Well, the 2018/19 lifesaving season is off to a good start! Our lifesavers have been presented with some early season challenges due to large seas and not-quite-summer weather. We have recorded strong turn-outs and patrols have been bolstered with new fresh-faced SRC’s and newly qualified Bronze Medallion holders.
If you haven’t paid your annual membership fee yet, please arrange to do this online at Manly LSC website or through the office, as soon as you can. If you are a competitor, please remember to pay your $100 competition fee plus storage fee for your board or ski. If you haven’t paid yet, you may notice that your personal code for the change rooms doesn’t work! The codes from last year no longer work unless they have been refreshed after payment. No payment – no access – no hot shower!
**HOT OFF THE PRESS – UPDATE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLUBHOUSE**
You will remember in last month’s newsletter, I explained that the Building Committee are currently in discussion with the local council regarding proposals for the future redevelopment of our clubhouse.
This evening, at a meeting with Northern Beaches Council, a vote went in favour of supporting a knock down and rebuild of the Manly Life Saving Club. This is significant news for the future development of our club. I understand that the vote went unanimously in favour of this rebuild option.
Finally, plans can be made to develop state of the art facilities for our members and community.
Specifically, the Council voted on the following:
- Council endorse the strategy to proceed with the design of a new Life Saving Club & Community Building at Manly.
- Council will establish a community working group to work collaboratively with Council and the Club.
- Council will propose a suitable budget via the 2019/20 budget process to progress the project, including undertaking a two stage tender process to engage a design consultant as detailed in the report.
- Council will communicate with all relevant Ministers informing them of the upcoming project, in an effort to source appropriate funding.
This is ground-breaking news for our iconic club and I know that exciting times lie ahead. This project was started a number of years ago by members keen to upgrade our club to cope with growing memberships, and initial building extension plans were submitted for DA approval. Over recent years, the project has expanded and evolved to arrive at the current proposal. Many passionate club and life members have contributed to the development plans and pushed and lobbied for this outcome. A huge thank you to all involved, particularly the current Building Committee and Finance team who have been instrumental in pulling plans together and communicating with the key Council decision makers. I am confident that is the start of a new era for Manly Life Saving Club. Now the real hard work starts!!
The Manly LSC Golf Day is fast approaching (Friday 7th December at Warringah Golf Club). The flyer is attached to this email and more details can be found on the MLSC website and Facebook page. The event is filling up fast so get your teams together and enter via the payment link online. All food and drink is included in the entry fee.
We are also looking for supporters to help supply auction items and raffle prizes. If you have a local business, it’s a great way to get exposure for your company brand and support this fundraising day. Please have a think about any goods or services that you could donate to make the day a success.
After the manual work over winter, the refurbishment of the members gym upstairs is complete. We still have a couple of finishing touches to add but there has been significant progress with this project and it is now operational and a great space for our members. I would like to say a huge thank you to the army of volunteers that have offered their time and services to complete this work. A special thanks to Brucie who gave countless personal hours to coordinate the volunteers and even done some of the heavy lifting himself (hopefully the doctor approved Brucie?!)
The gym hours are 5am – 8pm. Please help us keep the club secure and if you are the last person in there, please lock the sliding doors and close side door when leaving.