President’s report
The 2020 year was an interesting and busy year for the club, to report on. In the interest of brevity, I will just highlight and briefly note how 2020 unfolded:
– The year started off with operations as normal.
– March / April saw Covid affecting everyone, and normal life was very much upended.
– We had closures of the pool during the months of April and May.
– During this time, we were able to keep the communications going fairly well with our members, and also provide some dryland routines for our members to try. These seem to have been well received by some of our membership, and thanks to Graham for providing this.
– A welcome return to pool time in June, but with numerous restrictions, etc. There was quite a bit of time required to navigate ever changing Covid plans, etc, but in the end, our club was able to maintain our ability to get back to swimming in our normal lanes at our normal session times.
– And our members came back to swimming in force, which was a relief, and very pleasing to see.
– During the year, we have bolstered our presence on social media, with Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and an improved web page. And our newsletter offering has improved as well. I think this has contributed quite significantly to the increased interest in our club and it is thanks to Dom for helping with this aspect.
– In October, we participated in the Come and Try Day that was organised by MSWA, and we conducted a session at TTAC on a Saturday afternoon. A promising concept, but it did not prove to be a roaring success for our club.
– Lines of communication with the City of Stirling were improved during the year, but this is a work in progress – a few offers of assistance by COS are still in the pipeline!
– However, we were able to receive a 50% reduction to our lane hire charges for the first 3 months of 2021, and this has been of assistance to our club.
– We have also trialled the hiring of a 4th lane (due to increasing numbers of people swimming). This was for the months of March and April, 2021. However, due to only being able to use it from 7.00pm, this has been of limited use. We will be attempting to hire the lane for our full session times, starting again in November onwards.
– It is wonderful to see the renewed and increased interest in our club, with the resultant increase in our membership. There is a good vibe around our club, and it is great to see people enjoying their swimming and having some fun along the way. That is what it is all about.
– And during the year, and going into the 2021 year, we have had the pleasure of witnessing numerous great achievements by quite a few of our swimmers. These include Rottnest crossings solo and teams, Port to Pub crossings, solo and teams, many open water swim events being participated in, a good representation in the Busso Jetty swim (RIP The Goose).
And we have even seen club representation in a couple of club carnivals, with our swimmers achieving great results. It is great to see this participation, and congratulations to all involved.
– And I want to pass a special thanks on to our coaches, who give great service to our club, all in a voluntary capacity. Your efforts are greatly appreciated, and I think that having our coaches on deck during weekday sessions, with lots of swimmers in the lane, has greatly contributed to the renewed interest from the public. And thanks to Graham for his assistance to our coaches.
As we move through 2021, we see our club in a growth phase, with a great cohort of members. We have a committed committee to help keep things going well, and we are financially stable. I think all of this augurs well for a bright future for our club. Best wishes to everyone, and keep swimming.
TREASURERS REPORT
– The audited financial report was tabled for member’s perusal
– The club’s bank balance at 31 st December 2020 was $6,687.65 an increase of $1,929.41 over previous years balance.
– Membership numbers as at 31 st December 2020 was 33 members which remained the same as previous year. Membership for the 2021 season has increased to 46, which is a pleasing note
– During 2020 lane hire charges remained at $14 per hour. Lane hire is, and will continue to be our biggest cost for the club.
– Total Memberships for year was $6,013 less payments totalling $3,007 (50%) to Masters Swimming WA and Masters Swimming Australia.
– The increase of $1,929.41 in our bank balance was helped by generous donation from some of our members as well as proceeds from Club Nights, Sale of Swimming Caps.
– Looking to the future the club is in a growth phase, with increasing membership and financially stable, with sufficient funding.
ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS
Committee Positions were filled as follows: –
President – Will Suffell
Vice President – Max Bennett
Secretary – Steve Warren
Treasurer – Joanna Stoddart
Coach – Graham Senders
Recorder – Hanna Burbidge
Publicity Officer- Domenic Crouch
Committee Member – Trevor Wainstein
RATIFICATION OF FEES
The club annual fees for 2021 have been set at $155.00 (for Sunday swim only) and $185.00 for weekday swims.
Moved that the ratification of fees be accepted – Steve Warren Seconded Jill Berinson