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July 2015
As I am stepping down as Commodore at the AGM on Sunday 26 July, this will be my last newsletter. I have enjoyed my time as Commodore, and am very pleased with the positive vibe and member involvement that is happening around the club. Over the last two years many Committee and club members have provided me great support and assistance in implementing new ideas and activities and adapting club operations to meet the changing demands of members and the community, thanks to you all.
A few years ago the National Sports Commission released research about membership and activities in sporting clubs. For sailing clubs the research showed that clubs had to change their traditional operations and respond to various social and sailing trends to be viable organisations into the future. At WSC I feel we have been successfully responding to these changing trends with introduction of activities like after race BBQs, more variety in our sailing programs, e-newsletters and improved website, Friday night drinks, social functions, introducing TACKERS training for children and Green Fleet racing. We have also been conscious of a need to attract new fishing members via the annual increase in ramp boat numbers.
We tend to have an ageing membership at out club, and to be a sustainable and viable club over the next 10 to 20 years, WSC needs to attract and retain younger members, families, youth, as well as our typical current new members who are generally aged between 45 to 60. This cross section of members will bring variety, activity, enthusiasm and an opportunity to sustain this club into the future. The recent finalised WSC Strategic Plan for 2015-17 covers areas of how to attract and retain members through increased and diverse activities.
My own active involvement with the club will continue as I have put up my hand to oversee and manage our own TACKERS Training Centre for the 2015-16 season. This will include mentoring some of our youth members as they get involved as assistant instructors and future instructors. I am also planning to skipper the James Pearl, so there is a regular boat available for new and potential members to crew in and try out racing.
I would like to wish Simon van den Berg all the best as he moves into the Commodore role at the AGM, and that the WSC continues to prosper and be a positive community organisation.
Lois Hunt | Commodore
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Xmas in July - last minutes bookings being taken
This function is on this coming Saturday. We still have capacity to take extra guests, so call Lois on 0412341223 if you would like to come.
Date: Saturday 18 July, 7pm
Activity: 3 course meal, live band, dancing
Costs: Adults $30, families $70 & children 5-18 $10
Helpers needed to set up
If there are any helpers around to assist in setting up on Saturday morning, that would be appreciated, starting at 10am.
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Annual General Meeting and voting reminder
All members are reminded that the Annual General Meeting is being held on Sunday 26 July at 2pm at the club. All eligible voting members have been posted the voting information about three resolutions proposing recommended changes to the Club Rules. There is also an election for Rear Commodore, as two nominations were received for this position.
Voting by members can be done in person at the AGM, or if you will not be attending the AGM or prefer to vote beforehand, eligible members can use forms provided for postal vote , directed proxy or discretional proxy. These forms must be returned to the club by COB on Friday 25 July. Find more information on the website.
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Kayak storage
There are two spots left for kayak storage. Kayaks must be maximum length of 4 metres. Applications should be sent to secretary@williamstownsailingclub.org.au. They will be reviewed by the Committee at their next meeting. The fee for registration and storage of kayaks will be $50 annually.
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Newsletter thanks
I would like to personally send out a huge thankyou to Fiona Ellis, who is recognised as the Club’s Communications Officer. Fiona has helped me get these e-newsletters up and running so successfully over the last 10 months. She was also responsible for managing the changeover to our new website earlier this year and also manages all current updating of our website.
Recently, Ric Lamont, a relatively new club member, has come on board to assist Fiona with the newsletters and other club communications. These two show how members various diverse professional skills can be used to benefit the club, and also provides different options for individuals to volunteer at the Club.
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Action at the club on Wednesday 1 July
On Wednesday 1July, there were a number of people around the club, going fishing, assisting with some maintenance activities and generally enjoying the ambience of the club.
