Minutes of 2022 AGM
Tuesday 7th February 2023
Welcome by the Captain
Captain Algy Grimes welcomed members to the meeting.
A lot has happened in the twelve months since I stood here to take over the role of Captain from my predecessor Bill Walker. I mentioned my Charity choice as The UK Sepsis Trust because about 4 and a half years ago I suffered from it. If it wasn’t for my GP recognising the symptoms, I may not be standing here now. Sepsis claims about 45,000 deaths a year, more than Breast, Bowel and Prostate cancer put together.
Dave Carson from the Sepsis Trust attended for this item and said a few words about how The UK Sepsis Trust operates and will be using our funds. This amounted to a total of nearly £6,600 made up of £2,132 from the 54 hole challenge plus gift aid and a further £4,060.00 from other donations and events. Algy then presented the cheque to Dave Carson.
Attendees:
Algy Grimes, Jonathan Lean, Bill Walker, Andy Shilton, Barry Donovan, Tony Lloyd, Richard Westergreen – Thorne, Ray Smart, Derek Young, Richard Knell, Fred Williams, John Whitbread, Paul Dobson, Paul Jones, Tony Mclean, David Trotter, Hazel House, Jan Murphy, Dave Henderson, Rafe Bateson, Dave Gauge, Phil Armstrong, Clive Bassindale, Sam Standen, Graham Lewis, Chris Roy, Steve Collins, Keith Perry, Pete Salmon, Derek Weller, Richard Cooper, Chris Hoad, Keith Fuller, Terry Sweeney, Trevor Darrington, Jim Kerr, Alan Kirkham, Ken Brewer, Ian Riches, Anthony Bell, David Streatfield, Keith Howlett, Bob Isaacson, Robert Bage, John Sandland, Stuart Wilcox, Ian Maddison, Peter Wade, Michael Newstead, Tony Goodson, Nigel Underwood, David Crosby, Nick Schumann, Jed Isbell, Andrew Bowen,
Apologies for Absence:
Simon Bettany, Gerry Degaute, Chris Walker, Mike Tipper, peter Imray, Daryl Hayler, Joe Carroll, Malcolm Roberts, Richard Coventry, Andy Brown, Bob Anderson.
Minutes of the 2021 AGM (taken as read)
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising not covered in the agenda.
Captain’s Report
That was one of the fastest years that I can remember, it doesn’t seem five minutes ago that I was accepting my sweater from Bill to start my captaincy. Thank you again Bill for giving me the opportunity. I have enjoyed myself the whole time. Playing in 24 of the Interclub matches, missing one through injury and the last one because of a golf trip away, I have met some interesting people. One known as God (well that’s what Nick Schumann called him) and another that is Santa, well for one month a year. We won 9 drew 4 and lost 13 matches in all. Almost in all cases we gave away more shots than we received, in some matches the opponents were taking shots off me!!
I suggest the organisers try to arrange our teams next year to gain the best advantage we can with the shots by canny team arrangements. Having played in 20 competitions during the year, my handicap actually went down by 1.1 so in the right direction, maybe I can continue in that direction this year being able to relax a bit more.
Something I am disappointed about is that we are no nearer having a two tee start for our matches, I raised it separately on a few occasions with various club officers but for whatever their reasons, they are adamant that we only have the one tee start. Hopefully Jonathan and the new committee will continue to press for a change.
I must say that my job as Captain has been made very easy by the people on this table next to me, your committee. The roles that they fulfil generally mean all I have had to do is turn up, play and present the trophies at the end. The Hon Sec, Richard, what a great help he has been in keeping me on my toes with gentle reminders to do this or that when I have been slow in responding, I am sure you all enjoy reading his weekly newsletters, I feel they are a good way to keep the members of the Section involved through the year.
I am sure you will all agree that the Competitions Secretary Jonathan, soon to be Captain, runs them all so smoothly, dealing with a lot of last minute changes without too many comments!
