Dear Members,
The 2023 President’s Gala dinner was held on Saturday evening 14th October with a great turn-out in attendance with a number of special guests including club patron and foundation member Mrs Judith Tuckey OAM, club trustee and former General Manager Billie Friedlander along with six former MCC Presidents in attendance.
It was a really upbeat evening that was well supported, and the feedback was very positive. Members and guests were treated to pre-dinner drinks and hors d’oeuvres before enjoying an excellent meal prepared by Sharee and her team in the dining room. Speaking of the dining room, it looked terrific and once again a big thank you to Joan Paki for her hard work. An event like this requires careful planning and much preparation and the social committee (Mick Glasson Roz Sutton, and Robyn Boswell) did a great job in delivering yet another important club function & were assisted by Jenny Fernley, Eleni Fitzpatrick, Marlene Benbow, Lorraine Craig, Pat Astin, Bev Drinnan, and Karen Johnson in setting up the room. Mick Glasson worked tirelessly throughout the evening taking photos and even printing them out and presenting them to many smiling faces.
The evening commenced with recognition of our staff and their professionalism, and we are very fortunate to have a team who take great pride in what they do and continually strive to improve services and facilities. A successful team must have a leader and in Grant Shortland-Jones we have a General Manager who is second-to-none in WA and leads from the front. Grant is respected throughout the WA golfing fraternity and once again has worked tirelessly throughout the year.
A special mention for Shareen for her work and professionalism in preparing for the event and in particular putting together the member loyalty gift packs. A special mention also to Brad Law who is stepping down from his role as Chair of the Junior Sub-Committee after a term that has seen the junior program go from strength to strength.
The first presentation of the evening acknowledged the member loyalty of five (5) stalwarts of the MCC in attendance; Judith Tuckey (63 years), Peter Sutton (55 years), Billie Friedlander (47 years), Graeme Parsons (42 years), and Graham Bowen (40 years). Each person has made an immeasurable contribution to our club and very much appreciated their recognition.
Next was to retiring club Treasurer Marina Vergone who for the past four years has generously given her time and expertise to benefit the club. She is professional when carrying out her responsibility and above all else has integrity and loyalty that is complimented by resilience and positivity. I feel fortunate to call Marina a friend and sincerely thank her for her contribution.
Continuing with the retiring theme, the next presentation was to Marc Crowe who has been a member of the Management Committee and Chair of the Membership sub-committee for the past two years, a role he takes extremely seriously with a great deal of pride.
Like Marina, Marc didn’t hesitate to volunteer for the role despite having many travel plans and other responsibilities that take up his time. He is a person of strong values, integrity, and loyalty – he is a rare combination of being a realist and a perfectionist who just gets the job done. His commitments take up a great deal of his time and he’s always prepared to go over and above to ensure the job is done professionally and in the best interests of the MCC. I have had a fair bit to do with Marc over the past few years and very much value his friendship and support.
The next award was the volunteer of the year and presentation of the ‘Ross Quartermaine’ award, named in recognition of past member, now deceased. Many would remember seeing Ross driving his tractor and towing the small trailer around the course, almost on a daily basis working tirelessly for the benefit of the club, axe in hand with seemingly endless strength and energy. The award was presented to Ron Stone by Norm Cox who shared the award in 2022 with his good mate Ted Morgan.
When thinking about volunteers it is natural to focus on those physical activities you can actually see around the place, those members that you see here day after day giving up their time to make this a better place. Whilst not as visible, those who volunteer and contribute to the administration and governance of our club carry out an essential service as a club as big as the MCC cannot operate without strong governance and sound policy making.
Administration essentially forms the backbone of any organization; without it, goals cannot be achieved, and the management is unable to focus on strategic outcomes and adhere to legislative requirements.
Ron has been a continuous MCC member for over 36 years joining the club back in 1987. In 2017/18 he volunteered and was elected to the Management Committee and continues to serve in this role to the present day. If we were to wait until he eventually does cease his volunteering, then we could be waiting quite some time rather than acknowledging those efforts at the time and this is unfair on those who continue to contribute over a long period of time.
In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities as Vice President and Chair of the Governance sub-committee, in recent times, there are two very significant contributions he was intimately involved with, namely:
- Development of the 2021-2026 MCC Strategic Plan
- 2023 Review and modernisation of the MCC Constitution.
Both these projects are fundamental pillars to the strategic outcomes and values of the MCC, and essential for the good governance of our club. There are a limited number of people within any club who are suited to a role in administration and can actually carry out the associated duties. He has demonstrated he has the required skills and experience and his contribution to this club has benefitted us immeasurably.
A further highlight of the evening was the announcement of our first women to achieve MCC life membership. Jenny Fernley joins Graeme Parsons and Jim Mahoney as current life members, and both were on hand to congratulate Jenny and make the presentation.
Jenny joined the MCC in 1995 and has made very significant contributions to both our club and to golf in Western Australia, including 14 consecutive years’ service on the MCC Management Committee.
This service includes the important roles and responsibilities of Ladies Captain, Vice President, and President of the MCC. Since leaving the committee she continues to be a member on the Building Sub Committee from 2018 and continues to serve in this role.
In addition to her service to the MCC, it is important to highlight the contribution she has made to women’s golf in WA as the State Treasurer of the WA Ladies Golf Union (WALGU as it was then known) and later as Chair of Match. Jenny was heavily involved in securing more rights for women in Golf Clubs (not an easy task in the 80’s) and during 1980 to early 1990’s she attended many District Championships as a WALGU representative and also participated in a couple of Australian Ladies Championships where she was appointed a Referee.
Jenny’s contribution to the Mandurah Country Club and golf in general has been over a long period of time and she has made very significant and selflessness contributions in the following areas:
- Administration and senior executive duties
- Extensive volunteer work
- Promoting and supporting women’s golf in WA
- Development of the MCC facilities
I’m sure you will agree Jenny is a worthy recipient of the honour and please pass on your congratulations when you see her around the club.
Recognition of those who have made such a great contribution to our club, both past and present, is so important and the gala event was all about celebrating their achievements. I sincerely thank all those who made the evening such a great success along with those who supported the event and of course all the very deserving award recipients.
This is my final year as club President, and I’d like to genuinely thanks all those Board members who have given me their support over the past 4 years along with those who have served and volunteered on the various sub-committees essential for the good governance of our club. On a personal note, I owe a big thank you to my wife Karen who has always supported 100% me in whatever endeavour I take on and I know is looking forward to putting together a ‘to do list’ once my term is completed.
Kind regards
Ian Johnson, President
Photos on the evening.
