WRC April/May Newsletter
Contents
Health and Safety Recruitment Firstly, thank you to Nina Brown for her service to the Wellington Rowing Club over many years, most recently as the Health and Safety Officer.  |
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the ideal candidate will be: Secretary@wellingtonrowing.org.nz outlining what skills you would bring to the role.
Until a new H&S officer is appointed, Allan Mills will be the H&S officer. He can be reached at: Safety@wellingtonrowingclib.org.nz Or 027-292-1129
Waimarino Inductions We are now able to row out of the Waimarino facilities, however the building is still being set up and configured. It will take us a few months to really settle in and get the space set up optimally. Before rowing from the new shed, please ensure your squad has had a site induction. To set up this induction this please get in touch with Paul Smart. We are currently limited to only 2 access fobs, so please coordinate with Paul for this intermediate access. The WRA is trialing a phone app, and we anticipate an update soon on how to implement this. Please note that the flooring of the Waimarino is very slippery when wet. This is a recognised design flaw by the WRA, and as a temporary measure there are mats laid out until this can be rectified. For any areas with no matting, please be very conscious of this hazard.
Log book The online logbook is now fully operational at both the Waimarino shed and in town. There is a QR code at at the town sheds you can scan to access this form. At Waimarino, The WRA is evaluating alternative to the log book, but please use the WRC online log book until any changes are made. There is no QR code, but please see the link below for access to the log book and instructions for use:
Emergency Access Card Unfortunately the emergency access card has been mis-placed. Could this please be returned to the club ASAP.
AON Maadi Cup Results While it may feel like Maadi was a long time ago, the club wishes to acknowledge the efforts of all of the squads who raced at Maadi this year. The MacKenzie District turned on the weather for the AON Maadi Regatta on 18 - 23 March. Conditions were perfect for rowing, and WRC affiliated schools had fantastic results. Crews made lots of repechages and finals, and won a tidy collection of medals to round off an excellent season. The G15 crew from Samuel Marsden continued their great form from NISSC to achieve GOLD in 4X and BRONZE in 4+. The G16 doubles crew from Onlsow came away with BRONZE in their event.
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School A Final Results:
C Final Results:
Onslow College A Final Results:
B Final Results:
Saint Patrick’s College B Final Results:
C Final Results:
Replacing Our WRC Truck The WRC truck is used to tow boats to regattas and camps and is used for other maintenance and boat positioning tasks. It has achieved this faithfully over a number of years. It now unfortunately needs replacement. Given our cub’s financial situation it would be wonderful if we could locate a similar type of truck (dual cab, 3.2m tray, 5-6 tonne towing capacity, either new or recent used with low mileage) with either full or partial sponsorship. Therefore, we are seeking persons with links into the trucking industry who may be able to advise us how best to approach the acquisition of a replacement in a manner that limits the need for club funds to be needed. Please contact Richard May (021-024-10441) Richard.may@arcblue.co.nz if you are able to help in any way.
Training Schedule Please note with LTR and the Masters racing season kicking off, there is additional pressure on the resources of the club. Should you wish to train outside of your squads allotted sessions, please ensure you:
The squad allocations, boat locations, coaches contact information, and camp dates can be found here:
Board Update Colleagues, I wish to provide an update from the Board. The Board reviewed several health and safety incidents, but noted that the number of reported incidents and near misses has diminished over the past 3 months. We urge all rowers and coaches to keep reporting incidents so that we can all learn from them. We also noted that Nina Brown our current Health & Safety Officer has resigned after many years of sterling service given that she will be away on holidays next month for an extended time, and that she wishes to allow other members the opportunity to extend their H&S skills and to broaden the H&S knowledge base at the club. Our Committee will be seeking a replacement for the H&S role. In the interim Allan Mills will be the Health & Safety Officer. The Board also reviewed the financial accounts, and we can report that in line with most sporting clubs and businesses across the country we have been impacted by rising costs. In addition, the income from the function centre has fallen behind budget in recent months, which again is consistent with the wider Wellington market, and we have also seen a sharp rise in repairs costs to our trailer/truck plant in recent months. As a consequence, Ange (as Treasurer) and Brad (as Board member) are re-forecasting our budget and will be presenting the Board a fresh financial strategy for the year. We also discussed a proposal from Wainuiomata High School to undertake a Learn to Row program for 20 of their students that have identified rowing as their new chosen sport. The Board has supported the proposal, based on that we have identified a sufficient number of volunteer coaches, available boats and subject to the school raising the funding required. It is proposed that the program will operate from Waimarino and commence in July. Wainuiomata High School has not previously offered rowing as a sport and if the Learn to Row program is successful it may create a pathway for their students into the Club. The Board had initial discussions in preparation for the next AGM, including the completion of the Club's revised strategic plan and review of the constitution and major policy documents. Finally, this will likely be my last official communication in the role as President. Helen and I have sold our apartment and we are heading off for a tour of the South Island and Stewart Island before flying back to whanau in Australia in early May after nearly 8 years in this amazing country. It has been an honour and a privilege being President, and I am excited about where the Club is currently positioned and for the future ahead. I wish to thank you all for your support and comradeship, and it has been the WRC that has held us to Wellington. We have a special Club, where the foundation is its members. Thank you all. Chris Fry WRC President
Committee Update Much of the committee focus this past month has been detailed in this newsletter. In addition to this we have been working to clarify the committee structure and ensure that there are clear roles and responsibilities. As part of this, we have formalized the squad rep role. Specifically, the squad rep will:
The squad reps are:
Reminders Boat Maintenance. Just a reminder for squads to complete their boat maintenance in the coming weeks. Please lodge any faults via the website link (under contact us) and let Jo-Anne Stokes know when boats are completed. Prize giving Friday May 17th will kick off at 6:30 with the naming ceremony for “Full Bore” the new four kindly donated by Russell Black. We are looking forward to a strong turn out to celebrate the season. If you are interested in volunteering to help with this event, please email Jo Stoakes LTR The 25th Anniversary of the Corporate Challenge/Learn to row program kicks off this week. There is still time to register for any interested participants. Please email events@wellingtonrowing.org.nz or checkout the website for more information. Being a good neighbor Friendly reminder to park our boat trailers either on the grass or back beside the club- not in front or beside the Wharewaka (Karaka Café). We also must be conscious not to use the area in front of the Wharewaka to exercise. Specifically, this is the area by the white fence where Powhiri’s are held.
Best of luck to the Masters rowers competing at the Legions of Rowers North Island Champs May 25th-26th |
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