February 2014
A better than forecast result for 2014 has seen the club strengthen its financial base, giving us the opportunity to push ahead with some long awaited improvements to our member facilities. However, to be prudent we need to gauge what will be happening in our region of influence in the near and distant future and what members and the community will expect from their local club.
To this end the Board have approved a Management decision to commence a detailed study of the region to identify future opportunities for our club. This will include options available for our present site for future growth, and the establishment of a sustainable business model which will form part of the Clubs Master Plan.
The establishment of a new Sports/TAB lounge and new sub Branch rooms has been held up due to some logistical problems; however both of these upgrades will receive priority in the proposed Master Plan. At the November 2013 RSL sub Branch meeting I was pleased to be in the audience to an excellent presentation by Amy Gilford and Ryan Simmons, who the Club had sponsored to participate in the Clubs NSW Kokoda Leadership Program. What these two young people related to us was nothing short of inspirational and the Club should be well proud of this program which we have sponsored a couple of times in recent years. The experience and education young people get from being on the Kokoda Track lasts a lifetime, and I would like to see this become an annual event sponsored by the club and possibly in partnership with the sub Branch for many years to come.
The recent disastrous Blue Mountains bushfires saw the Club rise to the challenge by becoming an evacuation centre and a collection point for donated goods. I commend our people at the Club who rallied to help during the emergency. Monetary donations of over $2,000 from members were increased to $10,000 by the Board with a cheque for this amount presented to Springwood Rotary Club Bushfire Appeal.
Neville Barnier
Chairman
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