Future focus for golf club
FIRSTLY I would like to thank the community of Horsham and the Wimmera region for supporting the golf club during its recent appeal.
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The success of the appeal is overwhelming and a testament to the generosity of the community and a statement of the regard that the Horsham Golf Club and its course is held. This result will go a long way towards helping the club secure its future.
As you are aware the funds received have been placed into a trust account with a separate bank while the board deals with a number of issues facing the club. This separate bank account was established to protect the integrity of the donation while the club endeavours to deal with a number of issues.
I will give you a broad outline of what the board is attempting to do in securing the golf club’s future. There are three critical areas of activities that we need to address immediately.
Firstly, we needed to address the club’s liquidity crisis. That is what the appeal was about and as a result of raising about $340,000 the board has the confidence to sign the statutory accounts as required by corporation’s law. It is intended that these funds be used primarily to address the club’s creditor and statutory obligation situation.
Secondly, the club’s debt of $1.4 million – including creditors and statutory obligations – is unsustainable and the board is exploring a number of different potential scenarios in the hope of dealing with this problem. There are a number of scenarios that we are exploring that hopefully will alleviate this problem. When we have clarity here we will then be in a position to deal with the creditors.
Thirdly, as explained at the annual general meeting, we have been working hard at addressing the operating performance of the golf club and while we still have a long way to go, progress is being made. It is the intention of the club board to maintain control of the future for the Horsham Golf Club. We have a clear understanding of what we want the golf club to look like at the end of this challenging period and we will keep you informed of any significant developments as soon as is possible.
We need to understand what success looks like for the club. Fundamentally we want to see a continual surge in membership and general community activity. Our membership was down at 444 at June 30 but has climbed to 522 in the past six months. We have created new membership categories and will continue to refine these as we look to 700 members in the next 18 months.
We have started running junior clinics and have had positive feedback from these. We want to see these develop to the stage where as many school children as possible are having a regular golf experience.
We are seeing encouraging signs of increased golf visitation to Horsham. This area is a strong focus of the club, has enormous potential, and will have a positive impact on the local economy.
Once again, I thank the community and club membership for its generous contribution and for the confidence shown in the club as we navigate through this difficult period. We need the Horsham Golf Club to be a long term sustainable community asset.
Leo Delahunty, president, Horsham Golf Club
Members support asset
MAY I reply to the comments of Tamara Koenig Hunter and Abbie Wilson (web words, Wimmera Mail-Times, December 14).
Firstly, I suggest to both of them to check everything for the truth before writing negative comments.
In regards to help and donations, every club or organisation relies on its members for help and most people enjoy doing so. I have been a member for more than 20 years and during that time the club has asked me twice to help them out financially – the first being to help purchase the pro shop on a loan interest paid agreement, and the second being saving the club from administration, which I was willing to subscribe to, so the club could survive.
I have never been asked any other time.
I congratulate everyone who donated money and I am sure everyone who donated money will be thanked and informed on the outcome.
As for the people who lost their jobs and took pay cuts, maybe they were not up to the expectations they were employed for. As for your suggestion to secure better management, I might point out the board running the club now are all very successful business people and should be congratulated on the work they are doing.
If Tamara and Abbie would like to join the board, I would be only happy to nominate them.
Finally, yes the club has made some bad decisions in the past but it is time now for all members of the golf club and the whole community to pull together and help save this great golf course, which is a great asset to the city of Horsham.
I am sure for the people who are getting restless, as suggested, one phone call to Horsham Golf Club will put them at ease.
Ian Ryan, Horsham
Editor’s note: The Wimmera Mail-Times had asked Horsham Golf Club officials direct questions about their fundraising campaign and what the money would go towards, but did not receive a detailed response to those questions. Leo Delahunty’s letter, above, addresses some of those questions more thoroughly.
Living the Christian way
THE Reverend Isham in his article titled: The Church must embrace the individual (Wimmera Mail-Times, December 14) asks if a Christian school should be able to uphold its Christian ethics and, if necessary, deal with problems if someone in or at the school is not upholding these ethics and values.
Could I be so bold as to assert that if a Christian school did not have the power to deal with its problems as it sees fit, then that would be a travesty of justice and a waste of time and resources.
My wife and I sent our children to a local Christian school because we believed that the Christian school was established in order to teach according to the established Biblical position.
Christian schools would fail in their God-given responsibility if they in any way compromise with the god-less world or secular humanism. They are not to bring themselves down to the level of the world. If parents only send their children to Christian schools because they believe that discipline is better there then they miss the real reason for that school’s existence.
Christian schools should lovingly but firmly speak the truth of God’s word in all matters no matter what the cost.
I take little comfort from the article of Reverend Isham.
While it is pleasing to read that he says that the presbyterian church teaches the traditional view of marriage, I have no confidence that that church would uphold that view, judging by the next four paragraphs of the minister’s article.
I refer to his comments regarding ‘gender and sexuality’. I would have thought that to determine a person’s gender is an easy thing to do.
Reverend Isham is correct when he says that we should be “generous and loving…(and) learn more about Jesus.”
However, there are two things to consider – both mentioned in the Bible, but not in his article.
What do you do when a person you are showing generosity and love to does not reciprocate, and more importantly, shows no intention of amending their sinful ways? The answer is given in Titus 3:10-11. The second thing to consider – and this is hardly ever mentioned by modern day clerics – is the admonition of Christ to the wayward, and to us today – “go and sin no more”.
The Christian church is to rescue guilty souls from hell through the gracious message of the Gospel of Christ crucified and not have two bob each way on controversial matters or by being professional fence-sitters.
Phil Lienert, Horsham
Help for the children
ON BEHALF of Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Christmas Child, I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to the many churches, schools, organisations and numerous individuals who were involved this year in packing a shoebox for a child in need.
Each child is special and they will receive only one shoebox of gifts once in their lifetime. This gift will bring immediate joy and hope to the child and may open up opportunities they had never dreamed of.
Samaritan’s Purse can then assess the needs of the community such as safe clean water, education, health and community empowerment projects and implement programs where possible.
This year 293,582 shoeboxes have been processed from Australia and New Zealand. All of the Victorian boxes have gone to the Philippines including 2222 delivered from the Wimmera and southern Mallee.
All of our team would like to give a huge thank you to each person who took the time to become involved either by packing a shoebox or donating goods or money. Thank you also to the many people who made many different handmade items for the boxes.
We look forward to working with you all again next year. Remember, you can collect items all year round. For further information please refer to our website operationchristmaschild.org.au
Ann Rohde, area co-ordinator, Samaritan’s Purse