Minutes Surf Life Saving Central Coast Branch Council Meeting SLSCC Headquarters Tuggerah Thursday 11 August 2016 The meeting opened at 6.15pm. 1. ATTENDANCE Richard Field President Soldiers Beach SLSC Peter Cooper President North Entrance SLSC Glenn Clarke President The Entrance SLSC Christina Mergan Proxy Toowoon Bay SLSC Martin Kerr President Shelley Beach SLSC Adam Phillips President Wamberal SLSC Paul Quick President Terrigal SLSC Gordon Crabb Proxy North Avoca SLSC Garry Clarke President Avoca Beach SLSC Joanne Fraser President Copacabana SLSC Alan Blackman President MacMasters Peter Bagnal President Killcare SLSC Scott Hannell President Ocean Beach SLSC Paul Sharpe President Umina SLSC Stuart Harvey President SLSCC Branch Peter James Director Special Projects SLSCC Branch Brett Beswick Director of Lifesaving SLSCC Branch Chris Parker CEO SLSCC Branch The President to welcome the new Presidents on behalf of the Branch Council. APOLOGIES: Aaron Camp Director of Member Services SLSCC Branch Matt Slattery President North Avoca SLSC Sean Lester President The Lakes Chris Manning President Toowoon Bay SLSC Jane Davis Director of Education SLSCC Branch David Unger Director of Surf Sports SLSCC Branch The proxies were endorsed to vote on behalf of their clubs at the meeting. Moved: The Entrance. Seconded: Ocean Beach 1
2. CONFIRMATION OF PREVIOUS MINUTES The minutes from previous Branch Council meeting held Thursday 14 June 2016 The Minutes from the Directors meeting held Tuesday 19 July 2016 The Minutes from the Directors meeting held Tuesday 9 August 2016 The above minutes were endorsed by the Branch Council. Moved: MacMasters Beach. Seconded: Terrigal 3. BUSINESSS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES The CEO provided an update on the main resolutions from the previous meetings listed above. 4. ENDORSEMENT OF FINANCALS NOTED The July financial statements were unable to be presented as the 2015/16 financials are yet to be signed off by the auditor and the 2016/17 budget can t be entered in MYOB until such time that this occurs. 5. AGENDA ITEMS 5.1 2016/17 2019/20 Strategic Plan NOTED The CEO presented the new Strategic Plan to the Directors as per the attached document and thanked the Club Presidents for their input in which the SLSCC Directors believe has been represented in the final strategic plan. The Avoca Beach President asked if SLSCC had looked at Point of sale software to support the clubs? The CEO advised that SLSCC hadn t but would be keen to look into this. Shelly Beach SLSC asked if the Key Goals align with SLSNSW and SLSA or are have they been developed by SLSCC. The CEO said that for the first time, the key goals align directly with SLSA and SLSNSW aside from SLSCC adding the final goal as we felt a greater focus on marketing the brand was required. MacMasters asked if they can please have a copy to use as a template for their development of their own Strategic Plan. 5.2 Council Negotiations An issues paper detailing all of the current issues with Council, buildings, leases and commercial operations was provided at the meeting and clubs were asked to refer to agenda item 9.2 of the August Directors minutes. The President provided an update on the Council meetings recently had along with negotiations with the Entrance SLSC on their proposed new draft lease presented to The 2
Entrance SLSC after their proposal to sublet the upstairs of the surf club. The draft lease states that Council will receive 50% of commercial sublet income which is not acceptable by SLSCC or The Entrance SLSC and sets a scary precedent for the future. We face some large challenges with Council in which we will overcome, however our best defence is to ensure that we are abiding by our leases and not causing additional work for Council. In many cases our clubs are going above and beyond building maintenance expectations, however in many cases clubs are also letting the team down by passing maintenance requirements onto Council even if they are the surf clubs responsibility. Killcare SLSC said that they have an issue with our sublet arrangements to the upstairs cafe where the tenant is using the whole of the upstairs space which is not acceptable under the head lease with Council. I am working to resolve this issue. Wamberal SLSC All clubs should look at starting a sinking fund if they don t already have with designated 15% of profit each year quarantined for surf club. We also need to implement the maintenance schedule and take the pain away from Council. Shelly Beach SLSC agreed to a sinking fund being a professional approach along with detailed asset management plans and maintenance works. MacMasters