Twenty-seven years ago M V Tronson, initiated the Sports and Leisure Ministry in association with Heads of Churches. The main purpose of this mission was to place chaplains into Australia's professional sports. It grew and 'incorporation' of the ministry followed as did ATO exemptions, which enabled it, at that time, to purchase a motor vehicle exempt of sales tax.
It was realised this motor vehicle tax exemption should also apply to the chaplains in the field, rather than only the national office. This seemed like a good idea as Christian Ministers are not on a large salary package and are often raising young children. A monthly saving would prove to be very helpful. A major motor vehicle credit company was invited to provide a practical mechanism and a well known Christian motor trader was pleased to supply the vehicles.
Three things occurred that will be recognised by those who have found themselves in similar situations. Although each, on its own, seemed like a good idea at the time; the way they developed and became entrenched challenged the Ministry itself in the end.
First, a protocol was put in place. M V Tronson as Pubic Officer had the ultimate determination as to whether a motor vehicle allocation was applicable. Although the national board over time put in place conditions and discussed it endlessly, he himself as Public Officer, was responsible for each motor vehicle, under both the 1984 Act of Incorporations as well as to the ATO.
This could mean that their family home was placed further at risk with every additional motor vehicle allocated, and by 1998 there were ninety two motor vehicles in the name of the ministry.
Second, as chaplains adopted the motor vehicle scheme (which did help), word spread like wildfire, and the applications for chaplaincy grew exponentially. The chaplains were very keen on the scheme but failed to read the incomprehensible pressure it placed on the Tronson family.
Third, the original focus of benevolent chaplaincy to Australia's athletes 'incrementally' expanded to provide chaplains to local community-suburban sports (the terrific motor vehicle scheme had a huge part to play in this development) and those chaplains too, qualified for the motor vehicle scheme.
Mark Tronson as Public Officer of the Sports and Leisure Ministry (Specialised Life-Orientated Ministries) was called upon by the ATO to give an account in March 1998 for these motor vehicles. As is his fastidious nature, every 't' had been crossed and 'i' dotted in the paper work. He came through the audit without blemish.
That enormously stressful and hugely demanding experience of fronting up to the ATO with mountains of paper work to give an account for each motor vehicle and their benevolent chaplaincy use, led to the following consequences.
Mark Tronson was diagnosed with the medical condition of 'Post Traumatic Stress'. The following eighteen months proved testing as he continued to lead the Sports and Leisure Ministry on the national scene, and at the same time he did not shirk either his administrative responsibilities or his chaplaincy duties, all to public acclaim.
Having perused the books in such detail for the ATO, instinctively he recognised the Sports and Leisure Ministry could not sustain, either administratively or morally, an ever-increasing number of motor vehicles. As Public Officer, he courteously rejected two chaplains' motor vehicle applications; and found to his dismay another had proceeded without the proper protocols.
He then came under personal attack. Church politics can be ugly, false accusations were made (and months later apologies given), damaging letters were written to both his financial supporters and sports organisations, and although ultimately cleared in every situation, Mark Tronson ended up in the intensive care heart ward of Moruya hospital.
Ten years ago, 4 December 1999 was the first board meeting that he not been in attendance since he'd pioneered the ministry 18 years previously.
In that new year (2000) Heads of Churches formally released Mark and Delma Tronson to establish a fresh ministry largely focusing on athlete and coach respite. He also retained the Australian cricket ministry which was the ultimate recognition. Now there were two quite separate Australian sport ministries.
The Rt. Reverend Brian King, the Anglican Bishop of Parramatta, the founding vice-chairman, wrote to every one on Mark and Delma Tronson's faith funding mailing list, as well as the Australian Cricket Board and the Australian Institute of Sport, affirming the high standing of Mark and Delma Tronson by Heads of Churches and praising their remarkable ministries.
In those eighteen years Mark and Delma Tronson had negotiated and appointed 150 chaplains to Australian professional sports, developed the Olympic ministry and the Christian athlete network, served as the Australian cricket chaplain, wrote 24 books, successfully completed two doctoral dissertations on the philosophy of sports ministry, regularly spoke on the international circuit and raised the faith funding.
Three years after Mark Tronson had moved on from the Sports and Leisure Ministry came implementation of the GST. Many chaplains found themselves with an unexpected GST debt and a residual debt. Former colleagues rang him, one weeping, as they lamented their situation. One chaplain said he had a $14,000 debt and many others had similar financial catastrophes.
The motor vehicle scheme sounded like a good idea and it helped many of the senior chaplains at the time, but it got out of hand through the insidious creep of incremental steps. In the end, political matters that were out of the hands of those implementing the scheme, caused it to come crashing down in situations where it was not appropriate.
In the meantime, individuals who were responsible for managing the scheme got caught up in situations that were made much larger than they should ever have been, because of the 'little by little' changes that all seemed to be innocuous at the time.