Director Reports February 2023

2023 has dawned on us all bright and clear. Unfortunately, toward the end of 2022 the Covid statistics increased again but it seems we have once more come through, and like the resilient community we are life moves on.

At the Annual General Meeting in October last year two new members were elected to the Board and have fitted in very well. We have had several Board meetings where they are getting to know the workings of the Board and the Club. I was very humbled to be elected Vice-President upon the retirement of John Rodwell and look forward to serving our members to the best of my ability while
holding this role.

Along with the new Board members there have been some reconfigurations of Liaison Director roles, with some sub clubs getting new Liaison Directors. I urge all members of sub clubs to work with their Liaison Director for the betterment of the group overall.

Your Liaison Director is available as a source of information, a link between the sub club and the parent club and to assist when and if problems may arise. See them as your group’s friend and you will all benefit.

Some of our sub clubs are seasonal and those such as Cricket and Little Athletics will be winding up their season just as Netball, Basketball and Soccer take on registrations and start to gear up for the winter season of sport. We wish all the players well and hope you have a season filled with fun and learning new skills while improving those already gained.
When you read this journal, the planning will be well underway for what has become our Annual International Women’s Day function on the 8 March, with guest speakers, entertainment and raffles there is lots of fun to be had at the luncheon and remember it may be International Women’s Day but we welcome our male counterparts too.

Funds raised assist to support Biyani House, our local Women’s’ Shelter.

The Club will also be holding an ANZAC Day service and this too is an event which I encourage you to attend. The service will be preceded by a March and is a poignant reminder and recognition of those who fought for the freedoms that we enjoy in our Country today. It is an opportunity for members of our sub-clubs to also participate in their club colours and honour the servicemen and women of Australia.

Christine Butters, Vice President

Here we are in 2023 already! After several years of disruptions due to the Coronovirus Pandemic, we seem to have settled into a “new normal”, learning to live with the virus. What a difference having a vaccine has made.

2022 was a year of major disruptions to many of our sporting sub clubs with flooding and ground closures causing major inconvenience. However, our thoughts and prayers go out to those throughout the country who have been extremely impacted by flooding, losing all they own, their homes, livelihoods, crops, stock etc. Nature certainly can be very cruel at times.

Australians are a very resilient lot, and, as they say…life goes on! Throughout our sub clubs there were lots of great achievements and celebrations – be it Lawn Bowls, Little Athletics, Cricket, Swim Club, to list just a few. There was great excitement in the Presidents’ Lounge during the Commonwealth Games when Revesby Workers’ Swim Club’s young swimmer, Abbey Connor swam for Australia and did the country proud.

Abbey was not the only Revesby Workers’ representative in the Australian contingent at the Commonwealth Games. Former junior cricketer, Ash Gardner also represented Australia in the star-studded Australian women’s cricket team.

There are many sporting and common interest sub clubs within Revesby Workers. Focus is on participation, so if you are looking to get active or broaden your interests and friendship groups, I invite you to explore the list of sub-clubs included in this Journal.

The Club’s Charity Committee (which I am privileged to Chair) has continued to raise funds to assist the local community. The last few years have provided little opportunity for fundraising events, however after several postponements due to COVID, we were finally able to hold our Christmas in July dinner, and had lots of fun in the process. We are most grateful for the support provided to the Charity by Revesby Workers’ Club through our Friday night Meat Raffles at Revesby Workers’ Sports Club and through ticket sales for Seniors Concerts.

We look forward to a great year for Revesby Workers’ Club in 2023.

Christine Benham, Director

Dear Members,

We hope you all enjoyed a lovely festive season and holiday period. Whether you hosted Christmas or if you visited family, holidayed interstate or overseas, we hope you started 2023 in a positive way.

WELCOME DAVID RAPER AND LINDA DOWNEY

Following the retirement of John Rodwell and Ian Stromborg OAM at the conclusion of the 2022 Annual General Meeting, the results of the election for Board of Directors was announced confirming that David Raper and Linda Downey would be joining the Board of Directors at Revesby Workers’ Club.

David has been a member of Revesby Workers’ Club for over 35 years and was previously the Vice President of the Revesby Workers’ Men’s Bowling Club until his commencement on the Board. Born and raised in Revesby, David Raper now resides locally in Panania and has done so for the last 15 years. David has taken over the Liaison Director duties for the Revesby Workers’ Billiards and Snooker Club, Revesby Workers’ Darts Club and Revesby Workers’ Spearfishing Club.
Linda is no stranger to the Club having been awarded Life Membership on 27 October 2019. Linda is a Councillor of Canterbury Bankstown City Council and served as the Mayor of Bankstown in 2014-2015 and Deputy Mayor in 2021. Linda is a careers advisor at a local High School and has been associated with Revesby Workers’ Club for many years.

It must be recognised that with the addition of Linda to the Board of Directors, it is the first time in not only the Club’s history but also amongst large Clubs in NSW that female Directors outnumber the males.

We have welcomed both David and Linda to the Board and hope you join us in congratulating them and wishing them all the best for their term.

NEW CLUB VICE PRESIDENT

Following the AGM in October last year, the Board elected Christine Butters as Vice President unopposed to replace John Rodwell. While Christine has said on a number of occasions that she believes she has big shoes to fill, we are extremely confident that the right person for the position has been appointed.

Christine Butters was elected to the Board on 29 September 2010. Her service not only to the Club but to the community is immeasurable. Christine is the Liaison Director for Revesby Workers’ Garden Club, Revesby Workers’ Ladies Group, Senior Athletics, Marine Rescue, Mooney Mooney Bowls Club and Money Mooney Fishing Club. Christine is also our Liaison Director for the Mooney Mooney Club and she holds strong ties with staff and members in that area.

Christine is a Life Member not only of Revesby Workers’ Club but also the Revesby Workers’ Little Athletics Club where she is also the President. Her dedication and support for all things community made it a very easy decision to elect her as the Vice President to recognise her tenure to date. Her passion for the Club and its members will ensure a very positive future for the Revesby Workers’ Group.

SCHOOL SUBSIDY PROGRAM

As outlined in our last Journal, the cheque presentation ceremony for our school subsidy program took place on 7 November 2022. Our Directors had the privilege of providing the $3,000 subsidy to each local primary and high schools in the local area. These donations help fund key projects and/or initiatives in our local schools which benefit students from kindergarten all the way through to Year 12. We would like to thank those who attended the cheque presentation ceremony and look forward to seeing them again next year and determining what they plan to use their 2023 funding on.

CLUB RENOVATIONS

In recent times it has been our goal to offer a wider range of venues to introduce a new demographic into the Club while maintaining and improving current areas of the Club for our regular longstanding members. With the opening of Rogues Sports Bar occurring on 14 December 2021, renovations to the gaming floor and Miss Iggy’s commenced shortly thereafter, with the main gaming floor aiming for a completion date in April 2023.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful staff involved in the numerous renovations throughout the Club in 2022 and into the early part of 2023. These projects are not completed by a handful of staff, they require input from all areas of the business. From Marketing, Food and Beverage, Gaming, Maintenance, IT through to Operations. Our Senior Managers and their teams contribute significantly to the work and without their contribution, the renovations and opening of new outlets in the Club would not be possible.

We continually look to improve our Club for our members and guests and are very excited to see the hard work pay off as these new venues open. Looking to the future, we have plans to undertake a much needed upgrade to our Auditorium and Functions area in 2024 and will provide more detail as the scoping of the project commences.

Daryl Melham AM

PRESIDENT

Scott Bennetts

CEO