AGM and Committee Positions 2018

The AGM went smoothly. All past committee members were re-elected.

The June committee meeting elects the office bearers. There have been a few changes since last year.

During 2017, Garry Hayes and Tony Ryder swapped roles, with Tony picking up Membership and Garry Summer Marketing.

As of the June meeting, Jenny Hughes is the new secretary but will retain responsibilities for IT.

Bronwyn Sigmund is the new Communications Officer.

Lynn Cameron will take up a new Events coordination role and also assist the Treasurer with overdue fees.


President: Nigel Cowie
Secretary: Jenny Hughes
Treasurer: Michal Szkilnik

Lodge Supervisor: Justin Checcucci
Booking Officer: Alan Long
Membership: Tony Ryder
Marketing: Garry Hayes
Communications: Bronwyn Sigmund
Events: Lynn Cameron

This means I am writing my last articles for the blog/newsletter. Please help Bron by providing her with photos, stories and information to share.

Life Member Policy

The committee has formalised the Life Member policy, based on long standing practice. The policy is published on the club website at aacfallscreek.com/rules/32-membership-rules.html.

Life Membership of AAC Falls Creek recognises exceptional service to the club and/or AAC National, usually over many years. The committee relies on members to nominate people who deserve this honour. If you know of someone who you think should be considered for Life Membership, please read the policy and write a submission.

New - Secure Payments Gateway for Bookings

The new booking system makes it easy for the club to offer a more secure way of paying for bookings. The eWay payment gateway conforms to financial industry security standards to protect the privacy of your card details.
We have delayed turning on this facility until the end of the priority booking period for members, AAC members and family.
On or about 15 March this facility will be turned on to allow you to pay easily and securely from within the booking system.

When you receive an invoice for your booking, log on to the booking system, and use menu Members/View My Bookings.

Find the booking you want to pay for and, click on Pay or Cancel Booking at the end of its row.

The booking details will be displayed. Scroll down to the bottom and see a group of buttons. Click Pay for this booking. This will take you to the eWay payment gateway. Enter your credit or debit card details and click Process transaction then wait until you are returned to the booking system page.

Do not attempt to pay before you receive an invoice. Premature payment will not confirm your booking. Similarly, it is safest to avoid paying the outstanding balance because you may inadvertently pay for bookings which have not yet been approved. If a paid-for booking cannot be approved there may be delay in organising a credit or refund.

The User Guide has been updated to include these instructions.

Please don't pay for bookings until you receive an invoice

Bookings need to be approved by the Booking Officer. From 1 February until 15 March, many bookings have to wait in accordance with the booking priority policy before they can be approved.
When you booking is approved, you will be emailed an Invoice. That is the time to pay.

Premature payment will not confirm a booking. There may be delays in organising a credit or refund if the booking cannot be aproved.

Annual Subscriptions

Just a reminder of these key dates that apply every year

• 15 January: last date to receive $50 Accommodation Voucher (adult members only)
• 31 January: due date for payments.
• 1 February: a late fee of $25 will apply to all outstanding accounts
• 1 April: an additional late fee of $25 will apply to all outstanding accounts

The onus is on members to pay by the due date. If you have not received your invoice by early January, you need to contact Jenny Noye at Proacct (03) 9880 9600.

Members cannot make bookings until subscriptions (and any other amounts owing) have been paid. Bookings for members open on 1 February. Payments may take a few days to be received and recorded in the booking system.

Working Bee 2018

The annual club working Bee will be Sat 5-Sun 6 May.

Working Bee weekend is the time when we get the lodge ready for the upcoming season. Professional services are used for major items, but we rely on members to do many of the tasks. We usually make a few improvements, but much of the work is maintaining and replenishing.

Attendance is optional. People with trade skills are particularly welcome, but all willing hands are appreciated.

Most people arrive late on Friday night. Andrew & Myra provide brekkie & lunch on Saturday & Sunday as well as Saturday dinner. It's great to stock up your locker and catch up with people before the season. For new members it is a great opportunity to meet old hands and quickly feel at home in the lodge. However it is first and foremost a working weekend.

