what a great way to start the season

Hughie turned on some snow, the lift co made a bit more, the sun came out and we had a beautiful new lodge full of fun people to celebrate with.

Towers was running, with good skiing on Main Street, Highway 83, NASTAR and under the chair. Wombats had good cover all the way to the bottom too - fantastic conditions for opening weekend. Most people got out for a few turns at some stage over the weekend.

This year though the highlight was the function to mark the completion of the lodge  redevelopment and the granting of a 50 year lease.

Some frocked up, others took a more light-hearted approach

We watched the fireworks in the bowl from the comfort of the lodge or balcony.

Then to the formal part of the evening with Noel giving a short speech acknowledging the huge achievement and the vital contributions of many, especially Nigel.

Andrew & Myra produced a wonderful 3 course dinner, Kristo & Briony served us with style and the wine flowed freely all night.

Fiona and Annie put on a marvellous trivia quizz with questions from every imaginable field. Hayley's Heroes (Ian, John, Will, Hayley & Marjalyn) put up a fight but the Half Arse team (David, Alan, Bron, Garry, Mark Helen, Jenny & Brian) triumphed.

Thanks every one for a fabulous night

lots more pics

celebrate the opening of the "new" lodge

Get your glad rags on and help us celebrate the opening of the new lodge on opening weekend...

The Committee of Australian Alpine Club Falls Creek invites all members of the Club to attend the official opening of the renovated  Lodge.

Saturday 9th June 2012

Official ceremony: 6:30pm

Dinner will be served at 7:30pm in the Lodge,

followed by a Trivia night

The new lodge will be officially opened by Noel Poon, Chairman of the Club during the redevelopment.

There will be a maximum of 60 people attending the event.

RSVP by 1 June 2012	Dress Code
Alan Long Phone: 03 9328 4491 email: mrkflong@bigpond.com	Black Tie Optional/Cocktail

Grand Opening Weekend
Accommodation Package

Accommodation for 3 nights
Cooked breakfast on Sat, Sun, Mon
Dinner Saturday night
Full member: $150
Spouse of member: $150
Members' children (U18): $75
Other adult guests: $250
Other children (U18): $125
AAC Member rate discounts apply
Dinner only: $50 flat rate

looking fantastic

The lodge redevelopment is all but complete. There a few small finishing touches are being done this week, but the project is finishing on time and under budget.
 

It is looking fantastic, and best of all, this redevelopment secures us a 50 year lease.

• The outside has been completely re-clad with Colorbond and highlights of ironbark and stone.
• The roof has been replaced.
• All windows have been replaced with tough double-glazing and insulation has been placed in the walls, improvements which should significantly reduce our gas usage for heating.
• The entrance has been remodelled

 

• The dining room has been extended, re-carpeted and new leather cushions fitted on the banquettes. The new cushion design means more effective seating space and much more comfort.

• The public bathroom near room 15 has been divided into separate rooms for toilet and shower.

• Room 15 has been extended.
• Repairs and improvements have been made such as leaks around the main balcony and a better snow-shedder on the chimney.
• There were many items to comply with bushfire regulations, current building code and other Resort Management requirements.

more pics

A number of people have put in huge contributions to make this a success:

• Noel Poon and David Stogdale in particular have organised the raising of finances that have allowed the project to go ahead. They have also dealt with numerous bureaucratic headaches along the way.
• The Building Committee (John Cameron, Paul Cregan, Michael McKenna, Richard Pocknee, Andrew Rist and Mark Rosenberg) were invaluable in refining the scope of work. Richard Pocknee in particular has put in a huge effort to scrutinise the details of this major building project.
• But most of all, a huge thank you must go to Nigel Cowie who has overseen the building project, with all the effort and responsibility that that has entailed.

more redevelopment pictures and progress

Work on the lodge redevelopment is rolling along nicely and results are looking great.

• The structure and roof is in place for the extension of the dining room. This includes an impressive oregon truss where the old wall used to be.

• Work has begun in remodelling the public bathroom. The toilet and shower will now have separate entrances and the finish will be similar to the en-suite bathrooms.
• The iron bark used for cladding and featured posts has a beautiful red colour. Ironbark is also being used on the new entry canopy.

• As sections of roof and cladding are completed, scaffolding is being removed. We can now see how good the new cladding and windows are looking.

• Room 15 has been extended to include the area that was a balcony. The interior panelling has been completed and nicely matches the pre-existing walls.

• The snow splitter that directs snow around the flue from the fireplace has an improved watertight mounting

More pics

full steam ahead on lodge redevelopment

Work is well under way on the lodge redevelopment.

• Scaffolding is complete and very complex due to our "interesting" building shape and steep site. Took 7 days to erect! 
  

