Dear Members,
1. VOLUNTARY PARTING GIFT FOR BONIFACE.
For those of you who have been resident Members for more than 5 years you will see that there is a debit on your statement at the end of January for a ”parting gift” of shs 3,000/= which for clarity should have been described as a voluntary parting gift for Boniface. I would like to point out that under his contract Boniface left the Club after many years of loyal service with only 2 weeks pay, hence my request to you now for a parting gift from those of you who benefited from his services. If everybody agrees to pay then Boniface will receive about shs 112,000/=, but if you do not wish to pay please inform the Manager & he will arrange to issue a credit note on your next statement for shs 3,000/=. If you would like to contribute more, or are a non-resident member who was not debited, but wishes to contribute, please feel free to do so by phoning Eric Rupia (the Club Manager) at +254 (0)733 923429 or email him at mombasayc@gmail.com & advise him of the amount you wish to pay & how you will do it, so that it can be correctly allocated in our accounts. Fortunately Harry & Beulah Atkinson have been able to give Boniface a job looking after their home in Kwale, so he will be well taken care of.
2. MEMBERSHIP CARDS & PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS.
Membership cards will be available from Eric Rupia in the Club office at the end of Feburary on the following conditions:
a) If you are already an elected Ordinary or Social Member & have provided Eric with passport photos, you will receive laminated membership cards valid to the end of 2013, providing your account is paid up to date.
b) If you have not provided photos, or are a new Social Member who has not yet been elected, you will be given a temporary un-laminated membership cards valid to the end of June 2012 to give you time to get elected by the General Committee & to give Eric the necessary passport photos for laminated cards to be issued (providing your account is paid up to date).
c) Please note that wef 1st July 2012 all members (excepting non-resident members who pay annually) will be required to pay subscriptions quarterly in advance. This is the first step in a transition to an electronic billing system in which members will be given a debit, or credit card to make purchases. The purpose of this is to improve the cash flow of the Club & to avoid bad debts & the policy regarding the implemetation of this will be decided once we see how it works at the other Clubs in Mombasa.
3. A REPORT ON WHAT IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE CLUB.
a) FOOD – Our food is improving all the time & we intend to do all our cooking ”in house” from now on to generate funds for to improve the kitchen, crockery, cutlery & serving dishes & we aim is to be able to provide a 5 star buffet for 200 people by the end of this year. A new grill, chip fryer & a small Cappucino coffee machine have been purchased & lunch time is now attracting groups of businessmen to eat & it is rare to see the Club empty any more, which is very encouraging. Our new cook Addah is doing a great job personallising the food to satisfy individual tastes & all cultures. There have been a few complaints about prices, but Peter Mcghie (our very competent V.C. house) assures me that we are competitive with all the other Clubs in town. Portion sizes have also been an issue, but if we increase the portion sizes for a few, we have to increase the prices for everyone, so as a compromise Addah is offering extra chips with a meal on request, but we expect them to fit on the same plate as the meal & to be eaten by the same person. We are always open to listen to constructive suggestions from Members, which should be addressed to Peter McGhie at mcghiep@gmail.com & not copied to others please.
b) FIXTURES & FITTINGS – The front & side parts of the clubhouse roof have now been cleaned & painted & are now white to reflect the heat. The result is that the temperature inside the club & on the verandah has dropped several degrees making it a lot more comfortable in the heat of the day. Every month we are buying a few more tables & chairs, so we can hire out furniture for functions at the Club.
c) ENTERTAINMENT
The new BBQ/Karoga area behind the pool is still under-utilised & our very able Entertainments Committee Chairlady Farah Khan is looking for new ideas for this area. We have all the equipment , so if you are willing to help contact her at farahk75@yahoo.com . The Movember Day in November last year was a huge success & since then we have been gradually increasing the number of social functions for Members at the Club, the latest one being Valentines night, which was an intimate affair for 40 people & judged to be a great success by all who attended. Farah is proposing that we have 2 functions a month & you will have seen that we have a childrens party on Sunday 20th Feb. Our next big function is the Quiggin Night on Wed 7th March when all our Members are traditionally provided with a free dinner & drinks (excluding spirits) courtesy of the Pat Quiggin, a member who left us a Trust fund to celebrate his birthday each year. Be sure to put your name on the list, which will be put on the Board shortly, to avoid disappointment, as we must have accurate numbers to cater for this event.
d) SWIMMING POOL – We are still sruggling with the leaves falling into the pool due to high winds & as a result Iddi is finding it hard to get the chemical balance of the water right. It would help if Members would shower before entering the pool & wear proper swim-wear in the pool please. Please also keep the changing rooms clean by not allowing children to play in the mud around the pool. We plan to put in LED underwater lights & tile the pool in the second half of the year, subject to funds being available. Please don’t forget to keep the gate to the pool closed to prevent small children from falling into the pool & drowning, as it just take a few seconds for tragic accidents like this to happen.
e) STAFF – Our staff have done a wonderful job throughout the renovation, working long hours & showing great dedication. Please be understanding of the pressure they are under as more people start using the Club. If you have a complaint please do not raise your voice to the staff in public, but raise it in private to the Manager. We have employed a new Gateman called Ezekiel & all the staf will be provided with new smart uniforms shortly. To ease the pressure on Jacob the barman at busy times & during functions we will shortly be employing young lady graduates for a few hours a day to take food orders & serve at table. Our long suffering, but ever patient & smiling Manager Eric Rupia is doing a wonderful job & working all hours. We have had around 150 new members join the Club in the last few months which has put a huge burden on him, so please be patient & also understand that he is only executing the decisions of the Flag Officers & the General Committee, so if you have a problem he can’t solve, then please don’t argue, but simply email the Flag Officer concerned, or write a note in the suggestions book. We would like all complaints to be in writing please & not copied to other members using the group email addresses of members, which were circulated by mistake last year.
f) SAILING & SAIL TRAINING – The 420′s & Bosun’s are now being renovated by Dion & Jo is helping with spares. They need all the help they can get, so please volunteer if you are one of the lucky people who uses the Club boats free of charge. Comarco kindly donated shs 100,000/= to help with this project & you will see new white covers on the 420′s shortly. We will be importing a number of new boats from Laser UK shortly, so if you would like one please contact Chris Soper at csoper@sollatek.co.ke . We will also try to buy a new mast for Barry’s Osprey (which got stolen recently) & another mast for the Hamza’s Fireball & include them in the shipment. We would also like help from the Wednesday sailors to calculate their race results, so that they can be read out at supper please. Teddy Ndaro is now doing a great job running our sail training programme & can be contacted on 0700 832474 or teddyndaro@yahoo.com if you would like some lessons. We are in the process of renovating a 39 foot Samantha cruising yacht kindly donated by Palle Rune for Sail Training recently. This boat will be made available to all members who wish to experience sailing, for a small fee to help with the upkeep. More news once she is ready.
g) FINANCES – In September last year there was a shs 600,000/= loss carried forward, half of which was created during the renovation of the Club from June to August. I am pleased to inform you that against all the odds your Committee was able to turn this into a small profit of shs 50,000/= by the end of the year & all the signs are that we will be able to significantly improve the Club this year & create some reserves.
COMMODORE
