Hello everyone,
I hope you are all keeping warm and healthy in this miserable weather.
Well things are finally about to happen around our Club after many months of meetings and planning with the Tea Tree Gully Council.
ShineHub are about to begin replacing all the solar panels and installing a battery to significantly reduce our power bill which is in the vicinity of $12,000+ per annum. Jane Oswald and Matt Romaine have been the prime movers in getting this to happen.
Jane has obtained a $28.000 Grant, and the Council have agreed to pay the balance up front. We will then repay them through a lease agreement over 10 years. We did lobby to get them to pay it all for us but to no avail.
Jane is also applying for a grant to establish retractable shades over ‘B’ green. Let’s hope she’s successful in getting this. She’s doing a great job as our Grants Coordinator.
‘A’ green is an ongoing project, with the old plinths about to be replaced with steel. We have employed a contractor James Gregory to do the installation but must thank our members Dick Murdoch, Bob Fuss, Bob Klose and Steve Brown who did all the work in removing the old plinths. It will need weeding again and laser levelling. It has been a long process, but we certainly hope that next year it will be near to perfect.
We have confirmation that the bathroom upgrade will be going ahead Dec/Jan and the verandah at the end of March 2027. The costs for these are covered by the $300,000 from Tony Zappia’s election promise with Council paying the remainder.
Chris Parry our Bowling Operations Manager is currently in the process of nominating sides for the coming season with the MBA and organising, with the Board, the Selectors for all teams to begin the difficult task of selecting sides and teams once the trials commence. There is a great deal of work for him to do. He will advise every one of the outcomes when that process is complete.
Because of the change in administrative structure, we need to replace the three large boards ie BOM, Women’s Section and Men’s Section without losing the history of the Club that they represent. Your Board of Management is currently investigating ways to do this. Richard Smith is updating the Honour Boards.
We have some wonderful volunteers at Hope Valley who continue to do so much work to keep our Club running smoothly.
The Bingo is proving very successful, Bunnings Sausage Sizzle also. Friday night teas, bar servers and organisers, garden and greens team, cleaning teams, social club organisation, maintenance, running social bowls, etc, etc. So, if you are able to contribute your time and/or expertise, please consider helping out. You certainly would be appreciated.
We have decided to go ahead with our Opening Day again this year. The date is Sunday 27th September so put that date in your diary and come along and make it a great day for our Club. A fun game of bowls, a few speeches, and then the delicious food that Hope Valley is noted for.
I hope that we get some sunshine soon, to grow the grass on ‘A’ green, fill the solar battery and get me moving again.
Cheers to all,
Andrea
President
