President’s Report

I am pleased to report to Members that the Club is continuing to run well thanks largely to the efforts of the Directors all of whom I take the opportunity of thanking for their efforts over the last year.

While in many respects the operations of the Club are made easier by the fact that they fall into a regular pattern, the number of matters that have to be attended to has increased substantially in the last few years.

There is the need to account for GST (and file regular BAS statements), increased concentration on corporate governance and reporting, and the need to comply with environmental reporting requirements to name but a few. Needless to say none of these things add to our core activity of operating a company formed to promote the sport of skiing, but only complicate the job of achieving these objectives.

Apart from the regular operational matters the last year has been dominated by the following matters:

• The continuing major works to upgrade and maintain the lodge building. This has always been a major task of the Board, but due to the age of the building and the increasing regulation of building activities (due to OH & S concerns among other things) the difficulty and as importantly the cost of doing this has increased quite significantly. It would be almost impossible today for the Members of the Club to build a lodge in the manner that the founders of KSRC did.

• Consideration of proposals to increase the membership of the Club to ensure the better utilisation of the Club’s facilities and to underwrite its continuing financial health. There is a more detailed report on this issue elsewhere in Revelry.

• The appointment of staff to manage the lodge during the snow season. Unfortunately, after a long period of stability in our lodge managers we have had to interview and appoint new managers on four occasions in the last seven or eight years (including twice in the last 12 months). We have recently appointed our new team for 2005 following an interview process at the lodge and in Sydney. All applicants who were interviewed were of a high standard and we believe that we have in Robyn and Terry managers who will take very good care of our Members (and hopefully for some seasons!).

• Joining with SLOPES in lobbying in opposition to a proposal to turn Perisher Valley into an open village with concreted roads being cleared throughout the season to permit vehicular access.

It is important for the continued successful management of the Club that the membership of the Board continues to contain a mix of experience and “new blood”. Despite the work that needs to be done it is a generally enjoyable and worthwhile experience. The fact that some of the Board members have remained in the job for several years suggest that it is not too onerous. If any members are interested in joining the Board they should speak to me or one of the other directors or even attend a Board Meeting to see how it works.

Like many other members I was saddened to hear of the death of Jack Solar, one of our earliest members. My last contact with Jack was last season at the lodge when he was competing in another cross country event and training his latest enthusiastic pupil in Kylie, one of our managers. I am sure that all our Members share with me in extending our sympathies to Mischa and the rest of the family.

I wish all members an enjoyable and snow filled season.

Philip Wallis

New Membership Intake & Revised Joining fees

Introduction

The October 2004 and March 2005 issues of Snow Revelry raised the issue of declining membership and the possible intake of new adult members. These issues described the changing demographics of the club and the financial impact of declining bed take-up numbers, little off-season use of the lodge and the need for major maintenance works. 

The Club currently has in the order of 380 adult members whereas it is registered for up to 500 adult members. The directors have discussed the matter at length and conclude that the Club needs to refresh its membership to over 400, in order to achieve financial stability. The directors have therefore decided to proceed with an intake of up to 30 new adult members. The final number is at the discretion of the directors to determine and will be based on the number and quality of submissions received.

While the intake is focused on adult membership, successful applicants may

subsequently apply for membership for their children and spouses and may also nominate temporary members when applying for lodge accommodation.

Revised joining fees

The Club’s joining fees, which have remained unchanged (apart from the GST impost) for more than 12 years, are overdue for review. The existing fees and the proposed new fees (all GST inclusive) are shown in the tables below.

	Existing Joining Fee
Adult	$880
Junior (12 to under 16)	$330
Junior (8 to under 12)	$165
Junior (4 to under 8)	$110
Junior (0 to under 4)	$55

	Proposed Joining Fee
Adult	$2,750
Junior (10 to under 16)	$550
Junior (0 to under 10)	$165

It is expected that spouses and children of existing members might want to take advantage of the current (lower) joining fees before the increase occurs. Applications meeting these criteria will attract the existing fees until 30-Sep-2005. It is proposed that as of 1-Oct-2005, the new fees will apply to all membership applications.

The Club is required to hold a general meeting to set new joining fees. Such a meeting will be held at 8:00pm Tuesday 12-Jul-2005 at Community Groups Centre, Porter's Lane, St Ives. Please come along to air your views.

