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COMMODORE’S REPORT 2004

Racing:
In the my time at Richmond, the club has changed a great deal- the halcyon days of elite Sprint Racing waned but thanks to the efforts of Trevor Wetherall with our promising juniors, and the achievemnts of our Senior National Champion, Gavin Turrell, these days are returning. On the Marathon front we are seeing something of a return to the glory days of the Wells brothers, with the brothers Hendron and Stonehouse at the top of the national racing series. This year’s Devizes-Westminster will see yet another armada of Richmond crews carry of a whole raft of prizes - we remain the strongest club in the event.

And as ever Richmond has contributed three events to the national racing calendar. Another successful sprint regatta was put together by Trevor while our two marathons were well attended by clubs from all over the country. Thanks particularly to Tim Joiner for his work on that front.

General Paddling:
Richmond is now the biggest canoe club in the UK (excluding three Associations the BCU currently list as “clubs”). Membership at the end of last year stood at 337. Saturday mornings are a spectacle with as many as 100 people on the water at one time. This is perhaps the thing that I am most proud of in this club - the spirit of inclusiveness, openness, and the accessibility.

I continue to be amazed at the willingness of people to get involved and to help out. The committee are perhaps the visible embodiment of that spirit but many others make important contributions and I would like to thank all of those people.

However, we are all at once the biggest and the most threatened club in Britain. The shadow of our clubhouse situation hangs over us.

Last year I asked you for a mandate to do what I could to secure our position, and I would like to thank Tony and Tim for their work so far on that front. One year on, we have completed the lease on the car parking/boat store next door and we have a formal agreement with the owner of this building which will secure the freehold for the club. The commencement of works are imminent. The next year will be very decisive.

One year from now if this room is not a building site we must reassess our situation, but all going well we have a year of challenge ahead. Despite our best provisioning, paddling from a building site will be difficult and as we enter this period of trauma our biggest strength will be our numbers. When the building works start we are in for a very uncomfortable time, but I believe that is what it will take to bring our facility up to an acceptable standard, one where we can look to the future with confidence.

Commodore’s Award:
Many people make many contributions to this club. - it is very very difficult, even unfair, to single one person out. The great achievement of the last few years has been in bringing so many new members into the fold. While many people have been instrumental in this process, I am going to single out one tireless worker, a man who’s energy and enthusiasm seem to know no bounds. This year I want to acknowledge the important contribution of our own Peter Barnes.

SUMMARY:
This year the club is sixty years old. 2004 will be a crossroads year for us - what happens in this year will impact profoundly on the next sixty. I hope and believe 2004 will deliver a secure future.

Sean Martin

 


Landsdowne Boathouse
81-83 Petersham Road
Richmond upon Thames
Surrey TW10 6UT
United Kingdom

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