 |
MEMBERSHIP (posted 12th February 2008)
We continue to grow our membership. We welcome Elaine Croxford to our club. I invite all members to introduce themselves to our new members to make them feel welcome and invite them to join you on the lawn or for a cuppa afterwards. A number of other people have tried the game out recently and are considering their options.
LAWNS (posted 12th February 2008)
Our lawns are still looking great. This does not happen by accident. It is the result of a lot of hard work by a small number of members. The constant need for hand watering and weeding of those star weeds is a pressure on our club. Any member with some time to spare would be a wonderful addition to the small group looking after the lawns now. Please contact Tony Green if you can offer some assistance.
THE GARDEN (posted 12th February 2008)
Another area we would like to see a group of members accept responsibility for is the garden. We don't have a great deal to worry about but it is just another of those tasks around the club that needs attention. At the moment it is done as part of the group who mow the grass around the club. As a way of spreading the load it would be great if the job could be split to introduce another small group of volunteers.
SHIELD AND PENNANT (posted 12th February 2008)
Golf Croquet Shield and Association Pennant resume shortly. It is terrific to have such activity around the club again and our regular coaching sessions on Tuesday night are proving very successful. If you haven't made it along yet do try to come - Adrian, Lowen, Tony and Marie provide wonderful instruction and each week sees further development.
TWILIGHT SOCIAL PLAY (posted 12th February 2008)
Wednesday Social Play - a number of members are coming along and having a hit after work from around 5pm. This will continue till the light fails!! Some members bring along their dinner and turn it into a very friendly social occasion. We are all here for a good time - so come and join in!
GENERAL MEETING (posted 12th February 2008)
General Meeting: The last General Meeting was excellent. A number of issues for the future were discussed and the input from those in attendance was most thoughtful and indicated a genuine care for the well-being of the club into the future.
Issues raised included:
- Consideration of changing the surface on which we play - to perhaps a couch grass type lawn with discussion also of an artificial surface. Obviously this discussion stemmed from the current water plight we all find ourselves in. Any change would be costly - both financially and curtailing a season for change. Member gave very reasoned opinions and certainly encouraged the Executive to continue to look at all options to ensure a viable playing future.
- Provision for disabled people to play croquet. The club is considering applying for a grant from the HBCC to make our club for suitable for wheel-chair bound people to play and the needs of people with other disabilities. The discussion favored seeking further information from the Council. Members are supportive of doing what is necessary but wish to establish a need before we seek funds to instigate the changes.
- Social Calendar: It was refreshing to hear about planned social events for members. Betty Fitzgerald outlined a number of ideas - Easter Raffle, July Luncheon, Trip to Rich River, luncheon. Please keep your eyes on the Notice Board and hopefully a large number of members will be able to join in.
- Golf Croquet Tournament: It is important we have support for this event. We have planned a two day event - Friday 14th and Saturday 15th March. Tony and I are happy to organise the event - but we will do so only if there is enough support from among our own members before we go ahead and advertise it to the wider croquet community. A notice is posted on the Notice Board - please advise asap if you are willing to have a go. These events are not pressured - they are designed for you to advance your knowledge of the game and improve your tactical sense. And enjoy the challenge of playing a match against people at your own level.
- Elizabeth reports a meeting with Wilma Sutton. Wilma has had an active interest in our club for many years and currently looks after the Trading Table - an institution in many croquet clubs. If you are looking for a book to read, or some nic-nac you just might find it on "Wilma's Table". The funds go to the club - but the emphasis is more on providing a service. Maybe you have some items at home others might make more use of - put them on the table and leave the rest to Wilma. Thank you Wilma for a task well done.
The following further reflects the type of person Wilma is: (from Elizabeth):
"I bumped into Wilma Sutton (a non-playing, elderly, social member of our club and a good friend of Monica's) today in Hosking Street, just around the corner from where I live, and she greeted me as usual with her huge broad smile. "Elizabeth, will you be going to the club this week?" she asked. Wilma does not have a key.
"Of course, I'm there most days, but I will be there on Thursday morning for sure."
Wilma is finding it hard to walk these days, and uses a stick for support but she still finds time to take an interest in the Croquet Club. She and Monica shared their 80th birthday party at the clubhouse a couple of years ago and what a wonderful, unforgettable occasion it was.
"I want to tidy up the 'trading table' and get it organised again. I have some sweets I want to put in bags."
