Fellow Members,
The Annual General Meeting was held on 18 May and the General Committee had the opportunity to present the annual accounts and report on the state of the Club. We were pleased to record another successful year for the USRC for 2009.
I am delighted to report that the two hardworking and valuable GC team members whose term was completed at the AGM, Annie Yeung and Les Pearce, both offered themselves for re-election and were returned to office unopposed. I am grateful for their generous contribution and valuable input throughout their terms so far.
I completed my second term as Chairman and was pleased to receive the support of members in standing for another term and I look forward to working closely with our very devoted and hardworking GC members to continue the progress we have enjoyed over the recent years.
The Club's current situation is sound from a financial and operational point of view but for the first time in some years we are slightly behind our budget forecast in recruitment of Full Ordinary members. This is fortunately offset by below average resignation rates and strong Sports Membership recruitment so we are actually maintaining a very stable member base. Remember that the best recruitment is from our own member referrals and that there is an incentive package available for those who successfully recruit new members.
For the last few months we have been working hard behind the scenes on several projects such as the kitchen refurbishment, multi-purpose sports facility and the lawn bowls landscaping. The timing of the kitchen project is still being carefully considered so that we balance the level of disruption to our activities and members against the benefits of a more efficient and functional facility. The government approval process has been problematic for us, to say the least, such that a decision on the start date will be made in the very near future. The other projects are not affected by these constraints and are progressing well.
I am pleased to report that Marco and Noel have been working on expanding the menu in the Dining Room so we can expect to see a wider range of dishes which will include some favourites from other menus as well as some exciting new dishes. This is a wonderful venue and I would love to see more members enjoying the ambience of fine dining for both lunch and dinner. Please remember the dress code requirements when using the facility. Expect to see some further promotions from Marco and his team to introduce the new menu format.
Summer is well and truly with us now and we can expect some busy days by the pool and some enjoyable BBQs on Saturday nights. For those travelling away for the summer break, I wish you a pleasant trip and for those staying in Hong Kong for the summer, I hope to see you around the Club.
Regards to all,
Ross Parker
Chairman
|