I mentioned that I played in 24 Interclub matches, all have been supervised by Andy in an outstanding way, plus of course the individual organisers involved. As I said we just need to balance the shots allowance a bit and I am sure we will improve the results.
The finances have been a task that Richard Coventry has been handling for the last year, making sure we never pay out too much and was very helpful in collating my charity donations separately.
Tony Lloyd has been doing a fantastic job in looking after the blog, his professional touch has made a vast improvement to what we had before. (I can say that because he took over from me).
Also, thanks to Dave Wood for organising the trophies and Annual Dinner so well.
Thank you to all the committee.
On a final note, how many of you have looked at your 2022 Year in Review on IG? Not only does it tell you how your golf has been over the year but also how many purchases on your club card you have made. In my case 293, it shows the most common purchase being 98 pints of Carlsberg. (So no excuse for not knowing what I drink in future!!)
Being the first year of the honorarium I followed advice from various Captains, past and present, about how to use it. Primarily it has been used to pay for guests, plus members items on a few occasions, including the halfway house on the Senior’s Captain’s Day and the hole in one costs incurred by members in Senior events at JOG.
I wish Jonathan and the rest of the committee a very good year for 2023 and trust you will all behave yourselves so that my role in dispute resolution is kept to a minimum!!
Thanks for your support in 2022.
Honorary Secretary’s Report
It has been a good year for the seniors and I will leave my colleagues to go through the key points regarding matches and competitions.
As this is the first year we have replaced the membership fee with an honorarium from the club it is interesting to note the changes in the numbers involved with the seniors.
At the end of 2021 we had around 190 signed up members when we switched to our current post subscription model of recording the numbers who receive the newsletter each week. This has grown from 190 to over 240 during the past year reflecting an increasing interest in the activities and opportunities within the seniors.
The new people come from a range of backgrounds and golfing expertise:
- New to the club
- Reaching the magic age of 60
- Existing club members over 60 who have decided they would like to become involved
However, whilst participation has increased in our events it has not been as dramatic an increase as the bold figures would suggest. This is because, in the past, each year a number of people would decide not to renew their subscription, some because they left the club but also a significant number who remained as club members but decided not to enter competitions any more and so decided not to pay the subscription. Most of this category of member have decided to keep receiving the Newsletter even if they do not enter events any more to keep in touch with what is going on. This is a good thing as it supports the engagement of club members into what is going on.
2022 also saw the introduction of our first Swap Day which was a big success despite the weather on the day and adds an extra dimension to what we can offer members. Northampton, our swap partners, also enjoyed the day to the extent that we are playing them in a match this year. St Ives is our destination for 2023 and we already have made provisional arrangements with another club for 2024.
We also introduced organising games with committee members for new members and this was well received by those who took up the opportunity. Whilst some new members already have groups to play with and friends at the club some others know very few people or are unsure of what to do and so the opportunity is very helpful for them. I am pleased to note that the New Member Induction roles we are instigating for 2023 will help further in getting new members involved in what we do.
I would like to thank the Roll Up organisers for their work and I am pleased to see very healthy numbers coming along each Tuesday and Thursday. I would also like to thank Tony Lloyd for editing the blog as it provides an excellent companion to the Newsletter in keeping members engaged and had record numbers of hits this past year.
Competition Secretary’s Report
154 people had taken part in at least one of the Golfer of the Year (GOTY) competitions in 2022 and over 160 members had taken part in at least one of our activities in total.
The competitions were all well supported, and it was pleasing to note that nearly all the competitions had different winners with almost 30 people winning one of our events during the year. It is also interesting to note that our GOTY, Barry Donovan, achieved this feat through consistent points scoring in the events.
Jonathan reminded members of the correct procedures to withdraw from competitions and ask to change tee time. It is important to put in writing any requests rather than leave a phone message or mention in passing in the clubhouse.
Jonathan also thanked Tony Lloyd for his help and support during the year and wished Tony well on taking over the role for 2023.
