Dear SASP members,
I must very regretfully let you know that the SASP Executive has decided to postpone this year’s conference until April 2021 (again in Auckland). Given the steadily worsening Coronavirus situation, international travel bans have now been imposed by several Australian Universities, with more likely to follow suit next week. This will make it impossible for delegates to attend the conference, and we will not have enough attendees to make it viable.
The conference venue has agreed to waive cancellation fees if we hold the conference over until next year, and we see that as the most acceptable option at this point, given the costs of running the conference without sufficient delegates to meet costs. Needless to say, it is a heart-breaking situation and we are so sorry to be missing out on our annual meeting this year, and especially catching up with our NZ colleagues and friends.
We are still working through logistical details and will update you soon with information about arranging conference registration refunds. We will also arrange a Zoom conference for our AGM in April.
I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding, and particularly Chris Sibley for his efforts in arranging an outstanding conference for us. I sincerely hope we will see most, if not all, of you in Auckland next year. I know that it will be difficult for some student members to attend in 2021, but I’m sure we can be a bit creative about holding some ‘virtual’ meetings throughout the year to share ideas and findings, and we will keep conversations and communication channels open.
In the meantime, best wishes and stay well,
Julie Fitness
President SASP