PRESIDENT’S REPORT

It seems to have been a strange summer.  After the disruptions of last year, Christmas and the school holidays were suddenly upon us.  Since December the weather has been all over the place – some sunny days, lots of rain, humidity and a touch of cool every now and then.

It has been a challenging time for the Ramblers to ramp up again, but we have been delighted with the number of members participating in the activities that we have been able to schedule so far.  Clearly many of our members are eager to stay active and enjoy the company of others when exploring the bush, cycle routes and waterways.

We are also pleased to welcome several new members.  Over the last 3 months 15 people have joined the club.  We welcome you all, and hope that if you haven’t already done so, you will join in some of the activities soon.

At the AGM which was held in December last year, a new committee was elected.  We have now added an About Us page to our website which includes the list of the committee members.  Please feel free to contact any one of us if you have any queries about the club – see the Members List for contact details.

Recently we changed our post office address.  Any correspondence in writing should be addressed to: The Secretary, Illawarra Ramblers Inc., P.O. Box  256 Fairy Meadow 2519.

You may be interested to know that we keep in touch with both the Wollongong and Shellharbour Councils on various matters of concern.  We have recently written a few letters to the Shellharbour Council regarding Skiway Park: (1) the inadequacy of the amenities and (2) safety issues regarding the kayak ramp. Some very minor improvements have been made to the amenities, we will continue to urge for major improvements or ideally, total replacement.  We are hoping to discuss the design and safety issues regarding the kayak ramp on site with council staff in the coming weeks.

Now that we are moving into Autumn, the weather should become more stable.  It is usually the best time of the year for all our activities, so we are hoping that leaders will come forward and help us to fill up the program for the upcoming months.  If anyone needs assistance in doing this, please contact Stuart Almond.

We look forward to seeing you on an activity soon.

Penny Howes

President