Applications

Following the general meeting, applications will be sought from adults wanting to become members of the Club. The directors will be seeking new members who will make a positive contribution to the life of the Club. Those that have already contributed as temporary members, or in other ways, will be given preference.

Membership applications forms with the revised joining fees and application procedure will be circulated by post to existing members.

As usual, existing financial members must sponsor and second applications for membership.

Payment

Usually, both the joining fee and the first year’s annual membership fee must accompany an application for membership.

However, since the outcome of their application will be uncertain, payment from applicants in this new intake will not be required until the directors have decided to recommend acceptance of their application to existing members.

At this time, the selected applicants will be notified and sent an invoice for the joining fee and first year’s annual membership fee. It is anticipated that this will occur on or after 1 Oct-2005, so the proposed new joining fees will be in force. Payment will be due within 30 days of the invoice date, by cheque or credit card (Bankcard, MasterCard, Visa).

The current annual membership fees (GST inclusive, for the financial year 1-Dec-2004 to 30-Nov-2005) are as follows.

	Annual membership fee
Married couple	$160
Adult	$85
Junior (10 to under 16)	$40
Junior (0 to under 10)	$35

Membership will not be granted until after receipt of both the joining fee and the first year’s annual membership fee.

As usual, annual membership fees paid by new members after 30 September will also cover the following financial year (in this case 1-Dec-2005 to 30-Nov-2006).

Objections

Membership also depends on no objection being raised by existing members. It is expected that the names of proposed new members will be listed in the November issue of Snow Revelry.

It is anticipated that the December board meeting will consider any objections raised by existing members. After this, letters of confirmation will be sent to accepted applicants. Applicants who are not accepted will receive a full refund of any fees paid.

Timeline

The new membership intake process is summarised below.

Sam Kutner OAM

Sam Kutner (a long-standing member of the club) was recently awarded the Order of Australia Medal "for service to people with physical disabilities through Technical Aid to the Disabled (NSW)".

For more than 20 years Sam, an engineer and inventor, has been applying his multitude of skills and talents in a voluntary capacity by inventing mechanical and/or electronic aids for people with disabilities - from young children to the elderly.  His inventions have featured on the former ABC Science programme Quantum. The University of Sydney's Key Centre of Design Computing has focussed on Sam's challenging work of designing suitable technical aids for severely disabled people in the video entitled Design Process. 

Sam, an engineer and inventor, is the founder and director of Everycare, a not-for-profit charitable organisation whose purpose is to enhance the quality of life of individuals with pronounced physical disabilities through making available, free of charge, life-transforming, specialised computer programmes.

Sam is committed to training and working with computer programmers and engineers to create a network of people who have the vision, caring and skills to make a profound difference to the lives of disabled individuals, their families and/or carers through the use of computer technology.

The needs of individuals with disability require careful thought and a cost effective solution. The designs often need to be specific for that individual. I have yet to present a problem to Sam that he has not been able to solve and implement. Sometimes the solutions have involved months of his time.

In my experience he is without peer in his design and manufacturing abilities, and is extraordinary in his generosity and eagerness to help where ever possible. He asks nothing for himself in these tasks. One of his most valuable attributes is his ability to empower every individual with whom he associates.

Daniel Lewis

Vale Jack Solar

In April KSRC lost one of it’s well known and respected long time members.

Jack Solar learned to ski as a boy in his native Czechoslovakia and came to Australia just before World War II. When the snowfields reopened in 1946 Jack lost no time in getting together some gear and heading for the snow. We first met Jack on the King’s Birthday weekend of 1947 when Sadie and I found ourselves with a group at the old Black Hut at Smiggins. This was at a time when there were no ski shops and we had all turned out in a motley collection of hand made clothes and ski gear. It was hard not to notice Jack that weekend, not only were he and his mates resplendent in beautifully made yellow parachute silk ski jackets but Jack was the one person on the mountain who really could ski. Already two of his great characteristics were showing – his resourcefulness and above all his style.

Later that year Jack became a foundation member and first president of the YMCA Ski Club and in 1948 joined Snow Revellers. He was involved in the planning and early working parties on the Lodge. His skiing talents were soon widely recognised and he became a member of the NSW Team. In later life Jack preferred to compete in Nordic events. He maintained a high level of fitness throughout his life and participated in three World Masters Nordic Titles. The last of these was in the 80 to 85 yrs class.

In 1954 Jack and Micha were married. They had three children, Leslie, Marina and Alan all of whom are well known to many Revellers.

