Office Holders 2014 - 2015 Patron Mark Mitchell Vice Patrons Alan Franich, Colleen Chapman Hon Solicitors Tony Edward of Hunt, Edward Kennelly Hon Medical Advisors Dr Te Harr, Dr M Johnston President Wayne Franich Chairman John Chapman Secretary Shane Burke Director of Finance Mark McCarthny Chair of Life Saving Committee Mark Fergus Chair of Surf Sports Committee Benny Larsen Chair of Junior Surf Committee Karyn Phillips Chair of Building Committee Zane Taylor Chair of Funding Committee Andrea May Public Relations Amanda Wignell Life Members L to R : Tim Green, Mark Fergus, Graham Taylor, Alan Franich, Colleen Chapman, Peter Young, Mark McCarthny, John Chapman, Wayne Franich Absent: Norrie Kelleway, Bruce Pearson, Neil Watts 2 President’s Report As I write this report, I reflect on the season and as the Northern Region Awards of Excellence are upon us I look through the list of names that have been accepted to move through to the finalists category. This in no way reflects the number of nominations that we as a club submit, but is an indicator of how we stack up against the rest of the clubs in the Region. This season being no different from any other I see we are well represented throughout all of the categories. To the finalists we wish you all good luck. Once again a busy season was experienced by our guards. As I say every year, we just get busier & busier. With the growth in Auckland’s population, let alone our local populous, our beach is being well used both on, in and off the water. The importance of our club to function across all areas efficiently & professionally has never been more important than the present and into the future. With a new club house on the horizon, the want has now rapidly turned into a need with both internal & external demands creating pressure on already compromised infrastructure. We have a building committee working hard to get our new building to Resource Consent. This will become reality in the very near future, then the real work begins with the raising of funds for Building Consent and the build. Within our club, Orewa continues to be well represented in a number of Operational Committees and Boards, both Regionally and Nationally, a sign of a strong club. The strength I identify is that these members have been able to move forward from the club's committees, only made possible through the fact that we have a large number of members willing to give time and become involved at club management level. Our reliance on the entire membership to help run the club has never been more important as we continue to grow. I thank all of you for your commitment and support. With Life Guarding the reason for our being, the size of our patrols reflect the increased demands on the beach and capability expected of our club. Again, this season we continued to patrol more than one beach and as always Orewa Beach in 3 its entirety. Some may comment that with a large membership we may need a larger area to patrol but I know that too many patrolling members is never enough, particularly with Auckland’s growth projected to continue. It is very encouraging to see the number of our older members, mainly nipper parents, training and sitting their Surf Awards, great to have an older element added to our patrolling base moving forward. Surf Sport is our retention tool and analysis of data from the last few seasons on a Regional basis shows that it is essential that a good sport programme within a club is in place to bring through and retain our younger members. This works with our senior members and now our older members through the masters category adds another dimension. Sport helps to secure and retain our membership. With a new coach in place this season, we are ensured that a strong sport programme will continue, another part of the complex package that makes up a sustainable club in today's environment. Increased size and profile within our community gives our sponsors and supporters exposure. With this support we can plan for the future enabling us to continue to give service to the community and indirectly assist in the building of valuable citizens. Our sponsors are a key component to our existence, which we do not take for granted and are grateful for. Our thanks goes to them all. In closing thanks must go to Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Surf Life Saving Northern Region for the guidance and governance provided to our movement. To our members, staff and parents, thank you to you all for your contribution and commitment to the Orewa Surf Life Saving Club through this past season. Wayne Franich President 4 Chairman’s Report The 2014-2015 season has been another successful year for your club. That is thanks to the efforts of each and every one of you who make voluntary contributions to our overall good. Firstly, I want to thank all our sponsors and donors. Without the generous support of a huge number of businesses and individuals, we would not be able to exist. I thank you all on behalf of all members for your support to our club. I would also like to acknowledge the support and encouragement given by our local Member of Parliament (and Patron) Mark Mitchell and Julia Parfitt and the Hibiscus Bays Local Board of Auckland Council. Both Julia and Mark go out of their way to help the club whenever called on and it is appreciated. While beach patronage and lifesaving incidents were down somewhat on recent years, it was still a busy lifeguarding season. Our lifeguards continue to provide a high quality service to the public – not just during regular patrolling hours but 24/7 all year round. Well done to all our lifeguards and instructors for delivering a quality service in our primary function – saving lives. Specific and individual achievements are reported elsewhere in the Annual report so I will not dwell on those here. However, I would like to mention the following highlights: - Wayne Franich was appointed to the International Life Saving Sport Commission as the New Zealand representative. This is a huge honour and a worthy reflection of the many years of experience and service that Wayne has given to sport and the high regard in which he is held both in New Zealand and internationally. - the Junior club enjoyed it’s most successful year ever winning the overall points trophy at the Northern Region Age Group Champs and the coveted Kath and Eddie Millar Trophy. They then backed that result up by finishing third overall at the Ocean Athletes. - Three of our members being selected in the New Zealand Youth Development squad - our mighty Masters team winning the New Zealand Pool Champs. - Six of our members representing Northern Region in the Trans Tasman series The Board strives to ensure that we have enough resources and equipment to allow the club to run smoothly and to point us in the right direction for the future. That is a big task given the size of the club. I want to personally thank all the Board 5 members for their contribution during the year – much of the time they contribute is behind the scenes and invisible to most of you but their commitment to the club cannot be underestimated. I would like to mention Warwick Sisson and Vickie Matich who both left the Board this year – thank you both for your contributions. And following that, thank you to Benny Larsen and Andrea May who have slotted onto the Board to fill those vacancies. There have also been several off Board changes in senior roles and thanks to those moving on and stepping up to help. I believe that the club is in very good heart and our recent successes are just a platform for us moving into the future. We are fortunate to have a very large group of Junior parents actively involved with the club and now moving into senior management roles on various committees. You guys are the future of the club and are doing a great job for your children and the club. It is especially heartening to see a big number of Junior parents getting their Lifeguard Awards and getting involved in our lifesaving activities. A highlight of the year was our formal Awards Dinner which celebrated the achievements of our members. Again congratulations to all the award winners and special mention to those who were granted awards for their long service: Distinguished Service Award: Tom Burgess Service Awards: Alexis McDermott Alaina Green Zac Franich Cam Lockie A Northern Region Service Award was also presented to Benny Larsen. Again, thanks to every member for helping to make this a successful season for your club and I look forward to seeing you all again next year. John Chapman Chairman 6 Life Saving Report This year as a Club, Orewa Lifeguards gave over 5000 hours back to the community in patrol time, performing 13 rescues, 125 first aids, and countless prevention actions involving over 2000 people. The numbers are quite staggering, and worthy of mention first up. The key is simple, everyone doing their bit. Thank you to all who gave their time freely to keep our beaches a great place to play. For people to give up their time, they have to feel valued and also get a sense of enjoyment from the activity. The patrol captains this year did a great job of keeping members stimulated and challenged, through scenarios, training, fitness activities and varying the patrol activities.