Season 2008 Presidents Report

It has been a sensational and rewarding 2008 season for our club in more ways than one. For any club to win a Senior Premiership is the pinnacle of a hard fought season on and off the field. For a club to also win the Reserves Premiership, three Netball Premierships and have so many other Netball and Junior teams play off in Grand Finals this year just shows the strength and depth that we have strived for and achieved in our club over many years. Again the strength of our club is the people we have involved in it and this year has been no exception.
I would like to start in thanking all of those people who gave their time and effort this season to be Committee members on the Senior and Junior Football and Netball Committees. Without your commitment and your valuable time and effort our club would not be in the position we are today. The thankless hours of work weekdays and match days do not go unnoticed and I sincerely thank you for the great job you have all done this year. There is an endless list of people who have work tirelessly around the club all year to make this club what it is today and although I have not got enough paper to list everyone I would like to mention a few that come to mind.

To Julie Hunter who put her hand up mid-season to take over the running and ordering of the canteen and kitchen when we desperately needed someone. You were like a breath of fresh air that we needed at just the right time and what a sensational and professional job you did. Our gratitude goes out to you thankyou.

To Peter Robertson for tireless work around the club running our Thursday night and Saturday raffles to name just a few things and a very worthy winner of this seasons Best Club Man Award thanks Robbo.

People who know John Ramsey will already know what he has done for this club over many years and this year is no exception. Making sure the bar is always stocked, helping out cooking meals where ever he is needed and especially keeping a tight reign on the purse strings and Cheque book. JR the support and steading influence you give me makes my job so much easier thankyou again.

The master green keeper, ground warden and out of retirement trainer the honourable Artie Fleet.These tireless thankless jobs that cannot be done better and without more passion than how Artie does it. We now have the best playing surfaced ground in Geelong local football and it is maintained to the highest standard from green keeping to line marking and all due to the many hours, hard work and expertise that Artie puts in. The comments on the way Stinton Oval was presented on Preliminary Final day this year was a credit to one man. This Club is very lucky to have a person who cares so much about the way our facility is presented every week thanks Artie.

This club has two great leaders in Nicole Robertson President of our very successful Netball section and Len Doak President of our also very successful Junior section. The amount of work and effort that these two people and their committees do for their respective sections and the club as a whole I cannot put into words.The support that both of you have given me throughout the season and your commitment and work that you do at the club we are sincerely indebted to you.

To the playing side of the club I think when Travis Robertson was appointed Senior coach of the football section of the club at the end of last season it was the start of a new era at Queens Park. The enthusiasm of over seventy players on the first night of training certainly set the tone for a great season ahead and it certainly did not disappoint us except for a couple of minor heart attacks during our finals campaign.

To the sensational hard work and direction from our Director of football Gavan Clark and to all of our Coaches, Assistant coaches, Team Managers, Trainers, Runners, Water boys, Goalkeepers, Timekeepers, and helpers in all Senior and Junior Football and Netball Sections thankyou for the commitment that you have given to the club this season. We cannot put teams on the ground without committed people like you and we are also very thankful.

I would like to congratulate all the winners of the Clubs best and Fairest awards and all perpetual trophy and Club awards this season. You are all very worthy winners and deserved of these awards.

A special congratulation to Murray Hunter on becoming the first Legend of our Club and a very worthy recipient for the work you do and have done for this club over many decades.

Being the President of the GAF & NC is a job I cherish very much but I could not do the job properly with out the support of the Management Committee who are all listed in the front of this Annual Report. The support you all give me and the tireless work you all do for the love of our club I could not wish for a better group of people. A special thankyou to all of our Sponsors and supporters for supporting us this season we appreciate your ongoing commitment and loyalty to the club. As a club we are always working on ways to improve the way we conduct Sponsorship into the club and we cannot survive without your continued support. It has been proven this year if every member in the club does one small job and is committed to the club we will have success both on and off the field as we have done this season. We have all worked very hard to get where we are today and in the direction we are headed we look forward to many successful seasons ahead both on and off the field. I have enjoyed my second year as President of the GAF &NC and having the first full seasons use of our fantastic new clubrooms and topping it off with our Premierships has made it a year to remember for me.

