Firstly my apologies for not being here. If Bob is reading this then I am stuck out in the Tasman somewhere and simply unable to swim that far to get here.

Thank you all for being here, and I will try keep this short.

We now have 120 members, with approximately 50 members playing in our weekly competitions.  Many of you make a point in staying for the presentation every week which definitely adds to the club atmosphere and supports the basic philosophy of the Vets club, which is to socialise with other members.

I would like to sincerely thank all our supporters:

• Paul and Sarina for their generous support of our members draw each week.
• Selva for his support in providing the trophies for our Club Championships.
• Greg Hall and in the past, Luke Brabant for helping in the smooth running of the Vets and for putting up with my seemingly continuous changes to formats and rules etc.
• Peter Rickard for his help in establishing our relationship with Horizons Golf Resort and enabling us to remain a viable and financially stable entity.
• Greg Ramsey for his invaluable help in establishing the Vets and his continued assistance by providing advice and ideas.

I would like to pay special tribute to our Committee. Bob Treloar, John Lee and Alan McDonald. A finer group of Australian manhood has never before been assembled. All of them have performed superbly, to the extent that I am proud to say that we have not had a single committee meeting during the year, everyone just does their job and gets on with it. All of the committee has nominated to serve on the committee for next year and I would like to recommend that the membership endorse these nominations.

My biggest regret this year has been the apparent inequality between men’s and women’s winners in our competitions. As you know, ladies currently get a handicap advantage in Stroke and Stableford competitions, but not Ambrose and Best Ball competitions. This will change in February next year with the introduction of the World Handicap System which will see the ladies get additional handicap consideration in all club events.

Lastly I would like to thank you, the members, for your support and encouragement throughout the year. The club was established so that you could enjoy your golf and the social interaction that goes hand in hand with that. If you have enjoyed yourselves, then the club I think is a success.

Sincerely

Ian Barnard.

Notice to Members

The NSWVGA Executive Council wish to advise that nominations for the Executive Council 2019/2020 are now open. Any financial member of NSWVGA who is interested in fulfilling an administrative role within the Association is invited to nominate. Nomination forms are available from the Secretary, Len Payne at secretary@nswvga.com.au . Forms should be completed and in the hands of the Secretary by 20 November 2019.

URGENT – Position Vacant: NSWVGA Secretary

Mr Len Payne is retiring after 8 years in the position of Secretary NSWVGA as of the AGM  20 November 2019 and NSWVGA is urgently seeking an interested person to fill the vacant position. Such a  person should be familiar with the structure of the business model of NSWVGA, be interested in developing the Association, have a sound understanding of the game of golf and its administration, be familiar with meeting procedure, be prepared to travel to Sydney for five meetings each year and have above average computer/typing skills. There are more formal duties to be fulfilled by the Secretary and some of these can be found in Items 14.4 and 14.5 in the Constitution which can be found on NSWVGA website.

Interested persons are encouraged to contact the following:

Ian Vidler President NSWVGA 0477905102	Len Payne Secretary NSWVGA 0400342262 or 02 4332 1273
landian50@iinet.net.au	secretary@nswvga.com.au

Ian Vidler
President NSWVGA

Hello Veteran Golfers. I thought it was time for an update on HVGC and what is happening in the next couple of weeks.

First of all congratulations are in order for Andy Raeburn who today shot an even Par 72 off the stick on the Yellow course. Andy shot less than his age which is an outstanding achievement for any golfer. Congratulations Andy. And yes, he did win the back 9 comp. But Andy could not beat the excellent score of 23 points from Brian Degotardi on the front 9. That’s some round of golf Brian, well done.

We have had an average of over 40 players each Tuesday since we started the Vets competitions, which I think is excellent. Please hang around the clubhouse if you can after the game for the presentation, it is after all the point of having a Vets competition as opposed to a normal, standard, play and go home competition. Maybe we need a members draw for a cash prize to keep people around? Something to consider.

The Vets shirts have been ordered and I hope to be in a position to hand them out on the last Tuesday of this month. I have been advised that the bulk of the shirts are in stock, have left Melbourne and are currently on route to the embroiderers. 7 shirts were out of stock (not sure what sizes) but more are due into the country on the 18^th of this month.

The last Tuesday of the month will also be BBQ day, which is a free burger for all competitors who played (stroke) on the day and will cost $2 for those members who don’t didn’t play on the day. Craig Hickey and John Lee have kindly offered to cook the BBQ for us.

The committee have been working hard on the constitution for the Club and have had input from a variety of members on the contents and wording. The constitution is now at a stage where it can be enacted. Originally we had thought to provide all members with a copy of the constitution and then vote on its acceptance, however this would delay its issue and we need it in place to manage the clubs finances. Given that the constitution contains a clause on how it can be amended if members feel strongly enough to do so, it has been decided by the committee to issue the constitution as it now stands. As such, please find a copy of the constitution on the noticeboard from tomorrow morning. If anyone would like an electronic copy then please contact me.

Now that the constitution has been enacted we need to staff a new committee for 2019. I believe the current committee has done an excellent job in establishing a framework for the Vets Club, which is what was asked of them at the initial Club set up meeting last year. I would like to thank Viv Stephens and Chris Larsen for their invaluable help in establishing HVGC.  Those committee members have informed me that they are not in a position to continue in their roles in the day to day running of the Club. For myself, I will be heavily involved in other activities in 2019 which may see lengthy absences from Horizons and so I may not be in a position to coordinate activities on a weekly basis. In short, all Committee positions are available for nomination.

The constitution calls for Four (4) committee members. These are President, Secretary, Treasurer and Social Director. I have included the responsibilities and time requirements for these positions at the bottom of this email. In reality, the committee does not have that much to do. There is no requirement for regular meetings and any decisions can be made via email or by phone. Record keeping is easy and can (and should) be done electronically. The most time consuming committee position will be Social Director, as HVGC is primarily a social club. Without a Social Director, supported by a number of keen helpers and volunteers, there will be no social activities and therefore no sustainable Vets Club.

I know that there are many eminently qualified members who could easily fill the Committee positions or can help on the social side of the Club. Please give some thought to being actively involved and let me know if you would like to serve. I hope to finalise the committee positions, including any voting that may required, on the 26^th of February (BBQ day).

Thanks, and see you on the course.

Ian Barnard.