Vice President

The 2021 22 season has provided much to celebrate for the Club. 

We conducted the twenty third Upwey High School Bronze camp at Woolamai and reinforced the strong partnership that is shared by these two organisations. The State Government funding that has supported the Program for so many years was withdrawn at the end of 2021, however the program will continue with The Yarra Ranges Council stepping in to provide a $10,000 grant that will ensure the continuation and growth of the Program. 

In partnership with PINP we obtained a Building Better Regions Grant to undertake the relocation of sand, revegetation of the dunes system around our clubhouse, repairs to the ramp, a retaining wall on the NW side and back of the clubhouse, the construction of a lockable enclosure for the skip/s and the improvement of our sand access track onto the beach. These works have begun with permits and plans approved. The projects will gradually be rolled out in the next 18 months.

Thanks to PINP for the substantial sand removal and dune reduction that happened early January and the regular maintenance required throughout the year.

The Club’s masterplan is a work in progress. Regular consultation with PINP and their continued grant applications to Government will hopefully one day be successful and our master plan will be realised.

The Board remains very committed to the numerous initiatives undertaken by the Sustainability Group and in consultation with our Assets Director. 

Our Special Events were back! It was fantastic to see these events run again after a hiatus following the Covid-19 pandemic. Channel Challenge, Cowes Classic and The Little Penguin Dash were all a resounding success. The continued dedication of our members to seeing these events run so well each year makes us thankful for all of those who pitch in. We particularly want to thank Ron Nicholson (Life Governor) and Mick Sullivan for their leadership of these events each season.

As we know, our members continue to come together to support each other following major incidents. We have been fortunate enough to have avoided major incidents this season. However, this only comes from our members and the local residents of Phillip Island and the surrounding areas working hard together to ensure that the public is kept safe. It is crucial that we support each other in times where these unfortunate events do occur and we encourage members to seek assistance through the club, Life-Saving Victoria and wider support services if needed.

Season 2022/2023 promises to be another amazing period for our club. Both of us are stepping down from our positions as Vice President at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. We wish to thank members, our families, and friends for their continued support over our time serving on the Board of Woolamai Beach SLSC. We will certainly still be around, but we are looking forward to taking a back seat for a while.

Thank you,

Stafford Smith and Max Eldridge