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2024 Annual General Meeting
2024 AGM Reports https://robinvalegolfclub.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Robinvale-Golf-Club-2024-AGM-Reports.pdf
Copy of Constitution Draft https://robinvalegolfclub.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Robinvale-Golf-Club-INC-Constitution-Draft-14-Oct.-2024.pdf
2024 Annual General Meeting
At its AGM on Monday November 25th, Lee Ridley and Michele Philp (Fumberger) were awarded Life Membership of the Robinvale Golf Club. In presenting the award David Smith outlined Lee and Michele’s long involvement with the Club.
Lee Ridley was nominated by Bruce Ginn and seconded by Gratton Wood to receive life membership. Lee, as a 14 year old, attended the first meeting in 1951 to form the Robinvale Golf Club and has been a member ever since. He has been a Committeeman in his time as a member and also served as President as well as on numerous sub-committees. Lee was the building supervisor for this clubhouse. He has attended numerous (too many to mention) working bee’s over the years. He has represented the club in as a Pennant player from the age of 15. Lee is the course record holder on Sand Scrapes with 68. He was also the leader of the Epping Golf trips to the Festival of Golf for 15 years. Lee has a great memory and is a reliable historian of the club and of Robinvale/Euston. He is a regular patron and supporter of the club. Bruce believes the nomination is well overdue.
A second nomination was received for Michele Philp (Fumberger) from Dean Leslie and seconded by Anthony Scarcella. Michele has been a member of the Robinvale Golf Club since 1970 when she played as a junior member. She has represented the club on many occasions (way too many to mention) in the Sunraysia District and in Melbourne. Michele in her time as a member has served as a committee member, as Ladies Captain and is currently the Captain of the Golf Club which encompasses both ladies and men – this is a first for the district. During her junior career, Michelle played for the Victorian Junior Match Play team in 1980 & 81. Michele’s other notable achievements across the Murray Darling District, Sunraysia and North West Ladies Golfing Associations include:
- 42 Club Championships
- Participation in 20 plus Festivals of Golf, 28 District Championships, 28 champion of Champions and 21 Murray Darling Championships
- Holding the course records in the North West Ladies District Golfing Association at the same time
- Winning all North West Ladies District Golfing Association Open Championships in the same year and has won these events numerous times
- Won the Australian Foursomes Championship with Sue Smith from Cohuna in 1981
- 8 years playing Pennant for Southern Golf Club in the sand belt, culminating in playing number 1 and only losing 2 matches across the eight years. She started in Div. 7 and ended up in Div. 1 playing in the following courses – Kingston Heath, Royal Melbourne, Huntingdale, Woodlands, Metropolitan, Rosanna, Victoria, Cranbourne, Spring Valley, Eastern, Kew, Keysborough, Northern, Peninsula (both north and south courses), Kingswood, Latrobe, Medway, Riversdale and Yarra Yarra
- Being a member of the Robinvale Golf Club Ladies winning pennant teams.
- Currently the Captain of the Robinvale Golf Club Men’s pennant team with Div. 2 win in 2023 and Div. 3 win this year.
Michele has a formidable record in the golf within the region and has given outstanding services in the interests of golf and the Robinvale Golf Club.
Greg Rhodes – President of the Murray Darling Golf Association also added that Michele has been the District Champion on more occasions than any other individual and has also won the Murray Valley Championship which is a state ranking event on 15 occasions up to 1996. She has represented the District since the age of 15 in our Country teams and has played at the top of the order for much of her time.
The A.G.M was attended by approx. 25 members of the club. The club wishes to express their gratitude to Committee members David Smith, Jeremey Boyd, Jimmy Carruthers and Doug Aikman who resigned from the Committee. With these resignations we see 4 new members elected to our Committee; being David Camera, Fred Garreffa, Dean Leslie and Jackson Leslie joining our existing committee of New President John Tate, Director of Finance/Vice President Barry Evans, Michele Philp, Blaine Cucia and John Zara.
