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From the Helm
Dear Members – this month heralds the end of another financial year for the Club and I am sure not to be the only one to be pleased to see the end of the past 12 months.
However, it was not all bad, and we certainly had some very positive things come out of it and pleased to see that some of our key projects and objectives finally coming to fruition.
The recent General Meeting held at the end of March was attended by over 100 members and that in itself is a good indication that there is a lot of support and interest in where the Club is today and where we are heading.
Please see notes below for your information and update.
Ron Greer, Commodore
Club Capex & Significant Projects
SERVICE JETTY – contract for this project has been awarded to Jetty Marine Constructions and work will commence in April, aiming for completion by July 2021. Stage 1, will be demolition of the existing jetty, remembering that the fuel jetty will remain as is and in operation for the duration of the reconstruction. Stage 2, will be
FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES – we are now at the final acceptance of design and drawings stage, which are again in the hands of DFES with an expected response mid April. Once approved, we will go to tender and plan for Stage 1 of this long awaited project.
SITE CONTAMINATION – we have achieved a much improved status with this project, however now must take final step with the development and implementation of a Site Management Plan, along with the last layer of what is classified as “contaminated but re-usable” rock & soil. After this, it is anticipated that we can apply for removal of the Memorials affecting our DoT Leases.
DINGHY CLUBHOUSE – another project gathering momentum, with Dorian Constructions now preparing drawings and site elevations for us to call for tenders on the rectification work to protect the building’s use for another 3-5 years.
SITE DRAINAGE ISSUES – progress has been achieved here with Council having initiated the site survey they need to identify the drainage underground, and also cleaned out a reasonable amount of debris and build-up which should reduce some of the flooding impact during heavy rainfall.
BOAT LIFTER JETTY – by the time you read this news update, the work will have commenced and been finished.
JETTY REPLACEMENT REVIEW – the report has been completed and will be reviewed by the Planning Committee to consider the recommendations. Remedial work will continue in the meantime as part of the ongoing R&M program.
DoT Lease Update
It was advised to the Board and at the March General Meeting, that to date, DoT have refused to supply the basis or methodology or their valuation to determine the proposed rent of $760,000. At this time, DoT continue to invoice the Club at current rent of $34,700pa as an interim measure. DoT have recently suggested in writing that the rent dispute should be resolved by arbitration and whilst not the Club’s preference, the Board has approved to go to arbitration if necessary. We are therefore using this time to obtain best legal advice and have appointed Senior Counsel. Membership will continue to be kept informed when further developments arise.
Constitution Review
More progress has been made with recommendations for the Club’s Constitution which was last updated in December 2018. This is a critical document for our Club, and a number of clauses have been ear-marked for amendment or removal and others are new clauses to enable the Club to operate in a more functional, logical and compliant format. The Working Group are hoping to have final report and recommendations prepared in time for the Annual General Meeting.
Membership
As at 29th February, the Club now has 3,169 members, the highest it has been in the last 10 years!
Annual General Meeting
Please note the date for the 2021 AGM has been set for Tuesday 27th July, commencing at 7.30pm.
Section News
Angling, Game Fishing & Dive
Game Fishing: Blue Marlin Classic attracted a lot of participants this year, only to have not one marlin in sight! Lots of good fishing was had otherwise and in good conditions.
Angling: King George Whiting comp went ahead during March again with a lot of eager participants. Good to see the Bech family successful with their entry in the Angling
Intercomp held in Dongara.
Dive:
Members of this section continue to carry out lots of important work in and
around our marina with the anode replacement program. Fortunately, they do manage to squeeze in a bit of fun with their monthly Dive day during the month.
Sailing
Freo to Exmouth race is now only 4 weeks away, number of entries now down to 38 due to some “boat” issues but all is looking very positive for the event, and particularly with addition of grant support from the Exmouth Shire Council.
Other Sailing activities with Inshore, Offshore, Cruising, Twilights and Dinghy Section have had lots going on in the last few months and now plans being made for end of season presentations.
A special thanks also to the volunteers who give up time for the Race Management and other Committee responsibilities.
Power, Bosuns, Pipes & Drums
Power:
the Annual Picnic Day was a great success with over 75 people attending, and
perfect weather as well! The annual
Pirate Raid was held this year at SoPYC and unfortunately, the FSC team were
not successful in securing the “booty”.
Bosuns:
all keeping very busy looking after big and small maintenance jobs around the
Club, and the Club vessels. Arthur and
his team of bosun’s do excellent work!
Pipes & Drums: Stuart and his
trusty Pipes and Drums are getting in a lot of practice for the upcoming Anzac
Day Parades and services as well as preparing for the 9th Annual
Fremantle Highland Championships on 2nd May being held here at FSC. We wish them all the very best of luck!
