 SECRETARY'S REPORT |
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| Membership
numbers issued, now at 13866, reflect yet another year of
solid growth. At this time last year, membership 11690
had just been issued. The number of financial members is
approximately 10,300 and the real membership growth,
allowing for the considerable number of non-renewers last
year, is about 1,400, or similar to the same period last
year. We surveyed a large random sample of the non -renewers and found 67% couldn't be contacted by mail or telephone after repeated attempts. Where did they go? Of the remainder, reasons for giving up the Club included age and infirmity, or they had given up riding for other reasons. Only 8% indicated that, for a variety of reasons, they had lost interest in the Club. Among that group there were a few complaints that their local rides tended to be too fast for them. There were no other complaints about the organisation of Branches, Groups or any other aspects of the Club. Membership renewals are now due for those whose membership expires on 31/12/97. Please check your membership card or more simply the address flier that came with this Riding On where the expiry date is indicated. We won't be sending renewal advice so this is your one and only reminder to rejoin. Please fill in the back of the address flier and send it with your payment of $45 (cheque, money order, or credit card details) to membership secretary Wendy at the Bargo address. At last, the Ulysses Club Homepage is up and running. Response has been really positive with more than 700 hits in the first month. |
You
can now do all your Club transactions, including shopping for Club gear through the site. The site was set
up by a commercial operator and we have a budget for the
next six months to keep it running that way. We are looking for advertising online to offset costs, estimated at around $300 per month. Members, Branches and Groups are encouraged to send ride calendar updates and suitable local content to the webmaster for inclusion. Our aim is to have all Australian Ulysses web material emanating from the official site. On page one of the printed magazine (or here) is the formal notice of the 1998 Annual General Meeting, as required by the constitution, together with a call for nominations for positions on the national committee. This is a democracy at work, so if you feel you can contribute, please nominate. Don Morgan will be stepping down from the committee after 3 years as treasurer. Don has made a valuable contribution, organising the Club's finances on a professional basis, as well as providing his considerable wisdom on all matters before the committee. Nominations are needed for treasurer from members with some professional experience, to replace Don. Don is happy to discuss the role with any prospective nominees who can contact him on 02 9918 3259. I am stepping down at the end of December for a move overseas. Fortunately, Brian Hopkins, member number 1502 and a member of the Sydney Branch committee, has volunteered to fill the casual committee vacancy and will take over as secretary from January 1st. Thanks to everyone for the support they have given me over my (almost) 3 year stint as secretary. Best Wishes for Xmas 1998, the AGM, and a safe and enjoyable start to summer. Have fun! Ted Richards |