SLSC about 3 years ago we received an annual short and long term maintenance audit. We have to own up to our maintenance responsibilities. All 15 surf clubs need to do this. 5.3 Lighthouse to Skillion Coast Walk NOTED Congratulations to the eight clubs who supported this fantastic event. The Lighthouse to Skillion Coast Walk Committee will be holding a cheque presentation at 4pm on Friday 26 August at 4pm where all clubs will be presented with a share in $30,000 as the major beneficiary of this event. The CEO said that he has met with the organisers to debrief this event. The event will be held again next season but over two days to allow for expected growth. On one of these days will be a shortened course as an alternative option to the full course. Wamberal SLSC recommended that the organisers of this event check with Terrigal Rugby Club to ensure that there are no clashes. Action: That the above potential risk is passed onto the Lighthouse to Skillion Coast Walk organisers. 6. CLUB PRESENTATIONS 6.1 Presentation from the Soldiers Beach SLSC - The Club house is now just over 4 years old - Membership droped last season. - Lots of planning has been put in place for membership recruitment plans. - Requirements for Bronze training is too complex. We need to look at how we go back to the old systems that were easier and more sustainable for the trainers and assessors. 3
- We would like more patrol members most have come through nippers parents and this will continue to be a focus area. - We try to nominate our youth to attend all Branch and State Members Services programs as we see these as being great retention tools. - On the commercial side our club has a liquor licence and bar with hall hire and Friday night and Sunday sips are major fundraising nights but very dependent upon weather. - We have a café to add to income stream and have recently changed hands. - 1 st step was to run bar voluntarily, but now have paid staff as it was becoming too difficult. - The club is now going to call for an employee to coordinate this section of the club. - We had an enquiry from the Office of Liquor of Gaming and Racing due to a breach. We avoided a fine but a stakeholder received a fine of $10K. we have resolved this issue now but I highly encourage all clubs to review the terms of their current liquor licence and ensure they abide by this. Toowoon Bay SLSC asked if all clubs have the limited licence. The Clubs advised that most have the functions licence which provides more opportunity and flexibility for the clubs. Umina SLSC said we attend the liquor accord meetings and recommend other clubs attend to stay on top of current issues. The Director of Special Projects said that at the next President Tea we will have a representative from the Office of Liquor and Gaming to present on Surf Club Liquor licences. The President thanked the Soldiers Beach President for sharing a summary of his club and thanked him for his efforts towards Soldiers Beach SLSC. NOTED 7. DIRECTORS REPORT ITEM NO: 7.1 FROM: Stuart Harvey SUBJECT: Presidents Report Good luck to our Central Coast nominees at the SLSNSW Awards of Excellence Night on Saturday. As agreed at the strategic planning workshop with Clubs, I would like us to move down the track of a uniform beach set up for all clubs including the implementation of consistent patrol flags stands with SLSCC sponsor branding on two sides and Club Sponsors on the other two sides. This will be raised with the clubs on Thursday night. Let s look at how we can look at further supporting the clubs by absorbing annual fees/ costs. This should be considered by the Board after the final financials are received by the auditor and yet to be secured grant/ sponsorship funds are locked in. The President said that SLSCC would like to implement the pineapple flag stands across all beaches and standardised patrol tents and asked for club approval to implement 4
The clubs agreed to this in principle. The President also said that he has recently heard of club selling Water Safety Levy equipment soon after it has been received. The President said to the clubs that they must not sell this under any circumstances until it has reached its appropriate life and usage at your clubs. That the Branch Council accepts and endorses the Presidents Report. ITEM NO: 7.2 FROM: Peter James SUBJECT: Director of Special Projects On the 9 th September we will have three Northern Region New Zealand members coming to the Central Coast to share ideas and development resources. The Club Quality is experiencing some issues because of the reduced staff resources being provided by SLSNSW while the Club Quality Officer is filling in as