Match Secretary’s report
My first year as Seniors Match Secretary so thank you to all the Match Organisers that stood up and of course to all the players who played.
Our overall season, we played 26 matches and successfully fielded full teams in all games. Though we did have a couple of close shaves.
On the results front not quite so positive. We had 9 wins, 4 draws but 13 losses.
It was all looking ok right up until the Autumn fixtures; we had been winning as many as we lost. Unfortunately, we ended the season with what could only be described as relegation form, in our final set of 6 matches we only won 1, drew 1, so you can work out that we lost 4. This includes finishing with the ignominy of a whitewash away at Leighton Buzzard.
We had 59 players of the 73 registered on the system that played in matches. Everyone that wanted to play got games. Though some of the members with lower availability only played in 50% of the games they put themselves in for. Overall, I’d like to think I got the balance of availability and fairness about right. I have to say that is the biggest headache.
As we all know Senior Matches aren’t really about the winning or losing, it’s much more about the opportunity to play other courses, the camaraderie that is engendered when we go out as team, and the fun that we have while doing so.
So, thank you once again to all the Match Organisers for their efforts, and of course the Players for playing last year and of course finally a big thank you to our Captain Algy who led from the front on the course and more significantly for all of the after dinner jokes that went down so well.
Honorary Treasurer’s Report and Adoption of Accounts
As Richard Coventry was unable to attend the AGM the accounts were presented by Bill Walker in his absence. Copies of the accounts were circulated to those present at the meeting and Bill outlined the key areas for members to note.
it is my privilege to present the John O Gaunt Senior Section Audited Accounts for the year end 31 st December 2022. This my first and only year as Treasurer as I will be standing down.
At the end of the last Financial Year to 31 st December 2022 our end of year balance was £2,183, which is up on the £2,134 of the previous year (please note that the year 2021 balance does not include clothing to give a like for like view). I have been able to subsidise events to the tune of £2,746 This includes Christmas Fayre £521, Member and Guest £310, Annual Dinner £585, Seniors Captain’s Day £590 and the Captain’s Charity £740.
This leaves us with no debt and a healthy final year balance of £2,183 in the Current Account, which provides us with a sensible amount to take into the new Financial year.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Trevor Darrington for carrying out the audit this year.
I would also express my grateful thanks to Derek Young who ably ran the supply of Senior Section clothing and ties until clothing was moved back to Tom the Professional.
I wish my successor, Barry Donovan, well for the future.
Appointment of an Auditor
Trevor Darrington offered to continue as Auditor for 2023 and he was duly elected:
Proposer: Algy Grimes
Seconder: Bill Walker
Agreed unanimously
Appointment of Officers for 2023 - all were agreed unanimously:
|
Position |
Nominee |
Proposer |
Seconder |
|
Captain |
Jonathan Lean |
Algy Grimes |
M Newstead |
|
Vice-Captain |
Richard Westergreen - Thorne |
Jonathan Lean |
Algy Grimes |
|
Honorary Secretary |
Richard Westergreen - Thorne |
Algy Grimes |
Bill Walker |
|
Honorary Treasurer |
Barry Donovan |
Richard Coventry |
Andy Shilton |
|
Match Secretary |
Andy Shilton |
Bill Walker |
Barry Donovan |
|
Competition Secretary |
Tony Lloyd |
Jonathan Lean |
Algy Grimes |
On leaving the committee Bill Walker thanked the committee and the membership for their support during his time as Vice-Captain, Captain and Immediate Past Captain over the past 4 years.
Address by the Captain
You will probably be relieved to hear that I believe that these addresses are kept as short as possible.
Firstly, I would like to say how honoured I am to be considered worthy of being your captain for this year. I will do my best during my tenure to facilitate the ability of all Senior members to play, and more importantly, to enjoy as much golf as they want to in 2023.