• Some cladding is complete on the southern and western walls - looks great. 

• The roof will be replaced last as the builders are using it for access.
• The latest design of the balcony floor is very good and should eliminate previous problems with leaking to the entry stairs below.
• The original bedrooms had no wall insulation at all so we are going to see a great improvement with the super thick insulation bats that are going in as part of this project.
• The new windows have already been installed in most of the bedrooms. The frames are metal on the outside, wood on the inside. The double glazing will meet new bushfire regulations and improve insulation.
• The bench cushions in the lounge will be replaced with new leather cushions. A slight change in the cushion design should allow the base cushions to be a little wider/deeper and more comfortable.
• We are taking the opportunity to run new cables for Internet and TV while the cladding is off.

Overall the building works are going great. The project is on budget and on schedule to be ready ahead of the snow season. Members should be very happy with the results.

Thanks to the building sub-committee, especially Nigel Cowie, for their on-going commitment to this project.

more pics

Finance update

Members would no doubt be aware that the Club raised funds from the membership in 2010/2011 by way of a capital raising.
This enabled the Club to borrow significantly less that was originally forecast in the early planning of the lodge redevelopment.
The Club has entered into a loan agreement with Bendigo Bank for the provision of up to $300,000 to assist with the completion of the project.
The Loan is secured by the asset at Falls Creek and there is no recourse to members or guarantees by the Committee.
It is anticipated that the funds will be drawn down gradually during early 2012.
Bendigo Bank was chosen as their package was the most Club friendly of the three proposals we received.
We were delighted to have secured funding for the project as this allowed the Committee to authorise that works commence on site.

During 2011, the Club incurred significant costs related to the preparatory stage of the Lodge redevelopment. These costs will be expensed in the accounts for 2011 which will result in the Club reporting a Loss for the year.
However, the Committee has decided to capitalise the new works into the balance sheet and thus the majority of the capital funds committed to the project will result in an increase in the net worth of the Club.
Our cash flow projections for the next seven years, see us substantially paying down the loan from the Bank.
As Treasurer, I am hopeful of good seasons ahead that will increase patronage, and therefore shorten the life of the loan.

May I remind Members that subscriptions are due in the New Year. Remember that $50.00 accommodation vouchers are available to Full Members who pay by 15th January 2012.


David Stogdale
Treasurer

Lease granted

In June we received in principle approval for our lodge redevelopment proposal. This meant that our proposal met the requirements for lease renewal. We did not know the term of the new lease.

The Board of Falls Creek Resort Management has now offered us a 50 year lease, which the club has accepted. This is an excellent outcome.

We are currently seeking tenders for the building work. Tender responses are due soon.

At this stage, we do not expect the lodge to be available for bookings over the coming summer & autumn. This will be confirmed once we have selected a builder and established the building schedule.

Thanks to all members of the committee and building subcommittee and especially to Nigel Cowie, Lodge Supervisor,  for their efforts on this major project.

Capital Raising for Lodge redevelopment success

Thanks to all the many Debenture holding members and even some Juniors who provided "up front" payments to the capital raising to finance the redevelopment of the Lodge.
We had a strong response as you will have seen from the Annual report.
For those that chose to pay by instalment, the second payment was due in May. If you have not made your payment for that instalment, a reminder notice will soon arrive.
We are now completing a 100% check of all payments and a statement will be sent to all members with their capital payments made and also a guide to future payments, for those paying by instalment.
There are a small number of members, mainly juniors, that will see that their future payments increase over time. This is probably due to movement into more senior membership categories.
The next round of instalments for the capital raising will be in the next subscription invoice round, which will be issued in November for payment in January 2012.

David Stogdale
Treasurer

major milestone for lodge redevelopment

Fantastic news!

Our lodge redevelopment proposal has received approval in principle from Falls Creek Resort Management.

As you are no doubt aware we need to undertake significant works to secure a lease renewal. These need to address mandatory standards such as building code and bushfire requirements. Our proposed works to address these are seen as appropriate and we can now progress to seeking formal planning approval. The formal lease approval process will still take several months to complete.

Special thanks to Nigel Cowie, David Stogdale, the members of the building sub-committee and everyone else who has worked so hard on this project

Capital raising - status

On behalf of the Committee I would like to thank the many members that have embraced the discounted capital raising offer and paid $1,500 by December 2010 instead of the lengthy instalment programme.

Over 60% of members paid the $1,500 offered as a once off payment for their contribution to the Capital raising.

In addition, a number of junior members and also some Life members contributed to the capital raising.

As a result of the payments received, the Club's cash reserves are now much higher than was anticipated. This will add significantly to our ability to earn interest while we finalise the building works plan and also in the preparation of additional funding to complete the project.