At the A.G.M is was reported that the club again had another great year financially. In David Smith’s Presidents report he stated the past twelve months has seen the Club continue to be a very successful sporting and business entity, receiving many accolades from an increasing number of visitors.
As a business, the Club continues to succeed despite the difficult economic climate. The leadership shown by CEO John French, combined with his management skills and knowledge of hospitality have ensured our Club’s prosperity. Aimee Bellas performs numerous roles with dedication and skill. This was evident when the Club received an excellent gaming compliance result following an audit earlier this year. Aimee’s management of the Motel and the associated staff sees this venture going from strength to strength. Carmel Albanese continues to excel in her administrative role. In addition, her knowledge of the Club’s operations is invaluable.
The Duty Managers, Bar and Gaming staff cater for customers’ needs in a friendly and efficient manner to ensure time spent at the Club is an enjoyable experience. The Sandbunker Bistro Staff provide diners with courteous and efficient service plus a choice of quality meal options to suit all tastes. Annie and her staff ensure the Club and Motel are clean and inviting for members and visitors.
Ashley Davis continues to go about his business as Course Superintendent in a professional manner. The course continues to improve and just remember it is not his fault if you are having a bad golf day. Ash is ably supported by Trevor Handy and Michael Johnston. The sixth, seventh and thirteenth fairways now have automated sprinklers. The pro core 648 and top dresser have enabled staff to renovate the greens and add extra sand in a timely manner.
In the past twelve months the storage shed, a shared facility for Club requisites and Members’ carts has been completed; the practice nets have been erected and are proving popular and the Motel pool and surrounding garden have been completed. The entrance to the Club has been improved with the erection of stone filled gabions. Planter boxes make for a bright and welcoming entrance to the Club; thank you Ellyn and Barry. To all members who have given freely of their time to assist with gardening, tree removal, fence erection and those who have attended working bees and lent equipment for the bigger jobs, thank you.
Competition Golf continues to be played on Wednesdays and Saturdays plus 9 holes Friday Twilight is played during Daylight Saving. Thank you to Captain Michele Philp for running competition golf and Jim Carruthers for assisting when required. Robinvale participated in Pennant again this year with Division 3 being victorious. Thank you to Michele for organising. Thank you to Barry Evans who has continued in the role of Handicapper.
The Murray, Merlin and Willis families continue to sponsor special days and the Club is appreciative of your ongoing support. Thank you to Michele Philp and Dale Kelly for organising the 2024 Blossom Classic. Thanks to Doug Aikman for organising the Centenary Cup to coincide with Robinvale’s 100 years celebrations and to Bev Litchfield, Fran, Doug and Jack Dang for the slide shows depicting the Club’s history and its characters over the years.
To retiring Committee members Doug Aikman, Jim Carruthers and Jeremy Boyd, thank you for your contribution during your time on the Committee.
To the incoming Board I wish you success. You are inheriting a business that is financially very sound and a course that is in very good shape at a time when many golf clubs are struggling to even stay afloat. It is your responsibility to protect what we have and ensure that our Club continues to thrive for the benefit of all members and the wider Robinvale community.
To the current and former Board members and staff that I have worked with – thank you for your support during my time as President. A particular thanks to John French whose support and leadership over the past 7 years has been exceptional.
Members were also informed that our Current CEO John French has resigned and will finish up on 5th December. In his final CEO report he had a few special thank you’s. Firstly to David Smith, who has been the President for the 7 years that I have been the CEO and he has done many more years as President and as a member of the Committee before I arrived. David has never micro-managed me and trusted my experience to run and build the club’s future, which in our eyes has been a huge success. Also a big thank you to the Committee and Members who have supported me during my time as CEO. The club is also lucky to have such a strong professional management team and loyal staff members.
David thanked John for his time at the Club and commented that he has done everything that was asked of him and more during his employment and the Club is very appreciative.