However, before I go any further, I would like to acknowledge and recognise the work of Algy as our captain for the past year. He is going to be a tough act to follow. Algy, it has been a great honour to be your Vice captain and thank you for inviting me into that position. The Senior members have had a ‘whip round’ and we would like to present you with this voucher as a token of our appreciation of your work over 2 years a vice captain and your year as captain.
You have done a fantastic job and it is much appreciated. I will be leaning heavily on you over the coming year and frequently picking your brain. I would also like to recognise at this time that we will be losing another valuable committee member. Bill Walker now holds the record for the longest serving seniors captain – sorry Fred. Bill served for 1 year as vice-captain, 2 years as captain and another year as Immediate Past Captain. His knowledge,
experience and general common sense have been invaluable – not to mention his sense of humour.
Perhaps now is a good time to ask Bill to give a synopsis of the Prostate Project
Charity Golf day.
At this point Bill Walker outlined to the meeting the arrangements for the Jock Allen Prostate Project Golf Day on 3rd April and hoped that many members of the senior section would participate.
The next issue I would like to address is my chosen charity. The seniors’ section has supported some excellent and worthy charities over the years, and it was a hard job choosing one for my year. I honestly cannot remember how I came across this particular charity as an option but once I had visited their website and read some of the case studies and commendations there was no turning back. Many of us will either have had a family member, friend or acquaintance who spent time in a hospice. It is depressing enough to think of adults who spend time there but a hospice for children is even more extraordinary. It is difficult to imagine what it must be like for the families, let alone the children themselves.
Keech Hospice Care is the children’s hospice for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes and the adult hospice for Luton and South Bedfordshire. They provide specialist care for children and adults with life-limiting and terminal illnesses as well as vital support for their families and friends. The care they offer is not just provided at the hospice itself but also in hospitals, schools, care, and family homes – wherever support is needed the most.
Keech recognises the importance of giving support, not only to the patients themselves but also to the families and friends. For instance, siblings of patients can often struggle to accept the fact that their brother or sister is getting all the attention and can feel neglected. Keech provide support and activities to make them feel more included and valued in the whole process.
I had the privilege, I won’t call it a pleasure, of visiting the Keech facility just north of Luton. The whole atmosphere in the place is amazing. Full of bright, happy and smiling faces in a warm and welcoming surrounding. The facilities they have are amazing. The time I spend in the children’s section was challenging and uplifting at the same time. I would encourage you to spend a few minutes on their website to get a better understanding of all that they do. Read some of the case studies. I can’t do it without a lump in my throat (and more!).
During 21/22 Keech cared for 327 children with a life limiting illness and gave specialist support to 217 family members at the hospice and in the community as well. Keech not only look after their patients but also their staff. I was shown that they have a ‘Sanctuary Room’ which is a place where staff can go when they become a bit overwhelmed.
As a charity, Keech needs to raise over £6.3 million every year. That is £17,000 every day to be able to continue their work. So, I would request all of you to be as generous as possible towards this charity during the year. Keech also run a lottery and for just a few pounds per month you can continue to support their work. I got ‘nabbed’ outside a supermarket but you can sign up for it at www.keech.org.uk/lottery.
Looking ahead to the year, we have a full diary of events. There are the usual 13 competitions, 9 of which count towards the Golfer of the Year. We also have 2 matches with the Ladies, one match against the Juniors and the Jock Allen Prostate Project Charity day. It is club policy, and therefore our policy also, to encourage as many as possible to play in these competitions. They are intended to be fun, so we have a mixture of formats to suit all tastes. Don’t forget that the more you play, the more likely you will be eligible for the
Christmas Fayre.
Additionally, we play matches against 13 other clubs. It helps our Match Secretary if we have as large a pool of players as possible who want to play in these matches. These are definitely social occasions and it is a great way to play other local courses as well as showing off our excellent facilities here to other clubs’ players. A round of golf and a meal at £25 or less with no green fees at away matches – what’s not to enjoy!