Jack was a professional engineer but he soon decided that if he were to provide for his family to his high standard then he would not do it working for a boss. His first business venture was as a manufacturer of household appliances but again the rewards were not adequate so he decided to apply his engineering and planning skills to building houses. Jack remained in the housing industry as a developer and project builder until his retirement.

Away from the snow Jack was a keen golfer and was a foundation member of Monash Golf Club. He was also a formidable squash player. As befits someone with his engineering talent, he was the proud owner of two beautiful vintage cars that he had painstakingly restored.

Jack was a man of considerable erudition who spoke seven languages. This led him to act as an Olympics Volunteer Interpreter. He much enjoyed the experience and stayed with the Olympics Organisation throughout the windup period of the games.

In his retirement Jack gave expression to his artistic talents by sculpting in sheet metal. Last year he was able to put together an exhibition of his work. A very high proportion of his sculptures sold, resulting in a handsome donation to charity.

Jack died after a brief illness. He was 82.

Ted Cowcher, Len Harrison

Saving paper

In an effort to save paper (and the time of our volunteer enveloper stuffers), the mailing room has recently decided to post just one copy of Revelry to each separate address on the membership list.

So, if you receive fewer than the usual number of copies this is the reason.

Of course, there is no intention to deprive you of the convenience of additional copies if they are actually useful. If you would like to receive more than one copy, please advise David Cohen (keeper of the membership list) and your household's quota will be ammended.

We also plan to add an option on the next annual subscription notice allowing well-connected members to choose e-mail as their preferred delivery mechanism.

Instructions for how NOT to have other members OFF-PISTE

Most of us prescribe to the view of doing unto others, as you would have them do unto you. Unfortunately, some attendees of our ski lodge have recently behaved more along the lines of the lord giveth, and they taketh away.

In respect of members’ property stored in communal areas the latter approach has led to a number of complaints to Directors in respect of missing or damaged property. One member identified safety concerns, when found their skis had been “borrowed” and returned with the bindings set in a dangerous position.

The Directors request:

All members should ensure they are using their own equipment.

If you would like to borrow a piece of equipment from someone not already at the lodge, you must ask that person directly, either via telephoning them from the lodge or before attending the lodge.

If you have been granted permission to use the item, you must treat it carefully as if it was your own, and then return it to the state and position it was in prior to your borrowing it.

Members are asked to ensure that they leave the lodge only with their own equipment and belongings.

Special!

From the 10^th of September (including Babies Week) until the end of the season, there will be a 25% discount off the normal tariff rates.

Lodge Tariff Rates for 2005 Winter Season

Inclusive of GST

Weekly

Adult Member $658.00
Junior Member (10 - under 16 yrs)$490.00

Junior Member (3 - under 10 yrs) $329.00
Junior Member (0 - under 3 yrs) $119.00
Temporary Member $819.00
Temporary Member (10 - under 16 yrs) $616.00

Temporary Member (3 - under 10 years) $413.00
Temporary Member (0 - under 3 yrs) $147.00
Nightly

Adult Member $94.00
Junior Member (10 - under 16 yrs)$70.00

Junior Member (3 - under 10 yrs) $47.00
Junior Member (0 - under 3 yrs) $17.00
Temporary Member $117.00
Temporary Member (10 - under 16 yrs) $88.00

Temporary Member (3 - under 10 yrs) $59.00
Temporary Member (0 - under 3 yrs) $21.00

Casual Meals

Breakfast $10.00
Lunch $12.00
Dinner $20.00

Telephone

Charge per Unit $0.40

Conditions for partial Refund on Cancellation of Booking

All cancellations must be received in writing by the Booking Officer. Cancellations received at least four (4) weeks before the commencement of the booked week will receive a refund of 90% of the tariff.

Cancellations giving less than four (4) weeks notice, but received by at least the Tuesday prior to the booked week will receive a 30% refund of tariff paid. Cancellations not complying with the above conditions will not normally receive a refund.

Smooth Lodge Operation

Many things impinge upon the operation of

the Lodge & its enjoyment by all members. Our method of operation requires a high level of co-operation between members & the use of a considerable amount of judgement by individuals as to what is acceptable conduct under these circumstances.

Activities which have a good chance of interfering with the possibility of other members

having an enjoyable holiday should be avoided.