The tasks very from year to year but typically would include

• moving firewood into the store
• stocktaking (eg cereal, juice, toilet paper)
• painting (eg walls, railings, architraves)
• cleaning & organising the kitchen cupboards & contents
• turning mattresses & mending protectors
• minor repairs
• small carpentry jobs
• small metalwork jobs
• checking & replacing light globes
• cleaning bathroom fans
• tidying & cleaning boiler room, ski room
• weeding and other gardening

If you can help this year, please contact our Lodge Supervisor Justin Checcucci

Save the date: AGM

The Annual General Meeting will be on Tue May 22nd at Royal Brighton Yacht Club

Don't forget that AGM notices and associated documents will now be sent by email, not post.

Make sure that your correct email address and mobile number are registered with the club. You can do this online or contact ProAcct jnoye@proacct.com.au or 0398809600.

New Booking System is Here

Winter bookings open on 1 February and you can make those bookings using the new online booking system.

The booking system that AAC adopted several years ago was great for checking availability but relatively few members used it to make bookings.

AAC Anton moved to a new booking system for last ski season and their members have been much more enthusiastic about using it. After careful consideration, the committee decided to move to the same system. AAC Perisher has also decided to move to this system and AAC Dinner Plain is considering it.

Members can find the new system at aacfallscreek.cbdweb.net/memberlogin.php. There are links on the website and also on the blog sidebar under stay with us. You use your surname and debenture number to log on. The system can help you to retrieve your debenture number if you don't know it.

Instructions on using the system can be found via the club website. The system is very easy to use, but please make sure to read the guide if you want to book for Victorian winter school holidays.

Members should receive an email with more information about the system. If you don't receive it on 31st January then it probably means that we don't have a valid email address for you. Please contact ProAcct or the Booking Officer if that is the case.

Photos for the website

We'd like to add some more recent photos to the website. Do you have some photos of  members and guests enjoying themselves at the lodge or Falls Creek in general? Summerand winter shots are needed.

If you've got some suitable photos, please email to me. (If you have a lot and you know how, you could use a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Photos.)

New Booking System

The booking system that AAC adopted several years ago was great for checking availability but relatively few members use it to make bookings.

AAC Anton moved to a new booking system for last ski season and their members have been much more enthusiastic about using it. After careful consideration, the committee have decided to move to this system too. AAC lodges at Dinner Plan and Perisher are also considering this system.

We are working towards having the new system available by the time 2018 ski season bookings open on 1 February. Alan will be using the system to manage summer bookings and we will be fine tuning the system to meet AAC Falls Creek needs.

In the meantime, if you are making summer bookings, please email Alan Long. The old booking system should not be used.

Facebook for AAC Falls Creek

Love it or hate it, Facebook has certainly become a widely used way of communicating. Some members are keen to use Facebook for club information and for sharing photos and chat about the club.

A Facebook page has been set up at https://www.facebook.com/fallshuette/ or just search Facebook for AAC Falls Creek. You'll know you are in the right place by the familiar wallpaper. You should be able to see the page without having a Facebook account.

Facebook will be an additional communication channel. The blog and email newsletters will still be used. In fact we are trialling a facility to automatically send blog posts to Facebook too. There is no pressure to use Facebook if you prefer not to.

Posts will need to be approved by our moderators before they appear. Please also be considerate of members and guests when posting or tagging.

Booking Officer contacts details are changing

Alan Long will still be our booking officer, but after many years Ken Long Tyre Specialists has closed so contact details will change.

From 15 July, contact details will be

Phone: 03 9328 4491 (unchanged but likely to change after the season)
Email: mrkflong@bigpond.com (unchanged)
Post: 24 St James Rd Heidelberg 3084
 and of course the online booking system lodgebooking.com.au/aac_falls_creek/memberPortal.php

This change also presented an opportunity to review the service provided. It is rare for bookings to be made by FAX or in person. Bookings by these means will no longer be available.

We wish Alan all the best as he enters a new stage in his career.