Also, don’t forget the away day and the newly introduced Swap Day which this year is at St. Ives Golf Club. These are both chances to play at different clubs with your friends at John O’Gaunt.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind members that the Senior Section is gender neutral. It is therefore possible that ladies will want to enter some of our competitions or play in matches.
Finally, I am keen to encourage as many of you as possible to become involved in the running of the section without necessarily becoming full committee members. We are always looking for new volunteers to run the occasional roll- up on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Andy Shilton is constantly on the look-out for volunteers to organise matches against other clubs. Other jobs include assisting to organise the Members and Guest Day, Swap Day, Prostate Project day, New Member liaison etc. etc. If you are willing and able to assist, your
offer will be gratefully received.
I would just like to highlight the New Member Liaison role. We have a reputation in the club for being friendly and welcoming and this new role aims to cement that reputation by welcoming new members into our section and ensuring that they are fully up to speed on all that we do and integrated into the system.
Address by the Honorary Secretary
I would like to thank all those present for electing me as the new Vice captain alongside my role as Hon. Sec. for 2023.
I would like to encourage you to take part in events and activities during the year and also encourage your friends and those you play with to get involved if they are eligible to join in.
Address by the Competition Secretary
I would like to highlight the first few competitions that are open for entry and remind you that the knockouts open for entry today.. Details of all sign up arrangements are found on the club website it you click on the competition in question and details will also be circulated via the Newsletter.
Members should contact me if they have any questions or queries regarding competitions as the year progresses.
Address by the Match Secretary
I am very conscious that we have a fair few new Senior Members so firstly I’d like to encourage any who would like to play to sign up. The Matches Special that Richard sent around on 24 January has all the details but if anyone needs help then please do give me a shout.
I do want to mention that for some reason the Gog Magog away match was set up but wasn’t showing. So if you put your entries in before the 16th Feb and wanted to be considered for Gogs do check that you have it selected.
It’s important to remember that these are social matches and while we like to win it’s not uber-competitive, it’s fun. So don’t worry if you have a high handicap, you can play provided you have one. Don’t worry if you think you are not good enough, it’s unlikely you’ll be the worst player and it wouldn’t matter if you were. So please do come and have a chat, we are an inclusive group. The more the merrier.
I am still looking for two volunteer match organisers for the games at Beds & County and Millbrook. I have existing Match Organisers who have kindly offered to take on two matches and if there are no volunteers after this week that is what we will do.
One area that I am looking to improve this year is the way we can use technology to make it easier for:
- Players to enter,
- Me to run the selection process and track what is happening…
- Match Organisers to run their games.
As part of this Alban Macdonald has been working on putting together a new piece of software that automates a lot of the process so hopefully it should take out some of the strain. I’d like to thank Alban for volunteering to do this development. I’ll be testing and trialling the new tools alongside the existing process this first selection process and once we are happy, I will be looking to see how it can be phased in. At this stage I don’t know whether this can be done mid-season or whether we must leave it until next season having proved it can work this year. So very much a watch this space.
One final piece of information for matches is the cost per game next year, and sadly with the impact on the cost of meals increasing the club costs it means that we are likely to be charging £24 per player per game.
So that’s all from me. I look forwards to another exciting season of matches and playing some courses I haven’t played before. As always, any queries please don’t hesitate to get in touch. And please remember that the first batch cut off is 24th February.
Constitution
Following a brief outline of the reasons for seeking a change in the constitution Jonathan Lean read out the following statement:
Currently, our constitution defines the AGM Quorum as being ‘50% of the Seniors Section Committee and 25% of the membership’. As our membership has grown significantly since this was defined, I would like to make the following proposal.
For the AGM to be considered quorate, The Captain or Vice-Captain, 50% of
the Seniors Section Committee and 30 members must be present.
Proposed; Algy Grimes
Seconded: Richard Westergreen - Thorne
Agreed unanimously.
Other Agenda Items – none were received in advance from members.
Close of Meeting