Acting Member Services Manager. This needs to be addressed with SLSNSW. Next Presidents Tea is lined up for 16 August with representation from the Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing presenting. That the Branch Council accepts and endorses the Director of Special Projects Report. ITEM NO: 7.3 FROM: Brett Beswick SUBJECT: Director of Lifesaving Report I would like the next BOLS meeting to be delivered via teleconference. Gear Inspections: Clubs are reminded to have their gear and equipment updated in Surfguard prior to inspections taking place with all equipment out ready when the inspectors arrive. Once the Norah Head RWC has been sold we need to order a new RWC to replace this as soon as possible. We need the Education team to push for greater support for IRB training courses as this is still a gap area within most clubs. Oxy and radio servicing is currently underway with all clubs dropping their equipment off in time. The FFRS emergency response operation app is currently being trailed and tested by Duty Officers and Support Operations. 5
Once the drone operators have been selected we should commence practice sessions with the phantom models prior to the course. That the Branch Council accepts and endorses the Director of Lifesavings Report. ITEM NO: 7.4 FROM: Jane Davis SUBJECT: Director of Education Report No report tabled. ITEM NO: 7.5 FROM: Aaron Camp SUBJECT: Director of Member Services Report Introduction: 1. NSW AOE 2. Member Recognition Committee 3. Youth Programs 4. SLSNSW and SLSA leadership programs Issues: 1. Good luck to all members representing their clubs and SLSCC at the NSW AOE! 2. Unfortunately there has been little interest from clubs regarding the formation of this committee. Suggestion would be to determine which clubs are already awarding patrol and service awards, and which ones may need help. This to discuss at Branch Council. 3. Circulars calling for facilitators and participants have been sent out. Encouragingly we have already received a significant amount of nominations. While nominations are not due at branch for some time, clubs may like to start pushing this to their members so that interested kids don t miss out due to numbers. Remind at branch council. 4. Circulars sent out regarding nominations for the 18-25s SLSNSW development networking program and the SLSA Leaders masterclass- Both great opportunities for clubs to nominate future leaders within our movement. It important that the recognition comes from the leaders within clubs (President, JAC Director Lifesaving etc.)- i.e. tap someone on the shoulder and say we think you would be a great person for this rather than send them another circular. That the Branch Council accepts and endorses the Director Member Services Report. 6
ITEM NO: 7.6 FROM: David Unger SUBJECT: Director of Surf Sports Report The Junior Carnival Committee has now met and the outcomes will be presented to the BOSS at the next BOSS meeting. Carnival dates and venues have been updated. A circular has been sent to clubs calling for interest to host the three events clubs didn t receive a nomination for. SLSNSW has sent information to clubs on ratios for officials at the 2017 State Championships. That the Branch Council accepts and endorses the Director of Surf Sports Report. ITEM NO: 7.7 FROM: Chris Parker SUBJECT: CEO Report INTRODUCTION The key items of interest since the last Directors meeting, three weeks ago include: LIGHTHOUSE TO SKILLION COAST WALK The Lighthouse to Skillion Coast Walk was held on Sunday 31 July with the eight clubs from The Lakes to Terrigal involved. The inaugural event was a huge success with over 2,500 entries. It also provided huge benefits to Surf Life Saving as the major beneficiary of this event, but also via positive engagement with the community. I cannot be prouder of the positive feedback I ve received from the Lighthouse to Skillion Walk organisers, event participants and general community on how professional our surf club members were in supporting this event and the community on the day. It was great to have red and yellow out on display in the middle of winter and I had a heap of comments from people saying how warm, welcoming and helpful the surf club members were at each location. Most clubs made between $2,000 and $2,700 from the bucket collections. I met with the Chairman of the Lighthouse to Skillion Walk, James Musgrave on Tuesday to debrief this event who confirmed what had previously been agreed with Surf Life Saving central Coast, as the major beneficiary of this event will receive $30,000 to distribute to the clubs to spend on lifesaving equipment. COUNCIL RELATIONS There has been