AGM 2013, Welcome new President Bruce Anderson

A new President was voted in at last nights AGM of the Gold Coast Sportfishing Club. Bruce Anderson has served on the committee as Vice President for the past 3 years and brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the role. Bruce is a Skipper and active member at the Southport Volunteer Marine Rescue. Bruce was awarded the 2012 Presidetns award at the Gold Coast Sport Fishing Club for his service to the club. Please welcome Bruce to his new role and show him your support during his tenure.

2013/14 Committee

Office	Name	Phone Number	Email Address
President	Bruce Andersen	55590781/0403065990	[email protected]
Vice President	Scott Gregory	0417607218	[email protected]
Treasurer	Rob See	5500 6230/0411 604466	[email protected]
MembershipOfficer	Irene Robertson	0432235110	[email protected]
Secretary	Tamara Anderson	TBC
Games Master	Craig Templar	TBC
Fund Raising	Stone Needham	TBC
General Committee	Aykut AhmetDanny Sands Paul Neilsen Christine Hunt	047755252555378951/0439654734 55374217/0411426794 0433150985	[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Comp Fish Pictures			[email protected]
Sponsorship Inquiries	Christine Hunt		[email protected]

AGM Presidents Report: Christine Hunt 2012/13

As the term of this executive draws to an end I would acknowledge the efforts of the current executive committee.  The members have once again gone above and beyond to serve the interests of the club. A small group of people manages the general business as well as deliver a number of key club activities and tournaments. I know at times that this does not occur without sacrifice and challenge and on behalf of the membership I thank you for what you have given.

In 2012/13our calendar featured

• 1 x Dash for Cash Bream comps
• 1 x Dash for Cash Flathead comp
• The 2013 Easter Bream Classic which attracted its strongest field in history with 48 team. We welcomed new naming rights sponsor Austackle as well as sponsorship from Lowrance, Pure Fishing, Engel, and Oxenford Bait &Tackle.
• The 2012 Flathead Classic was another successful event and the last at our old clubhouse
• The inaugural Top Gun Flathead Comp was a huge success and is sure to be  bigger and better this year
• Christmas Party at VMR base
• Monthly/Annual Club comps

Our monthly Club nights featured a great array of guest speakers which included some of our own talented anglers as well as guests from outside of the club. The Flathead Classic Launch Night in August was once again a highlight with major sponsors and over 120 people in attendance.

Along with these events the participation rates in our monthly club catch comps and our annual point has increased significantly and we have given away over $2000 of Doug Burt’s tackle World Gift Vouchers. Plus increased the prize for the annual winners. I encourage more of you to become involved in the club catch comps and comp days  in 2013/14.

Attendance to monthly club meeting has been on par with the previous 12 months where we have maintained a 40 average. We continued to offer a free sausage sizzle and offset these costs through our monthly raffles and bar sales.

We had the challenge of losing our traditional clubhouse due to the Commonwealth games upgrade. A group of club members pulled together for the relocation working bee. Whilst not ideal our temporary clubhouse at the Southport Bathing Pavillions will have to suffice until an alternative is forthcoming. The Amateur  Club are in negotions with council and we are hopeful that there will be a positive outcome for all concerned.

The 2012 Flathead Classic was a great success, very strong attendance, excellent feedback and a great atmosphere. The event included sponsors such as: Blue Fin Boats, Carlton Mid,Austackle,  TT Lures, White Water Marine/Suzuki and BLA, Lowrance , Tackleworld, Shimano Pure Fishing a host of other lower level sponsors.

Despite a challenging environment of an increasing to infrastructure costs the event did bring a small profit to the club for the first time in a number of years. Even though we have a large numbers of sponsors we contributed financially to the costs of some prizes eg outboard motor, Shimano & Tackleworld stock.

While every effort is made to get the best deal for the club, the economic climate does present challenges. As such a review occurred and unfortunately the 2013 entry fees had to be increased. I would like to make clear that this increase is not about profit but is about covering the ongoing costs to the club.

The other aspect of the Flathead Classic that needs to be acknowledged is a small group of people make this event happen. The committee plus a small handful of other dedicated members go above and beyond; sometimes at a personal cost. I thank them all for their efforts. I have mentioned before that this model is not sustainable and I would like to see greater participation by the general membership in supporting this event. This support needs to be more than fishing the comp. Whether it is formally through a subcommittee or by putting your hand up for a specific job both the Classic and our club will be a better event for it.  AS this is our 20^th year we want to ensure the event is successful on all fronts.

Our clubs social media profile has continued to increase our website averages 2000 visits per month and our facebook club group nearly 300 members  and now 2013 Flathead Classic page  almost 450 likes provides a space to interact with others, keep up to date and find out the latest club and tournament details.

I would like to formally acknowledge and thank all of our sponsors for their support of our events, activities, comps and raffles over the past year. We have some great relationships with our sponsors and are in an excellent position to bring value to our partnerships.I would particulary like to acknowledge Doug Burts Tackleworld for his contribution towards our monthly vouchers and FHC sponsorship, Austackle, who were the naming rights sponsor for Easter Bream Dash for Cash and are platinum for FHC Lowrance, and Purefishing have sponsored multiple tournaments throughout the year.

I would like to acknowledge the anglers who have competed and achieved great results in our Club Annual competition as well as the members who have competed in the various tournaments and series across the country.

The challenge ahead for the club will be to keep the energy alive and the momentum going. I have said before this cannot remain the work of a few and has to become the shared responsibility of many. I encourage all of you to play your part to make this club the best that it can be. Volunteers are vital to the successful running any club.

I think it is well know that I will be not be nominating President for 2013/14 after 3 years of service in this role and 5 on the Committee I believe this is a healthy term for a President and it is important for the sustainability of the club and my own work commitments that new energy is injected into the role. I will be nominating for a general committee position to provide support to the new President. I would like to acknowledge the support I have received in my time of service, to my fellow executive members over that time some of whom have served many more years than myself. A big thanks for the robust discussions that never cross friendship lines, your support and belief in not only me but your club. To the broader membership for your words of thanks and encouragement along the way I also thank you.

I reflect back to my first meeting of a new committee 3 years ago, with a dwindling membership we had a mountain in front of us. But to the person we had a commitment to rebuild the club. We set a goal that if we built it they would come, we aimed to give our members a reason to come out and a reason to get involved. The club is in a very different space today and my wish that this continues going forward.