"Well I hope you are going to charge a reasonable amount." I replied.
"Oh. It will be $2 a bag, they have to pay of course, and it's for club funds you know."
Wilma has been contributing to the trading table for as long as I have been in the club, five years or more, baking scones, cakes, sweets, you name it.
Isn't it wonderful to witness such warmth and sincere 'giving' in this day and age and refreshing to know people like Wilma? Bless her!"
Our club is made up of a wide range of people and it is a real pleasure to get to know so many. From my discussion with other clubs we are so lucky in so many ways - a solid membership made up of people who do play and visit the club often; people willing to share responsibility for what needs to be done, excellent playing conditions and mutual respect among members for the games we all play and a general willingness to be friendly and supportive.
The Star Weed Assault Group: Thanks to the members who attended last Saturday to attack our Star Weed problem. We ask all members to me on the look out and keep them out of the lawn. There will be a further assault on the little peskies Thursday before play starts.
OPENING DAY (posted 14th November 2007)
As we indicated October has been busy and very rewarding for our club. Opening Day was most successful and I trust those who attended enjoyed themselves as much as I did. It is always a pleasure to chat with those members I don't get to see so often and for members to re-kindle old friendships with past members who maintain an active interest in the club. Croquet Victoria was represented by Mike Cohn from Kew, representing President Val Brown, who was unable to attend due to an illness in her family. Representatives from MCCCC, Essendon and Brunswick attended and enjoyed a game of croquet as well as a pleasant meal.
ANNUAL TOURNAMENT (posted 14th November 2007)
As I write we are two-thirds the way through our 2007 Association Tournament commitment. The Division 1 and 2 events have been played and won and we owe a great many thanks to a range of our members for their support and commitment to present our club in the best possible way. Marie Calthorpe acted as Tournament Referee for all of the 5 days thus far and did an excellent job - as well as helping set up the lawns each day and playing in the Div 1 event. Lawrie Money assisted in painting those damn white lines - he gets them really straight!!!. My thanks to Jean, Anne W, Betty F, Bette B, Thelma, June Greck, Jenny and Marna for their assistance in preparing lunches for the players.
The Division 1 event was won by Kevin Beard (Brunswick) from Simon Watkins (Brighton). The Division 2 event was won by Colin Clark (Williamstown) from Ray Irlam (Bright).
We now look forward to our Div 3 and 4 weekend on Sat 17th and Sun 18th November. All members are welcome to enter. Contact John soon if you intend to play.
GATEBALL (posted 14th November 2007)
Gateball Australian Championships will be played at Cairnlea from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th November. This event is being managed by Elaine Coverdale from Essendon CC and Elaine has asked for assistance from members of the clubs in the area. You do not have to know anything about the game to help - Elaine will provide all information to people who can help us. This is a major event and we suggest members might enjoy a day or two of involvement and also the chance to see the best gateballers in Australia playing. If you are able to help please let John know and I will put you in contact with Elaine.
NEW MEMBERS (posted 14th November 2007)
We welcome Russell Rielly and his wife Ann Bartlett to the Williamstown Croquet Club. We look forward to your active participation in all our activities.
MELBOURNE CUP (posted 14th November 2007)
Cup Day - The Tradition Continues. Come along and have some fun, enjoy a meal together, have a punt in the sweep and watch the race that stops a nation….. all this and more for $5 plus sweep entry. Members are asked to bring along a little something to eat to share with each other - BBQ lunch provided. Come early - stay late. Contact Elizabeth if you have any queries.
CHRISTMAS LUNCH (posted 14th November 2007)
Christmas Luncheon - As much as it seems so far away arrangements have been made for our Christmas lunch. The date: Saturday 8th December. The time: around noon. The cost: $30 per head and members to provide their own drinks. Members' partners, social members and past members are most welcome to attend. We will seek names of those interested in attending soon - in the meantime - spread the word and let's plan a great celebration. Betty Fitzgerald is arranging the day and any ideas you have please contact her.
MEMBER UPDATE (posted 14th November 2007)
Monica Luplau is not well and is in hospital. Bob Chrystal is in Sunshine Hospital.
Tony and Val returns from their trip this week.
TWILIGHT PLAY (posted 14th November 2007)
As daylight saving starts this weekend - come along any Wednesday evening for a hit and stay for dinner. Only catch here - you must provide all your own food, and drink. We provide the entertainment. Friends are welcome to come along and try their hand at the games. Normal green fees will apply to non-members.
