At this time of year, our thoughts are more about sailing, beaching or golfing, but there has also been considerable work going on behind the scenes to get ready for the new season of curling which will be getting underway in just over eight weeks time.
The Annual General Meeting was held at the Curling Club on June 7 and, following reports on the completion of yet another successful season at the club, the election was held for your Board of Directors for the 2023-24 curling season.
There were 3 members of last year’s Board who were willing to continue in their positions for the upcoming year. They were:
Carla Rafuse-Stevens Director/Secretary
Jeff Lamb Director/Treasurer
Dan Sutherland Director/Events Chair
There were also three members of the club who were willing to stand as candidates for the position of Director. They were:
Scott Milner
Holly Keillor
Terry Ferguson
There were no candidates or nominations for the position of Director/President prior to the AGM. At the AGM, there was a call for nominations from the floor, but no further candidates were advanced. The proposed slate of Directors was therefore voted upon and approved. There being no candidate for the position of President, Barb Fraughton agreed to serve as Interim President until a candidate could be recruited.
Following the election, Scott Milner and I reported on our attendance at the Future of Curling Symposium which Curling Canda held in early June at Mount Allison University. The symposium included professional presentations on a variety of topics aimed at maintaining and enriching curling clubs and the services that they offer. It was suggested that a brainstorming session be held in the summer to follow up on some of the ideas highlighted at the symposium and to assess their applicability to our club.
The brainstorming session was held on July 19 with 18 enthusiastic volunteers in attendance. I made a more in-depth presentation of information from the symposium and Scott Milner facilitated a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) analysis of our organization which resulted in over four pages of possible ideas and initiatives for enhancing our club operations. The highlight of the night, however, was the announcement that Andrew Milburn had enjoyed his first year as a member of the club so much that he volunteered to stand as President.
In accordance with our bylaws, the Board of Directors of the club may appoint a member to be a director to replace one who resigns from their position. On August 2, the Board met to accept the resignation of Barb as President and to unanimously appoint Andrew to replace her. We would all like to thank Barb for her willingness to step up as President two years ago and to lead us through the daunting challenges of re-establishing operations following the COVID-19 pandemic.
At that meeting, the Board also agreed to undertake a thorough review of the ideas generated on July 19 and to identify some “quick hits” that can be implemented in time for the upcoming curling seasons. Stay tuned for more information on these initiatives and on your new president in next few weeks.
Jeff Lamb
Past President
Chester Curling Club
