The past year has been very much one of consolidation for the Club. We have performed well financially, confirming conclusively my thoughts about the trend reported in my report last year. It is probably fair to say that we have rarely enjoyed such a sustained period of well-being. This has been overwhelmingly due to the excellent work by Mr Thomas O'Gorman and the staff he leads, and our sincere thanks go to Tom and all of the people who work for the Club. Use of our facilities has increased healthily, with a pronounced rise in the number of functions held here in recent months. That our cellar trade has taken a much lower profile to food and function turnover is perhaps a very clear indication of how we have progressed in the latter areas. Again, Tom and the people who work with him deserve our gratitude for this. I would, however, encourage members to make greater use of the cellar facilities (both via on-the-spot purchases and special orders) while they enjoy the food and ambience. The brightness of our trading position matched (and perhaps encouraged) by the new, fresher look of the Club, which has been achieved - again very much thanks to Thomas and Walter, who did the painting for us - during the Christmas period and, again, approaching the Easter break.
Student memberships have grown, and at the beginning of the 2004 academic year we again collaborated with the undergraduate student body to hold two 'O Week' functions, as we did in 2002. Both suggest how well the Club has found a 'fit' in the broader life of the University, and this is something the Committee would like to see strengthened (without, of course, the Club's attractive personality changing dramatically). It is, after all, highly conducive to a stable and happy future for the Club and its membership that this occurs. The Committee is looking into the possible lines of development in this area, and I hope that by the time next year's Chair's report is ready to be presented, we may be able to provide details of proposals for these.
Your Committee has worked smoothly and most constructively in the past year. The Committee now represents a cross-section of the University community, and I would hope, if the current nominations are accepted by Members, that this profile will be enhanced further still for 2004/5, 1 would like to thank my fellow Committee members - it has been a great pleasure working with them. And, on behalf of us all, I would to extend our thanks to you, the Members. Please continue to enjoy:all the Club has to offer, and please spread the word to other potential members and friends. Earlier, University planning envisioned Hughes Plaza as becoming something of a thriving centre of life for the University community. It is something worthwhile doing and we, in our modest way, can work to help bring that into existence. But to do so, we need more members to bring still more vitality to the Plaza's Eastern side!
Felix Patrikeeff
(Chair)
27 May 2004
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