It's a Topsy-Turvy Year We're Having Cambridge Bt Oxford

Easter 2020 It’s a topsy-turvy year we’re having Cambridge bt Oxford (virtually) We began the year with the optimism born out of the successful Ospreys vote the previous year, Organised by Power2Inspire, on 13th June Cambridge and and indeed the presence of the Ospreys has begun to show that increase in trade that we were Oxford competed in a virtual Boat Race. Two inclusive crews hoping for, until everything was cut off by the Virus. Not so much lockdown, more a case of lock- of 8 from around the world competed on rowing machines to out. The Clubhouse is closed, and we have made use of available government grants and put see who could row the 6.8Km in the fastest time. staff into furlough. It would be nice to think that we can reopen in September, but at this point, The teams were to be as inclusive as possible - 4 men and 4 who knows whether we will be able to. women in each boat, and one of each to be disabled. This was Moving forwards: the (not so) assembled Cambridge crew: However we are not letting the grass grow under our feet, and we’re taking the opportunity to Sophie Paine Jan Helmich review every aspect of the business to see what we can do, not just to improve the current 2020 Boat squad Para-rowing situation, but also to future proof the business as far as we can. In this respect we have been led by Michael Phillips, in his second year as President, ably Wolfson Trinity Hall seconded by this year’s Secretary, Matyas Molnar. They have Competing in Competing in kept the energy up, have persuaded the members to continue Bahamas Tonbridge paying their subs without any Clubhouse to go to, and continued Freddie Markandy Renae Domaschenz to elect new members who, not being able to play their varsity Lightweight matches, have nonetheless demonstrated that they are of blue Paralympian calibre. Since the Club elections have now taken place we are Queens’ Darwin now able to congratulate Matyas on becoming the President for Competing in Competing in Mike Phillips 2020-21. Cambridge Australia Matyas Molnar Steele Bodgers was even more of a success than it has ever been before (thank Miranda Clements you to the DRC, and to our sponsor Carter Jonas). We hosted 480 people in the Hawks’ Pippa Whittaker Lightweight marquee, and the aggregate score competition yielded a greater donation to the Hawks’ Boat Race 2019 Charitable Trust than ever before of over £3,000. Darwin Christ’s Competing in After many years of wear and tear, and serving more burgers than you can imagine, the kitchen is Competing in Putney in need of a revamp, and we are in the process of getting quotations. The objective is to have a Surrey spanking new kitchen in time for September. Ollie Parish Tom Ransley We have had the exterior of the building redecorated, and very nice it looks World Juniors 2019 too. Our particular thanks to those members of the DRC who helped with Olympics 2016 obtaining the most advantageous quote, and then supervised the work. Peterhouse Hughes Hall We are taking advantage of the closure to turf out all the cupboards, deciding Competing in Competing in what we want to keep, what to consign to external storage, and what to London Winchester jettison. We are of course being careful with our archives of election records, pictures, and other memorabilia. We have approached the University Library Cambridge beat Oxford by 2.5 seconds. with respect to their looking after this archive, who have expressed interest, Both teams had the target of raising £5,000 for the charity but please, not just now! You will also see in a future edition a list of items which promotes inclusivity through sport. At the time of writing that have been unearthed and are available to purchase. Oxford has raised £6,520, and Cambridge £10.015. You can We are intending to make the business as far as possible cashless. This will mean facilities for still donate - go to https://www.power2inspire.org.uk/ you to book and pay for your events (lunches, dinners, etc) online, and to easily pay your bar bills with swipe cards. This also means an update to the website, and plans are being drawn up to do that. …and Mike Biggar does it for NHS We have been continuing to work on the rectification of the Company’s share register described in Rugby Blue 1971, 24 caps for Scotland, and previous communications. The work, going back through records some 30 years old has been Captain too, Mike had a disastrous car gargantuan. We are at the state where we are confident that the register truly represents all accident 25 years ago. The effort required those individuals who hold shares, and no one has been disadvantaged. However it is also to stand, much less walk, is enormous. unfortunately evident that where we have most fallen down is in the proper recording of transfers Here he is attempting to walk 500 steps for and it is this issue more than any other that the court will be asked to approve. the NHS. To add your donation go to: Counting the cost: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mike- All of this costs money, and the name of the game, as it always has been with the Clubhouse, is biggar Continued overleaf 1 It’s a topsy-turvy year we’re having The Welsh Dinner cash. For those who are not aware, the Clubhouse has always, right from its opening in 1992, traded The usual report by the ineffable Steve Whitehead. at a loss, averaging about £35,000 per year. Back in 1993 we went to our alumni asking them to Thirty nine Hawks*arrived for, what we believe was the Forty make a regular donation to keep the enterprise afloat. Many did so, and some are still doing so since second or Forty third Annual Welsh Dinner (but it might have that date – our grateful thanks to them. However some of those have since died, and some have been the forty-fourth- Hugh Thomas one of the founding stopped, so we have been in a situation of slowly dwindling funding. We have ameliorated that by an Fathers, is a bit further down the road memory-wise and was arrangement that resident Hawks, and members of CURUFC made with a local night club, such that unable to pinpoint the starting date. That said, when asked, he they receive a share of the gate money for the one or two nights a week that they act as whippers-in was also a bit further down the bottles of Port and and gate-keepers. This arrangement has, of course, yielded nothing since lockdown was imposed. Negroamaro, so all is not, perhaps, lost and he might be able Another problem that we have had is that the system that we were using for collecting direct debits to give us a definitive date, when the haze has cleared!) was very admin intensive. With changes of staff it tended to either not happen at all, or happen at the * It might well have been a round forty diners had John Charles wrong times. For this reason we took the decision to change the agent for collecting Direct Debits to Rees QC not stumbled like his friend, Hugh, in the memory GoCardless. This system does the collection automatically according to the member’s own plan and stakes and arrived for the dinner on the following night ! simply informs us who has donated and how much. It also costs about half the amount per transaction that the old system did. So, all the people that we were able to contact have now been The Dinner commenced in sombre mood in the knowledge that converted. If you have been subscribing, and you haven’t heard from us for some time it may be that one of our ever present Hawks, Adrian Payne, has died we simply do not know who you are – either your contact details are out of date, or perhaps we suddenly and tragically, a few weeks earlier. (see Obituaries). cannot identify you from the very little data that comes through on the bank statements. In any case A moment’s silent reflection, proceeded, a spontaneous please do not think that we don’t care – your donations have always been tremendously valued, so outburst of applause, and, later, fulsome tributes from the please do get in touch, or even better go to the Donate page on the website and make a new floor. Adrian would have appreciated all of it, even the donation. universal recognition that he had been “ a brilliant bloke; a hell of a “boy”,; and a great Hawk! “ That said we find that all these, plus those paying by Standing Order, and those paying by direct credit to the bank, come of a total of just over £24,000 – far short of where we need to be. Steve Whitehead was coaxed to Chair the evening for the first time, being coached diligently at every move by our oldest Making Gift Aid work for us: matriculating Hawk, Russel Jenkins, the hitherto long standing So, a new initiative was necessary. We have for some time been considering ways in which we might gavel holder. Sadly, he proceeded to break free of the reins get our donations to attract Gift Aid. The Development Committee of 2016 put considerable effort into and to reduce the hotly treasured and traditionally highly the issue.

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