Club Matters

Annual Reports

Membership Report: 2009-2010    Director: PP. Peter Mote.

It has been a pleasure to serve the Club as this year's Membership Director, although I have to admit it has not been without its thrills and spills.

The ambitious target that I suggested we adopt for our 60th year of operation, which was to have 50 members by the time of our charter birthday will not be met, and for that I offer my apologies to members.

At several points in the early part of the year this target looked quite attainable. Having started the year with 42 members and gained a valuable new member early with another waiting to be inducted, it looked as if we might even better the target. In addition, we had a half dozen other prospective members going through the two visit process.

However, it was not to be that easy, having started with 42 members following PP. John Garwood's great year and having gained 3 more members, we also started to lose other members, which ultimately became 5 lost members, bringing us to the current 40, which is disappointing given the Membership Committee's efforts.

We carried the Woy Woy banner to several community events during the year, which in theory made a wide knowledge of the Club and its work better understood in the community, and raised a high level of interest. The hard part has been to translate this interest into high quality members. We have been successful in attracting quite a few of these committed folk, so it can be done, we just need to get more and just as importantly keep them, if we had been better at retention we would now have 45 members!!!

So where to now for the membership drive?

If we are to get new quality members and stem the current loss rate of existing members, the current mix of the following issues, will need to be reassessed by the Incoming Board to help re-energize the Club in its 60th year.

I look forward to being part of that process as Treasurer and AG to help President Elect, Don Tee, PP. John Garwood as Membership Director and PP. Ross Pearse as District Membership Director, and helping the new Board in the vital work of ensuring the Clubs success.

My thanks to many members for their help on the membership drive during the year, especially PP. John Garwood for his unstinting commitment to the Club in general and the Membership Committee in particular.

Best regards,
PP. Peter