The first call for help came from Bill Pride, who was out fishing and had some engine trouble (or so I am told). After Bill had been rescued and towed back to the Club by a helpful passer-by, there was another call for rescue. Jack Moloney had been assisting Rod Assafari with some maintenance tasks and fainted on top of Rod, who had apparently dived to his left to save Jack from hitting his head. Luckily, Jack came around quite quickly, but everyone insisted he got off to hospital by ambulance to get checked out. We are pleased to say Jack was only kept in casualty for a few hours and it was all due to low blood pressure. Jack is certain welcome at working bees anytime, as long as he preferably instructs and mentors from a seating position. Then to top off the distractions of the day, a call came from James D’Aquino- who was making the most of a weeks holiday and had been out fishing every day. He had obviously not been taking note of his fuel levels as he and Tony had ran out of fuel out past the dockyards. So Hans and Rod then had to go out in Rod’s boat and rescue them!
What a day. A reminder that you all should carry a phone with you at all times when at the club, or out on your boat- you never know when you may need rescuing, or to call an ambulance. Safety lesson for this month: make sure you check your fuel levels when you are heading out fishing.
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Working bees
The cold wet weather has been a challenge for the participants at the working bees the last few weeks, with many having to move indoors to tackle other jobs while the decks were too wet for some. The weather has not dampened our numbers too much, or the enthusiasm of the volunteers and it is great to see the 'to do list' with lots of things starting to get ticked off. Sections of the main deck have been replaced, major work is happening on the floating boat ramp pontoons. The Jack Cox has had a variety of repairs and maintenance completed, a redesign and rebuild of the boat storage areas is well under way, a major strip down and repaint of one of the ‘green row boats’ has started and other sundry jobs around the place has seen many hands make light work.
If you have not been down to the Club to help out yet, you will be welcomed with open arms. There are still plenty of jobs to do, inside and out and it is a great way to get to know other club members.
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Reminder to pay fees
All members were sent out their invoices for club fees for 2015-16 in the last few weeks. If you have not received yours, please contact secretary@williamswtonsailingclub.org,au so we can arrange a copy for you.
Thanks to the many members who pay their fees promptly and this helps as we have to meet our major ongoing costs for insurance, maintenance, Yachting Victoria fees and operating costs. A reminder to sailing members in particular, that your fees are due to be paid now, and not when the sailing season starts. So don’t put the paperwork aside and forget it for a few months – go and find your pink slip, check your details are correct and arrange payment as soon as you can.
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Clothing sales
Cold winter means you need some of our wonderful warm fleece club clothing. We have a collection of vests for children, women and men, adult full zip and half zip jackets, beanies and rugby tops to keep out the winter cold. Any of these items can make a great present for family and friends. We also have great WSC stubby holders for those who like their beer and soft drinks on the chilly side, even in this weather! All items available every Saturday morning at the Club. Find more information on the website.
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Welcome: two new members
Welcome to our two new club members, who were inducted last Saturday: Tom Hawkins (brother to Jim Hawkins) and Len Arnott. Len has already been helping out and working bees, and I am sure Jim will have Tom helping out somewhere soon.
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Boating storage for Impulses: apply now!
One of the working bee projects this winter has been the redesign and rebuild of the boat storage areas. One of the main reasons behind this was to provide some wider racks so that members can store Impulse boats at the club. So with some moving around of boats, and making the most of wasted spaces we have been able to create places for 4 Impulses initially. Depending on how many of the current off the beach boats that are stored at the club, are re-registered for 2015-16, there may be more spaces for Impulses closer to the sailing season. Applications to request Impulse storage must be emailed to secretary@williamstownsailingclub.org.au The boat storage will be available from mid to late August.
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Photos and stories for newsletter - we need you
This newsletter is for club members, and it would be great if we could get more input from different club members for the newsletter and the website. This could be stories or snippets about a sailing trip somewhere else in Australia, or overseas, relevant information about water safety, boating regulations, short stories about fishing or boating activities, photos from activities around the club, etc.
We will be introducing a members ‘Boats for Sale’ section on the website from August, so this is a good way to promote to a wider audience than just club members.
If you have any information for the website for newsletters, please email admin@williamstownsailingclub.org.au
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