Greetings all. The year is fast coming to a close and there is still so much to get done. It’s that time of year again when we call for members to nominate to go onto the committee for the coming year. Of late that has not been an easy task. Many want to enjoy the music, dancing and all the other social activities that we are well renowned for, but not many seem to want to help.
Please ask yourself – What would I do if the Rockin’ 50’s ceased to exist? God forbid! Please consider having a go at being a committee member. It is, believe it or not, a very satisfying thing to do. I can tell you personally that I get a lot of satisfaction out of it. Unfortunately I have very little time as work commitments take their toll when you run a business and I seem to have less time every year.
Our final basic lessons for the year are progressing well with two weeks to go. Thanks to all members who have turned up as this makes everybody’s job a little bit easier. Please try to keep up the momentum for the final intermediate lessons which start the week after the basics.
Our recent car run was a great day, if not a little chilly, and all who attended had a great time. The finishing venue was interesting and already we’ve had thoughts of possibly using it for other activities. Thanks to Daryl for organizing that. Thanks also to Ian & Louise for organizing the run.
We’ve selected a design for our new stubby holders and they look quite smart. If you haven’t seen the design, see Barb as she has a sample. I think you will agree on how good they look. Supplies will be available in the near future.
Tickets are now on sale for our November dance with itchy Fingers (and a DJ of sorts) so see Jenny quickly so you don’t miss the boat. I am looking forward to it as I know how much the band likes coming to our fair city.
The shed clean up on October the 4th did not happen for a variety of reasons and it is re-scheduled for Sunday 18th at 10AM. It shouldn’t take long so if you can help, please do.
Finally, it really is time to start organizing our Australia Day event. This is surely one of the main activities that keeps the Rockin‘50’s on the Bendigo map, apart from being loads of fun. If you want to be involved come to the first meeting at Wayne & Barb’s place at 52 Rohs Rd 2PM on the 25/10.
At the time of writing, Julie & I along with Wayne & Barb had just arrived back from a weekend at the Manangatang Cup, and I have to say that in every aspect it was a fantastic couple of days. A day of good fun at the races, even if you are not a horse race fan, and a couple of nights camping out and generally socializing – very relaxing!! This is just another example of what our club is all about – members getting together, enjoying each other’s company and generally having a great time. Who knows what a fresh committee would be capable of organizing??
Keep Rockin’ - Les.
President’s Report September 2009
Greetings all. The spring has sprung. Hopefully that’ll mean a bit warmer weather. At the time of writing, Julie and I had just arrived back from an all too short working break. We ventured up to sunny Brisbane where we probably spent more than I earned, but the weather was great, so we are really looking forward to some sunny days. On the social side, we didn’t find any Rock n Roll in Brizzy, just a lot of “young “music. Never the Less, we enjoyed the break. On the Rockin’ 50’s scene, we had a great social night on August 21. A trivia night with a bit of a twist. Some fun activities and a bit of supper made for a good time for all who attended. For all our newer members, if you missed it, you really missed out on what our club is all about. Thanks to those who made it possible, Peter and Ian for putting the questions and activities together and Barb for organizing the supper. One activity lasted for a lot SHORTER time than it was supposed to, thanks to our very studious secretary! We thought our “who am I “segment would keep people guessing, but Murphy’s Law prevailed, it lasted a whole two questions! – Good one Barb. Good to see Bill & Maree back in cold old Victoria and rearing to go. Sorry guys, but all good things must come to an end. Next time you do a trip like that, we will have to make it a club event. Somehow, I think the “Rockin’ 50’s west coast tour” has a good ring to it. We will see what we can organize. Speaking of organizing things, we must start preparing for Australia day. Time is slipping by fast and we don’t want to leave it to the last minute. If you would like to be involved, see a committee member and we will put you on the list. We will also have a small meeting after our next dance class and social night on upcoming Tuesdays. Most importantly, it’s time again for nominations to go out for next years’ committee. I would like to see some new blood and at the very least a full committee. PLEASE give it some thought. Jobs could be shared if two people would like to do something together – that would be better than having an empty position. Lastly, our basic dance classes start again in 3 weeks. We have had a lot of interest so we may need partners. There will be a couple of celebrities from 3B0 attending for the course, so we would like to make a good impression. Never know what benefits it may bring. Don’t forget the social night at the Bendigo club on the 15th September. KEEP ON ROCKIN'
President’s Report Aug 09
Greetings all.
