March 2022

MARCH SBCC COMMITTEE MEMO

1) Don’t forget the Working bee to be held this Saturday 5 March from 9.30. We will be doing both maintenance and gardening jobs, followed by a BBQ lunch. We thank all the members who have already been doing tasks around the club. 

2) AGM A reminder that the date is Saturday 14 May, at 10 am. An official announcement will follow in due course, including an invitation to members to move a formal motion at the AGM. We will also call for nominations for the Club’s Executive and Committee. Please think about whether you might like to stand for a committee position. If you are not sure what this entails, talk to any present committee members. The AGM is followed by a Forum, where members may discuss matters that are not formal enough to warrant a motion at the AGM.

3) Subscription fees The Committee has considered the Treasurer’s draft budget for 2022-3. The draw down on the Club's reserves in the current year is likely to be about $18,000 - principally due to the lawn renovation works. If not for our successful fund raising activities - raffle, functions, corporate hires and increased sponsorship, this would have been greater. Given our fixed costs - including the lawns contract, insurance, water charges, council rates - and the need to slowly rebuild the club's reserves, the draft budget shows a small surplus of $2,333. Taking into account estimates of membership numbers and turnover, we will be recommending a full membership fee of $370 (excluding affiliation fees) at the AGM, compared to the current $330.

4) Lawns I think we will all agree that we are seeing our lawns gradually approach peak condition. There is a problem with water logging on C lawn since the rain arrived, and the watering regime will be tweaked to avoid this. In Spring, it will be possible to better level the lawn here.

5) Club championships are currently being played. It is great to see the good numbers taking part, especially in Golf Croquet.

6) GC coaching. There are about three weeks left of the one hour coaching sessions for our newer members from 10 am on Monday mornings. If you have already had coaching at this level, but would like more advanced coaching, ask around to see if you can get a group of members at a similar level, and then approach me.

Tim Sprod, Secretary, Sandy Bay Croquet Club