BROTHERS RUGBY CLUB (INC.) Facere et Docere Dominic Paul Shipperley – Wallaby No. 862 91st ANNUAL REPORT and FINANCIAL STATEMENT 2012 THE 108th SEASON To be presented to the Annual General Meeting to be held in the Jacaranda Room, Crosby Park, Crosby Road, Albion on Monday 17 December 2012 at 6.30pm [BLANK] BROTHERS RUGBY CLUB INC. OFFICE BEARERS Patron: REV. BRO. VINCENT DUGGAN C.F.C. Chaplain: REV. FR. L. COOTE P.P. President: Mr J.E.F. FRAYNE Vice-President: Mr P.D. FRENCH Immediate Past President: Mr A.A. SHAW Chairman: Mr J.E.F. FRAYNE General Manager: Mr M.J. KAYE Hon. Treasurer: Mr D.J. HOGAN Hon. Secretary: Mr A.J. MCDERMOTT Club Captain: Mr A.S. SAUER MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Mr. J.E.F. FRAYNE, Mr P.D. FRENCH, Mr. M.J. GIBBS, Mr. J.P. DIAMOND, Mr. C.A. WARNER, Mr. A.J LALOR, Mr. G.C.M. ESMONDE, Mr. M.E. FRENEY, Mr. G.B. FELSMAN HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTS Most Rev. M.B. COLERIDGE D.D. (ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE), Most Rev. J.A. BATHERSBY A.O. D.D. (ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS OF BRISBANE), Rev. Bro. V.F. DUGGAN C.F.C. (CHRISTIAN BROTHERS PROVINCIAL), Rev. Bro. R.J. WALLACE C.F.C. A.M. K.C.*.H.S. (AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS RUGBY UNION), Mr. P. CHAPMAN (ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE), Mr. D. HANLY (ST. JOSEPH’S NUDGEE COLLEGE), Mr. B. LAWLOR (ST. EDMUND’S COLLEGE), Mr. I. MCDONALD (ST. LAURENCE’S COLLEGE), Ms. A. REBGETZ (ST. COLUMBAN’S COLLEGE), Mr. P. MCLOUGHLIN (MARIST COLLEGE ASHGROVE), Rev. Fr. M. EDWARDS O.M.I. (IONA COLLEGE), Mr. R. OUT (PADUA COLLEGE), Rev. Bro. R.V. SKELLY C.F.C. (ST. LEO’S COLLEGE-UQ), Mr. E. GAFFNEY (QUEENSLAND IRISH ASSOCIATION) BROTHERS RUGBY CLUB – LIFE MEMBERS Mr K.P. FEGAN (1955), Mr J.A. BUCHANAN (1959), Mr T.L. SWEENEY (1961), Mr B.J. DAWSON (1977), Mr R.B. MCGRUTHER O.B.E. (1982), Mr A.A. SHAW (1985), Mr. R.S. CONN (1989), Mr P.E. MCLEAN M.B.E. (1996), Mr P.B. HOARE (1998), Mr. M. WATT (2000), Mr J.A. EALES A.M. (2001), Mr P.J. OSWALD (2002), Mr R.G.J. PRICE (2003), Mr. D.J. HOGAN (2004), Dr. P.N. ANDERSEN (2005), Mr. D. CROFT (2006), Mr. D.A. DUNWORTH (2008), Mr. R.W. URE (2009), Mr. R.P. MAHONEY (2011), BROTHERS RUGBY CLUB – LIFE MEMBERS IN MEMORIUM Rev. Bro. P.A. FURLONG C.F.C* (1912), Rev. Bro. W.M. REIDY C.F.C* (1912), Rev. Bro. L.B. TEVLIN C.F.C* (1912), Mr. J.P. FLYNN* (1926), Mr. C.J. CRANLEY*(1932), Mr. M.G. LYONS*(1934), Mr. V.J. DORE*(1938), Mr G.J. BRERETON*(1940), Mr. J.A.S. MOORE*, Mr. E.A. STAPLETON*, Mr. R. HODGE*(1947), Mr. J.E. ROSS M.B.E.*(1948), Mr. J.L. BARLOW*(1949), Mr J.P. FRENCH A.M.*(1950), Mr B.P. O’CONNELL*(1951), Mr. T.B. MCCORMACK c.B.E.*(1952), Mr K.J. HODDA*(1953), Mr. D. GUILFOYLE*(1954), Mr G.F. BERKELEY A.M.*(1960), Mr C.V.J. DAHL O.A.M.*(1962), Mr K.M. MACCHERONI*(1963), Mr B.F. REID*(1967), Mr J. KENNY*(1969), Mr M.T. HAZELL O.A.M.*(1972), Mr P. ZAPPALA*(1981), Mr F.J. DUHIG*(1983) * Deceased Q.R.U. LIFE MEMBERS Mr. A.S.I. GRALTON*(1904), Mr. D.S. CARTER*(1915), Mr. J.P. FLYNN*(1931), Mr. J.E. ROSS M.B.E.*(1940), Mr. T.B. MCCORMACK c.B.E.*(1956), Mr J.P. FRENCH A.M.*(1959), Mr K.J. HODDA*(1961), Mr. J.J.BREEN*(1990), Mr R.B. MCGRUTHER O.B.E. (2000) * Deceased A.R.U. LIFE MEMBERS Mr. T.B. MCCORMACK c.B.E.*, Mr J.P. FRENCH A.M.* * Deceased Dallan Murphy Matt Kaye PRESIDENT’S REPORT Here we are at the end of another year, our 108th in fact. Like a lot of other years before this one it has been a year of achievements, disappointments, and perhaps lost opportunities. Firstly we must congratulate and delight in the achievement of Dom Shipperley in becoming, deservedly, a Wallaby. The ultimate achievement for the Club is to see one of its members reach the pinnacle of our sport. Well done Dom and all our best for a long future with the Australian Wallabies. On the football field we appear to have achieved well, with a minor premiership for premier Grade, premierships for Wyatt and Normandy Cup teams, a grand final appearance for 2nd Grade, resulting unfortunately in defeat, and finals appearances for all other premier grade teams. Colts fought up hard but frankly were undermanned for the competitions they played in. The football department is, amongst other emotions, disappointed however and so real investigation, planning, and action is being undertaken for the future. A strong committee of Recruiters was formed last year and continues to strive for young players to