We are well into August and the time continues to fly. The big news this month of course was our dance and what a ripper it was. Jump N Jive were great as usual and we made a good profit from what turned out to be a great night. Sammy had a guest bass player, as his regular was at a special outing. The guest did not disappoint and Why would he? He is the teacher of Sammy’s usual bass player and himself plays for The band “Firebird”.
We did have some reports that the band was too loud. From where I was, I didn’t think so but a few people down the back seemed to disagree. However, acoustics can be tricky and we will certainly keep an eye out (or should I say an ear out) and see if we can achieve a happy medium. Some also said that the DJ was sounding a bit muffled. If that is ever the case, I am sure he wouldn’t mind a bit of advice. I have a fairly good relationship with the phantom DJ (a bit like Clark Kent and Superman) and if I passed the information on to him I know he would be most grateful. There is no fold back up there so he doesn’t know what he sounds like.
Our usual stall holders were not able to make it for whatever reason, but we did have the pleasure of a couple of new comers. Nick was there with his DVD, CD and miscellaneous stall and by all accounts did as good as hoped. He seemed keen enough to come back so we hope to see him again
Also, the coffee man was a welcome addition. He said he did reasonably well and I am sure that in warmer conditions he could be a valuable asset. A little bit of variety helps the atmosphere and makes the dance a little bit more enjoyable.
I must thank all those who helped set up and pack up. Many hands make light work and this was particularly the case at the end. We were packed up in record time and what a pleasure it was to be pushing up zeds by about 1.30 AM.
On a different note, Basic dance classes have just finished and it seems we had another happy bunch. Many thanks to Wayne, Jenny, Ian and Wendy for instructing over the last 5 weeks. Personally, I have a fairly busy schedule coming up with a lot of working away to be done in the foreseeable future, so any help is greatly appreciated.
Don’t forget our social nights that happen after our intermediate classes. If you haven’t been to one you have missed out on sh… loads of fun, so we hope to see you all there on Sept 15th
Les. KEEP ON ROCKIN'
President’s Report July 09
Greetings all.
Well another month gone and things just keep rolling on. We all arrived back from Wintersun after a very enjoyable week in the warm Queensland sun. As usual, we had a great time, with plenty of great music to listen to and loads of good cars to drool over. Good news too on the festival front, as Wintersun is on again next year (June 4th to 14th). We hear tell that Coolangatta has secured the festival for another 3 years (report un confirmed) but there is definitely a cloud over the long term aspects of the festival. The organizers are looking at different locations (either one permanent one or maybe even changing locations each year), but nothing is decided as yet. However, there is a MINI Wintersun planned for Mildura later in the year. August 14th to the 17th is the likely date. Stay tuned for more info.
Many thanks to Ian for standing in at the meeting while I was away, and also to Wayne for continuing the advanced dance classes – jobs well done.
We had a great night at our millionaire’s night and those who did not attend missed a lot of fun. A lot of money changed hands and fortunes were won and lost. The venue was one we had not used before and it proved to be quite good. Many thanks to Pete for all his hunting around. We are certain to use that hall again. We all chipped in for pizzas for tea and all got enough to eat. The delivery man was a little unimpressed though, especially when we tried to pay him in “Buddy Bucks”. All in all a great night despite ending a bit early. We had planned to finish around twelve, but ended up going home a bit after eleven. It was only because someone had their watch set to daylight saving time and forgot to turn it back. Now I’m not going to embarrass the poor soul by saying who it was, but I will say it wasn’t Julie! Many thanks to Barb, Rose, Louise and all others who organized such a great night.