Give consideration to the following matters:

Try not to arrive before 10.00 am Saturday. If this is unavoidable, stack baggage to one side in the games room on the ground floor & make use of the facilities for coffee making in the games room. This allows members still in residence to clean their rooms & finalise arrangements & staff to carry out essential end-of-the-week cleaning duties.

Members vacating the Lodge should place their luggage in the space provided outside the games room.

In most circumstances guests are welcome for meals. Please obtain the agreement of both the Captain & the Lodge Manager prior to issuing such invitations. Do give consideration to whether there is adequate room for the number of guests involved, whether staff

can cater for them & their compatibility with members who are in residence.

Moderate noise and music to appropriate levels later in the evenings so as not to disturb or inconvenience members who have already retired or are not participating in the activities.

Behaviour of children should be monitored & controlled by parents in & around the Lodge giving due consideration to the enjoyment of

all the members’ holidays.

Fire Precautions

Although the risk of fire has been minimised as far as possible, a fire disaster is an ever-present & extremely dangerous hazard in the snow country. Accordingly, members must:

1. Familiarise themselves with the position & use of fire hoses & extinguishers.

2. Exercise great care when handling flammable liquids & gases & the equipment associated with them.

3. Ensure that children under the age of 12 years are not left alone in the Lodge, or enter the loft unattended.

4. Make sure that any clothing, towels etc. are not placed on the oil heater in the drying room or directly on the room heaters.

FIRE & SMOKE DETECTORS have been placed in appropriate areas of the Lodge. These activate sirens when stimulated by heat or smoke. Immediate action should be taken to locate & control the cause of an alarm & to inform the local Fire Brigade on 6457 5016.

Smoking is not allowed in the Lodge.

Lodge Rules

The following rules & precautionary measures have been devised to ensure, as far as possible, the preservation of our lodge facility at Perisher, & to help members enjoy their skiing holiday in the communal & friendly atmosphere which has been a characteristic feature of our club since its inception.

1. Only members are allowed to stay overnight in the Club Lodge.

2. Members may stay at the Lodge only for the period booked with the Booking Officer in Sydney. The normal booking period is from 10.00 am on Saturday to 10.00 am the following Saturday. Shorter periods may be arranged if they are available.

3. Members in residence are responsible to the Lodge Captain who has been appointed by the directors & is their representative.

4. The Captain will allocate the sleeping accommodation & housekeeping duties.

5. Members should obtain appropriate clean sheets & pillow slips from the linen cupboard on arrival & dispose of used linen (but not doona covers unless dirty) as directed by the Lodge Manager before leaving the Lodge. (NB Towels are not provided).

6. Members are required to sign the Register on arrival & departure.

7. The operation of the drying-room heater is the responsibility of the Lodge Manager & should not be interfered with by members. The operation of the kitchen stove is also the responsibility of the Lodge Manager. When members use the stove on staff day off they should seek directions from the manager about its use & operation.

8. The common Room fire must be maintained in a safe condition at all times. Over-stacking & unstable stacking of wood should be avoided. The fire screen must be

closed when retiring at night. The Common

Room fire is not to be used for cooking.

9. Clothes should not be left in the Drying Room any longer than is necessary for adequate drying.

10. The laundry facilities provided on the ground floor should be used for washing clothes. Basins in the bathrooms or the kitchen are not appropriate.

11. Skis & stocks when not in use should be placed in the racks provided.

12. Members should make themselves familiar with the correct operation of the dish washing machine by reading the instructions. Incorrect operation could lead to inadequate cleaning of utensils. A similar requirement applies to the audio equipment.

13. Members in residence should do what they can to maintain a warm & suitable environment in the Lodge by carefully controlling the use of exhaust fans & the operating of windows & external doors.

14. Members must vacate the Lodge at the end of the period in which they have been booked. Rooms must be cleaned & vacated by 10.00 am on the day of departure.

15. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the lodge.

Lodge Bookings arrangements

2005

Phone 9654 3998

1. Full tariff for the period of accommodation is to be forwarded with each application for bookings.

2. The tariff will be refunded if a booking cannot be made.

3. Cancellation charges will apply.

4. The telephone number 9654 3998 is listed in the Yellow Pages Directory under KSRC.

5. 9654 3998 is the only number to use when making booking enquiries. General Club enquiries can also be directed here if required. When not attended, a recording machine will take your message with calls returned as soon as possible.

