Well another 12 months has flown by with the club functioning pretty much the same as in previous years. That’s not to say your Committee has been idle. On the contrary, due to the fact that the Committee has been under-manned for much of the year, additional work has been undertaken by the team to ensure, you the members, get the best value for your membership fees.

Speaking of membership fees, our Treasurer has expressed a need to increase our annual fees or else the financial needs of running the Club will exceed our income. Although our fees have remained the same over the past few years we have been able to augment our income by having a yearly ‘Ride Day’. This additional revenue alleviated the need for a fee increase. But with the plethora of commercial ride days on offer, a Club ride day has lost its appeal. Plus it is difficult to find someone who is willing to put in the time to organize such an event. Hence we have no other option but to increase fees.

During the year it has become apparent that ‘Weekends Away’ and our traditional ‘Longish type of Ride’ have lost their appeal to a lot of the members. This is understandable, for as the expense of running a motorcycle increases, riders are less inclined to subject their bike to an activity that accelerates tyre wear and increases running costs. Unfortunately it is also a sign of the times with so many other activities vying for our attention, the luxury of being out all day on your bike, is very hard to justify. With this in mind, the Committee has introduced the ‘Short Ride’ format and replaced weekends away with a ‘Day Ride’. Not surprisingly this change has had the desired effect with all recent events held under this formula showing a healthy number of riders attending.

What is also worrying is the fluctuating number of members at our monthly meetings. This has been hard to comprehend for even when an interesting speaker is provided, attendances remain low, and when nothing is on, there is a high attendance! Social Sips were also a worry with low attendance but a change of venue fixed that.

Membership has remained pretty much the same as last year but it is interesting to note that many of our ‘first time riders’ are finding out about the Club via our Internet Site. The site also receives quite a lot of discussion and favorable comment in the Visitors Book.

Our ads in Just Bikes and Motorcycle Trader are also producing many requests for information about the Club and although only a small proportion of inquiries lead to membership, it is gratifying that our Club can still generate so much activity!

It has also been gratifying to be part of this current committee that has functioned so well together over the last 12 months. So it’s thanks to: -

Vice President Tim Walker whose valuable input has resolved may dilemmas at Committee level.

Treasurer Wayne Grant for keeping the books clear, legible and up-to-date.

Secretary/Editor Ben Warden, who has efficiently handled all Club inquiries with ease, streamlined the formulating of the itineraries and coped with these two demanding Committee positions.

Assistant Secretary/Public Officer Danny Vits whose vast experience on committees has made some of the hard decisions easier to work through.

Captain Theo Kalkandis whose genuine enthusiasm for the Club and innovative ride suggestions were most welcome.

Social Secretary. This position had been officially unoccupied for most of the year with Treasurer Wayne Grant performing the additional task of providing the meeting suppers. Late in the year, Dianne Welsford volunteered to take up the role but due to a change in circumstances she has been unable to continue. We thank Wayne and Dianne for their efforts in this difficult but necessary position.

Vice Captain Darren Hosking whose wit and constructive comments made Committee meetings enjoyable.

I thank them all for their support and look forward to their continued association with the Club. To all members I thank you for your participation and friendship over the last 12 months and look forward to another exciting year in the MTCV.

Ian Payne, President.1999/2000

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The Club proposes to have a ride day at Sandown Raceway on Saturday 10^th June, Queens Birthday Weekend. Organisation duties will be performed by the very experienced motorcycle trainer Steve Broughy. He will provide the track, his organisational ability, St John’s Ambulance, staff to handle flag marshalling and other duties. He will manage indemnity forms and public liability insurance.

The MTCV will provide a list of riders, catering facilities — could be a simple as a BBQ, and $3000. Steve likes to run three groups of up to 25 people per group. If the track is wet, then we will be given another day, so long as no-one rides on it at all.

If we said 60 riders at $75 each (equals $4500) then the Club would make a profit of $1500. If we got more riders, then we would make more money. Conversely, if we charged more, we would make more money. The going rate for ride days is between $90 and $125 including lunch. If we come in at $75, we are more likely to fill the day, at a reasonable cost to members, and still make a profit. Spin offs include raising the public profile of the Club.

As time is of the essence, a commitment will be sought from members in the very near future. This is an opportunity to ride with friends, and by all means, bring your friends, in an environment that sport bikes were designed for. Please make the effort to join in and support your Club.

Ben Warden for the Committee