The advanced classes finished with all participants very happy. It seemed they all enjoyed themselves. We have gained a few new members out of it all and that is great news. We followed the classes up with a great social night where much fun was had by all. We had a lot of fun and it was very pleasing to see so many happy people. A great way to introduce new members to other club activities. We had the usual trivia, a raffle that made over $100, a bit of different dancing and low and behold – musical noodles!! Thanks to Barb and Co. for arranging the activities. A great night!
Basic classes start Tuesday 7th and don’t forget the dance on 25th July. Jump N Jive are playing – See you there.
Les
KEEP ON ROCKIN'
THE PRESIDENTS REPORT March 2009 Newsletter
Well, time in the jungle just keeps rolling on. It’s March already, summer’s over and the Rockin’ 50’s is rolling along nicely. Dance classes started on Feb 3rd and we got quite a good turn up. All our learners are doing well and seem to be enjoying themselves. Many thanks to all the club members who came along to help partner the learners, your efforts are much appreciated.
Intermediate lessons start immediately after basics (well, the following week anyhow!) with a social night planned for the Tuesday night following the last intermediate class. This should be a good night, so please make the effort to come along. The committee has been working hard to organize events for this year and so far so good. The only sticking point at the moment seems to be a band for the birthday dance. At the time of writing we were finding it hard to get one at the right price, (I’ve asked the committee members to take singing lessons just in case!).
Speaking of dances, our March dance is not far away. This should be a good event with Shadoogie belting out the music with a little bit of back up from you know who. Tickets have been on sale for a little while, but there are still plenty left. Don’t leave it too late however, as they tend to go very quickly in the last two or three weeks.
Believe it or not (no, this is not a Ripley’s trivia), it’s only about 12 weeks to Wintersun, so if you are going, it’s time to start organizing flights etc. At the moment it is still possible to pick up very reasonably priced flights on the net so it’s a good idea to log on and do some surfing!
Now, why do I mention this so early in the year? Well it just so happens that Julie & I have some very reasonable accommodation available. A twin room at the Belle Mare apartments right at the end of Marine parade. (so not too far to walk to the action). We have a yearly booking for a two bedroom apartment with good views from the balcony and we have no takers as yet for the spare room. See either Julie or myself if you are interested. It would be great to see some new members come along and drift back in time with the rest of us.
On March 1st, Julie & I are off to Darwin for a week’s break. Our 2nd anniversary. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun. See you all when we return,
Keep Rockin’
Les.
THE PRESIDENTS REPORT February 2009 Newsletter
Greetings to all from the rock & roll jungle. I sincerely hope you all had a great Xmas and New Year.
We have started the year off in excellent fashion with a great NYE dance. Barry & the boys were great and the whole night an outstanding success. Ticket sales were better than expected and this made for a great start to the coming year.
Further to what was said at the AGM, I would once again like to thank all the retiring committee members for their valuable efforts in 2008. The Rockin’ 50’s is a great club – we just keep on keeping on – and this would not be possible without the valuable commitment of our members. 2008 was a great year and we could not hope to better it, but I would like to think that we strive to keep the momentum going. So far, so good. Thanks also to the committee members who decided to stay on and to the “newies” who stepped up. I’m sure that you will find being on the committee a rewarding experience.
Speaking of having great starts, nothing could have been better than our Australia day extravaganza. In one word – FANTASTIC!
I must admit to being a little bit worried that it wasn’t going to work out. We didn’t have a great deal of practice and we were fairly late in deciding on a final theme. For those who may not be aware our theme was “Australian Rock & Roll”, and it turned out to be a real winner.
We featured on You Tube (I think that’s right) courtesy of the Bendigo weekly and our stars looked fantastic. I’m starting to think that some of our members have missed their calling in life.
All reports I have heard have been very positive. Comments on the day like “you guys were great”, “that’s the best yet” and “Good stuff mate” were common while walking around the lake. The heat played its part. Had it been a little bit cooler we would have had more members dancing in the breaks and it would have been even better. To all concerned (and that includes all who just helped set up, pack up and who just turned up to lend support) – WELL DONE! I think we have hit on a theme that we can use again and build on, and one which is well suited to the day. I would hate to see the club not do that day, so let’s strive for another great one next year.
President’s Report October 2009