play at the Club. The overwhelming attribute we are seeking is a desire to play Rugby at Brothers. Whilst other Clubs seek to gain allegiance with rewards of monetary incentives, free education and accommodation we aim to develop aspirations amongst our target group to aim high, using the pathway we are developing for them, and all those players at Brothers who have ambitions. That doesn't mean we fail to recognise the fact that some players require assistance in some form; notably assistance with education and employment opportunities so that is where our efforts are directed. Off the field the primary objective continues to be the pursuit of revenue to ensure we continue to operate and grow our Club, field well-presented and prepared teams and plan for the future. Des Hogan will tell you we have made a profit and we will enter into the new year with a little money in the bank and most creditors paid or within terms. We will also be confronted with costs associated with the Clubhouse and generally facility renovation, which are onerous. With the help of the Brisbane City Council staff (notably Lorraine Gregory, now a firm supporter of Brothers Rugby) some significant restoration of the Club has been achieved. We also owe a debt of gratitude to Glen Rohrig, major sponsor, and Guy Ledwidge and Roger Jones, both significant in-kind sponsors, for the work and materials given to us in the improvement of facilities. Our revenue has been underwritten by the support of sponsors, particularly those who have been constant stakeholders in the Club. In that regard Imagetec enters its sixth year as major sponsor, ardent supporter and sometimes business adviser and earns enormous gratitude from the committee. My rough estimate is that Imagetec, at 31 Dec 2013, will have paid the club approximately $185,000 for the right to display their name on the jersey and the hope we generate some leads for their business. We are enormously grateful for the support of all sponsors, particularly when you realise that the QRU is reluctant to commit any money to real publicity for Clubs, and consequently their sponsors. To efficiently operate the Club your committee needs to raise about$450,000 annually and then more than that for renovation and development. Therefore the funds raised by the Welsh Test lunch, organised and sold by Greg Felsman, and Tony Lalor, on committee, and others, not on committee, including Tom Ritchie is invaluable. This event was well supported by corporations, which must in the future be the target market as frankly the financial membership of the Club is firstly tiny, when you consider the persons who have and are involved with the club, and secondly, apart from a notable selection, is apparently not very interested in supporting the fund raising efforts of the committee. In this regard the aim to gain 500 financial members of the club has fallen about 250 short which is frustrating for a dedicated and hard working committee. Big efforts were put in by supporters to make the Golf Day and Ladies Day, important revenue generators, successful. Other efforts to generate income and to extend our supporter base such as The Presidents Club were failures due to either inappropriate models, or complacency, or lack of commitment to achieve success. That does not mean we will abandon such initiatives but we need to work harder at development and sale to get the best result. In an effort to improve our planning, prioritisation, execution and to encourage our supporters to join the process of planning and execution of the most needed initiatives, the committee engaged a consultant to moderate the development of a strategic plan for the short term future of the club. The plan is complete and the committee has adopted the priorities that interested persons have disclosed as preferred actions. I will provide a short synopsis of the main features of the plan at the AGM and after the AGM the plan itself will be available on the web-site. At the time you read this we will have commenced some ground rehabilitation work and will have lodged grant applications with the City Council for a grant to pay for a portion of the cost of the upgrade of the Jack Ross oval; and with the State Government for the cost of a major upgrade of the lights on Jack Ross oval. We have plans to use the existing lights to upgrade the lighting on the Vic Walsh oval but that is a costly exercise and therefore won't occur until there are funds available.