President’s Report – David Rausa
Welcome all to the culmination of the season that was 2023/24 and what a season it was!! Even though major construction had begun on our new pavilion, we managed to seamlessly conduct training on Wednesday’s and competition on Friday nights, as well as host Chelsea Little Athletics Centre at our track on Saturday mornings whilst their track was being redeveloped. We had a slight drop off in athletes from the previous season with 153 registered athletes this season, compared to 182 registered athletes’ last season. However, a drop off was expected as works on the new pavilion may have deterred some families from returning. The fantastic news is that the pavilion is fully complete and functional now and with it being an Olympic year, we are looking for a rebound in athlete numbers for the 2024/25 season.
Having retained most committee members from the previous year and very pleasingly adding some new faces, we were able to develop on our earlier ideas and campaigns which saw us gain additional sponsorship and donators to our club (this could be seen by the vast array of prizes in our wonderful Christmas raffle and an additional set of hurdles kindly donated by Terry White Chemists). We were also lucky enough to gain a sports club grant from Kingston City Council which will furnish our kitchen and butler’s pantry in the new pavilion. Special thanks go to Tamsin Nelson who put in all the hard work to apply for the grant and other sponsorship opportunities.
Our annual donation to the Royal Children’s Hospital was again a success and accumulated in a much-needed donation of $1,000.21 dollars.
I would like to take this moment to thank all our dedicated committee members who each carry out their own roles within the club amazingly well but are also willing to chip in and help wherever it is needed. As our club grows and member numbers increase, the list of duties increases also, so without the help of these wonderful group of people, the club would not be able to run so thank you!
A special thank you to Matthew Calf for again, managing the numerous regional and state competitions throughout the season on behalf of the club. Long hot days in the sun herding excited children around can be a mammoth task so thank you for your dedication which saw those events go without a hitch.
We have been very lucky to have Head Coach Chris Sideridis and coaches Tamsin Nelson, Emily-Rose Marshall and Eliza Sharp take on the coaching roles for us this season and I thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come down to the track on Wednesdays to train our members in all thing’s athletics.
There are so many successes to point out but here are just a few; Megan Chalmers in expertly fulfilling her Treasurer role and learning to run the timing gates this season, special thanks goes to Tass Georgas and Don Marshall for being our liaisons in relation to the new pavilion works, Chelsea Warnes for masterfully preparing competitions each week and organising the pain staking job of preparing awards and trophies, Emma Rausa for managing the secretarial duties and managing the day to day running of the club , Sarah Williams for organising the duty rosters and the set up and pack up levy, and Paul Warnes for being the centres I.T expert and updating our website skillfully and promptly. I would also like to thank both Steve and Sanchia Kapogiannatos for always putting their hands up when there is extra work to be done and enthusiastically taking on Age group leader roles every single week. A big shout out must also be made to Michael & Andrew Clark for their commitment to the starter duties, to Charli Robinson who was on hand again to manage the Registrar role (and as per usual did a fantastic job) and Zane Robinson for returning to the club to run First Aid. Both families are a perfect example of loyalty to our club and passing on the baton to younger generations.
The Uniform sales role can be busy and stressful (especially at the start of the season) but Marianna McKay took it in her stride and did an amazing job again for another year. That revenue was welcome especially in the absence of the BBQ sales for most of the season. Last season was the first year Erin Goodall took care of our socials and did a fantastic job, looking after the socials is extremely time-consuming with the many posts we need to make, sometimes three or four times a week! We also had Don Marshall, Courtney Thompson and Eliza Sharp to take on the U6 Age group Manager role which can be very challenging, but they always complete it with a smile on their faces.
There are so many highlights to mention regarding this season but one of the major accomplishments is that 26 MLAC athletes competed quite successfully at the State competition. This is a fantastic achievement considering we only had 153 registered athletes this year. In typical Moorabbin LAC fashion, we are punching above our weight. In figures terms, 17% of our athletes made it to Victorian State Championships.
Although our committee members have grown, there are still plenty of opportunities for people to help out. We still need volunteers to fulfill all duties. If you choose to put your hand up tonight you will be helping to guarantee a glittering future for our club, making us one to beat. With our new track and a magnificent new purpose-built pavilion the future looks bright for Moorabbin Little Athletics Centre and I for one, am really excited for the next season.
Kind regards,
David Rausa
President – Season 23/24