Our Structure
The Structure of CoMMA
The company is registered under the Corporations Act as The Company of Master Mariners of Australia (CoMMA), consisting of Branches individually and collectively engaged under the jurisdiction of the Federal Court. A Branch of the company may be established at any port or place within the Commonwealth of Australia where Federal Court considers the establishment of a Branch desirable.
Federal Court
The Federal Court constitutes the board of directors of the company and consists of the Branch Masters of each of the Branches of the Company, namely:
- CMDR Graeme Furlonger RAN (Melbourne)
- Capt Kasper Kuiper (Queensland)
- Capt Ted van Bronswijk (Sydney)
- Capt Eric Barron (Western Australia)
The Directors elected Capt Ted van Bronswijk to the role of Federal Master.
Federal Secretariat
To assist with the day to day running of the Federal Court, a Federal Secretariat has been appointed by the Directors, namely:
- Federal Secretary Capt Francis Castellino
- Honorary Treasurer Capt William Burton
- Honorary Registrar Capt Royce Spencer
- Honorary Webmaster Capt Mike Tyler
- Company Historian Capt Iain Steverson
- Manager, Master Mariner Capt Zubin Bhada
Branches
The Federal Court may establish Branches of the Company in areas where, in its opinion, a sufficient number of members are resident to ensure that local activities can be carried out satisfactorily. The management of Branch affairs are vested in a Branch Court consisting of the Branch Master and two other elected members of the Branch.
The Company currently has four Branches located in Melbourne, Queensland, Sydney and Western Australia that are individually and independently operated in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, but under oversight of the Federal Court.
Members who do not nominate a Branch or will be allocated a Branch closest to their place of residence/employment. Where it is inconvenient for applicants/members to join a Branch, they will be retained on the Federal register. South Australia members are administered by the Federal Secretariat.