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OLD BOYS MARIST
2011 PRESIDENTS REPORT
It seems that the season has only just begun however the time really flew and we are now near the end of the year at another AGM. The speed time goes past appears to increase with increasing age. With new players and members joining the club the third season of the amalgamation has proven that Old Boys Marist is a club in its own right any residual issues over the amalgamation now in the past. Old Boys Marist is now our club.
On the playing field the club had a satisfactory year with all of out teams making the top six in their respective grades. Of particular note was the Senior B’s making the finals, Colts Premier and Colts A both winning their finals. It is particularly pleasing to have a successful strong age grade presence in the club, this will bode well for the future of the club. We had just under 200 registered players this season and hopefully we can maintain or increase the numbers next season. I would like acknowledge and thank the all our coaches, managers and other team assistants. It takes a lot of dedication and enthusiasm and the time and effort put in on cold winters nights is appreciated. There were several new faces in the coaching and managers ranks this season, I hope you enjoyed being involved and hope to see you all back next season.
Congratulations to all of our representative players. It has been some time since we have had an international and special congratulation to Johnny Leota on his selection for Manu Samoa. Other selections included two players selected for the New Zealand U20 trials, four players in the Manawatu U20 team and six players in the Turbos.
The year like all the previous years has again been a continuing battle to manage the finances to keep the club on the field. Many thanks to the sponsorship committee, the Shamrock Club, the various gaming machine charities, our club sponsors for their support. Special thanks to the finance committee under Peter Loveridge who managed to keep control of the expenditure and survive another year. Funds are still difficult to raise and with much more competition for declining gaming machine funds we are relying more on our loyal sponsors for support in these difficult times. Again thank you to our loyal sponsors for your continuing support.
On the social side the club morale has definitely picked up and we have had some good turn outs on Saturdays at the clubrooms. Recently Marist Sports repainted, replaced the trophy cabinets and brightened up the clubrooms and I am sure that the new atmosphere has helped improve the patronage. We held a very successful Old Timers/Club day earlier in the season and followed up with a very successful and enjoyable club prize giving event at seasons end.
I am retiring from the committee at this AGM after some twenty odd years. It has been and enjoyable period of my life and I would like to thank you all for your friendship and company over that time. Thank you to my fellow committee members especially those who are not returning next season, thank you for all your efforts.
Without the commitment and loyalty of the many who voluntarily give of their time our club would be a much poorer place. I would reiterate our thanks again to our coaches, managers, committee members and all other helpers and not forgetting our many supporters some of whom turn out in all weathers to support their favorite team. Have very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I will see you all next season.
Peter Clark
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CHAIRMANS REPORT - 2011
The 2011 senior rugby season for Old Boys Marist was generally a good one for our club. Fortunately we were blessed with the Senior 1 coaching reins being taken up by John Fisher who had initially only intended to be an assistant but who stepped forward in the 11th hour and with the assistance of Lee Waller guided our flagship team into the top six of the Senior competition. John's style and dedication coupled with a sound management group grounded a mixture of experienced older with some quite inexperienced younger players into a competitive unit with the final game against Te Kawhau only being lost in the final quarter and was one of the best of the season with everyone giving a 100% effort. John and Lee and the Senior 1 management team have opted to stay together for the 2012 season which is terrific news for the club.
Having said the senior 1st team is the clubs flagship, we must remember that that team cannot function without a sound base. I feel personally the club has strengthened during it's third year under the amalgamation and this is evident in the fact that we had three teams playing club finals rugby all competing for that elusive prize of team champions. No other club to my knowledge had three teams in the club finals in this union, possibly in the country. Those teams were the Senior II, the Colts Premiers and the Colts A. All are feeders into the Senior I in the future. The Senior II was beaten in their final but only in the later stages of the game. The Colts Premiers and Colts A's were both winners, a remarkable achievement made even more remarkable when taking into account that the two coaches of the Colts A were in their first season.
We had a total of six teams this year, actually at one stage we had seven with a second Senior reserve team, however, because of injury and outside commitment's (work - looking after the kids etc) we had to fold this group and concentrate solely on our six mainstay teams. The Senior Reserve's were a very happy and sociable group of guys most of who had played together in last years Colts A grade. Again this sort of companionship and attitude and the fact that they stayed together and played together bodes well for the club and hopefully they will be back again in 2012.
The Presidents team are of course legends in their own right. A more sociable and hospitable group of guys I don't think I have met. Every Saturday they gather in the clubrooms win lose or draw. They play for purely for the love of the game and the score line matters little. The depth of any club can be measured by it's playing numbers and to see guys whose years may be creeping on and who are still playing a physical contact sport when many of us struggle to even perform any form of exercise is not only a credit to themselves but shows again the social and committed attitude of the club. Well done the presidents, you do us proud.
