Minutes of Meeting – AGM 9th March 2012
Present : Graham Bell (Chairman), Gary & Heather Fawcett, Alan & Duncan Stewart, Tom Alexander, Phil Morhulec, Charles & Marc Sermanni, John Hill and Fiona Bell.
Chairman’s Report : During the summer 4 members had passed their Level 1 Coaching qualification, and we also now have one Level 2 Coach. Together with the two existing instructors, this means a substantial increase in Club coaches. As a result, we have not had to cancel any pool sessions during the year for lack of supervision.
Sadly, Johnstone Pool will be closing for good in August 2012. It was acknowledged that the Club have been very fortunate with our existing pool arrangements and the helpful pool staff. The new pool at Linwood will not be opening until Jan /Feb 2013, but we hope to have the use of the Johnstone High School pool between the two dates.
The loch sessions kept going during last summer and, with more instructors available, it should be easier to run sessions during 2012.
The Machrihanish surf trip was wet and windy (again), but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, even those huddled together in the Chairman’s fast disintegrating tent. This year’s Machrihanish trip will be the weekend of 2nd & 3rd June. Although there were a number of successful river trips to the Tay (Stanley), Awe, Upper Tummel, Clyde (Crossford), Girvan, Nith and Upper Avon, it was acknowledged that more beginners trips were required, and this will be something for the new committee to look into.
Semple Sport Access Partnership – the Club now owns a 2.86% share of the Lochshore Field, Castle Semple at a cost of some £700 plus LPKC contributions by way of legal work for SSAP. Although this will give us somewhere to store the kayak trailer in future, the committee decided that the Club could not afford to buy in at a higher level, and would not be participating in the construction of the new clubhouse & training facility. The estimated cost of our share in the new building would have been approx. £20,000 less substantial grants, payable over 3 years.
Lastly, the Chairman reported that, disappointingly, there had not been a fully attended committee meeting over the last year and, after 3 years at the helm he would be standing down.
Treasurer’s Report : The Club’s long serving Treasurer, Mrs Jill Fawcett stood down during the year, and Alan S. has taken over as Treasurer. He reported briefly that the Clubs funds presently stood at £700 after payment for the new decks. A vote of thanks was proposed to Jill, who was instrumental in obtaining the grant funding which enabled the Club to buy its present fleet of kayaks, and this was warmly endorsed by all at the meeting.
Polo Report : Tom A. explained that we did not enter a team last year. However, as there seemed to be support for the club putting forward a team in 2012, we will need at least 8 or 9 players to make it viable, and we will also require to put forward 2 referees. Anyone interested in playing (or refereeing) should give their names to Tom. Hopefully the SCA will run referee training courses before the season starts. Tom will check on the lower age limit for players at Div 3.
Equipment Report : Tom A. reported that the river boats were still in good condition, and although the pool boats were used more frequently, they were holding up. As Eskimo have now gone out of business we have had to order foam for the front of the polo boats from another source. 10 new spray decks for use in the pool have been ordered from Lomo and 4 decks are in for repair. Once these are available, the deck shortage at the pool sessions should be resolved. Any damage to equipment, especially decks, should be reported to Tom as soon as possible, and larger members are asked to ensure that they use one of the decks with a larger waist size to prevent further damage.
Membership fees : there was some lively discussion about this, after which it was decided to keep fees at their current levels, namely:
Family : £65
Adult : £40
Junior: £20
The meeting considered a reduced rate for students using the pool, but decided this was not merited.
The SCA are insisting that we provide them with a list of current members, including dates of birth, before they will confirm our permanent affiliation. Members are therefore asked to provide Gary F. with the appropriate details as soon as possible. The SCA have also made it clear that temporary membership for loch or pool sessions will not give insurance cover, and the new committee will have to look into this issue in more detail.
Appointments :
Graham B. stepped down as Chairman. There were no nominations to fill the post. Graham was asked to remain on the committee and said he would consider his position.
Gary Fawcett was proposed and accepted as Secretary & Webmaster
Alan Stewart was proposed and accepted as Treasurer.
Tom Alexander was proposed and accepted as Equipment Officer & Polo Captain.
Graeme Cleary was proposed as General Committee member, but was not present at the meeting. He had already indicated his willingness to join the committee.
The meeting was asked if anyone else wished to put themselves forward for the committee, but no one did.
AOCB : Concern was expressed at the number of children playing / swimming around during the pool sessions and the possibility of injury. Agreed it was the duty of all adult members to ensure the behaviour of children in the pool, and that swimmers should be restricted to the shallow end on busy nights.
