Annual General Meeting, Sunday May 5th 2024

 

Good afternoon all.  Can you believe this is our fourth AGM in our awesome new pavilion?  Time flies.

Welcome everyone, I especially would like to acknowledge our life members in attendance this afternoon.  I also acknowledge we are gathered on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people.  I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.

Today the club has 398 financial members.  This number continues to be an impressive tally, especially given we have just 4 courts to share.  I thank everyone for their grace when discussing court use.  The tension between competition, coaching, events, and social use of the courts is inevitable, but I would not trade it away, as it is a sign of our successful and vibrant club.  The committee continues to support Sunday afternoon being a competition-free timeslot for the enjoyment of members.

We have more teams in both night and weekend competition than we can comfortably play at Canterbury.  As ever, some teams have to play home matches away at alternative venues.  Coaching is also booked out, and Nima Tennis makes use of alternative venues too.

A little over a year ago, the club began the project to resurface courts 3 & 4.  I appreciate the tolerance of the members and Nima Tennis & students during that time where we only had two courts to share.  A great deal of effort was put in by the ERT & BDNTA competition convenors, myself, and Nima to rejig where people would play & learn tennis.  Patience during the project has paid off, and now we have a great surface to play on for a least a decade to come.

The club paid for the resurfacing & refencing of courts 3 & 4 from savings created by previous committees.  And the current committee has tended to the operation of the club such that we’ve been able to achieve another surplus, which Andrew Lane will present.

We intend this surplus, plus a loan & sponsorship from Bendigo Bank, to be able to undertake a resurfacing project for courts 1 & 2 later this year.  We’re currently awaiting council meetings to determine their willingness to guarantee a loan.

Casting my mind back to a very successful club championships in December, I’m very happy to congratulate our club champions: Bec Holliday defeated Mary‑Jo Durrant in the womens, and Nima Roshan defeated Xander Taylor in the mens.

Along with a victory in the club championships, Nima manages to play BDNTA Thursday nights and have multiple coaches busy coaching, including himself.  He always manages to book out his classes, and like the rest of us, wishes we had more than 4 courts.  Nima’s business complements and enhances our club.  It’s great having Nima on the events sub-committee, and donating his time involving himself in events such as family day in January & the clinic just prior to this meeting.

Thank you very much to Maureen, heading up the events sub-committee, who’s refining the art of running club championships.  She also skilfully reflects the glory of pulling off these events by thanking her small battalion of helpers & recruits whenever she gets the chance.  Other events included the Winter Social & Court Reopening, and the Family Tennis Day in January.

Maureen also lead a club survey, which showed that 96% of respondents would like a periodic newsletter.  If someone has a passion for publishing, we’d love to have you volunteer for us.

To conclude, I’m going to thank the committee for their effort and contributions throughout the year:

• Shima Ibuki, our now retiring secretary. Shima loves volunteering too much, having found herself on 4 different committees.  She has been a great secretary for CTC, but now needs to refocus her energy elsewhere.  Thank you for your hours and effort Shima.
• Andrew Lane, treasurer. Always on the ball with the accounts, thank you for keeping our suppliers happy with on-time payments.
• Mark Watkinson, the expert in the lock codes, broken LED lights, surface water, and all other things maintenance-related. Mark doesn’t play tennis – or perhaps is easing back into it – so his contributions are above and beyond!
• Maureen Spencer, the leader of the events sub-committee, the results of which we’ve all enjoyed.
• Chris Warton, put in a big effort leading the court 3 & 4 resurfacing project, and sadly for CTC is finishing her time on the committee.
• David Rowell, membership officer. Clubspark is more complex than a spreadsheet, but renewal period is where it all comes together.
• And the rest of the general committee: Nora Anthony, Nima Roshan, Chris Maklary, Catriona Galbraith, Kate Rippon, Merryl Johnson, and Natalite Dunphy (BDNTA convenor)
• Other non-committee help during the year we’ve had:
  • Andrew Henry, ERT junior convenor
  • Chris Thomson (ret) and Archie Paterson (current), ERT senior convenors
  • Rhonda Liu (ret) and Gayle Morrison (current), MEMRLTA convenors
  • Mary-Jo Durrant, BRTA convenor
  • Deb Taylor, Andrew Cox event sub-committee

Without the volunteer efforts of all these people, the club would not be as successful as it is, nor function as well as it does.  And while all these people have done an excellent job, the club is always in search of new volunteers.  This is to not only replace existing personnel but to continually reinvigorate the committee with new opinions and ideas.  The committee is a welcoming group, and we will gladly help you settle into a role and be successful.  This year we’re in particular need of a secretary, as an incorporated association like ours is not legally allowed to operate without one!

I look forward to the coming year at Canterbury Tennis Club.  I’m very happy with the energy and events that club facilitates – but as always – it’s the members spending time on court and socialising that generates the energy, and makes these events a pleasure.

Phil Jay