Woolamai Newsletter - February Edition
Telephone: 0467 475 263 Postal Address: PO Box 49, San Remo, VIC, 3925 Web: www.woolamaibeach.org.au Email: secretary@woolamaibeach.asn.au
In this Edition:
President’s Report
Board Update
Captain’s Patrol
Green Zinc
Rainbow Zinc
Bass Coast Series
Callout for historic club items!
Wild About Wooli! A 50 Year History of the Club
How to get a segment in next Month’s Newsletter
President’s Report
Hi everyone,
Its been another big month at the Club.
February has seen some of our special events happen and not happen.
Channel Challenge
February 4 unfortunately saw the Channel Challenge postponed due to dangerous weather conditions for only the second time in its long history.
It is a credit to our race organisers led by Ron Nicholson, Max Eldridge, Mick Sullivan and Graeme Burgan that they showed such foresight to make the brave and sensible decision to postpone the race due to the anticipated weather conditions.
There were close to 600 competitors entered in the race and quite simply the conditions would have been unsafe for the majority meaning the Club had to put the safety of its competitors and members first.
The re-scheduled Channel Challenge will be held on Saturday 11 March.
Cowes Classic
By the time you have read this, hopefully the Cowes Classic and Little Penguin Dash will have taken place successfully. A big thank you to everyone who is helping out with tasks such as event organisation, first aid or water safety.
Pink Zinc Patrol
Also by the time you have read this, our Club will have hosted its 13th Pink Zinc Patrol and several of our female members will have attended the Bass District Pink Zinc Brunch at Inverloch.
Pink Zinc patrol was started at Woolamai Beach SLSC 12 years ago as a means of celebrating and recognising the contributions of our female members. Since then the concept has spread statewide and this year our Club is joining with other Clubs in the Bass District to celebrate.
Bar Policy
The Club Board has been working on better publicising the Club’s Bar Policy. Over the coming weeks you may notice some changes to the way in which the bar operates and some of the signage in the building.
We operate the bar with a restricted club licence which includes a number of rules such as when and where alcohol can be purchased and consumed. Alcohol cannot be brought into the Clubhouse. Drinks purchased at the bar cannot be taken out of the main function room or balcony. Guests will be required to sign in. The bar must be operated by a person with a RSA and who is endorsed by the Board. All drinks must be paid for and recorded in the IPad at the time of purchase. No IOUs or tabs.
If we stick to these rules then we can continue to enjoy a great facility, be safe and in accordance with our licence.
Whats ahead in March?
The re-scheduled Channel Challenge will take place on Saturday 11 March. We need all available members to help out with water safety, first aid, race centre roles, transition area roles and also patrolling at Woolamai Beach or Smiths Beach. For those who help there will be a free evening meal event at the Clubhouse afterwards.
Happy Milestone Birthday Murray
The Board and members of the Club would like to wish 50 year + and life member, Murray Adams a very happy birthday for late February. Murray has made an enormous and sustained contribution to the Club and is still patrolling and competing in the Channel Challenge.
See you down the beach soon.
Regards,
Jason Close - President
E: president@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Board Update
Decisions
Club to extend the proposed retaining wall a further 7.5m along the dune at the front of the Clubhouse to reduce dune encroachment
Further information and costs to be obtained before making payment for retaining wall and deciding whether to commit further funds to cover increased costs
Old side by side vehicle to be sold now that new one has arrived
Review of Club Admin officer renumeration rate approved. $2 per hour increase now (rate has been unchanged for several seasons). Further review in 2024.
Pink Patrol Brunch at Inverloch on 18 Feb. Club will fund a several members to attend
General Business
The current Clubhouse accommodation for junior members policy discussed. Some improvements to recording parental consent could be made following some further work
Club bar has been busy this season but some improvements to bar procedures and reminders of bar policies are needed
Update from the Alan Pitts Youth Development Fund provided. Work is being done to publicise fund and develop criteria for allocation
Director Update
See below updates from the board:
President - Jason Close
The season has been rolling along really well and I have been extremely impressed with the dedication and hard work being put in by our patrolling members and everyone in leadership roles.
Another highlight was seeing the return of many of the Nippers and social activities which have been missing for the past few Covid affected seasons. A key theme of this season has been about re-connecting.