After the meeting, Greg Rhodes; president of MDGA presented Peter Cramp and David Smith with District Volunteer Awards for the following;
Peter Cramp has had a long involvement with the Club. From a young age Peter has been a keen golfer; also representing the Club in Pennant Golf, a Committee Member, a Volunteer and a very loyal patron at the club. Peter spent eight years on the General Committee, seven of those as Greens Chairperson. Working with the course designer, Kevin Hartley, he along with the late Peter MacIntosh, oversaw the completion of six new greens. Added to this he was heavily involved in all the irrigation work carried out over the years. Peter started attending working bees as a youngster with his father and has never missed a working bee since returning to reside in Robinvale and continues to attend when they are called. The old clubhouse renovations, the new clubhouse surrounds, the “EasyShed” that was not so easy to erect, the garden beds around the cart shed, the motel and pool are all projects he has been involved in. Peter has been a humble and loyal servant of the Club over many years.
David Smith has shown outstanding dedication to the club over many years of volunteering. This has involved organising and attendance at working bees, sponsorship, running the Calcutta and Footy Tipping Competition, cooking BBQ’s and whatever else is needed to be done around the club. He has given long service on the Robinvale Golf Club Committee since 2001, the past 11 years as President. David and the late Peter Macintosh were instrumental in the club achieving a long term goal of building a motel on the course.
David Smith has been an integral part of the club for many decades.
The current committee of the Robinvale Golf Club also presented David Smith with his gavel set mounted and framed from his time as president of the Club. They thanked him for his leadership and good clubman ship over the years.
2023 Annual General Meeting
2023 AGM Reports- https://robinvalegolfclub.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Robinvale-Golf-Club-2023-AGM-Reports.pdf
At its AGM on Monday November 27th, Peter Cramp was awarded Life Membership of the Robinvale Golf Club. In presenting the award David Smith outlined Peter’s long involvement with the Club. From a young age Peter has been a keen golfer; also representing the Club in Pennant Golf, a Committee Member, a Volunteer and a very loyal patron at the club.
Peter spent eight years on the General Committee, seven of those as Greens Chairperson. Working with the course designer, Kevin Hartley, he along with the late Peter MacIntosh, oversaw the completion of six new greens. Added to this he was heavily involved in all the irrigation work carried out over the years.
Peter started attending working bee’s as a youngster with his father and to my knowledge, has never missed a working bee since returning to reside in Robinvale and continues to attend when they are called. The old clubhouse renovations, the new clubhouse surrounds, the “EasyShed” that was not so easy to erect, the garden beds around the cart shed, the motel and pool are all projects he has been involved in.
Peter has been a humble and loyal servant of the Club over many years and is a very worthy recipient of this Life Membership. He is still deriving joy from his association with the Club and has been playing some very good golf of late, reducing his handicap by seven shots.
The A.G.M was attended by approx. 30 members of the club. The club wishes to express their gratitude to Committee members Dale Kelly, Luke Benham & Dean Leslie who resigned from the Committee. A special thanks to Dale Kelly who served as Vice-President since 2019. He also; together with Nick Katis commenced the Annual “Blossom Classic” golf event held on the Almond Blossom Festival weekend each year in 2011 with the aim of raising funds for the course irrigation system. He successfully run the event every year since (apart from 2020) attracting over 100 golfers. With these resignations we see 3 new members elected to our Committee; being Blaine Cucia, John Tate & John Zara joining our existing committee of President David Smith, Captain – Michele Philp, Barry Evans, Doug Aikman, Jimmy Carruthers and Jeremey Boyd.
