The glorious summer sun continues, perfect for tennis and social activities. My social activity mostly revolves around our new son Daniel, who is three weeks old. Is that too early to play at Club Day?
Since the last newsletter in December, the Committee have continued their high work ethic and dedication to serving the club, and here are some notable points. We have also had new members join (please make them feel welcome at Club Days and introduce them to other members) and held club champs and a number of other tennis and social activities.
Court extension
For eight years and across three Presidents we have been sporadically corresponding with Council trying to get additional courts to satisfy demand, mostly with our junior programmes which are at capacity and are using other venues like Whangaparaoa College for their interclub matches.
This is a pleasant problem to have and highlights our success. We have engaged with Tennis Northern, Harbour Sport and also Council representatives on this issue with our preferred option being two courts adjacent to the clubhouse (by courts 5 & 6). We presented to the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board on 20 February and this option was rejected because they are not multi-purpose (you may have read this in the local paper).
Since that meeting we have now had preliminary discussions with the netball centre and are kicking off a project to assess the feasibility of multi-purpose courts (tennis and netball markings) at the netball centre and assessing the different options (and associated costs) – playing surface, lighting, covered courts, facility requirements etc.
We will keep you abreast of developments but a lot of water still has to go under the bridge to determine whether there are benefits for our club. For example: could those courts be for our junior programmes? Would we want them to be covered for use in winter? How would we share the courts with netball and what if there are conflicting programmes?
Clubhouse improvement project
Following on from the survey we sent out late last year, we have reviewed your feedback and started planning the improvements to the clubhouse. Some of the proposals include deck extensions to accommodate additional seating and shading/roofing, improving the ventilation/ heating/ insulation and new furniture. We are still getting quotes for some of these initiatives and there is no firm timeline yet as to when we expect to commence the activity.
Noise complaints
We have had a few noise complaints from neighbours with Noise Control being called. Please remember (especially at night) that the club has homes close by and to close the clubhouse doors and windows if there is noise after 10pm. We need to be considerate neighbours.
Junior Co-ordinator and Committee positions
After eight years of running the highly successful junior programmes, Adrienne Croad has indicated she wishes to relinquish these responsibilities. We are therefore looking for a volunteer to take on the role (does not mean you need to also be on the Committee) so please chat to any of the Committee members if you have an interest in knowing more about this role.
This is a nice segue to the AGM, which is coming up on Sunday 7 July. Committee positions that will be up for election are below and I am unsure if incumbent Committee members will be seeking re-election. The President role will be vacant as I am stepping down.
• President – 1 year term (Brendon Forbes is incumbent)
• Club Captain – 2 year term (Simon Yock is incumbent)
• Two Committee Members – 2 year terms (Mary Kershaw and Adrienne Croad are incumbents)
Ladies and Mens Days
The annual Ladies and Mens Days are coming up in May (Sunday 5th and Sunday 26th May respectively) and these are wonderful, fun-filled “tournaments” (is it a tournament if the prize is a wooden toilet seat or a pink racquet?). Please register for these days – posters will be going up shortly.
Mens Chelsea Cup
Our Chelsea Cup team are undefeated after four matches this season, which is a wonderful accomplishment. Their last home game is on Friday 15th March at 6.30pm so please come down and support the team – put the date in your diary now. The bar will be open. The quality of tennis is top-notch and we are privileged to have a team in this elite competition, proudly sponsored by Jacqui Ironside and KGA Warkworth.
And to end on an interesting statistic:
The LED court lights were installed on 17 May 2018 and have resulted in a 58% decrease in the electricity usage versus comparative periods. A number of clubs are now considering LED lights and are contacting us to get our feedback.
Feel free to discuss any of the above items with myself or other Committee officers.
Brendon Forbes
President