Canberra Alpine Club Inc Annual Report for 2018
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CANBERRA ALPINE CLUB INC ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2018 TO BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AUDITED ACCOUNTS SUPPLEMENT Canberra Alpine Club The Club was formed on 31 July 1934 at the Alpine Hotel, Kiandra and was incorporated on 29 June 1955 (registration number A.19). The motion to form the Club was put by Tim Ingram and Tom Campbell at a meeting chaired by H.J. Lamble, then Director of the NSW Government Tourist Bureau. The inaugural general meeting was held at the Hotel Canberra on 11 October 1934 to elect office bearers and a committee and to ratify the provisional operating arrangements. The Club is governed by a written Constitution, By-laws and the Associations Incorporation Act 1991. The present Constitution, which has been subject to minor amendments, was adopted in 1996 and the By-laws are revised annually and circulated each June. The objects of the Club include promoting snowsports and bushwalking, fostering the conservation of the alpine environment and the interest of members in matters of historical or heritage significance to skiing or bushwalking including the preservation of buildings, sites and objects. The Club is a corporate member of Snowsports ACT. The Club is also a member of SLOPES (Ski Lodges of Perisher, Guthega and Smiggins Inc) and of the Kosciuszko Huts Association. The Mount Franklin Chalet was constructed for the Club in 1938 with bunk accommodation for 32 on leased land. The Chalet reverted to the Government when Namadgi National Park was created in 1984 and was destroyed by bushfires in January 2003, with a new shelter being erected by the ACT Government in 2007. The Mount Franklin precinct is the subject of memoranda of understanding made in 1989 and 1998 between the Club and the ACT Parks and Conservation Service. The A-frame Perisher lodge was constructed by Club labour in 1961 on land leased from the State of New South Wales. A new lease executed late in 2008 runs until 31 December 2028 – with three 10 year options exercisable after that. This lodge is licensed to accommodate 46 persons and was extended and substantially upgraded in 1983. The bedroom wing was added in 1999, together with wheelchair accessible facilities. The original Jindabyne lodge was constructed in 1968 on leased land in Banjo Paterson Crescent, adjacent to Lake Jindabyne. Freehold title was acquired in 1992. The original lodge was demolished in late 2013 and a new lodge built, opening in 2014. CONTENTS PART 1 – PRESIDENT’S REPORT ................................................................................................... 1 PART 2 - OPERATIONS .................................................................................................................... 4 FINANCES ...................................................................................................................................... 4 GOVERNANCE .............................................................................................................................. 6 LODGES .......................................................................................................................................... 8 BOOKINGS ................................................................................................................................... 13 SNOWSPORTS ............................................................................................................................. 14 SOCIAL ......................................................................................................................................... 16 MEMBERSHIP .............................................................................................................................. 17 PUBLIC RELATIONS .................................................................................................................. 18 STRATEGIC PLANNING ............................................................................................................ 19 PART 3 – MEMBERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE .......................................................................... 20 MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS ...................................................................................................... 20 OTHER MANAGEMENT ISSUES .............................................................................................. 21 APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................................................. 23 APPENDIX 2 ................................................................................................................................. 24 APPENDIX 3 ................................................................................................................................. 25 APPENDIX 4 ................................................................................................................................. 27 APPENDIX 5 ................................................................................................................................. 28 APPENDIX 6 ................................................................................................................................. 29 APPENDIX 7 ................................................................................................................................. 31 Introduction This report covers the 2018 calendar year, which coincides with the financial year of the Club. It should be read together with the audited financial statements for the Club’s financial year ending 31 December 2018 which have been published as a supplement. While the report formally covers the calendar year, some information is also provided regarding events between the beginning of 2019 and preparation of this report. 1 PART 1 – PRESIDENT’S REPORT It is my pleasure to report on the operations of the Canberra Alpine Club during the year ending 31st December 2018. I am pleased to report that the Club has delivered another strong financial result in 2018. After another excellent snow season, the annual result was a surplus of almost $90k. While slightly lower than the 2017 result, this is still a very healthy surplus, and puts the Club in a strong position for 2019. Importantly, we continue to make significant reductions to our Jindabyne Redevelopment Loan, which now stands at $550k (reduced from $1M in four years). Full details of our financial position are contained in the Treasurer’s report and audited accounts. Membership at the end of 2018 was 538 (of the maximum of 600 allowed by constitution), with a waiting list of 64. Both of these numbers are increased from 2017, and it is pleasing to see a reversal in the trend of declining membership numbers, combined with so many new nominations in 2018. The ability to attract and retain members is vital to the long-term success of the Club, and this will continue to be a key focus for the committee. Lodge bookings reached an all-time high in 2018, with over 6,500 bed / nights in total (an increase of 9% on 2017 levels). It was particularly pleasing to see excellent occupancy in both peak and off-peak periods, across both lodges, which were close to capacity throughout the peak season. Please refer to Appendix 2 for further details. A number of social events were held during the year in Canberra and at the lodges. These included the Pre-Season Cocktail Party held at Vertikal Indoor Snow Sports, and the Club Championship Dinner and Brumby Cup Dinner, both held at the Perisher Lodge. The Annual Dinner and Trophy Presentation was held at Gryphons in Griffith in October and was yet another very successful night. The Club sporting calendar was again full with Brumby Races, XC Championships, Balmain Cup and Perisher Cup, not to mention Interschools Races, ACT Schools Cup, Youth Week and Family Week. Congratulations to all the competitors who participated in these events, particularly the Club Juniors who achieved fantastic results in Interschools and ACT Schools Cup (see Snowsports report for details). Well done to the Balmain Cup team, who achieved second place in this year’s competition. It was also particularly pleasing that in 2018 the Club was able to enter 2 two teams in the Perisher Cup (after not entering a team for the last two years). It was worth the wait, with the teams achieving great results, achieving 3rd and 7th places. Outside of Australian competition, we were very excited to see performances from Laura Peel, who achieved an outstanding result of 5th in the Aerials Finals in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics at the start of 2018, and was nominated for the 2018 Athlete of the Year at the 2018 Australian Ski and Snowboard Awards in May. Valentino Guseli also had an amazing year on the international circuit, placing first overall in his age group for the 4th year running, and winning the Rising Star award at the 2018 Australian Ski and Snowboard Awards. Congratulations to both of you for your fantastic results in 2018, you are both great ambassadors for the Club. Work parties were conducted throughout the year to continue our important maintenance programs at Jindabyne, Perisher, Mt Franklin and O’Keefes Hut. In particular, this included completing a significant program of work at the Perisher Lodge (required to comply with the 2007 Fire Order), along with the second set of stairs from the Manager’s flat down to the second level. Completing this work was extremely important, as the Perisher Lodge could have been closed for Winter otherwise. In particular, I would like to thank Peter Richards (recipient