Notice of Special General Meeting

Notice of Special General Meeting 2026

Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts

Dear Members,

Please see below the notice of a Special General Meeting to be held on 11 August 2026. The notice will also be published in the newspapers and the Library as required by our By-Laws and incorporating legislation.

As you would be aware, the Board have provided the members with a number of updates over the years on the rectification of the building. We have now reached a point where the members must make a strategic decision on whether to keep or sell the building.

While the Board acknowledges that this is a significant and potentially emotional decision, the Board recommends that the members vote in favour of the two resolutions proposed. The Board strongly believes that the sale of the building will ensure the longevity of the SMSA, and enable the SMSA to deliver on its core purpose of the intellectual improvement of members and the cultivation of literature, science and art.

The SMSA was not established with the purpose of being a landowner, and while the building has been a useful asset providing security of tenure for the SMSA, the building requires significant works which the Board does not believe the SMSA can facilitate any further.

As you might appreciate, the information to support the resolutions involve commercially sensitive information including (amongst other matters) the exact condition of the building, the valuation of the building and the financial position of the SMSA.  The release of this market-sensitive information beyond the members is highly likely to cause financial damage to the SMSA including (for example) the ability to obtain the best possible price for the building if the sale is approved.

To protect the SMSA’s commercial information against accidental distribution beyond the membership, the Board has arranged for the following experts to attend the meeting and present information to members to enable members to make informed decisions on the proposed resolutions:

1. The SMSA’s auditor – Chris Wong of Wilson Pateras;
2. The SMSA’s project manager (responsible for overseeing the rooftop and structural remediation) – Chris Gray of Gray’s Rescue;
3. The SMSA’s lawyers – Katie Innes of BAL Lawyers.

I have attached a summary of the building issues from Gray’s Rescue, and a financial summary of the SMSA from the Auditors. Each of the experts will speak to these documents in more detail. These documents are not to be shared or distributed with any third party, they are for the members only to enable members to inform themselves of the nature of the resolutions put.

In attending the meeting, members acknowledge and agree that the information they are being provided is commercially sensitive and confidential and must not be disclosed to any third party. Members also acknowledge that the SMSA will take all steps to enforce the confidentiality and to sue for any breach of confidentiality.

There will be an opportunity for questions on the day, however members are encouraged to submit their questions in advance to the Chief Executive Officer at ceo@smsa.org.au by no later than 5pm on Wednesday 5 August 2026. That will allow the Board to properly consider your questions and ensure that your questions can be answered at the meeting by the appropriate expert.

Winsome Allen, President

Sydney Mechanics School of Arts

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Important Information

1. Notice of Special General Meeting
2. Financial Summary
3. Building Report