Page 6 - Northbridge Golf Club 85th Annual Report 2021

NORTHBRIDGE GOLF CLUB LIMITED PRESIDENT’S REPORT (Continued)
to more normal operations. Social activities have been severely curtailed and the thrice cancelled NTP competition on the first tee is just one example. However, our members committee, led now by Bev Lewis, is still very active on-line and will be announcing new events as soon as conditions allow. It has been really heartening to hear so many positive comments from visitors from other clubs on the quality of our course and facilities and the friendly welcoming attitude of our membership and staff. Indeed a number are now waiting to join up; surely that is the ultimate compliment.
Which brings me to the Bar and Restaurant, who have been the biggest casualties of this latest lockdown. We remain in close contact with Doreen and Peter and all their staff and can only wish them well and hope that the community’s support for the vaccination roll-out will allow them back into our lives at the earliest opportunity. We have been very fortunate to be able to continue to offer take-away food at the Halfway house under Brett’s management and this service has been rightly and widely applauded.
With all this upheaval, it is a huge relief to me to hear our Treasurer’s report that the Club is actually thriving financially in these strange times. We have been reducing debt levels and have a continuing strong cash flow that has allowed ongoing investment in our clubhouse and course. Whilst we will always have to remain prudent, we are in a positive position to consider further improvements and I want to thank John Stephens for his guidance and advice. Of course, all of this is managed by Marko’s team in the office, who seem to achieve extraordinary feats with such a small number of people. This is largely due to the enormous talent and capacity of the staff to keep so many balls in the air at once.
So, what can you expect in the future? Well, we all hope 2022 will be the year of opening up and that we’ll enjoy golf in fours with a beer or three afterwards. We hope to see the Restaurant full again and social events on a regular basis, bringing life back into the clubhouse. As a Board we will continue to strive to improve in everything we do and ensure the steady growth and on-going prosperity of your club.
With this in mind and the prospect of our Centenary in only 15 years time, we need to start planning now. With the aid of Geoff Glenwright, Peter Lotz and Bev Lewis we are starting to pull together ideas that can guide us through to an exciting future. Possibilities for additional course improvements, club house alterations and an external cart storage facility are all being considered as well as some guiding principles for how the club is run. We will be keeping you informed as these plans start to crystallise and look forward to your comments on the proposals. Whilst it’s never possible to please everyone, this is your club and we can guarantee that all involved will do their very best on your behalf to see that everyone’s views are considered.
As it says in green on the sign outside (thanks to Marc Vanderveare)
STAY SAFE, WEAR A MASK AND GET VACCINATED!
Dr David Starte President NGC
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