The Club has continued to build upon its strong relationship with Phillip Island Nature Parks who we are partnering with to carry out a number of improvements around the Clubhouse Environs. We recently assisted PINP by supporting the running of the National Surfing Reserve Community Surfing Competition. On the last weekend in January, our Sustainability Committee conducted a beach clean up morning and presented the findings to PINP.
The Club also took part in a fascinating penguin research project by helping launch and retrieve a floating drone to survey penguin foraging grounds off Phillip Island. After being launched by our inflatable rescue boats, the $250,000 drone collected valuable information on water temperature, salinity and fish movements. The project is a joint initiative between Phillip Island Nature Parks, the Penguin Foundation, the French National Centre for Scientific Research and other international research organisations. A big thank you to our members who supported this work
We have employed a planning and vegetation consultant to prepare plans and reports to support our dune stabilisation and retaining wall project. We already have Marine and Coastal Act consent and an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage exemption secured so the final step of approval is obtaining a planning permit. Once a permit has been issued we are expecting to be able to formally appoint a preferred contractor to start works in the off season.
Vice president - Brendan Smart
I am currently working on a number of exciting workstreams including:
Negotiating a lease of a section of the San Remo Recreation Centre,
Re-negotiating the Clubhouse lease with Phillip Island Nature Park,
Executing a shade grant for new marquees
Executing a grant with the Bass Coast Shire Council
Working with Swellnet / Fiicomms to install Wifi and CCTV at the Residence and a timer on the live stream of Smiths Beach in the Woolamai Tower (note: please do not touch the TV in the Woolamai Tower)
Renewing the registration for all our vehicles and trailers with Vic Roads
A huge thank you to Christian Born and Campbell Smart who have been helping me with ‘Project VicRoads’ over the past couple of months which involved:
- gaining access to our VicRoads portal
- re-registering the two surf boat trailers
- re-registering the call our trailer
- re-registering one of the ATVs
- transferring a jet ski that was sold a number of years ago
- transferring an IRB / board trailer that was sold a number for years ago
- paying a number of overdue registrations
- Campbell installed new number plates on re-registered trailers / vehicle
Only part of Project VicRoads left is:
I’m following up VicRoads about fixing an error with one of the renewal payments
Also thank you to everyone else that made minor contributions to the project (Boo, Goat etc.)
Sourcing entrance matts at cost price from Flooring Xtra for each of the entrances to the Clubhouse to reduce sand being walked through the Clubhouse. Thank you to Campbell for measuring the entrances and Boo for picking up .
Vice president - Annie Coleman
Pink ZInc patrol was run successfully which was a great opportunity to support and celebrate female identifying members in their lifesaving and leadership. Keep an eye out on our social media for a post coming soon as well as next month’s newsletter for an in depth update on the patrol and Pink Patrol breakfast.
Administration & Finance - Christian Born
No update this month
Lifesaving Services - Campbell Smart
No update this month
Member Development - Terry Aslanidis
All major Camps have been run over the last 2 months with record breaking numbers again!
IRB Crew and Driver camps are currently being organised. The Driver Camp will be held over 2 weekends over the Labor Day weekend and weekend following while the Crew Camp will be held over the Easter Long Weekend.
Alan Pitts Youth Development Fund (APYDF) committee/advisory board has been established to monitor and properly allocate the funds to eligible members. The APYDF was established to provide financial support to our youth members to enable them to attend development programs within Life Saving Victoria and Surf Lifesaving Australia. More information will be available in future newsletters and on the website.
Assets - Darrell Clark
No update this month
Competition - Susan Fawaz
No update this month
Junior Development - Tanya Pinnock
No update this month
Communications - Ryan Box
Bass Coast Series promotions have been well underway. We had a great turnout for Cowes Classic and are hoping that the postponed Channel Challenge doesn’t stop people from signing up and we get a new entry record!
We’re always looking for people to join the team! If anyone want’s to get involved please reach out or send me an email communication@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Sustainability - Louise Smith
No update this month
Captain’s Patrol
On Friday the 10th of February, the Woolamai leadership team took to the San Remo bowls club for an evening out. It was a fun evening shared with laughs and some delicious pizza supplied by Woolamai pizza. We finished our evening at the Woolamai tavern, one of the clubs sponsors.
The Woolamai leadership team do such an amazing job at managing all their patrols and it’s a credit to them for all they do. They then patrolled on Saturday the 11th for the captains patrols. The beaches have never been so safe with such experience present on the beach.
