you seem to be very confident ash, which is nice for you, a good personal attribute to have.
however its easy to say "voice your thoughts" at a meeting with lots of others around, it can be quite intimidating, some people feel more confident voicing thier opinions over an internet forum instead.
and i see nothing wrong with that.
i agree with Shan, instead of just having a secret unveiling for things like merchandise, a vote on several designs would have been better... or even better yet, a competition for the members to post their own designs and a club vote.
just my 2c