Creative Support
The Country Club AGM and Directors election results
FoVGC current focus
VGC Working Group
FoVGC Legal advice and Go-Fund-Me new target
Other avenues and community consultation
The ongoing closure of Vincentia club and course continues to impact on the community. This cause is important, and it may take a while to resolve. Thank you for your support – read on to see a summary of another busy month – slow progress is being made and we remain optimistic.
Please continue to look after each other, remain strong and engaged.
See a recent FoVGC article on the website of the social and mental impacts of the closure.
Also a summary of the recent history of the Club, and how we came to the current situation.
Creative support
One local family has been very creative in sending a message to the Country Club Board and wider community – thanks for the support. |  |
Country club agm, 13th october 2024
Prior to the AGM, the Country Club held a vote for the Board positions of Senior Vice President and Vice President. Of the 5 candidates, it was the 2 new contenders who gained positions on the Board: Phil Kennedy is now Senior Vice President, and Patricia Hutching, Vice President.
We sincerely hope that the new Board make-up will allow for a review of current actions in respect to the Vincentia course and clubhouse and see a positive future evolve.
The AGM itself was well-attended, in line with prior years. As in previous AGMs, there were several questions about the apportionment of overhead and general expenses across the Basin and Vincentia departments. (The relevance is that apportionment does not represent real costs but is a major contributor to the reported Operating Profit/Loss, which has been used to justify the closure of the Vincentia premises.) There were other questions / comments around the Financial Report, ongoing losses in the Basin department, and challenges within the overall Club. Recommendations to the incoming Board of Directors included considering the negative social consequences to the community of its actions and emphasising that we are all members of One Club. FoVGC’s Members’ statement was read, saying that the closure of the Club is not in Members’ interest. Thank you to those who were able to sign this over the past month - over 360 members.
FoVGC’s focus points remain as:
1. To see the Club and course re-opened; and
2. To stop any breaking up or selling of VGC.
Vincentia Golf Club Working Group
FoVGC fully supports engagement with the Country Club to seek a win-win outcome. This engagement is occurring between the VGC Working Group (led by VRRA), and the CC President and CEO. VRRA’s President Ken Buckley is in almost daily conversation.
For those interested in visibility of the Working Group’s activities:
This Working Group meets weekly, including representatives from VRRA, Vincentia Matters, Golf sub-clubs, neighbouring residents and FoVGC.
The Board had set a date of 1st December for a way forward to be determined. They had initially planned to present a revised Oakstand proposal (enlarged clubhouse, less units etc) to members for another vote prior to re-opening the Club. It appears that the CC may be considering other parties for a different development solution.
At this stage, there has been no material proposal for discussion, and the path to 1st December is unclear.
The Board has stated that de-amalgamation is not an option at this time, and that any staged re-invigoration plan for the premises (along the lines of FoVGC’s Alternate Scenario) is also not an option.
This VGC Working Group continues to press for the Club to be opened now, given that any discussion on the Club’s future will clearly take substantial time to achieve.
There has been concern expressed in the community about side deals being done with the Country Club, led by golfers, in a Facebook post and an anonymous letterbox drop. As far as we are aware, apart from one meeting of a few committee members of a golf sub-club with their CC Liaison Officer, this Working Group is the only party dealing with the Country Club on moving forward.
FoVGC members and, we are sure, members of the Vincentia-Huskisson Community as well as Club members, hope that the new Board moves to seek a consensus outcome for the future of VGC.
Legal advice & GoFundMe
Meanwhile, a legal firm has been engaged and has provided comprehensive advice on possible options should the Country Club Board not listen to members’ wishes. Significantly, a letter was sent to the SGBCC Board on 23rd October to outline the FoVGC legal position.
The letter alleges numerous ethical, contractual and statutory transgressions by the Board since 2021, as well as potential breaches by individual Directors, and proposes that the Board:
A. act to open the VGC Club site for operations forthwith; then,
B. engage in meaningful, candid consultation with FoVGC and Community representatives to formulate a business plan to assure the future of VGC in accordance with the Amalgamation MOU.
The letter further notifies the Board that VGC remains Core Club property until declared otherwise by members, and that further action to degrade or dispose of VGC without member approval places the Board and Club at risk of further action.
While the letter commends and acknowledges the benefit to all of a negotiated outcome, the letter lastly advises FoVGC members' intent to redress alleged breaches if this does not occur.
Recognising the Board's past refusal to address Community and Club member concerns, FoVGC members have reluctantly decided to increase the GoFundMe target to $75K to ensure we are able to initiate legal action if necessary.
Sincere thanks to those who have already donated and continue to donate.
other avenues and community forums
In the past fortnight, VRRA and Vincentia Matters have written to the newly elected Shoalhaven City Councillors and Mayor, to seek their support in getting Vincentia re-opened. We anticipate that a “Meet the new Councillors and Mayor” community forum may be arranged, given the significant change to the Council make-up in the recent election.
When it becomes clear where the CC Board and management are heading, the VGC Working Group also plans to engage broadly with the community on Vincentia’s future.
Finally, for all our golfers, members, and community, we hope you continue to stay connected. VRRA and FoVGC have had a number of drop-in chat sessions, “Monday at the Mall” to allow for informal discussion about what has been happening. More sessions will be held as the situation progresses. A social chat for FoVGC has seen Friends get together on a Friday evening at the Huski Bowlo towards the end of the month.
If you have suggestions or queries or just want to reach out, please don’t hesitate to contact us via FoVGC’s:
Website https://www.fovgc.net/
Email VGCfriends@outlook.com
or via people you know. There have been terrific suggestions and offers of help, please let us know if we have not responded to you.
Download a copy of this FoVGC Monthly Summary - October 2024 and feel free to share it with family, friends and neighbours.