At the A.G.M is was reported that the club had its most financially successful year in history. In David Smith’s Presidents report he stated “The past year has seen our Club continue to grow and consolidate its assets. We continue to support local organisations through our Community Grants Fund and the provision of scholarships at Robinvale College. Leadership is the key to the success of any organisation. Our Club is fortunate to be led by our CEO Mr. John French whose dedication, planning and foresight has been responsible for the sound financial position we find ourselves in during these not so easy economic times. He leads a team of dedicated employees; Carmel Albanese and Aimee Bellas provide excellent administrate support. The Duty Managers, bar and gaming staff create a friendly and welcoming environment ensuring patrons are treated respectfully and their time at the Club is enjoyable. The staff of the Sandbunker Bistro provides diners with quality food and friendly service and continues to be a dining choice for locals and visitors. Annie and her staff ensure all areas of the Club and Motel are clean and inviting to members and visitors. The course continues to develop under the leadership of Ashley Davis, the course Superintendent, and his staff”
David also thanked all Committee members for their support and contribution over the past 12 months in particular Club Handicapper Barry Evans and Captain Michele Philp. Michele’s knowledge of golf is a bonus for our Club. Competitions are run efficiently and results are published regularly. Added to this Michele, as the Pennant Captain, organised & supported both Division 2 & Division 3 teams and encouraged the participation of those new to match play. Her Hard work was rewarded with the Division 2 team being victorious in the final which was played here in Robinvale and very successfully run by Michele.
We look forward to 2024 being a year when our Club continues to grow as a business; the success of which allows us to provide an amazing venue and a golf course for locals and visitors to enjoy and to continue to support local Community groups and schools.
Congratulations Hondo – 13th February 2023
Congratulations to Gratton Wood, (also affectionately known as Gratty or Hondo) on 50 years of continuous membership at the golfy. That’s a lot of golf comps, working bees, committee meetings, captaining and beers. Thanks for being part of our golfy family.
Farewell Hat – January 2023
Today we farewell one of our Life Members and friend – John “Hat” Giddings. Hat was a true gentleman and was loved by all fellow members & staff alike. He has been long-time supporter & member of the club. Over the years he has served on our Committee; with 6 years serving as Captain of the club. Hat was at every working bee, and also volunteered his time calling bingo & even in the kitchen back in the old clubhouse for Friday night meals (they learned very quickly not to leave him in charge of getting rid of the oil after a plastic bucket/hot oil incident). Hat was also on the founding organising committee for the Annual Festival of Golf; which he also helped co-ordinate up until he wasn’t well enough to do so. Even then, once he was in the Hostel he would still come out to visit & check everything was running okay. He was always up for any golfing trip that was going & also represented our Club in numerous Pennant teams (as in photo below).The Robinvale Golf Club thanks you Hat – for your dedication & loyalty to the club, Rest in Peace Old Mate.
2022 Annual General Meeting
AGM Reports- https://robinvalegolfclub.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Robinvale-Golf-Club-AGM-Reports.pdf
This years AGM was held on Monday 14th November. At the AGM – Committee Members Doug Aikman & Barry Evans were re-elected to remain on our Management Committee. Captain Michael Smith did not seek re-election – We thank Michael for his service on our Committee for the past 3 years. Michele Philp was successful in being nominated to fill Michaels position on the board & was also later elected to take on the Club Captains Role.
At the meeting; Vice President Dale Kelly nominated that President David Smith be honoured with Life Membership for his outstanding dedication to the club after decades of volunteering at numerous working bees, sponsoring, running the Calcutta & Footy Tipping Competition, cooking BBQ’s and whatever is needed to be done around the club as well as his long service on the Management committee. It was a unanimous vote from the rest of the committee & all members present at the meeting. All agree that David is a very worthy recipient. David Smith has been an integral part of the club for many decades. He was voted on to our General committee at the 2001 AGM and at 2012 AGM took over as Vice President to President Peter MacIntosh. A year later on 26th August 2013 – Macca handed over the reign’s as President which he has been for the 9 years since and at this year’s meeting he was nominated to stay on as President which he accepted for another year.
RIP Macca – October 2021
The committee, management, staff & fellow members of the Robinvale Golf Club are all totally devastated with the passing of our dearest friend & life member- Peter “Macca” MacIntosh.
In better times not so long ago, Macca would make daily visits to club, some would say his second home maybe, sometimes multiple times a day to attend meetings, working bee’s or whatever needed to be done around the club. With his witty sense of humour, he would always have a joke to share or a yarn to spin which we are all going to miss.