For those that have chosen to pay by instalment, the next invoice for the current payment will be arriving in early April for payment in May 2011.

As Treasurer I shall give a report in detail of the financial position regarding the lodge redevelopment and also in general terms at the Club AGM on 24th May at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club.


David Stogdale
Treasurer
AAC Falls Creek

Building Sub Committee Report

March 2011

Since the 2010 AGM your Building Sub Committee has been busy working on the lodge redevelopment works.
We have held 6 Sub Committee Meetings discussing issues ranging from replacement of the roof to the total scope of works for the project. Some important outcomes to date are:

• Michael McKenna (Architect and Club Member) has been appointed by the Sub and General Committees to continue the work started by Salter Architects. Michael’s family currently reside at Falls Creek so we are lucky to have Michael visiting Falls Creek almost every weekend.
• The Sub Committee considered replacing of the roof prior to this ski season as a separate exercise to the main building works. Tenders were sought but the only complying tenders received from builders contained in excess of $40,000 of scaffolding. This scaffolding would be duplicated in the main works so it would effectively be wasted money. It was therefore decided to defer the roof replacement and include it with the main works.
• A Scope of Works was agreed by the Sub Committee and the Main Committee on 8/3/11. These Scope of Works are currently being incorporated into a draft lease application document which will be presented to Falls Creek Resort Management (FCRM) in April 2011. It is hoped that we will have positive feedback from FCRM, confirmed Scope of Works, and a proposed building schedule to present to the AGM in May 2011. 

Nigel Cowie
Lodge Supervisor

Lodge development charge - clarification

The Lodge development charge is an adjunct charge to the subscription. It is separated out of the overall fee as we wish to identify some funds for yearly maintenance on the Lodge.
The fee is charged to full members and thus with about 200 or so of these members it raises about $9000.
We spend all of that and usually more on local and minor works at the Lodge each year. In recent times we have spent $30,000 in one year on minor works. Thus the levy does not necessarily cover all of the maintenance issues, but that is the $ level we have struck and it has been at this rate for several years.

Other categories of membership are not levied this charge, only full (senior, not junior) members are charged.

On the other hand, the capital raising is a capital injection and is being applied to all categories of membership.  All members regardless of their situation are paying their share of the capital to make a significant redevelopment of the Lodge for the future.

If members would like to find out more about this element of the annual subscription or the capital raising, please call Club Treasurer, David Stogdale on (03) 9603 0086.

Building Sub Committee formed

Following the AGM in May a Building Sub Committee has been formed to work on the many issues associated with the Lodge Redevelopment, required for Lease Renewal.

Members of the Sub Committee include:

Nigel Cowie
Michael McKenna
Paul Cregan
Andrew Rist
Richard Pocknee
Mark Rosenberg

Works completed todate include:

A meeting has been held with our architects - Salter Architects.
A meeting has been held with Falls Creek Resort Management.
Building Surveyor and CFA reports have been commissioned.

The committee will be working hard over the next six months to prepare a building works proposal for FCRM, as part of our lease renewal application.

Nigel Cowie
Lodge Supervisor

Capital Raising for Lodge Renovation

At the recent AAC Falls Creek AGM, there was a Motion regarding Capital raising. The issue is related to the forthcoming Lease renewal and required works to improve the outside of the lodge to current standards. The majority of members who attended arrived early for the special presentation on the reasons and background of how the committee arrived at the need to raise capital.

The committee had taken email and phone queries prior to the meeting as well as responding to active discussions at the meeting. 53 members voted in person and by proxy and the motion to raise the funds was approved.

Subsequently a second motion to form a subcommittee to advise the committee on the detailed plans and implementation of the building works was moved and passed. A number of volunteers have already advised that they are able to assist on this subcommittee and any interested member is welcome to put forward their services. (please send an email to aacfallscreek@gmail.com if you wish to assist).

A subset of the presentation material will be available on the public web site for those who couldn't attend the AGM.

This forms a key milestone for the club as we prepare to extend the life of the lodge by 30-40 years and ensure that the lease and lodge are available for the next generation of skiers.

thanks for your support
Noel Poon
Chairman Australian Alpine Club Falls Creek

The presentation material can be downloaded by right-clicking here

lodge development plans

The AAC Falls Creek committee is working on lodge development plans associated with the lease renewal and bushfire protection requirements. Pictured is a front and side elevation showing a combination of colourbond and timber cladding, new double-glazed windows and revised entrance.

The plan view shows the proposed extension of the dining area and changes to the balcony. A detailed proposal including costings and timing will be presented at the Annual General Meeting in May 2010. Members are encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions to the committee.

If you have any specific questions please use the Comments facility below and the committee will respond to them.