COMMODORE’S REPORT John Midolo Commodore
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ooking back over the last few months there has been a lot happening. We have had the reopening of the club, commencement of a revised Power Season and the closing of that Season, Power Cocktail Prize Night, Keel and Off the Beach prize nights, our 20-year dinner, new members night, and the opening of the 75th sailing season. With the virus under control in Western Australia the summer sailing season unfolded with the normal fanfare at all the clubs. As your Commodore, I had the privilege to represent our club at our kindred club opening days and from the feedback I received they were all impressed with our Opening day. I know it was a long day, but I was extremely impressed with the turnout for presentations with the bar packed, so thank you one and all. There is one part of our Opening Day I would like to revisit, and this comes from my recent experiences from kindred club opening days. The reference to the local indigenous people of the Swan river is the dream time stories that are told – this culture has been hidden to some extent, but I believe as we listen to the welcome to country stories, we as sailors, need to look after the waterways now and well into the future. With the traditional smoking ceremony and Marie Taylors words, I believe we will see more clubs introducing “elders in residence” in the future. On our return to full operation after COVID-19 and the completion of the Quarter Deck refurbishment, we have seen a better than average crowd using the area. The renovations to the Centreboard Club House ablutions have been completed and are quite impressive to say the least. Planning approval is slowly being ticked off for the kitchen extension. The repairs to the wave attenuator on jetty 1 will start in the new year. We have created a Facilities Superintendent position in the recent month. The intention is to streamline our maintenance across the board, so we reduce the knee jerk reaction we tend to have now. Hopefully between the Finance Committee and the Facility Superintendent we can budget for major breakdowns. You will also notice some new faces around the club as there have been quite a few staff changes. If you happen to
bump into any of them, please welcome them to our club with a friendly Hello! As you may have gathered, the 75th celebrations are well underway and the committee have lots of events planned. We have formed an archives section of the club and these volunteers have been very busy gathering all sorts of memorabilia. Over the next month expect to see billboards around the club promoting our history. A month or so ago we hosted the annual Volunteer thank you event which was held in the marquee. The traditional cook off with the Flag Officers turning dozens of sausages was well received. There was a good attendance, and the event was a huge success. I don’t think I could say thank you enough to the many volunteers we have. With our riverbed lease due for renewal in 2027, the planning committee is looking at a way to offset the increase in costs. There are a couple of thoughts of changing the original lease to enable the extension of the existing jetties, or the jetty 8 proposal – this would see a new jetty extending from roughly the midpoint of jetty 7 extending into the existing mooring area. Unfortunately, there is also a cost that will go with this. It is still early days in the planning. It will be sad to gaze out from the Quarter Deck and not have the Duyfken moored alongside. The ship is due to be transported via sea to Sydney. The National Museum Trust has taken it under its wing – another Western Australian icon lost to the east! We are now entering the festive season. We were lucky enough to attend the jetty 6 Power boat Christmas Party and what a great night that was. I am sure there were a few sore heads the next morning! I guess there will be more to come as the various sections celebrate Christmas and welcome in the New Year. This has just touched on some of the events we have had. I am sure the rest of the committee have more detail for you to read in their articles.
JOHN MIDOLO Commodore
Rose and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy, and healthy New Year.
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