Working Bee

This year the working bee was a little different. Numbers were deliberately kept down to allow us to focus was on the spa renovation. The usual pre-season jobs were still completed, eg storing dry goods, kitchen spring autumn clean, weed control, firewood stacking. Firewood stacking has always needed a very big team, but the use of a builder's chute has let us get this big job done with less hands.

Thanks to all those who helped

AGM and Committee Positions

The AGM went smoothly. The committee was expanded to 9 positions. All past committee members were re-elected plus Lynn Cameron.

The June committee meeting elects the office bearers. These are unchanged from the previous year.
President: Nigel Cowie
Secretary: Bronwyn Sigmund
Treasurer: Michal Szkilnik

Lodge Supervisor: Justin Checcucci
Booking Officer: Alan Long
Membership: Garry Hayes
Marketing: Tony Ryder
Communications & IT: Jenny Hughes

Lynn Cameron will have a chance to learn the ropes before being assigned a role.

AGM - Save the date

The Annual General Meeting will be on Tue May 23rd at Royal Brighton Yacht Club

Don't forget that AGM notices and associated documents will now be sent by email, not post.

Make sure that your correct email address and mobile number are registered with the club. You can do this online or contact ProAcct jnoye@proacct.com.au or 0398809600.

Andrew & Myra reappointed

The committee is very pleased to announce that Andrew & Myra Rist have been successful in applying for the new lodge manager contract.

With the growing vibrancy of green season at Falls Creek, Andrew & Myra intend to live at the lodge in summer as well. Andrew can give you tips on mountain bike trails, watersports, bushwalks and pizza making at the community wood-fired oven.

AGM

The AGM went smoothly. The committee was expanded to 8 positions. All past committee members were re-elected plus Tony Ryder.

The June committee meeting elects the office bearers. These are unchanged from the previous year.
President: Nigel Cowie
Secretary: Bronwyn Sigmund
Treasurer: Michal Szkilnik

Lodge Supervisor: Justin Checcucci
Booking Officer: Alan Long
Membership & Marketing: Garry Hayes
Communications & IT: Jenny Hughes

Tony Ryder will have a chance to learn the ropes before being assigned a role.

AGM 2016

The Annual General Meeting will be held

DATE:    Tuesday, 24 May, 2016
VENUE:    Royal Brighton Yacht Club
ADDRESS:    253 St. Kilda Street, Brighton

(refer Melway Map Reference 67, C10)
TIME:    7:30 p.m

The AGM is a great opportunity to hear about progress, contribute to the running of your club and meet with other members.

AGM - save the date

The Annual General Meeting will be on Tue May 24th, venue to be advised.


Don't forget that AGM notices and associated documents will now be sent by email, not post.

Make sure that your correct email address and mobile number are registered with the club. You can do this online or contact ProAcct jnoye@proacct.com.au or 0398809600.

Working Bee

This year's working bee will be

Fri 29 April - Sunday 1 May

Working Bee weekend is the time when we get the lodge ready for the upcoming season. Professional services are used for major items, but we rely on members to do many of the tasks. We usually make a few improvements, but much of the work is maintaining and replenishing.

Attendance is optional. People with trade skills are particularly welcome, but all willing hands are appreciated.

Most people arrive late on Friday night. Andrew & Myra provide brekkie & lunch on Saturday & Sunday as well as Saturday dinner. It's great to stock up your locker and catch up with people before the season. For new members it is a great opportunity to meet old hands and quickly feel at home in the lodge. However it is first and foremost a working weekend.


The tasks very from year to year but typically would include

• moving firewood into the store (a big job for many hands)
• stocktaking (eg cereal, juice, toilet paper)
• painting (eg walls, railings)
• cleaning & organising the kitchen cupboards & contents
• turning mattresses & mending protectors
• minor repairs
• small carpentry jobs
• checking & replacing light globes
• cleaning bathroom fans
• tidying & cleaning boiler room, ski room
• weeding and other gardening

If you can help this year, please contact our Lodge Supervisor Justin Checcucci