contributions to the LPAA/SSPA is his ability to write the most eloquent, personal and touching tributes to our Life Members when they are up for nomination, so we hope Francis our little spiel here is every bit of a dedication and a show of our gratitude towards you being a part of the LPAA/SSPA. It is with our greatest pleasure that we nominate you for Life Membership of the LPAA/SSPA.

This nomination was seconded by Gail Young, together with Carly Myers and Oliver Lynch.

(Francis’ nomination for Life Membership was read by Rosemary Hobbs at the Port Macquarie AGM and subsequently approved by the members present).

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