DIRECTORS REPORT FEBRUARY 2024

Welcome to 2024. It seems no time since I was writing this report last year.

In general, 2023 was a better year for most with less sickness, improved weather and more work opportunities for many. It was a tough year for our families with mortgages and we empathise with those struggling with rising interest rates, hopefully there will be a reprieve early in 2024.

Later in this journal you will see information about our annual International Women’s Day event scheduled to take place on 8 March. This year our Marketing team have been working very hard to come up with creative ideas to fit a very different setting. The event will take place in Miss Iggy’s and will be different in format to the sit-down luncheons we have held previously, but I have every confidence the event will be one of entertainment, fun and excitement with all proceeds going to Biyani House, our local Women’s’ Shelter, so please save the date, gather some friends and plan to join in the activity.

For the most part of 2024 our Function Rooms and Auditorium will be out of action as they undergo major renovations and refurbishment. It is hoped work will be complete by October and we will all be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art facility. Many months of planning has gone into this and I know the Functions team have been working hard to try and accommodate all our regular users of these facilities who have been displaced because of the refurbishments. Please be patient and understanding if the temporary arrangements aren’t quite what you are used. Unfortunately, because of this work our Seniors Concerts have been put on hold until next Christmas but I am sure they will be worth waiting for when they return.

It is always positive to hear of the activities from our sub clubs, the summer sporting groups are winding up their seasons as the winter ones take registrations and get ready for another busy year. Apart from our larger sporting groups, we have a number of smaller interest groups running under the auspices of Revesby Workers’ Club. If darts, snooker, spearfishing, native orchids, gardening, public speaking, indoor bowls, hockey, writing or just women’s friendship piques your interest, we have a group for you. Check out the list in the back of the Journal and make contact, it could be the start of a new hobby.

While it seems early to talk about ANZAC Day, this journal covers the period encompassing ANZAC Day and I look forward to welcoming our sub clubs and members to participate in the March and Service on Thursday 25 April. Each year this event gets bigger and reaches out to raise awareness to many in our community. It will also be a poignant day for many at the Club being the first anniversary of the passing of long-term employee Wayne “Rabbit” Steele and I extend my thoughts to his friends and colleagues.

Christine Butters, Vice President

Here we are in 2024 already!  2023 was a huge year for the Club and our management and staff across all facets of our business deserve huge accolades for their outstanding work.

The Christmas break provided time for me to reflect on what a wonderful world we are living in right now, in Australia.  The atrocities in Israel and the Gaza Strip and the ongoing war in the Ukraine, with the Russian invasion, surely makes us all think about the individual lives that have been lost and families torn apart.

Within Revesby Workers Club, we have lots of sub-clubs that are run by great volunteers who are committed to enhancing other peoples’ lives.  From Little Athletics, Football, Bowls, Cricket – to name a few of the sporting sub-clubs – to the Garden Club, Ladies Group, Toastmasters and other common interest groups – there are lots of opportunities for our members to get involved.

One particular group, for which I am Liaison Director, is the Bankstown Stroke Recovery Group, which meets monthly in the Club.  This is an excellent group whose membership is fluid and comprises people who have experienced stroke, others who are carers and anyone else who shares an interest in new developments in assessing the risks, identifying stroke and ongoing updates in treatments. The Executive of this group arranges guest speakers to address most meetings and during 2023 we also had several trips – a morning tea at Headway in Bankstown (another group that work with people with acquired brain injury) and the Ingham Institute at Liverpool Hospital, which undertakes medical research. Visitors are always welcome at their meetings and I would encourage members and their families to come along if you have an interest in finding more about what inroads are being made in preventing, assessing and treating strokes.

Revesby Workers’ Club, through ClubGRANTS, has provided support to the local schools who specialise in the development of students who face intellectual and physical challenges over many years.  The teachers and staff at these schools do wonderful work for students with diverse learning needs and are truly dedicated. Prior to Christmas, I was privileged to be invited to attend the Presentation Day at Broderick Gillawarna School and the Year 12 graduation at Caroline Chisholm School.  The performances were truly uplifting, and the self confidence that these children have developed through their education is overwhelming.

The Club’s Charity Committee (which I am privileged to Chair) has continued to raise funds to assist the local community, in recent times by purchasing “wish list” equipment for Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.  We are most grateful for the support provided to the Charity by Revesby Workers’ Club through our Friday night meat raffles at the recently renamed Revesby Greens and through ticket sales for Seniors Concerts.  We have grown a very loyal group of supporters at our raffles and welcome newcomers!  Our (belated) Christmas in July function was lots of fun, as well.  During the year the Charity was able to provide $50,000 towards the purchase of a critical ultrasound device to assist during surgery at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

As I said, we are truly lucky to live in Australia.  We look forward to another great year for Revesby Workers’ Club in 2024.

Christine Benham, Director