From the Board

On behalf of your Board, I am pleased to provide the following update on matters from recent Board Meetings in an ongoing effort to keep you informed on issues pertaining to your Club.

 

Annual General Meeting

You would have noted the preliminary notice of the Club’s Annual General Meeting has been posted on the website and on the official notice board. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 28 November at 6:30pm which is a departure from past practice of holding the meeting in October. The Board resolved to schedule the meeting in November due to a number of factors including; the commissioning and migration to our new systems part way through the year which created additional work to transfer all data from our previous system, the resignation of our long serving Finance Manager, Cathie West at a critical time, our external auditors also requested a change in timing of their audit due to commitments with other clients and to give members sufficient time to review the annual financial statements and other information well in advance of the meeting. There were several factors all converging which precipitated a change of date from previous practice. It is, however, acknowledged it will be some time since the end of our financial year by the time we conduct the meeting albeit in accordance with The Rules of our Incorporated Association.

The Board is pleased to report that we finished the year in positive territory after accounting for depreciation due to growth in our membership, revenue from food and beverages, business events and corporate golf days as well as cost control measures.

Membership

The final membership count as at the end of June was 973 compared with 858 at the same time last year and 850 the year before. The outcome from our 70^thAnniversary special offer combined with other initiatives during the year were extremely positive in achieving growth going against the general trend in respect of private golf club membership.

Our collective challenge is to ensure high retention levels and to build on the momentum created over the last twelve months.

Match Committee

The following recommendations of the Match Committee were approved by the Board:

• Club Championship dates for 2019 be scheduled for 2^ndand 3^rdFebruary 9^th, 16^thFebruary with the finals for both men and women to be held on Saturday 23^rd
• In keeping with other sand belt clubs, the severe wind policy be varied from 65kph to 75kph recorded at consecutively half hour intervals.

The change in the club championship sequence was welcomed as it provides for a reduced time commitment and by conducting the men and women’s final on the same day is consistent with our one club policy creating a fitting finale for all concerned.

Whilst reporting on golfing matters, the club recently hosted the Australian Senior Amateur Championship in collaboration with Golf Australia. The event was taken out by Gordon Claney from Kingston Heath by one shot. Spring Valley was very well represented by Greg Ebinger and Mal Sosbey, both of whom acquitted themselves very well in difficult windy conditions for the first two rounds. Gordon and many competitors were very complimentary of the condition of the course and the warm hospitality of the club. Our congratulations and thanks are extended to David Phillips and his team for the way in which they prepared and maintained the course and our food and beverage staff for their professional and friendly service afforded to all participants and attendees.

Events of this stature also require a band of volunteers from our membership and our appreciation is extended to all who gave their time so willingly to assist our Captain, Steve Ellis throughout the event. The spirit of cooperation and desire to contribute to ensuring the success of the event epitomizes the culture and values of our unique club!

We look forward to hosting the Junior Masters and the Australian Amateur for men and women in January next year!!

70^thAnniversary Celebrations

The 70^thAnniversary celebration event held on the day of the founding of our club was a great success with over 150 members in attendance, enjoying each other’s company along with the impressive heritage display, entertainment and of course high-quality sumptuous food. Members in attendance also received a fitting memento and acknowledgement of years of membership of Spring Valley.

We also took the opportunity of officially launching our new club logo and brand which was very positively received and extremely well implemented by management whereby all applications were changed to coincide with the launch. Projects of this nature require significant planning to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. Congratulations to our General Manager, Fiza Errington and the team for such a successful implementation of the new brand and for the staging of a very professional and enjoyable event enjoyed by all in attendance.

Risk Management Committee

As previously advised, the Board established a Risk Management Committee to monitor and oversee our risk management framework including development and ongoing review of an enterprise wide risk register. Under the Chairmanship of Mark Dunstan together with members Geoff Arthur and Jack Bellaart, much has been progressed including implementation of a range of measures arising from an extensive review of Occupational Health and Safety across all Club operations.

It is pleasing that a culture of risk identification and safety has been given greater prominence and embedded throughout the organization. Some of the focus areas have included the storage and use of chemicals, the maintenance and operations of a range of machinery and associated equipment, standard operating procedures, emergency protocols and procedures, employment related policies including codes of conduct and the like.

Strategic Priorities

The Board and Club Management periodically review our strategic priorities under the following five key pillars:

• Governance and Finance
• Golf Course
• Membership
• Operations
• Our People

Objectives and specific actions to be implemented and planned over the next twelve months will focus on the ongoing need to attract and retain members, business development and revenue diversification through growing our corporate golf and business events activity including marquee golf events such as the Victorian Junior Masters. We will also continue to improve the golfing experience through systematically prioritizing course improvements within budgetary constraints and invest in our people through appropriate development programs.

 

Mark O’Sullivan 

Club President

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