I’d like to thank the Woolamai leaders for their contribution and commitment to the club.
Campbell Smart - Club Captain
Green Zinc Patrol
Our first ever Green Zinc Patrol was held on Sunday 29 January. There was a sustainably sourced dinner on the Saturday night (28 Jan) and a beach clean up from 8.45-9.45am on Sunday before the patrol. About 10 members took part in the beach clean up and removed about 50 litres of waste from the beach and Clubhouse environs.
Thank you to Louise Smith and the Sustainability Committee for their efforts.
Rainbow Zinc Patrol
Our second ever Rainbow Zinc patrol and dinner was held on 4-5 February.
The Rainbow Zinc Patrol is an all inclusive patrol, aiming to create a safe and welcoming space for all members, and to show support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The Saturday night started with a great Mexican dinner followed by a presentation by Dr Casey Delmara and her ex-partner Kate. Casey is a resilience and positive coping skills expert and gave us an insight into some of the challenges and issues facing young LGBTQIA+ people and how we can be more inclusive. Later in the evening Kate took control of the dancefloor and wowed the crowd with her DJing skills.
Congratulations to the mighty Old Skool team (made up of members of the Smithsonians) who proved that they were the smartest people in the room.
The night also featured games between rounds of trivia. These included ‘Chubby Bunny’ (Peter Moate showed everyone that he could fit the most marshmallows in his mouth), arm wrestling, leg wrestling, Hawaiian wrestling, paper aeroplanes and a newspaper tower competition
The following day the Rainbow Zinc patrol took to the beach resplendent in their rainbow fish patrol caps designed and made by Barb Webb.
Thanks to everyone on the Diversity Committee who helped organise a terrific fun night and important patrol event.
Bass Coast Series
2 of the 3 legs of the Bass Coast Series legs have now been completed!
A big thank you to everyone who has helped out with the Cowes Classic and Little Penguin Dash. The day went smoothly thanks to everyone’s joint efforts!
We just have the rescheduled Channel Challenge left
Channel Challenge
Saturday 11th March 2023 - 4:15 pm start
How to help out?
To help with water safety or first aid, please comment on the posts in the members facebook page or email max_eldridge@hotmail.com
To help out in the race centre please get in contact with Ron Nicholson ron@fullhousegroup.com.au
Don’t feel like helping out this year? Get involved and sign up to compete with all your friends and family. Despite some setbacks, we’re hoping to make this the biggest year yet! Register now - https://www.basscoastseries.com.au/
Callout for historic club items!
Hello to all Woolamai Members
From Graeme Clauscen, Club Historian
From the Archives a little bit of History !
S.L.S.A. Poster from 1977
Woolamai Aerial Photo 1987
I am currently working on the Club’s archives and cataloguing a lot of new items that have been given to the Club.
It is proposed that all of the items in the Club archive will be digitized and uploaded to Victorian Collections where anybody can access all of the items, on line.
The family of Dennis Harris recently provided a large number of photos and documents collected by Dennis over many years.
This is an appeal for donations of items of Historical interest to Club Members past and present. I am looking for the following:
Club Garments
T Shirts, Tops, Shorts, other Any item of clothing with the Club Name/Logo on it, condition not important.
Photographs
Color or black and white photographs of Club activities over the years 1959 -2022. Where possible, detail of, Location, Date, Names, and any other relevant info.
General Memorabilia
Any item of Club interest, Medallions Trophies Certificates Pennants etc. In other words if it is part of Woolamai History I would like to know about it and see it.
IMPORTANT. PLEASE PROVIDE – NAMES DATES TIMES LOCATION AND ANY RELEVANT INFORMATION
If you would like to donate any item that would be great, if not we will photograph the item and return to you.
Best Wishes
Graeme Clauscen
If you would like to contact me, 0412 789 499
Wild About Wooli! A 50 Year History of the Club
Want a segment in next Month’s newsletter?
Hi all,
If anyone would like to submit something for next month, the best way to do this is send me an email at communication@woolamaibeach.asn.au with a title for the segment, and text of what you’d like to be included as well as any pictures or images and I’ll be sure to add it in.
Deadline for March’s Newsletter - 8th of March
Cheers,
Ryan Box - Director of Communications
