PREFACE
Firstly, a bigthank you to Brett, James and Dougal in Australia, and Guy, Sal, Sylvain andSophie from the Montreal office and of course at NAL.
This trip wouldnot have happened without your support and initiative, to help us understandthe mechanics of what is happening in Quebec, while allowing us to disseminatethis information back to the investor base in Australia.
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.My version of eventsis built as a narrative, to tell our story of the trip to Montreal and NAL, andto convey as much information as possible, while capturing the range ofemotions which we experienced.
All through theeyes of your average punter…the Australian retail investor.
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It is a loooongstory, 41 pages on the Word document.
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If it gets too much, just skip the thread, I won’t be offended.
Praise it,condemn it, whatever your viewpoint, …all valid criticism is welcome…
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Otherwise kickback, pour yourself a Kraken and take it in.
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Secondly, let me just say it was a pleasure to go on thisadventure with these 2 guys. Split, who is such a great human being who I trulyrespect, admire and feel I have made a friend for life.
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We are so aligned in thinking it is uncanny.
We all talked for hours upon hours of experiences withSayona and what had led us to this trip.
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I guess it's 2 guys from across the world that had done tonnes of research and had come to the same conclusions independently......a meeting of similar minds......
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And yes, it all started back in June, after I voiced myconcerns and reached out to Crawford, Brett, and Dougal, which had led to theinfamous meeting with Brett.
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A polarizing event for some, but mostly welcomed by our peers on HC.
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It stayed positive until the announcement of the EGM, with some questionable resolutions, both for the issuance of free shares, and the change in constitution, which seeked to diminish the ability of investors to interact with the board. I have seen this a few times now...
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Brett did not tell me about the EGM or its details at all. I was kept in the dark and certainly felt blindsided by not being given a heads-up about what was coming. In reality, he probably couldn't.
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So, after the EGM was announced, the positivity about the meeting turned extremely negative and both Brett and I were in the crosshairs for quite a while. And a tirade of abuse ensued....
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It's a shame, because the hard yards he achieved in changing the direction of the company and leading it to production has been somewhat undone and due to his departure, unable to be repaired. .He may still have 1 more trick up his sleevethough....
But what he was trying to create with myself, Split andSB, was quite revolutionary and very unorthodox. Another set of eyes andears...a finger on the pulse, an ear to the ground of what the retail investorwas thinking and feeling. A conduit and a way to communicate to this part ofthe register that no other CEO was able to do.
.So, I would reach out to Split and SB, we would travel to Quebec, meet everyone in the Montreal office, have discussions, have dinners...absorb as much info as we could and set up personal relationships with Montreal team..I managed to contact Split, but SB is anotherstory. Many subtle hints on HC were not enough. Invitations to grab a beer...ora burger.... something. But with no other means to contact him, the opportunitywas lost. It was too obvious to come out and directly spell it out to himstraight after the meeting, without peaking the suspicions of everyone else. Its crazy to think that I could reach a guy across the Pacific, but the other guy a few suburbs from me in Melbourne was proving impossible.
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Brett wanted someone intelligent, compassionate, andmature to tell Sayona's story to the world, and that is exactly what he got inSplit and myself. He cared enough about retail to get passionate holdersonboard to help spread the word, particularly to a grass roots level, where hewas most comfortable with and passionate about .......and was going toformalize it with a plan when we met at NAL....but it never happened.
In fact, the vibe, trip itinerary and sentiment, completely changed after Brett's departure......
So I guess that is theprequel or back story of how this trip came to be.
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An evolving saga, whose humble beginnings started as myemphatic email of concern, doggedly determined to institute and drive change.
Heard and acknowledged by our CEO, who offered aninvitation to a friendly beer and a frank discussion.
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All I expected on the day, was an audience with the boss.
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An opportunity to express my concerns and frustrations,mano a mano, at the highest level.
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To learn as much as I could about the improvements,future direction, and the unfolding strategy.
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What it morphed into, was an invitation to Quebec and adirect offer to assist the company, from the inner sanctum.... from theinside.....
To drive improvement in communications and to disseminatethe intricacies of the operation not worthy of ASX announcements.
To keep an open dialogue with the boots on the ground atNAL and help the investors outside of Quebec to truly understand what istranspiring at NAL.
To voice the concern of the shareholders directly to theBOD and speak frankly of issues and concerns.
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This is the lifeline that was being offered, and I welcomed it with open arms.
(20min delay)