As already said the club is in good heart, the Senior 1st coaches and management are secured for 2012 and coaches/ managers are being selected and appointed for the remainder of the teams. School leavers have been approached and spoken to at our major secondary schools and we are hopeful of another good recruitment input for our Colts grades. Recruiting for the Senior teams is underway and we are more than hopeful that we will retain the bulk of our 2011 squads for next year. A summer fitness programme is underway and we intend hitting the ground fully fit and running from day one in 2012.
This year the committee were determined to focus on administrative responsibilities and in particular the financial situation. Over the past two years we have run at a significant financial loss which of course is unacceptable. Sponsorship is becoming harder to find, the trust funding applications are rejected far quicker than previous years and a general slump in the economy added to our problems. If we had continued along the lines of the previous years I can categorically state that the club would have found itself in financial trouble in the not too distant future. Fortunately for us two people took the matter in hand and guided us not only out of the red but into a small profit for the year. To Peter Loveridge and Sue Curtis, Old Boys Marist owes you a huge debt of gratitude and on behalf of the club and the committee I thank you sincerely for your guidance and efforts for 2011. Without you I fear we would have again been in dire straights.
To those important people behind the scenes from our President Peter Clark, through our sponsorship team Bill Anderson and Phil Monk, rugby development officer Mark Gleeson, Marist sports representative Paul O'Brien, club captain Phil Metcalf, council of clubs representative Kevin Tod and the remainder of the committee I offer my thanks. This committee has been a real pleasure to work with and I thank you for your efforts, your commitment, dedication and loyalty not only for 2011 but over the past three years since the amalgamation. Although not common knowledge some of us will be stepping down at the AGM this year after many years of service and so to all those who are finishing again a sincere thank you for your input and all the very best for the future.
To those coaches and managers who are retiring from teams this year again a very special thank you for your efforts and input. I mention here Peter Marshall in particular who hangs up his clip board after many years of coaching. Peter guided the Senior II to a finals spot in this year's competition. He has been a mainstay for the old High School Old Boys Club and his support and input over the past three years with Old Boys Marist has been invaluable. Peter's name and reputation continue to live on because I understand his Life Members photo which mysteriously disappeared from the wall on prize giving night has been seen and photographed at many 'locations' not only around Palmerston North but also in Wellington. I hear that he may even be heading off shore on a world tour so we look forward to seeing Pete on the Buckingham Palace gates as well as various other 'establishments' no doubt on Facebook in due course.
A special mention must go to Howard Heap and Peter Clark who are retiring from the committee this year. Both have put many years into the respective Marist and HSOB clubs and both were drivers of the amalgamation three years ago. Peter and Howard shared the club presidency since the inception of Old Boys Marist and their names and influence lives on in the future of the club. Thank you both for your time and your efforts and to you Howard who I have considered as a mentor over the past years a very special thank you from me personally.
To you all, the Life Members, the committee, the players and club members, I thank you for your support. We have a very good club and the future at this stage seems assured. I do invite those of you who have the time and the inclination, to consider becoming more involved in club matters. The club needs new and younger blood especially at committee and sub committee level. With good and positive management I envisage us going from being a very good club to a great club. To do that your assistance is needed.
This will be my last year as club chairman, I am one of those whose used by date has expired and so I hand over the reigns to another with fresh ideas, drive and enthusiasm, to my successor I report that you have an excellent committee and the best club in this Union. I wish you all the very best for the future, I know the club is in the very best of capable hands.
To all others, I thank you for your assistance, your friendship, your loyalty and your perseverance, have a very merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.
Yours in rugby
Jim Lyons
Chairman OBM
Old Boys Marist - 2011 Newsletter Dear club member, The 2011 rugby season is all but upon us and by the time you receive this newsletter the first of the pre season games will have been played. This is a huge year for rugby of course with the World Cup and already we have noticed an increase in junior and colt’s numbers which can only be good for our code. First and foremost it is with sadness that I acknowledge the passing of some of our past club (Marist - HSOB) members, two of whom were life members of High School Old Boys. We offer our condolences to their families and honour their service and input to our clubs. They are Stuart Anderson, Graham Calcott, Gordon Greenbank and Phil Ormond. Old Boys Marist has had a few changes this year. Malcolm Burr, the longstanding chairman of both Marist and Old Boys Marist left for greener pastures, plus now that the club is into its third year the administrative structure has been slightly amended. We have forgone the dual Club Presidents role, elected a new chairman to replace Malcolm and increased our committee to its maximum number of 15. The club administrators are: President - Peter Clark Vice Presidents - Mark Gleeson, Peter Marshall, Howard Heap Patrons - Fr Brian Walsh, Tim O'Connor Treasurer - Sue Curtis Club Captain - Phil Metcalf Committee: Jim Lyons (Chairman), Paul O'Brien, Peter Loveridge, Bill Anderson, Phil