Macca has been involved with the club for a very long time & has served on our committee for the most part of 46 years, in various positions including President & Vice President. His genuine care for the club & its success & survival was his passion. No more so than the vision he had for our motel complex which he was so determined to make a reality. Our sadness is that he didn’t get to see the motel open or to have his night stay. He did see the rooms completed & was so impressed and pleased. He was honoured to be asked to perform the official opening of the motel which didn’t get to happen due to Covid lockdowns & restrictions.
Macca, you were a gentleman, an asset to the club & a great mate to all of us – you will definitely be missed.
Vale Kate Nolan
Everyone here at the Club wish Peter & Robyn MacIntosh & their entire family our deepest condolences on the passing of Kate. Kate has been a member of the club since a very young age, a regular player on the course & avid supporter of the Club. Here we wish to share memories of Kate from some of our Members;
From the Zambelli family
During late 1980’s early 90’s Robinvale Golf Club had a strong influx of junior golfing talent.
That talent was fostered by one important figure, Dot Fumberger who held regular Sunday morning 9 hole competitions for all juniors.
The MacIntosh clan regularly attended. Kate & Teri showed lots of promise along with their younger brothers Ross & James. That talent must’ve come from Robyn, because as we all know, Pete can’t make a putt for love nor money!
Mixed with an array of junior players; Kate & Teri quite often competed alongside other locals – Chelsea Litchfield, and doing their best to push established players like Dot’s daughter Michelle Fumberger. Sometimes groups were mixed to compete with older boys: like the Zambelli’s, Rick, Jason & Scott and Kate certainly held her own.
There must’ve been something in the water at Robinvale; as two players from that era went on to seek out opportunity at professional level – Jason in the early 1990’s (at Kew GC) and Kate making her way to professional status in 1998 (via Victoria GC). It was clear from those early days, Kate had honed her skill and natural competitiveness.
She always had this natural ability, but had a sense of humility about her. Most kids became very confident when they reached a certain standard, but not Kate, she always remained humble.
Throughout her junior golf at Robinvale there were far too many achievements to mention; such as championship victories; successful individual & team school sports Golf at Vic country & Metro levels (qualifying at Cohuna) then progressing onto Long Island Golf Club for finals.
Many hours were endured travelling to Melbourne, sleeping in cold school halls to then to front up & compete the next morning.
One fond memory of Kate was during the mid 90’s when Scott Zambelli was selected to play representative golf at Victoria Golf Club.
Not realising Kate was inside at the time; he was warming up & getting ready. Then all of a sudden out strolls Kate to say hello.
Kate then offered to caddie (giving some insights) being her home course. Scott felt this was an exceptionally kind gesture, when she simply didn’t have to. Kate was on the verge of making professional status. The very few who reach this level typically wouldn’t give a give a second thought to helping out a past player especially at amateur level – but not Kate, she always wanted to help out, especially to a fellow Robinvalian.
Over the past 20 years Kate has obviously gone on to experience some wonderful things in life.
She will always be remembered for her kindness, love of sport & willingness to have fun!
Sadly she leaves us far too soon. May you rest in peace Kate.
From Chelsea Litchfield
I have known Kate for most of my life. As well as attending school together (one year apart), Kate, Teri and I also played junior golf together alongside our own families of golfers.
I recall playing golf regularly with Kate, drinking soft drink in the clubhouse, having putting comps against each other and generally having lots of fun. Kate was always up for and the instigator of fun!
We played on junior teams representing Robinvale, the North West district of Victoria and also Victoria Junior teams together. Over the years Kate and I shared many victories as teammates. We also went to many junior golf camps together. Kate was an exceptional junior golfer and could hit the ball a mile and she was a role model for other aspiring young golfers. It was obvious to me that other young golfers looked up to her and admired her skill and tenacity. Alongside her talent on the golf course, Kate had an exceptional and somewhat mischievous sense of humour and was much admired.
From Kay Mahlook, (was CEO Women’s Golf Victoria)
Kate and Teri attended Victorian Golf Junior Girls Golf Camps at Anglesea which were then organized by Kay.
Kate and Teri started attending the camps as 12 year olds. They were a skinny pair and wore little shorts. They attended the camp every year until they were 18. Even though their golf improved so much that they outgrew the camps they always attended. They met new girls and made friends everywhere.
