August 2013

Our Championship Season

We’ve had a frenetic season of squash and awards over recent weeks. So frenetic and so exciting, we’ve had to punch out this special Yellow Dot to tell everyone about it all!!

Following in Richard O’Rourke’s inaugural footsteps, Doug Lean and Ted Kaminski were awarded Life Membership for their outstanding long term commitments to the Club.

-     

Ted Kaminski

Ted’s contribution to the Dickson Squash Club extends over many decades. He has been a member for more than 40 years, and in 1973 he played in a team with Dick O’Rourke!

Over the 40 years, Ted has been one of those people who have always been around. He was a committee member for many years and Club President for 10 years. No-one still at the club is too sure exactly when Ted started on the committee, but he only escaped in the mid-noughties.

In December 2007, Squash ACT ran an award ceremony to recognize outstanding contributions to squash. Ted received a Service Award for his contribution to the Dickson Squash Club over many years, including his years as Club President and many years as a high-level player and qualified referee.

In the early 1980s, Ted was renowned for walking around (and occasionally playing) in a t-shirt that had his face on it (he had it done cheaply at a screen printer’s somewhere). For many people, that summed up Ted pretty well.

Ted played pennant until only 12 months ago. He was a good teammate who enjoyed a beer and a chat. In his last game, Ted was beaten in 5 by Gavin Howard. Of course, that is enough to make most people retire!

Ted continues to play in social club events, including mid-season and doubles comps, and played in our recent Club Championships doubles event.

Unfortunately, Ted could not be at the AGM to accept his award in person. In being advised over the phone, Ted indicated he was honoured to receive it.

Doug has been a member of the Club for an unknown number of decades, and has rarely ever sat still.

For many years, he has been our representative on the Squash ACT Competition Committee. Most members probably don’t know that pennant teams don’t just miraculously appear like fairies at the bottom of the garden. Each Club gathers its proposed pennant teams and then the Committee meets to ensure that the team structure of each team is balanced and fair. With the concepts of “balanced and fair” being subjective, it is up to the Competition Committee to rise above personal objectives and ensure that the pennant goes ahead with equity and fairness to all. Doug has been the voice of reason on this Committee, seemingly forever.

Doug’s other great accomplishment is that he, together with Petra, have kept club practice on Sunday ticking over for as long as anyone cares to remember. Many members appreciate and enjoy club practice, which takes organisation of duty volunteers and having to staff the desk yourself when the volunteers become scarce. Doug and Petra have spent many a Sunday afternoon working the board at club practice because someone has pulled out at the last minute or no one is putting their hand up. Club practice is one of the major forms of revenue for our Club. By keeping club practice running so successfully, Doug underpins the financial success of the club, allowing us the luxury of subsidising Club events and functions.

Doug has also been an active and integral part of the Committee for many years. His contributions and suggestions are always helpful and well thought out.

Above all, what Doug brings to the DSC is a refinement, passion and commitment which is unparalleled. He is one of life’s true gentlemen and we are all grateful for what he brings to the Club and to the unquestioning friendship and support he offers to so many of us.

Every year, our President gives an award to the Club member who he or she thinks has made an outstanding contribution to the Club. This year the winner was Julie Polson, who puts her hand up for many of the stressful and lingering tasks that keep the club ticking over: the most notable example last year being her perseverance through the ACT Government’s bureaucracy to ensure the reinstatement of the Club’s liquor license.

Julie’s level of commitment and willingness to give to the club is even more outstanding when it is noted that she no longer plays pennant for the Club.

Congratulations Julie!

Every year, the Bodyline Sports Player of the Year award is presented to the player whose Matrix rating increased the most after playing in both pennant competitions for Dickson. This year the winner was Petar Josifoski, who worked hard to increase his rating by massive 51.73 points.

Special mentions were given to the following players who also had significant increases:

• 23.48 - Stella Loong
• 24.5 - Ian Kildea
• 26.14 - Nathan Etheredge
• 28.74 - Josh Larkin

As always, our Club Championships were well attended, ran smoothly and competed in an exceptionally fun but competitive environment. Here are all the winners:

We’ve not only just finished our Club Championships, but once again many of our teams did exceptionally well in the Autumn Pennant. Here are our winners and finalists:

Of course, every Club Championships dinner must be plagued with a bit of formality ala our Annual General Meeting, held on 3 August.

As is always the case, we heard that the Club is in sound financial position, which includes a significant reserve to address a potential future relocation to new premises.

The meeting also approved changes to the Club’s constitution: to remove part year memberships and to formally recognise the existence of life members. The revised constitution is on our website.

Most significantly, however, the AGM presented our two new Life Members, the winner of the President’s Trophy and the Bodyline Sports Player of the Year Award. Each of these awards are described under separate heading earlier in this Yellow Dot.

In recent years, Squash in Canberra has seen a trend towards greater player mobility between clubs. This happens for a variety of reasons: players seeking lower fees elsewhere, looking to play in teams with friends, perceived greater playing opportunities, etc.

While there’s generally nothing wrong with this mobility, the Dickson Committee has maintained a strong view that our Club Championships (and to a lesser extent, access to club practice) should only be available to those players who demonstrate true commitment to the Club: in other words those who bleed Dickson blood. However, we’ve never consistently and explicitly outlined what defines which members can participate in particular events. As a result, we’re seeing more ‘grey areas’ that have unfortunately caused grief to some individuals.

To resolve this into the future, the Committee will clarify its position on this matter, and clearly communicate that to the membership. These discussions will occur during the first 2013/14 committee meeting, to be held at Northside at 4pm on 31 August.

If you wish to contribute to the decision, please feel free to attend the meeting, or present your views in writing to Stephen at Stephen@blapl.com.au.

Now that the club championships are over, the next big social event is the Christmas party. It doesn’t get better than a DSC Christmas party: $10 Kris Kringles, ample flowing of a few fine drops, another speech from Dick…

At this stage we are looking at holding the party on the night of either 6 or 13 December. We feel that we have outgrown our previous venue, the ‘The Gods Café’, so we are on the hunt for a new venue capable of holding our ever increasing numbers.

We are very open to YOUR suggestions as to where we should hold this. Our criteria are:

• Central location.
• Hold up to 80.
• Preferably have whole venue to ourselves (we don’t want innocent bystanders having to listen to Dick’s speech).
• Preferably BYO (so the club can keep costs down and provide some god wine from Len and Stephen’s cellars).
• Offers good food at reasonable prices.

If you can think of anything that ticks these boxes, please let Stephen know at Stephen@blapl.com.au.

The AGM on 3 August voted in a new Committee for 2013/14.

We welcome Haydon Ross and Madeleine Barnett to the Committee, and thank Dominic Cooper for his contribution over the last 12 months.

Please contact anyone on the committee, at any time, if you have questions, suggestions or comments about any aspect of the Club’s operations.

The committee is:

President: Stephen Barnett

Vice President: Len Early

Secretary: Pam Price

Treasurer: Dick O’Rourke

General Members:

Leanna Davey Paul Cartwright

Julie Polson Doug Lean

Anthony Burgess Madeleine Barnett

Hayden Ross