karen.doggett, Author at Richmond Rowing Club

July 26, 2017

RRC's goals and future planning

Firstly a huge thank you to everyone who participated in our strategic planning day at the beginning of this month. Some lively discussion helped us to define exactly who we are, our values and what we want to offer to our members. We were also able to come together and concentrate on generating some specific objectives to assist us in continuing to grow by focusing in on what matters to us.
So here is a very quick snapshot summarising the outcomes of the day.
Firstly RRC’s mission statement:

“Richmond Rowing Club has a long proud history as an active and competitive, volunteer managed rowing club. We will continue to provide opportunities to participate, develop and compete in an inclusive, friendly environment, balancing lifestyle and rowing.”

At the conclusion of the day we settled upon 4 Objectives for the club going forward, with intermediate goals and a plan to be put in place to help achieve them over the coming years:

Membership Growth – Grow to over 200 members in five years
Demonstrate Club Success on the Water – Place in the top 5 of the RV Club Champion premiership
Member Engagement – Engage members through vibrant off water events and a culture of volunteering
Governance and Finance – To be able to independently finance fleet renewal and building improvement

We now want to hear from you! Every member of the club is invited to give feedback or comments on anything listed here. Furthermore we need input from you all to help us formulate a plan and build the goals that will lead to us achieving these objectives.
We are proposing to hold a workshop at the boathouse on Saturday August 26th from 10am to discuss Membership Engagement. Achieving an active and engaged membership base will no doubt help with building membership growth and contribute to depth in skill and experience that can contribute to success on the water. Therefore it is this critical objective that feeds in to all the others that we have decided to start our plan with. Please try to make the time to participate in helping make RRC a club we can be proud of, each and everyone one of us can do something no matter how small and your first step is to come along and join in the discussions.
Any questions, comments, suggestions let me know, [email protected]

July 19, 2017

Automated External Defibrillator at RRC

A few years ago, while playing in our regular Monday evening social mixed doubles comp, one of my team members, Malcolm* collapsed on court having suffered a cardiac arrest. He was 47, with no previous history of heart disease. Not long after, my daughter was diagnosed with a particular heart arrhythmia that has been associated with sudden death during exercise. Malcolm’s life was saved because the tennis club had an Automated External Defibrilltor (AED), and, together with prompt CPR, the AED was used within two minutes. The AED was available, and people knew how to use it: otherwise he would have died that evening. AEDs are the only known device that stops chaotic electrical heart activity and allows the heart to re-establish itself to a normal rhythm.
Today Malcolm is back at work and plays tennis regularly. Since these events I have become interested and aware of programs aimed at fitting all sporting clubs with AEDs and I am proud to say that RRC has been successful in obtaining an AED through this grant system.
The survival rate from cardiac arrest is about 6-8 %, but when AEDs are available it can rise to 35-45%. Time is critical. You cannot do any harm when someone is having a cardiac arrest as they would die if there is no intervention. The minimum ambulance arrival time is 9 minutes., but brain damage starts after 3-4 minutes. This can be avoided if people recognize cardiac arrest, start CPR and use an AED. AEDs are portable and designed to be used by virtually anyone to save a life. Defibrillation within 3 minutes increases the chance of survival from 5% to over 70%.
The AED will be installed on August 15th at 6.30pm and club members are invited to come along and learn how to use the AED. Instruction will also cover first aid measures for sprains, strains, use of slings, management of near drowning, CPR and how to use an AED. Members are invited and strongly urged to come along! Once you are aware of them, you will start to notice AEDs everywhere you go. Please let me know if you plan to attend as numbers are limited to 20 people: reply to [email protected].
You may never be called upon to use one, but let me tell you, if you are involved in saving a life because you knew CPR and knew how to use an AED- it’s a pretty cool thing to do.
Geraldine Goss

July 15, 2017

Good news RE. Parking permits

Thankfully the council have amended their earlier error in only issuing us temporary parking permits.
I’m pleased to inform you that we now have the 4hour permits that allow parking Monday-Friday prior to 9am and after 3pm and Saturday to Sunday anytime at the back of the boathouses. These are limited though and we do not have enough for every member! So we ask you all if you borrow one – from the locked storage box in the back stairwell, PLEASE return it straight after your row so it can be available to another member who may need it.
Also remember that at weekends there is NO CHARGE for parking along boathouse drive, so you do not have to be behind the boathouses.
We do offer our committee members and regular coaches access to Parking permits so please see head of rowing if you would like to request one.
Apologies for the confusion at the beginning of the month when the wrong permits were issued to us by the council.

July 11, 2017

RRC now has a Limited Renewable Liquor Licence

It has taken a lot of time and effort but RRC was recently awarded a liquor licence, which will allow us to open the bar and sell alcoholic beverages. This does not mean that we seek to become a drinking club, but we hope this will enhance the social aspect of club activities and add an avenue for fundraising as well.
Importantly, events where the bar is open must be conducted in a manner consistent with liquor licensing legislation. The committee will publish a formal club policy but here are some brief points:

Members serving behind the bar MUST have their Responsible Service of Alcohol qualification. You are strongly encouraged as a club member to complete one of these courses. The more qualified members we have the more potential we have to open the bar and the less we rely on the same people to do all of the work.
The licence is only valid in the upstairs area of the clubhouse, including the deck. Alcohol cannot be taken downstairs or outside of the clubhouse.
Alcohol misuse can lead to risk taking, unsafe, unacceptable and/or illegal behaviour. As club members we will expect a responsible approach and use of good judgment when alcohol is available. Members will not compete, train, coach or officiate if affected by alcohol. Alcohol will not be served to persons aged under 18 years.
We ask that all attendees at our functions plan their transport requirements to ensure they arrive home safely and prevent driving under the influence of alcohol.
Non alcoholic beverages will also be served whenever the bar is open.
Members may bring guests to club functions where the bar is open. Guests MUST sign in to the club register with their name and address, and the name of the member they are with. The register will be kept in the bar.
Non member functions that are catered by outside caterers will continue to operate under the licence of the caterer. A sign will be displayed in the clubhouse indicating that this is the case for that particular function.