little progress on the items affecting some of the old Gosford Council surf clubs while the relevant Council Officer is on leave and while the new Council is transitioning with their new structure. I attended The Entrance Chamber of Commerce meeting on Monday evening and spoke with both the General Manager and Administrator. Council has developed there draft management structure which is currently in an internal consultation phase for one month before being settled and entering into the recruitment phase. If all goes well the new structure will be implemented in 3-4 months. Until then we have been asked to deal with the old Gosford and Wyong staff we have been dealing with since before the amalgamation. I am attending a lease meeting with Central Coast Council on Friday with The Entrance SLSC to negotiate their new lease. 7
I have a meeting with the new Mike Dowling, the new Central Coast Council Group Leader Assets, Infrastructure and Business on Tuesday 16 August to discuss the surf club issues. MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT Surf club registrations have been collated and a flyer has been developed for website and advertising in the Central Coast Express. Flyers for The Lakes SLSC have been developed and printed and we are working on the same for The Entrance and North Entrance ready for a postal drop. The Community Education Coordinator has added nipper recruitment slides and a video to her presentation and is handing out flyers to students. She is presenting to 37 schools this semester so hopefully this exposure leads to new members. I have contacted the Central Coast Express Advocate and proposed the reimplementation of a start of season wrap which they are taking up with NewsLocal at the higher levels. A Television Commercial will once again be aired on NBN Television along with an ad on Sea FM. MEETING WITH HUNTER AND SNB CEO The Hunter and Sydney Northern Beaches CEO s at our Branch Office to provide feedback on the past season, what worked in the Branches and what didn t, as well as other share priority areas. One thing that I did take from this meeting which may be worth considering introducing is centralised education assessment days. Both Branches have recently implemented this concept and, according to their feedback, has worked extremely well for them claiming that it has been well received by Clubs, Assessors and members who all enjoyed the interaction with members from other clubs. The claim it has increased the standards and reduced the burden on their assessors which they believe will lead to enhanced sustainability into the future. They also said that it streamlined the paperwork and admin processes and is something SLSCC should consider trialling in our Branch. ANNUAL GOLF DAY Planning for the Golf Day on Friday 26 August is well underway. We met with Shelly Beach Golf Club and Sea FM on Thursday. We have some good prizes locked in and are now focused on filling teams. FINANCIAL ACCOUNTNG We have purchased zero accounting software and are in the process of transferring from MYOB and learning the new system. I have met with Fortunity to discuss the annual audit which will commence in two weeks time. That the Branch Council accepts and endorses the CEO s Report. 8. OTHER URGENT ISSUES/ GENERAL BUSINESS 8.1 Avoca Beach: Good luck to three Avoca SLSC members Jesse Parahi, Lachlan Tame and Riley Fitzsimons who are Avoca athletes competing in the Olympic Games. The day the media story on the beach access went to print we received a letter from Council advising a plan had been developed and will be put in place to repair storm damage. 8.2 Umina: 8
We finished 4 th in Australian Pool Rescue Championships which we are very proud of. 8.3 The Entrance: We need keys in the DO trucks for all of the beach access gates as this proved a challenge when couldn t open gates during the Lighthouse to Skillion Coast Walk. 8.4 MacMasters: One of our Life Members and founding member, Alex Lee, sadly passed away. 8.5 Terrigal: We also had some fantastic performances at the Australian Pool Rescue Championships with some Australian records broken. 8.6 North Entrance: We have a Gear Trade Day approaching which we encourage all clubs to notify their members. 8.7 Soldiers Beach: Could it be looked at to include Females in a separate category for the Awards of Excellence night? The SLSCC President said that a high percentage of the award winners were female this year like most years including the winner of the open and junior athlete of the year, so I don t see this as being necessary. 8.9 SLSCC President: All Life Members have been invited to a Life Member Committee Dinner for the Branch. 9