6. Bookings CANNOT be made by telephone, they must be in writing accompanied by the full tariff.

Janet Kennedy

Booking Officer

2005. Winter Accommodation List

2005

(List compiled on 5 May 2005 – changes will occur)

(temp) denotes temporary member

Saturday 25/6/05 to Saturday 2/7/05

Saturday 2/7/05 to Saturday 9/7/05

Gary Walker, Natalie Walker 13yrs, Ian Hemmings, Suanne Russell (temp), Conrad Hemmings, Samuel Hemmings, Dianne Brissett, Ian Brissett, Zoe Brissett, Naomi Brissett, Stephen Levy, Anthony Milinill (temp), Sam Levy 16yrs, Nicole Levy 14yrs, Rhod McGhee, Jackie McGhee, Christina McGhee, Alex McGhee

Saturday 9/7/05 to Saturday 16/7/05

Rodney Green, Michael Green, Nicole Green 14yrs, Marian Kobler, Laurie Kobler, Simon Kobler, Louise Kobler, Ted Cowcher, Sadie Cowcher, Kristen Turner , Angus Turner 10yrs, Aislinn Turner 7yrs, Tony Ryba, Nicky Ryba, Natasha Ryba 12yrs, Nathan Ryba 11yrs, Aaron Ryba 8yrs, Tony Kobler, Marie Kobler, Alex Kobler , Madeline Kobler J16

Saturday 16/7/05 to Saturday 23/7/05

Sam Kutner, Jakob Govendir 15yrs, Matt Govendir 13yrs

Saturday 23/7/05 to Saturday 30/7/05

John Turner, Suzanne Turner, Michael Turner, Jared Clifford (temp), Chris Strom (temp), Marcia Lambert

Saturday 30/7/05 to Saturday 6/8/05

Rod Bartlett, Jill Bartlett, Terry Bartlett (temp), Lucy Tucker (temp), Danny Bartlett, Dearne Doran, Michael Dunlop, Neil Humphreys, Bruce McDowell, George Watkins, Kingsford Dodd, Jane Dodd, Bruce Dodd (temp), Steve Goble, Vince Comito (temp), Paul Comito (temp), Bruno Schicht

Saturday 6/8/05 to Saturday 13/8/05

Peter Ryba, Jack Mandelberg, Phillip Coleman, Luke Coleman 13yrs, Alfred Parker, Elizabeth Parker, Janina Mansberg, John Anderson, Ray DeMarco, Margaret DeMarco, Danielle DeMarco, Mathew Hogan (temp), Alan Hoy

Saturday 13/8/05 to Saturday 20/8/05

Andrew Perry, Theressa Lavender, Lyndall Zinga, Steve Zinga, Jessica Zinga, Carly Zinga, Chris Perry, Anne Perry, Grant Perry 6yrs, Keith Perry 4yrs, Peter Rankin (temp), Barbara Rankin (temp), Isabella Rankin 5yrs (temp), Jamilla Rankin 2½yrs (temp)

Saturday 20/8/05 to Saturday 27/8/05

Saturday 27/8/05 to Saturday 3/9/05

Andrew Kelly, Sharon Kelly, Brendan Kelly 10yrs, Anita Kelly 6yrs, Stephen Topham (temp), Peter Ryba, Jack Walker

Saturday 3/9/05 to Saturday 10/9/05

Saturday 10/9/05 to Saturday 17/9/05 - Babies Week

Saturday 17/9/05 to Saturday 24/9/05

Bert Saunders, Robin Saunders, Matthew Sierp (temp), Wendy Sierp (temp), Miles Sierp 15yrs (temp) , Taylor Sierp 12yrs (temp) , Reid Sierp 11yrs (temp)

Saturday 24/9/05 to Saturday 1/10/05

Gail Kohn, Michael Kohn, Desi Kohn 11yrs, Dayna Kohn 9yrs

Extraordinary General Meeting

Kosciusko Snow Revellers’ Club Limited

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Kosciusko Snow Revellers’ Club Ltd. will be held at the Ku-ring-gai Meeting Room, Community Group Centre, Corner of Rosedale Road & Mona Vale Road (enter off Porters Lane), St Ives on Tuesday 12 July 2005 at 8.00 pm.

BUSINESS

1. Confirmation of the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 26^th April and 3^rd May 2005.

2. To consider and vote on the following resolution:

“That the Entrance Fee payable for new members of the Company be set at $2750.00 (including GST) for candidates elected to membership on or after 1 October 2005.”

BY ORDER OF THE DIRECTORS

Karen Morton,

Hon. Secretary