Monk, Bill Feasey, Kevin Tod, Mike Rusher, Dave Wilson. The New Year has also brought a renewed focus by the committee on several fronts. First and foremost in any club a major problem is of course finance. During the past two years we have gone over budget, last year more than the previous. The finance sub committee with the backing of all club administration have undertaken this will not happen in 2011. Finances are tight and sponsorship is limited. Thankfully we are supported by some of the best sponsors in the area and they have remained loyal to us and likewise we must remain loyal to them to maintain that support. It is pleasing to see that the sponsorship committee have secured all those existing sponsors again some with an increased donation. However, on the other front of charitable funding (pokies), this is well down on previous years; the situation is definitely not going to improve. In fact we are reliably informed that it will get a lot tighter from here on. Unfortunately, the days of applying for charitable funding with the view that it will be granted are well gone with income from this source more than halved. A number of other factors also contributed to the last two years budget blow out and this, in turn placed restrictions upon our ability to provide transport, equipment, scholarships and other items which in the past have been available to players. The finance committee this year have evolved a new format for the payment of player subs and with this and other systems now in place we are confident the woes of the past two years will not be repeated, This year the club is intent on increasing not only our playing but also our non playing membership. Over the years of being involved in rugby I have too often seen players in particular, hang up the boots, cease their association with the club and become somewhat the preverbal couch potato. Most of these persons had a lot to offer either by coaching, managing, administrating, refereeing or just plain old supporting. I have spoken with many ex players over the years and almost without exception they express the sentiment that they wished they had stayed associated with the club and contributed in some way. Our aim is to identify these guys, invite them to come back to their old club (Marist or HSOB) under the new umbrella Old Boys Marist and be part of the club atmosphere again. So, if you know someone in this position, let us know so we can send them the newsletter even if just to invite them to the old timer's day. This year we aim to have again seven teams in the competition. Senior A's, Senior B's, Senior Reserves (maybe even two in this grade), Colts Premiers, Colts A, Colts Under 19's and of course our Presidents. The committee acknowledges the flagship team as the Senior A's and always support for this team will be manifest. However, the club also sees our future in the Colts grade. In 2010 we had somewhere in the vicinity of 80 players eligible for Colts. This year we hope for similar numbers. Our flagship in this grade is the Colts Premiers and it is our intention to have pre season games and trials to pick the best available for this team with the other two Colts team players aspiring to make it into the "Prem's". The 2011 Club Coaches and Managers are: Senior A - Coach - John Fisher Manager - Mike Rusher Senior B - Coach - Peter Marshall Manager - Dan Higgins Senior Reserves - Coach - Simon Smith / Dave Angland Manager - Andrew Jamieson Colts Premiers - Coach - Dave Carey / Lee Waller Manager - Craig Tutaki Colts A - Coach - Paul Sheehan / Shane Harding Manager - Gary Milligan Colts U19 - Coach - Len Clode/ Warren Chapman Manager - Paul O'Brien. Presidents - Coach/Manager - Mark Izod The Club rugby season kicks off on Saturday 26 March 2011. Training is well underway and we pre season games scheduled as follows: 26 February - Seniors/ Colts v Foxton (Foxton) 5 March - Senior A v Waikanae (Home) Senior B v Waikanae (Home) Colts A v Oriental (Ories) (Home) Colts B v Oriental (Home) 12 March - Senior A away on camp Senior B/ Reserves v Marton (Home) Colts A v Boys High (Home) Colts B v Boys High (Home) 20 March - Senior A v Poneke (Home) Senior B v Senior Reserves (Home) Premier Colts v Feilding Ag (Home) Colts U19 v Colts A. (Home) The social side of the club is to take a step forward during 2011. We are looking at having our Old Timers and Club day on Saturday 21 May. We want to make this a big one and to that extent we will be looking at our members to contact people from past teams they played in to come along. In particular we would like to see those past players from both the old clubs who were in club finals winning teams and in particular Hankin Shield winners and runners up. We intend having a photographer present to have the then and now photograph and to that extent if you have old team photographs can you dig them out and prior to the day I will be in touch with you so we and put them on a display board. We will also be holding five or six events during the season including mixing in with other codes (e.g. netball - hockey) which will be run and managed by this sub committee along with player representative assistance from each team, (so, watch this space). The club now has two web pages to refer to for those who work the internet. The club web page is "Palmerston North Marist High School Old Boys RFC" but there is also a Facebook page to obtain up to the minute matters concerning the club such as, training, meetings, pre season games, comments etc. Special Notice: OBM 200 CLUB” The OBM Rugby Club are starting up a “200” Club where for $200 you can become part of an elite Sponsorship Group, be invited to a ‘Members Only” Function and be included in a weekly jackpotting draw at the Clubrooms. The Funds will be utilized for the development of Coaches, Players and assist the Club with expenses related directly to the costs associated in the playing of the Game. Become part of a group of like minded rugby people and support Old Boys Marist Rugby. For more information please contact Mark Gleeson (027)2327905 Overall the club is in good heart and we look forward to the 2011 club rugby season. Another mid year news letter will be sent out probably around June. Jim Lyons Chairman OBM RFC