REGIONAL SOCIAL PENNANT (posted 14th November 2007)
Golf Croquet - Wednesdays from 24th October. See Elizabeth
Association - Thursdays from 25th October. Refer to John until Tony returns in early November.
ENCOURAGING NEW MEMBERS (posted 14th November 2007)
We welcome with open arms anyone to come along and try croquet. You are more than welcome to bring along friends at any time for a hit - normal green fees apply. Please have them fill their details in the Attendance Register - this is to assist us in the case of any insurance matters resulting from accidents or injuries. If Elizabeth or John is around please introduce your friends to us in case they want details about membership etc.
COACHING (posted 14th November 2007)
We would like to become more supportive of new members in helping them develop their game. We have started the coaching classes again on Tuesday evenings from 5 to 6pm. We will start on time and finish at 6. All members are welcome and we will provide stroke development and correction, game strategy and practice drills for you to take on board at your leisure.
We think it important new players get the best assistance we can provide - it is too easy to develop poor habits and too hard to get them out of our play. New members will be encouraged to take instruction before launching into game play and these lessons can be arranged to suit members. More details of this will be provided on request to Adrian and John.
MEMBERS DETAILS (posted 14th November 2007)
A copy of our membership details will be kept on the bench next to the phone to assist members contacting each other. If you prefer your details to remain private please advise John and only your name will appear on that list.
GOING ELECTRONIC (posted 14th November 2007)
A growing number of our members have provided me with their e-mail contact. It saves a lot of work with the Newsletter if I can send it electronically and ensures you are kept up to date with matters from the club. If I do not have your e-mail address please forward it to me on jfgrieve@netspace.net.au.
SPECIAL EFFORT (posted 14th November 2007)
Betty Fitzgerald is organizing a Raffle to help pay for some extras for the Christmas Party. We would ask all members to contribute to a hamper - food, drinks etc. suitable for Christmas. Please leave your contributions at the club or give to Betty Fitzgerald.
PENNANT / SHIELD (posted 14th November 2007)
Members are playing both Association and Golf Croquet inter-club competitions. We have started the Regional Social Play in both games and the season will culminate in a combined social evening at Cairnlea on Wednesday 28th November. All members are most welcome to come along and make a great night of it - BBQ @ $5 per head.
HAND WATERING (posted 14th November 2007)
We most likely will need to commence hand watering of our lawns soon. We are able to do it twice a week from 6am to 8am. If you think you could help please advise Tony or John. Lawrie is away for a month visiting his daughter in Kalgoorlie.
SPONSORSHIP (posted 16th August 2007)
We are delighted to advise members that Hocking Stuart has agreed to continue their support of our club during the coming season. We ask you to consider Hocking Stuart for all your real estate needs when the time comes to buy or sell. And please advise your friends and relatives of the support provided to the club by the company.
HALL HIRING (posted 16th August 2007)
Jenny advises members thinking of a private function around Christmas to make an early booking as we have received many enquiries from the public. Members pay at a reduced rate and the facility is ideal for Christmas work parties and the like. Contact Jenny with your request.
LAWNS (posted 16th August 2007)
We have experienced a great deal of cold weather and this has slowed the grass development on the north lawn. We will change over as soon as possible but not until the growth is adequate to protect the grass. The difficulty we face is getting the other lawn ready in time for our tournament season. Hopefully the sun will shine and the grass will grow faster!!! We will start play on the North lawn next week. Tony will initiate a number of new hole placements to ease the wear on the lawn around hoop
GOLF CROQUET TOURNAMENT (posted 16th August 2007)
In respect of the slow growth of the lawn we have postponed our Golf Croquet tournament until March. There was no way the lawns were going to be ready for the September date we had scheduled the event for.
ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT (posted 16th August 2007)
Our annual tournament will go ahead as scheduled. The events will be staged over three weekends in October and November. We will be seeking the support of all our members to make this another great success - players to play; members to assist in setting up, lunches and afternoon tea and presenting the club as well as possible.
NEW MEMBERS (posted 16th August 2007)
Since our last newsletter we welcome Alison Shields and Merrin Money to our club. We trust your stay will be long and enjoyable.
PHONE CALLS (posted 16th August 2007)
Please make sure you pay for any calls made on the club phone. 50 cents for local calls and $1 for calls to a mobile.
