CAPTAIN’S INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE

 

Fortwilliam is a long established club with a proud history and traditions. I therefore feel privileged to have been nominated for the office of Captain. I am aware that this will be a demanding and challenging role but I am very honoured to accept it. I will attempt to carry out my duties with enthusiasm and dedication and will strive to repay the trust you have shown in me.

 

I wish to thank our now immediate past Captain, Mr Jim McGinn for nominating me for this prestigious post.  I would like to pay tribute to Jim for all his efforts on behalf of the club during his year in office.  From the outset, Council had to address a range of major issues, not least of which was the difficult financial situation we found ourselves in. It proved to be a very demanding and stressful year but Jim worked tirelessly to meet the challenge. He strove to fulfil all his responsibilities as Captain and carried out his duties conscientiously. He and I had a very close working relationship as Captain and Vice-Captain and I will value his ongoing support this year in his new role as Immediate Past Captain.

 

I should like to congratulate our President, Howard Hillis, who has now completed his second year in office. Howard can always be relied on to provide support for our teams in inter-club matches, and takes a special interest in the Holt Shield. At a personal level, I should like to thank Howard for his support and encouragement during my year as Vice-Captain.

 

I should also like to congratulate Alice Kelly who has just completed her year as Ladies Captain. I also extend my good wishes to Ursula McDonnell, the outgoing ladies Hon.Secretary and Patrick McDiarmid, the outgoing Junior Captain, I should like to thank Malachy Toner, the outgoing Hon. Secretary for all his hard work on behalf of the club. The post of Hon. Secretary is very demanding and time consuming and Malachy worked tirelessly and selflessly during his term of office. I extend my best wishes to Bill McLernon who has retired from Council and also Hugh Moore, the outgoing Hon. Treasurer. I should like to thank Hugh for his contribution last year, especially his input into the emergency turnaround plan. I also offer a special word of thanks to Pat Toal, who is retiring from Council after many years of service to the club.

I congratulate Jeanne Corr on her election as Ladies Captain, Maeve McCann on her election as Ladies Vice-Captain and Alacoque Logan on her election as Ladies Hon. Secretary. I also extend my best wishes to Niall McDonagh on becoming Junior Captain. I wish them all a successful and enjoyable year.

 

Congratulations also to those who were elected to Council at the recent AGM: Seamus Shields as Vice-Captain, Michael Graham as Honorary Secretary, Malachy Toner as Honorary Treasurer, Patsy McKenna as Trustee and Council members Paul Ferguson, Roddy O’Flaherty, Brendan Brady, Kieran Loy, John O’Reilly and Paul Gillen. I look forward to working with all of them and the club staff in the coming year. This year’s Council has a very different composition from that of two years ago. I think that this will invigorate and revitalise Council. I anticipate that our new members will bring with them skills that we can utilise for the benefit of the club. They will also bring with them new ideas for taking the club forward.

 

At the start of the year there were serious financial issues that had to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Thanks to your support, the cash flow crisis that faced the club was averted. I thank all members who responded to our request for early payment of fees and also those members who came forward and provided short term loans for the club.  The Treasurer’s report at the AGM demonstrated that we have made considerable progress in the last year.  We can now afford a much more optimistic outlook. Nevertheless, Council will continue to monitor club finances closely and exercise tight budget control to ensure that we complete our financial recovery.

 

One of the main contributing causes of our financial problems was the decline in membership that we have experienced in common with many other clubs. A key focus for this year will be the development of measures to retain existing members and to recruit new members.

                                                                                                                                  

In their acceptance speeches the previous two captains both stated the importance of moving forward with consideration and respect for all sections of the membership. I also intend to work during my year of office to promote this principle of inclusivity.  I believe it is important that all members feel that their views are being taken into account by Council when decisions are being made. We made some progress in this regard last year by organising two information evenings but I believe we need to put systems and procedures in place to ensure that communication between members and Council is ongoing throughout the year.

As we all know golf is a game that can frustrate us to distraction but we still keep coming back for more. Why?  I read on a website recently six reasons why golf is the best sport: it is addictive, it prolongs life, it improves concentration, it provides principles such as fair play and etiquette, it makes you friendlier and it returns you to nature. Let’s resolve to enjoy our golf this year!  I would ask all members to support our club competitions. I would also encourage members to support the various social events we organise through the course of the year. I wish all our club teams every success in the various inter-club competitions and offer a special word of thanks to those members who have agreed to be team managers.

I look forward to your support in making 2015 a successful year for the club and all its members.

Jim McDonnell