Duty Officers
Greg Hancock and his team are once again showing how important their roles are in creating a warm and friendly welcome to our Club! New Officers are joining on a regular basis to ensure we have plenty at our disposal to support our many Club events.
From the Desk - of the CEO
It’s been another very busy month with preparations and
planning for Exmouth Race as well as recruiting several new staff members and finishing off our Budget and Business Plan for the year ahead. Firstly, please join me in welcoming Angela Ifkovich as our new Executive/Admin Assistant, Sophie Frazer as Marketing Assistant and Jasmine Yeap in our Functions Team. Secondly, the preparation of a Budget & Business Plan involves a lot of people – particularly the Club’s Treasurer, Finance Manager and this year, each Department Head has been heavily involved in producing their departmental Strategic Objectives for the year ahead. So a big thank you to everyone and hope we see this next year through to the end without too many hiccups!
And finally, congratulations to FSC members Monique de Vries & Nia Jerwood (pic left) selected for the Australian Olympic Sailing Team for Japan this year!
Karen Baldwin, CEO
Finance
Total income for February finished $681,654 compared to $741,581 in February 2020. It was unfortunate that the forced closure for the first 10 days of Feb occurred with both short notice (ie 6 hours) and in what is usually a very busy month. The lack of notice did not enable us to reduce costs as much as would have liked, but when we were able to re-open, things did get back to normal pretty quickly, but we were unable to recover
from the loss of those first 10 days. Total Net loss (after depn & deductions)
for the month was ($249k) compared to ($387k) in the previous year. YTD the operating profit is $797k before add backs. After depreciation and DoT rent,
the position is $355k. Forecast profit after depn for the full year is expected around $336k.
As mentioned above, the 21/22 Budget has been finalised and
includes significant expenditure on legal costs to continue the DOT Rent
dispute and an increase in R&M expenditure which will allow the Club to finally catch up on a lot of much needed work.
Organisation & Club Culture
As part of the Business Plan process, the current club structure was reviewed and
gaps in management of two areas have been identified, involving the Special
Projects & Waterfront Operations (currently supported by Engineer
Consultant) and House Operations areas.
These will be assessed along with new Job Descriptions before any recruitment is commenced.
It has also been identified, that skills & service training is lacking in a few areas and this will also be addressed in coming months.
Corporate/Governance
Approval has been received from the Department of Liquor & Gaming so that the Club now has an extended licensed area including the VIP Lawn area adjacent to the VIP jetty. Previously use of this area required an application for Extended Trading area. The Department also has now officially included the Bridge & Boardroom as “Licensed areas” as they were not updated previously after their construction.
Legal / Insurance Matters
Club Marine Claim: continuing with more detailed investigation, and inspections on site to finalise the matter.
A couple of incidents during the month occurred, one resulting in an insurance claim, but hopefully not too much impact on our claims history.
Membership Activities & Events
As at the 31st January, our membership numbers have reach 3,169 and the new Local category has now attracted 69 members. With only 3 months left in this membership year, pro rata rates are available to new members in any category. This does not apply to any relevant nomination fee, although on a good note, the Senior Nomination fee which used to be $3,400 and was reduced last year to $1920 in honour of our 100th year, will remain at this lower amount for the next 12 months.
The House Committee remains very enthusiastic and coming up with more great ideas for club social activities, and might even see the Lucky Member Badge Draw or Chocolate Wheel come back into action soon! Don’t forget Mother’s Day is coming up on 9th May and the Wardroom will have a fabulous Seafood & Carvery Lunch and then will follow on the first Sunday of each month. Make sure you book in early for these delicious lunches
Marina & Maintenance Matters
The Club owned Marina pens are still at 100% occupancy, with the hardstand 100% full and a wait-list of nearly 30 members trying to get a spot.
Members might have spotted a large crane at the front of the Clubhouse late March – this was to remove the defunct air-conditioning units and allow for replacement of roof panels. And don’t worry – the large FSC letters which sat on the roof are still here, safely tucked away near the Bosuns shed.
As you can see from the Commodore’s report, a lot of progress has been made with our major projects, many thanks to our Project Consultant, Paul Bailey & Maintenance Manager Andrew Raven.
Welcome New Members from February intake!
Paul Browne
Melanie Browne
Mike Saunders
Gail Saunders
Dean Kemp
Mike Davis
Bonnie Davis
Louise Whittle
Mark Pensabene
Deanne Pensabene
Nicholas Turner
Lindy Nield
Christine Johnston
Mark Zuvela
Kristen Rule
Tim Edwards
Mel Edwards
Mike Watson
Emma Johnston
Kaylene Tolman
Jed Williams
George Golowyn
Geoff Glazier
Caroyln Glazier
Peter Vlaar
Sophie Vlaar
Trace Mills
Stephen Pynt
Paul Whittle