PENNANT / SHIELD (posted 16th August 2007)
We have one team in both Association Pennant and Golf Croquet Shield play this coming season. Also the social play for the Western Region is being organised - GC players see Elizabeth and AC players speak with Tony or John.
SOCIAL PLAY (posted 16th August 2007)
There will be no social play on Thursday 6th September due to Golf Croquet Shield commitments. With one lawn available it will not be possible to continue our normal operation on this day. The last general meeting agreed that while we had only one lawn Shield would take precedence. We hope members understand and it will interfere a minimum number of times. As soon as there are two lawns it will not be a problem.
FEES (posted 16th August 2007)
A number of members have still to settle their account with the club or keep their monthly instalments in credit. It is important all members maintain their support to assist the club's operation. Please bring your fee payments up to date as soon as possible. If there is a problem please contact John as soon as possible.
WESTBOURNE GRAMMAR SCHOOL (posted 16th August 2007)
We had a number of Year 10 students from the school attend the club to try croquet and they will return for another session during September as part of their PE program. Their behaviour was excellent and a number indicated a real interest and aptitude for the game. My thanks to Marie, Adrian and Tony for their help with the pupils.
VISITORS TO THE CLUB (posted 16th August 2007)
If you are bringing along family or friends to use the lawns a fee must be paid. $5 for outsiders and $4 for family members - children under 16 no charge. As much as we want to encourage people to play the game and be introduced to the club I ask you to understand the need to be fair to our members and share the load of maintaining the playing area.
COACHING (posted 16th August 2007)
Following the very successful program initiated last season we will prepare a coaching strategy for the coming season. We aim to commence around daylight saving time and I do ask all members to seriously consider the opportunity to improve your stroke play, learn new strategies and perhaps find out aspects of both forms of our wonderful sport.
HELP WANTED (posted 16th August 2007)
I would appreciate hearing from any members willing to undertake care of the garden around the club. We have members who regularly tend the lawns and grass surrounds but a more formal arrangement for weeding and TLC for the garden would be great.
We have a great club and all that happens around it is due to the efforts of many of our members. I really appreciate the work done by so many to keep our club operating so well and in such a friendly and harmonious way. If everyone can do a little everyone gets to enjoy their sport a whole lot more.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (posted 30th June 2007)
Our Annual Meeting was held on Saturday 16th June. The following appointments were made for the new season.
President: John Grieve
Secretary: Elizabeth Kane
Treasurer: Monica Luplau
Vice Presidents: Jean Moran & Lawrie Money
Committee Members: Jenny Jolley & Tony Green
In welcoming Jean and Lawrie to the Executive I wish to thank them both for making the commitment to be involved.
Both are relatively new members of our club and both have been most active and interested since they joined us.
I am looking forward to their input around the club.
My thanks to Harry Wright and Barry Oldham who both served as Vice Presidents last year.
Their contributions were much appreciated. It is unfortunate both have decided to retire but we
all understand their positions and respect their decisions.
We look forward to their continued interest and involvement around the club in less time-consuming roles.
The following appointments were also made:
Kitchen Convener: Val Green
Lawns Committee: Marie, Lawrie, John, Tony
Cleaning Convener: Undecided - Elizabeth will make out a Roster
Hiring Manager: Jenny Jolley
Social Convener: Betty Fitzgerald
Golf Croquet Organiser (Captain): Jean Moran
Assoc. Croquet Organiser (Captain): Tony Green
Public Officer: Monica
Keeper of the Keys: Elizabeth
Equipment Officer: ** Jean
Trading Table: Wilma
Handicap/Selection Committee: Tony
Participation Program Leader: Tony
** While Jean is happy to have the title - none of us know what is involved. So the minister without Portfolio did so well in the past season (we received no complaints) we decided to continue with this vacuous title!! Congratulations Jean!!
CLEANING ROSTER (posted 30th June 2007)
July - Dorothea, Mary, Alex
August - Marna, Bev, Bette B
September - Enid, June, Colin
October - Joe, Dean, Valerie
November - Betty F, Nancy, Jean
December - Thelma, Harry
January - Sid, Barry, Jenny
February - Adrian, Marie, Lowen
March - Sheila, **, **
April - Verna, **, **
May - Irene, Anne, Marta
June - Sue, Val, Bob
** Vacancies!!
A copy of the roster and duties is available in the clubrooms.
|
|
