April has been a busy month at the club, with a very successful Swiss Teams Congress as well as the Autumn Individual competition, which provides a lovely opportunity to play with a few different people other than your regular partner.
Saturday 5 March is our annual Bridge For Brains Day. Along with clubs all over Australia, we donate the session proceeds and raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research - please join us and help this important cause.
Another national event happening in May is the Australia Wide Novice Pairs. Come along on Friday 25 May and see how you fare against novice players across the country - a fun event and you receive a booklet of all the hands played that day, with an analysis of bidding and play.
We also have a Special General Meeting to consider our proposed updated constitution on Wednesday 16 May, and encourage members to attend. You can read about the proposed constitution update and also elsewhere in this newsletter.
The future security of our Clubhouse is the key issue facing our club and I will be updating members regularly as we continue to explore options. Thank you for all the suggestions and contacts that followed the talks to members in April. The Premises Working Group has been following up on these suggestions and investigating different avenues, which include Council, State and Federal government, commercial and alliances with other community organisations. Meetings have been arranged with the Presidents of North Shore Bridge Club and Mona Vale Golf Club, management of several RSL Clubs, a commercial real estate agent, a local councillor and with Council staff.
At Nelson Heather, we have been fortunate to have rent at a fraction of commercial rent levels thanks to the very favourable lease negotiated in the 1990s with Pittwater Council. The estimate for a commercial rental of similar size premises would be approximately $100,000 each year - considerably more than our current rental of $12,000 per annum.
The council is still coming to terms with its property portfolio post-merger and is not in a position at present to guarantee provision of similar premises in the future.
Last year we were fortunate to win $7,500 of Federal Stronger Communities Program grant money. In addition, we have been successful in our application for a further $200 grant from local councillor, Rory Amon. Some of this money has been used to buy a portable PA system and a second larger TV and related technology for the room. We are also in the process of purchasing additional chairs for our room. We are still searching for the elusive perfect side table - if you have any contacts that could help source or make these, please let us know.
I would like to welcome our new Committee member, Susan Coleman, who has filled the Casual vacancy on the Committee. It is very helpful t to have the full contingent of 11 members to share the various Committee tasks.
Happy bridging!
Sarah Young
