Chairman’s Report 2021-22
I moved to Plett in August 1993 and by September 1993 I was playing touch rugby every Friday afternoon and drinking beer at this club’s honesty bar. By August 1994 I had been roped onto the committee as the IRB officer and into doing my SPA. The IRB officer post did not last very long as by December, after numerous chokka fishing “patrols”, Laurent Eray managed to flip, tuck and roll the duck in the Lookout Beach surf.
From then on its just a blur of different memories, from Cape Champs to comps in East London, loads of instructing, examining and fun.
Fast forward to 2021- 2022- even more of a blur – Zoom AGMs, COVID, two lots of Nationals, and The Club is in one of its best positions for a good few years. Despite all the challenges thrown up, The Club has endured and prospered, albeit in an unconventional way as everyone adapted to a new normal.
I think that any person, organization or club that has come thru the last two years have all learned lessons that the only way one can look at them is in the positive. The Club has endured thru a lot of dedicated work by this committee, and you, the members.
Apart from the committee, there are the coaches and also let’s not forget the instructors who each year tirelessly push a whole new batch of lifeguards into making Plett’s beaches safe.
All clubs evolve and change and the three old ballies on the committee have decided to step aside and make way for some new blood. These changes allow for some new thinking and energy and can only be good for The Club going forward.
I think on a personal note – and I have clearly said it above – that I will be stepping aside and not out. This Club has given me way too much pleasure to go away and I am looking forward to continuing my involvement with examining and maybe even instructing again as well. I am also looking forward to coming down to The Club and watching it change and go from strength to strength.
I don’t really feel like there is a big list of thank yous and stuff to be said as I really feel that I am just handing over the wheel of a really solid vehicle and am happy to sit in the back seat for a while.
That said, I can tell you all now that without our secretary, Mandy, this Club would be nowhere, so my recommendation to our new committee as you go forward: make sure Mandy is treated with kid gloves, make her life easy and everything else will follow .
The other ballies hanging up their speedos, Mike and Gerhard, I am looking forward to drinking a beer with you both from the other side of the fence and maybe we can write the book about the behind the scenes of this club over the last 15 or so years . Oh, and by the way, Gerhard, you are buying .