On February 14, 2024, Country Club members received a President’s Message with subject line 'The Future of The Country Club Vincentia'.
President Proudfoot stated his messages was, "In response to a small group of disgruntled members misleading our community and spreading harmful comments, The Country Club wish to provide this update to the residents of the Vincentia community." Two days later this same message was printed on a glossy A5 flyer and dropped in the letterboxes of all Vincentia residents.
Here's the response from Friends of Vincentia Golf Club's President, Andrew Irvine.
As is often the case with his correspondence our Club President merely pushes a narrative rather than dealing with member concerns. Response as follows:
History. While the Course condition improved since amalgamation, the failure to follow through with improving Clubhouse services and ammenities, and administer the VGC accounts in accordance with the Board's obligations in the Amalgamation MOU is the reason for the current VGC financial performance.
Current Situation. Having commenced engagement with potential developers in 2021 on the basis of sale of part of the Course the Board has settled on an asset sale, the scope of which is vaguely described. The Board has refused offers of assistance by Club NSW to consider alternatives and has apparently failed to explore options to transfer VGC to another Club or Hospitality provider in order to preserve an irreplaceable community amenity.
Consultation. The 'information session' was a presentation of the fundamentally flawed Tully Heard Report by the consultant and a statement by the President. There was no discussion with members and the flaws in the report content is the subject of a separate post on this site. The Board refuses to describe how the sale proceeds will be spent and how the remaining VGC assets will be financially sustainable as a result of the sale. Golf Courses and Bowling Greens rarely generate sufficient revenue in the absence of hospitality services (as is demonstrated by the massive losses generated by these amenities at the Basin Country Club).
The Way Forward. The Board might accurately explain its intent for the scale of the development, its impact on residents and provide its analysis to support the Board's hope that the resultant VGC asset will be sustainable in the long term. It might further fully explain why no alternatives have been explored and why the NSW Golf offer to help was refused. Members have sought consultation with the Club Board and Management on numerous occasions. Each of which has either been ignored or refused.
Andrew Irvine President FoVGC.
15 February 2024
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