Kate always had a twinkle in her eye and was an amazing and terrific girl.
Kate and Robinvale Connections
From Maz Black, Barry Avery, Lee Cramp, Al Black and Marty Ridgeway
Maz: My Saturday morning Albert Park Driving Range Golf Clinics with Kate were a wonderful escape. Kate was extraordinarily patient with all-comers, male, female, young, old, of all abilities and always had something positive to say and work on every time. I had a front row seat every week for a number of years observing her teaching skills. Kate’s passion for golf shone through and she always had golf anecdotes or You – Tube golf tournaments or special golfers’ swings to show the class as interludes.
There was always something new to learn or work on or just to catch up while golfing. Rain, hail or shine Kate rebuilt my golf swing, and then and only then was I permitted to purchase some new clubs selected by Kate. It was only very recently that Kate decided she had finally found the most suitable irons to conquer my swing. Kate and I agreed my golf was a ‘work in progress’ and this provided much bemusement to the other ladies attending the clinics who were unaware of our lifelong connection. Kate sparkled and will be sadly missed and remembered by all.
Barry: Kate had never been so challenged in her coaching career as she was with my unique swing. But she rose to the challenge. We had a laugh. Kate was a star.
Lee: At the end of a clinic Kate asked if there was anything in particular we would like to know. Silly me said, how can I hit the ball further? Kate replied ‘LEE drop and give me 10!’
Al: Kate’s coaching was always practical, fun and with just enough technical information. She worked with what was there and didn’t try to turn us into something we could never be.
Kate hated the fluffy pine needles on the Robinvale golf course and her best advice was to take out your 3 wood or hybrid, shorten your grip and tap the ball out. Works a treat.
At our first lesson Kate checked out the clubs in my bag. She said there was only one club worth keeping; it was my putter. We sorted my clubs and I now have a bag of clubs of Kate’s choice. Kate thought I would have researched the makes and types of clubs. I said no, I have trust.
Kate was a champion in every way.
Marty Ridgeway
It is with a real heavy heart I write this today and really do not know where to start!
I guess the best place is at the start when I first met Kate at the Albert Park Driving Range when I started coaching a few days a week. I remember Kate approached me and introduced herself and we sat down and had a chat in between lessons. Immediately she made me feel welcomed and at ease with my new surroundings and I distinctly remember we talked about everything from cricket, AFL to golf. I thought to myself what an amazing person with an extreme wealth of knowledge and passion.
As the weeks turned to months and we spent more time discussing the world and everything to do with life in general. Our friendship grew and I felt so comfortable around her that I was able to discuss anything at all.
I would regularly seek her advice and vice versa and we would have great open discussions on what we could do in many different situations. I valued her opinion so much that I implemented many of the solutions we came up with not only in my professional life but personal life as well.
I often found myself admiring her ability to get the most out of her students and remember them always leaving with a smile on their face and walking 10 feet tall. I remember saying to myself “Martin if you can be as half as good as Kate you will go a long way in this industry”.
That leads me to when Kate asked me to come with her to Robinvale to help set up a coaching program in her hometown. It was a no brainer and jumped at the opportunity to be involved. I loved my time travelling to Robinvale and coaching as it allowed me to meet so many fantastic amazing people and make lifelong friends including Kate’s family who treated me as one of their own. It strengthened our friendship even more if that was even possible and allowed me to share a bond with Kate that I will forever appreciate, remember and never forget.
As a parent and husband I cannot begin to imagine what Kate’s family is going through right now. All my heart and love goes out to all her family and friends as we have lost an amazing human being with such a big heart and soul way too early.
If I can say one thing to finish please everyone hug your loved ones and tell them you love them as often as you can. I know Kate would echo these thoughts as nothing meant more to her than her family and friends.
In Memory of Kate Nolan an amazing person, you will always hold a very special place in my heart. Love always – Marty Ridgway
A lovely tribute to Kate from Australian Ladies Professional Golf – www.alpg.com.au
