Tim Lynch was our chairperson for today’s evening meeting at Cilantro. It was a full house with club members, partners and invited guests who came to listen to Tim Mason, president of the Beachside Gift, and enjoy a wonderful dinner prepared by Cordon Bleu students at Holmesglen and the kitchen team at Cilantro. Sam conducted invocation and Greg performed the loyal toast.
PRESIDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS – President Glenda
- Bikes for children in Rochester – Glenda referenced the article written by Helen Nodrum and Geoff Gartly and published in the February edition of District 9810 newsletter - a good example of a partnership in action involving a combined effort from the now disbanded Camelot Traffic School – Moorabbin, St Kilda Scouts Group and Rotary with bikes donated to and distributed through the R.C. of Rochester.
- Calvary Care – our club received a letter of acknowledgement and thanks from the CEO of Calvary Care for our recent club’s donation for fitting out their newly created break out “Jacaranda Room” – a recreational room designed for use when family and friends visit patients in care.
- District Conference – Club members planning to attend the Saturday night dinner at Parliament House will need to present photo id at the entrance to pass security - additionally, the name displayed in the photo id will need to match the name registered for the conference. Any discrepancies in the matching of names will need to be followed up with the conference organisers.
GUEST SPEAKER – Tim Mason – Beachside Gift
- Tim is the President of the Beachside Gift and has had a long association with Gift events – both as a runner and in more recent times in the administration for these events with a long association with the Victorian Athletic League . History for this event dates back to 1963 when it was established as the Parkdale Gift run at Parkdale Oval, and after running for 2 years, for reasons unknown, the event ceased, until 54 years later when it returned in 2018. The event continued for a further 2 years as the Parkdale Gift at Parkdale Oval, however, with growing demands for a larger venue, the event moved to Mentone Reserve in 2022 with a name rebranding to the Beachside Gift. The Beachside Gift is a community event involving local businesses, community groups and sporting clubs. All races are handicap races and promoted to attract professional and non-professional athletes of all abilities, Australia wide with a particular reach to the indigenous communities in N.T., W.A., Tasmania and Victoria. The Beachside Gift is a major leadup event for the more widely known Stawell Gift that attracts athletes worldwide. Participation in these events can lead to and open pathways to continuing involvement and other pursuits within the sporting industry. This year’s Beachside Gift was very successful – it included 16 events with a total prize pool of $35,000 – supported by major sponsors that included Bendigo Community Bank, William Buck, Moorabbin Airport, Hodges, Australian Fitness Academy, Holmesglen, and other local businesses, and fully supported by the City of Kingston. 3,000 people attended on the day, attracting athletes from Australia wide and was broadcast on Kayo Sports. Future plans are to make the event bigger and better with an increased sponsorship base. A new event is being planned – the Beachside Sand Classic to be held in Mordialloc in November this year. Tim concluded his talk by answering questions from the floor and on finishing, he was presented with a cheque from our club for $1,500 for prize money and catering for the day. Thank you Tim for your very enjoyable and informative talk.
On another note – we learnt our very own Charles Rener, acted as an interpreter/translator for the athletic team from Belgium during the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. We continue to learn Charles, our valued and longest serving club member, is a member with many talents.
