Executive Report RWC Journal NDJ 2021/22

Dear Members,

At the time of writing this Report, we have surpassed 3 months of lockdown and 3 months since the doors of Revesby Workers’ Club regrettably closed due to the delta strain of COVID-19. The Premier’s daily 11am announcement quickly became the focus point for all NSW residents as we awaited an update on COVID cases and how our future may look. We were extremely excited to re-open our doors to welcome our members and their guests back into the Club.

While operations of the Club in the immediate future are governed by NSW Public Health Orders, we will continue to keep our patrons updated as things change and as restrictions are eased.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all members for their patience and understanding during the last three months and for your continued patronage as you have returned to the Club as soon as our doors re-opened.

We would also like to thank our loyal staff, many of whom have not been on site since 26 June 2021. When the closure was first announced, as you can imagine, returning to work after such an extended absence takes some getting used to and our employees have displayed our core values (Adaptable, Teamwork, Support, Strength) extremely well during this time. It is times like this that make us proud to be the Community Club that we are.

CLUB RE-OPENING

As highlighted briefly above, how the Club operates in the immediate future will be dictated by the Public Health Order. Management and staff will continue to follow the Public Health Order and communicate any updates to patrons if and when things change. Upon re-opening, only those who are fully vaccinated will be permitted in the Club and only fully vaccinated staff members will be permitted back to work in the interim as dictated by the NSW Government in their Public Health Order to take effect 11 October 2021.

We will continue use QR codes for sign in purposes and our guest relations officers will request to sight your vaccination certificate upon entry as we are required to do. Once again, the Public Health Order will dictate the acceptable format in which we receive your vaccination certificate. We understand the requirements of signing in may cause slight delays upon entering the Club and we remind you that we require this as per state legislation. We would appreciate your patience during this time.

Staff will continue to ensure we are abiding by the 1 per 4 square metre rule indoors and 1 to 2 square metre outdoors and will be enforcing masks be worn indoors at all times. Functions will once again be permitted, however, governed by the same 1 per 4 square metre rule outlined in the Public Health Order.Our future obviously looks somewhat different to the past, but we have recovered from a lockdown in 2020 and we are confident that together, with the support of patrons and our staff, we will return to some kind of “normal” again in the future.

SENIORS’ CONCERTS

Sadly, our Seniors’ Concerts have been put on hold once again due to COVID restrictions. We are aware our Senior Members look forward to this highly anticipated event, however, we are unable to hold an event of this size under current restrictions.

We are hopeful that our first concert will take place in December 2021 and will be permitted with eased restrictions. Once again, Members should note that the Seniors’ Concert guidelines have been amended to comply with COVID regulations and these guidelines are available on the Club’s website.

A reminder that Seniors’ Concert’s will incur a $2 charge per ticket. The $2 will be a donation to the Bill Bullard Charity Foundation which can support the outstanding work of organisations such as the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute. Those attending the concerts will be required to check in via the QR code to ensure the NSW Government have a complete and accurate record of all persons entering the Club premises. We confirm that entry will be determined upon the Public Health Order published at the time of the event.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

We would like to advise members that our Remembrance Day event will still take place this year on Thursday 11 November 2021. The event, similar to last year, will be by invitation only as it will be governed by the NSW Government’s Public Health Order which imposes limitations on capacity.

Based on the Public Health Order which took effect on 11 October 2021, we believe that the event will be restricted to 1 per 2 square metres as an outdoor event and only those fully vaccinated are permitted to attend. Once RSVPs have been received any remaining tickets will be made available to members at a limit of 2 tickets per member. Tickets available to members will be provided on a first in first served basis and proof of vaccination will be required when collecting tickets.

We apologise to our members for the limitations on this event, however, until such time as the Public Health Order is removed, we continue to follow the Order to ensure the safety of our members and staff. More information will be provided closer to the event.

STAFF TALK MENTAL HEALTH WITH GUS WORLAND

On Wednesday, 29 September 2021 we were extremely fortunate to secure a 1 hour zoom session with Gus Worland, Founder of Gotcha4Life – a not for profit mental fitness charity. This session was a fabulous way to maintain our communication and engagement with staff who have not been onsite since 26 June 2021.

Gus who you may also know from his time in breakfast radio with TripleM led a very informal yet engaging discussion on mental health. He shared some personal stories that really emphasised the importance of speaking up if you are struggling with mental health and he went on to outline the statistics around suicide rates in Australia.

We were very conscious that after almost a 4 month absence from work, our staff may struggle returning to full time and their absence could possibly have taken a toll on their mental health. Our staff were extremely engaged with Gus as they heard statistics such as 9 people a day dying from suicide on average 7 men and 2 women with 1 Australian every two and a half hours taking their life.

Staff did not shy away from asking questions and participated in a number of activities to reach out to their support network and also engage with someone they may have not spoken to in over 3 months. The activities emphasised the importance of regular contact with friends and family and how a simple message to someone can really make their day.

For anyone interested in knowing more about Gus Worland and Gotcha4Life, you can find further details at www.gotcha4life.org.