A liquor licence will allow greater scope in organizing club functions and fundraising. If you have any ideas or would like to organize a function (eg a movie night, speaker where an open bar may be fun and may assist in fundraising) then you are strongly encouraged to discuss with the fundraising coordinator.
Geraldine Goss

June 30, 2017

Parking Permits

Parking Permits for club members are no longer available due to changes by the City of Melbourne
Rowers, coaches and coxes are encouraged to attend training by use of public transport and/or bicycle or foot. If you drive, please allow sufficient time to park in the Boathouse Drive parking spaces, spaces around the Tan/Botanical Gardens or use the available parking stations at Southbank.

The council has issued the club with three permits only and 30 single use vouchers. The committee will discuss at it’s next meeting how our normal club operations (rowing coaching, boat repairs, cleaning & facility maintenance, hall hires and can continue with these 3 shared vouchers and the single use vouchers).

We were only advised of this situation yesterday so were unable to give you more notice.

June 27, 2017

End of Financial Year Fundraising

The end of financial year is almost here and Richmond Rowing Club would appreciate your help!
You may have heard of our Fleet Renewal project, which is run in partnership with the Australian Sports Foundation to enable donations to be tax deductible. This project is raising money to upgrade our fleet. In the last 2 years we have raised $2,780, which has been put toward the purchases of the Dennis Beck and Derek Begg (boats, not people).
But the project still needs help! We are hoping to raise $4000 before 30 June, which will enable us to purchase a mid weight single (to replace Punt Rowed ).
If you have thought of supporting Richmond Rowing Club financially this is a great time to give!
Donate to our Fleet Renewal Project today, or by 30 June, and you can receive a tax deduction in the current financial year.
Without contributions from supporters like you, we won’t have the chance to thrive, grow and compete and be a successful organisation. The future can be bigger and brighter for us with your help.
Please donate online today via our link
Once you have donated and the transaction is complete, you will receive your tax deductible receipt from the Australian Sports Foundation which you can include in your 2016/17 tax return.
Every donation counts, no matter how small; individually we are a raindrop but together we are an ocean!
Thank you for your ongoing support and loyalty and if you have any questions about this project or donating please contact the treasurer.

June 22, 2017

Recruiting a head coach

I am excited to announce we are now actively recruiting for a head coach to join our team of volunteer coaches and work alongside the Head of Rowing to manage and implement a rowing program for the upcoming season.
Check out the attachment for the detailed job description and how to apply. Contact [email protected] for more information.
[wpfilebase tag=file path=’RRC-head-coach-.pdf’ /].

June 21, 2017

Strategic planning day Saturday 1st July

Thanks to everyone who took part last week in the rowing season review to help look at successes and areas to target for improvement next season for the rowing opportunities at the club. Along with the on water activities that form the foundation of our rowing club, Richmond encompasses much more than that and the success of our community managed volunteer organisation requires planning beyond the rowing program.
We are currently in a strong position with our facilities and finances thanks to the work by many over the last few years so now we must look forward and plan for the future to ensure the club continues to deliver and improve upon its current status. We want to set big picture goals and objectives and we need our members to help shape the direction for RRC going forward. Some of you may remember back in 2013 we undertook some strategic planning and we want to review and update this to help us focus our energy and resources on the key areas we see as priorities for the club.
I want to invite you all to attend our strategic planning session to be held on Saturday 1st July at the boathouse from 10am-1pm. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a member, what experiences you have or what you think you can contribute everyone is welcome (even if you don’t say a word) and its an ideal time to just find out a little more about what makes Richmond the club it is and how you can contribute to it.
We’re aiming to keep it very focused and to encourage lots of people to attend it won’t take up your whole weekend – just a few hours on Saturday morning after Winter sculling. So starting at 10am we will review the status of our last strategic plan and discuss the key areas we believe are still relevant and any new priorities or focus areas. We can then begin to formulate goals, objectives and action plans to help us achieve them.
You can find further details on our calendar including the agenda and summary from the 2013 strategic plan as a basis for the talking points and framework for the day.
This will be the first step in preparing a plan and setting goals to ensure the longevity and success of the club and in turn all its members and so we encourage input and assistance from you all. If you have any questions about how you can contribute or want to find out more please contact me. I look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday July 1st, 10am.

May 30, 2017

RRC AGM 11am Sat 29th July

The Annual general meeting for RRC will be held at the boatclub from 11am on Saturday 29th July. This years committee will present the Annual report and financial statements and we invite all members of the Association to attend.
The meeting is also the opportunity to elect new members to the committee and all positions are available for full members of the club to nominate for (must be a member for minimum of two years). If you are interested in contributing to the club and want to know more about what you could do and what the different committee roles entail please feel free to contact me or speak to any of the current committee members about their experiences.
If you do wish to nominate, you are required to complete a nomination form (found on the documents page of our website) and submit it to the secretary at least 14 days prior to the meeting (BEFORE 15th July).
Along with the formal business of the day we will also be performing the official boat naming of the Dennis Beck, our brand new Sykes coxed quad/four which has been a great investment for the club already this year. This will be followed by refreshments in the boathouse so please show your support for the committee and your club by attending the AGM.
[wpfilebase tag=file path=’RRC_Documents/Nomination-for-Office-Bearer-July-2017.pdf’ /]