Penrith RSL Club

Chairman Report 2016

I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the Board of Directors of the club to thank our patrons for their patience and understanding during our recent renovations. I also want to particularly thank our reception and door staff for their excellent management of the foyer during this time. There have been some challenges, especially with our lift being overworked; however, all in all, it has been a very successful transition.

The club is entering into an exciting era with the completion of the 1st stage of the Master Plan being the foyer & first-floor extension incorporating the new Sports Bar area. Stage 2 of the Master Plan involves the refurbishment of the old Legends lounge to accommodate Monkey Mania; Australia’s favourite Indoor Children’s Play Centre’s which we anticipate will open around October. Our club members will be offered special rates for their children’s entertainment which will be a bonus.

The new centralised reception and doorman station is working well with the old reception area to be demolished. Relocating the Sports Bar has meant some changes for members, in particular, those of the Darts and Snooker clubs. The room while smaller than the old Legends sports bar downstairs has added a totally new ambience to the main floor being both comfortable & functional.

Unfortunately, the Snooker Club members have decided to close this intra-club and relocate to another venue more suitable to their needs, however, we still have 2 full-size tables available for members’ enjoyment in the Sports Bar.

The new TAB installation and multi-screen sports walls have already proven to be a hit with members, providing a more comfortable and relaxed environment while being able to enjoy a drink and watch their favourite sports or place a bet.

The experience of a lifetime for many would have to be being able to cross the Owen Stanley Ranges of New Guinea along the Kokoda Trek. The Board of Penrith RSL together with the City of Penrith RSL Sub-Branch have been proud to support staff members and young adults for a number of years as they tackle this great adventure.

This year we are supporting 6 young adults on the Trek. Congratulations to Mikaela Kremer who completed The Club Industry Trek from 1 to 12 August.

The Youth Trek is from 24 September to 5 October and our representatives are Brendon Speechley, Madison Turner, Braidon Berridge, Annalise Isaacs and Emily Pollock. We wish them all the success and encouragement as they tackle what arguably will be a tough challenge for them.

Another very successful programme the Board has sponsored for the 3rd year is the Max Potential Programme. High school students undertake 22 weeks of personal leadership development including one-on-one coaching to help maximize their potential during the final years at school and beyond with a focus on their local community and how they can work to improve it. This year we had 3 community coaches from the club participate: Rhys Pope, past Chairman Neville Barnier and myself.

If you are interested in being involved as a community coach you can contact the programme manage Chandu Bickford from the website listed here.  http://www.max-potential.com.au/index.php

Our Operations Department has been bringing some of the best entertainment available to Penrith RSL and it is mirrored by the increase in patronage on Friday and Saturday nights. Our shows in the Hornseywood room have all been sell-outs and we will continue to bring top line entertainment to Penrith RSL.

This year will be the last Children’s Christmas Party in the current format at Penrith Paceway. The Board and our Promotions Department are reviewing the various activities we could provide especially for children whose Christmas would be lacking that Christmas spirit.

Our commitment to the Homes for Heroes project at the RSL Life Care, Governor Phillip Manor continues. We recently joined with the Penrith RSL Sub-Branch to supply 6 computers for the veterans that will be using the Manor as they re-establish themselves into the community after serving overseas.

The Board recently continued its Gold Sponsorship of the Last Post Ceremony conducted daily at the National War Memorial in Canberra. If you visit Canberra, it is well worth the visit to this moving ceremony conducted daily at 4:55 pm AEST. The following link to the website has more information on the ceremony.

https://www.awm.gov.au/events/last-post-ceremony/

A new initiative we have started is the Staff Giveback Programme in which our staff selected a number of worthy local organisations who shared in the distribution of $18,000 from the club. My thanks to all the staff who participated and it is hoped that we will make this an annual programme.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank past Chairman & President of Penrith RSL Club Ltd, Neville Barnier for his long service and commitment to the club and the RSL movement. Neville was a member of the Board from 2004 to 2009 and became Chairman in 2009 until the AGM in May. He was also the Sub-Branch Treasurer from 2005 to 2010 and President from 2011 to 2013.

Once again, on behalf of the Board and Management of Penrith RSL, I want to thank you for your ongoing support of the club.

 

Frank Portelli - Chairman

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