Fellow Members, Families and Friends of the USRC,
Kung Hei Fat Choi. The Year of the Tiger begins with a warm welcome back to all those who took the opportunity to travel away for the holidays. Many members stayed in Hong Kong this year and the club was a busy place during this period with strong attendance in most venues. I was pleased to see so many families enjoying their holiday celebrations together.
The GC has a busy year ahead with upgrade and renovation work planned all over the club. The kitchen work is still awaiting the final red tape approvals but is ready to go with favourable tenders already received. Work on the lawn bowls area is in the early planning stages and there are some improvements planned for the maintenance area at the rear of the grounds including a small amenities block to provide some convenient additional toilet facilities for pool users. One of our most critical areas is the multi-purpose sports ground which has had a serious deterioration of its surface. This is a popular and important area and the GC has approved funding for a full upgrade to make best use of the facility to incorporate as many of our popular sports as possible including our newest sport of cricket. We have given this project high priority but in the meantime I would like to draw your attention to the General Manager’s article regarding the removal of the deteriorated soft surface for the time being. Please take the necessary care when using this facility until we can get the upgrade underway.
Membership saw an end of year burst and has steadied at around 960. As mentioned in my last article we are budgeting for a steady membership base this year.
Financially the club remains in a healthy position due to the strong membership base and increasing patronage. F&B outlets are showing good revenue and the Management team are tasked with optimising growth in all areas. F&B Manager Marco is also working with his staff to continue enhancement of service levels in all venues particularly the upstairs Dining Room. Expect to see new uniforms for the staff in this facility as well continued development of the menu to include a section of Asian dishes and vegetarian choices. We will shortly give the venue a new name to match its style and character as well. Please remember though that this is a fine dining outlet and appropriate standards of dress and behaviour are required at all times to provide the ambience a venue of this nature deserves. Mobile phones are strictly forbidden and large group bookings are best made for other outlets to optimise your enjoyment and that of the other diners.
The volunteers on the Centennial Committee continue their valuable work with GC member Bryan Clifford heading a team giving generously of their time to ensure we have a year of enjoyable celebrations. I’m sure Bryan will be writing to you soon with some details.
Finally I would like to advise that the date for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been set at the 18th May, 2010. We welcome all members to this function to hear the latest club developments and to cast your vote for your representatives on the GC.
I would like to wish you all a healthy and prosperous year of the Tiger.
Regards
Ross Parker
Chairman
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