Invitation to Members

INVITATION TO MEMBERS NIGHT 4TH MARCH

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NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH

One of your Committee’s key objectives for the year, apart from building our membership base, was to redevelop a new Club website to enable members to have better and more efficient communications between each other. This project is now completed and will be presented to members at our next meeting this coming Wednesday evening.

The new website (www.bbgfc.org) provides direct access for members on all aspects of the Club’s history, activities, Fishing Calendar, point scores, Tournaments, Club Records, Burley Slicks, Year Book and Newsletters as well as a photo gallery and members forum chat site. It also has links to all the marine weather, sea surface temperature, live sea conditions and fishing sites.

A special section has been allocated to our sponsors which provides direct access their respective product websites and enables members to be more aware of our sponsors and their products. The Club would not survive without sponsors and we feel that this feature will enhance our member’s ability to reciprocate with their support.

The website also has links NSWGFA, GFAA, IGFA and other Central Zone Club websites as well as the RMYC website.
Vice President, Phil Epthorp, has been heading this project and will be providing a pre-launch preview presentation to members highlighting the features and login/access details.

NEW MEMBERS HANDBOOK

Final drafting of this document is now complete and will be printed and distributed to members shortly. The updated handbook is designed to give new members and existing members a comprehensive background to the history and day to day workings of the club as well as the competitions and fishing rules. Whilst our Club operates within the RMYC membership codes, this document focuses specifically on Club structure and rules and codes relevant the operation of game fishing competitions.

The updating and review of this document has been conducted in conjunction with RMYC management to ensure compatibility with RMYC codes and administration. The review by RMYC has necessitated a few minor changes to our rules in relation to membership and fish handling at the weigh station and membership, which have been agreed to by the Committee. These are detailed below:

RULE CHANGES

RULE 19. FISH HANDLING

Members must not clean or fillet fish or remove shark jaws in the vicinity of the Weigh Station. Fish may be hung off boats overnight if the boat is fishing the next day. The carcasses however, must be taken to sea and disposed of the next morning at the very latest. All boats must empty their burley pots prior to their return to port. Failure to comply with the above rules will result in a penalty of 5,000 points. Dumping of carcasses within or around the RMYC facilities will result in a penalty of 10,000 points for the offending boat.

The first sentence of this rule has been removed and replaced with:
“With respect to Billfish and Sharks, Members must not clean or fillet, or remove jaws or bills within the RMYC precincts. Table fish may only be cleaned and filleted after weighing, on the boat and away from the vicinity of the Weigh Station.

RULE 15. ANGLER MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

The existing rule reads as follows:
“Renewals of Club membership are due and payable by April 30th, each year. From June 1st, and thereafter, fish caught by an unregistered or non-financial angler shall not qualify for trophies, Sunday Pointscore or supplementary Pointscore. An angler who was a financial member in the immediate past season cannot score points as a visitor. The Committee will retain the right to waive this rule in the case of real financial hardship”.
Renewals are now effected on the anniversary of the members joining date, rather than 30 April. Hence the following change to this rule has been made:
Financial members as at the commencement of the season (1 September), will be deemed financial members until the conclusion of the season (31 May) provided they retain financial membership of the RMYC. Should they not renew their membership by 31 May, their membership will immediately lapse. From June 1st, and thereafter, fish caught by an unregistered or non-financial angler shall not qualify for trophies, Sunday Pointscore or supplementary Pointscore. An angler who was a financial member in the immediate past season cannot score points as a visitor. The Committee will retain the right to waive this rule in the case of real financial hardship.

BROKEN BAY INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT AND CENTRAL ZONE 13 – 15 MARCH

We are now on the final countdown and are looking forward to a successful event. At present we are currently running well behind the pack in the Central Zone competition and need big turn-out to get back into it. We need maximum exposure in our Tournament to achieve this, so please ensure that your vessel is registered with Central Zone prior to the event. You need to complete a Central Zone Registration Form together with a recent boat photo prior and let David Toohey know you are registering for Central Zone on the Wednesday prior to the Tournament (11 March).

Hope to see you all at the meeting next Wednesday. You are welcome to Join us for dinner at the Bistro from 6pm, prior to the meeting in the Horseshoe Cove at 7.30pm.
Regards

Reub Hayes
President