GO AMMOS
Chris Broad (Club President)

2007 Presidents Report

My first year as President of GAF & NC has certainly been a very interesting and learning one for me in a very much interrupted year. I took on the job as Club President because I believe I could inject some new ideas and a more business like structure into the future of our club and I hope that I have partially succeeded.

The guidance that I have received from my fellow Committee members and some long standing members of our club together with the experience and knowledge that I have gathered over the past twelve months has served me to have a better understanding of how this club has become so successful over the years. I am very grateful for all the help that I have received and the faith you have all shown.

I have a strong commitment for this club to have a twelve month a year income and not just rely on the seasons functions, clubrooms, sponsors and members for it to be financially viable year after year. We will not survive in today`s economy if we don`t look out side the club for other means of income if we are to have future success both on and off the field in all aspects of our club.

The greatest example of how strong our club has become is the character of the people who are involved. I would like to personally thank every person who has done any job at our club this year from line markers to water boys and canteen to Committee a fantastic effort by everyone.

In a season where we had no club rooms until the season was over and no ground for half of the season the way the people in our club banded together on training nights, Thursday night teas, match days with the tents and the canteen was nothing short of sensational. To Artie who spent hours of his own time on the grounds to get them playable together with the others who hand watered the top oval at the start of the season so we could at least have one ground operating a thankless job for the love of the club and appreciated by all. It just proves that when times are tough in local clubs like ours that the true club spirit and unity show out and makes it a pleasure to be apart of.

We now have one of the best if not the best club room facilities in Geelong and our thanks go out to all those involved who have helped in some way to make this possible.

A special thank you to Shane Dowling, Bruce Harwood and John Ramsay for if not for their tireless efforts through a personal and council level over the past years we would not have this magnificent refurbishment and extension at Queens Park today. The club is very grateful to all the people who were involved in this project.

To all our Sponsors who stood by the Club and stayed with us this season when there was no club rooms for our dinner function and making it very hard to show our true appreciation during the year. The Club cannot survive without your Support and we are deeply indebted to you for your loyalty to the club in such a difficult year.

One of the main things I have strived for this season is greater unity and involvement within the sections of the club, Junior and Senior Football, Netball and Past players and Life Members. It made it very difficult without club rooms but we proved with the great night at West Town Hall that we can still have great functions. With a lot of hard work over the summer we will organize some major Past players and Sponsors functions to name a few.

To have Netball and U18`s included back into the Club presentation night was just fantastic and showed by the number of people that were there on the night just how successful it can be with every one together. Thank you again Nicole for helping make this possible.

Congratulations and thank you to all to Coaches, players and teams who represented the GAF & NC this season.
From the Senior sides right through to Junior level in both Football and Netball the success of having so many teams, making so many Grand Finals and winning many of them just proves the strength and depth of our club.
A special mention to the A Grade Netball side for a Third successive Grand final win and to the U18`s for their great win under Paz after playing with the bare numbers all season.

To Heath Mooney for past two years as Senior Coach thank you for a fantastic job and way you have built this young team and left it in great shape for your successor the club is also indebted to you.

Congratulations to all the people who won the awards on Presentation night. Every person was a most very worthy winner of these awards and the club thanks you for your efforts.

To my fellow Presidents Len Doak (Junior Section) and Nicole Robertson (Netball Section)
Thank you for the great work and time you both put in with your respective Sections, the club could not wish for better Leaders.

I am very honored to have been the President of such a great club as the GAF & NC and I thank you for the privilege that was given to me at this time last year.

I hope all the effort that we put into this year is greatly rewarded in the future.

Chris Broad
Club President