From the Committee
August has been a busy month on the Congress and competition front. Coffs Harbour was well attended and all had a good time. Well done to Peter Clarke and Hans Van Weeran (representing NSW) as well as Cassandra Mitchell and Clare Filmer Ramsay for a competing at the 2017 Australian Restricted Championships in Canberra. Congratulations to Cath Whiddon for winning the NSW State Individual Tournament. Well done to David Farmer and Viv Eldridge for winning the Charlie Mitchell Shield.
Most importantly, well done to everyone who has managed to avoid the awful winter flu!
On an organisational front, Robin Ho, our new administration assistant, is doing a wonderful job of helping with the finances and the membership process. The Committee has been getting ready for the transition to GST status, and I am happy to report that everything is in good order. A special thanks goes to Bob Whiddon and Max Patterson for all the work that they are doing behind the scenes.
A highlight of September was our Annual Charity Pairs fund raiser. There was an excellent turnout and a fun day was had by all. More than $2,800 was raised. Thank you to Sue Riley for the wonderful effort she put in on the organisational and catering front. Who could possible resist her profiteroles! We are grateful to Shirley Corbett for the exquisite hand- made quilt which she donated. It raised more than $200 - Sue Falkingham was the lucky winner.
We are hoping to reach $9,000 for the year’s fundraising, which includes money from the Charity evening plus money raised from plant and book sales. We appreciate Robin Hoey’s efforts in supplying the plants and thank those who help with the books. There will be some raffles at the Club -please buy some tickets to help us reach the $9,000 target.
October has been another month of competitions at the Club and at Congress events. Congratulations to Maggie Gibbs and Susan Jensen on winning the Under 100MP Competition. On the Congress front, congratulations to Peter Clarke and Hans van Weeren for winning the two-day Two Men and a Truck Restricted Teams at the 2017 Sydney Spring Nationals event.
This month, we sadly lost two of our members, Bob Woodcock and Vona Hadfield. They will be missed at the Club by their friends and partners and by the Club as a whole.
Having made it through most of a hectic year our President has gone abroad for a well-deserved break, leaving you with me to try to write this monthly letter to you.
The month has had its significant successes:
- Peninsula edging our Brisbane Waters in our first head to head competition
- An excellent Melbourne Cup function
- A successful transition to a new Committee at our AGM
- The welcoming at the AGM of three new Honorary Life members - Alan Davies, Anita Kite and Catherine Whiddon
- Peninsula doing well in the state's Most Improved list
- Peninsula doing well at the State Open Pairs
If you have a a little bit of time and a little bit of interest in helping with communication then we'd love to welcome you to the communications team to help you help the club! Email me at
- Story writers - both your own ideas and ones that are commissioned
- Photographers - taking suitable photos for stories
- Bridge question gurus - Answering how-to bridge questions that are emailed in
- Peninsula stationery organiser - refresh our stationery with the new club logo and font - guidance/support given
- Website support - update and maintain the website, helping others add their content - training/support given
Members are reminded that, with GST being recognised from the beginning of September:
- Table money will rise to $7 for members, and $12 for non-members
- Sets of 10 Prepaid Vouchers (PPVs) will cost $65
- Members will be able to use existing PPVs and yellow and pink vouchers at sessions and from 1 September at supervised sessions.
- From now until 1 September there is a purchase limit of 10 PPVs per member per day.
The committee asks, in the best interests of all members of the club, that members do not attend the club when they are ill and contagious. We want to avoid others catching the flu and other diseases via coughs and sneezes and through touching the cards and boards that others will also touch.
All members are encouraged to wash their hands and do whatever they can to minimise these risks.
If you look at your Pianola results message and wonder how you can improve then the optional Pianola Plus subscription might be just right for you.
The club (via Cath Whiddon) has negotiated a 20% discount on the first subscription to Pianola Plus for any of our club's members. To activate the discount the promo code is PENINSULA (all caps).
Pianola Plus offers a number of additional features of interest to those wishing to improve their game, such as:
