As a new initiative to keep our sailing club community informed I will aim to communicate through the Monthly Club News letter my top 5 topics for clubs to be aware of – LIVE TOP 5.

I encourage club committees to table these at your club committee and/or sailing committee meetings and ensure your club is 1) aware of these topics, 2) taking advantage of or contributing from the information by taking steps within your club to continually improve your club activities and environment.  If at any stage you would like more information or would like me to make comment on a topic please email me at ben.callard@sailing.org.au or call our office on (07) 3393 6788.

1. Instructor Conferences

Our annual Instructor Conferences are fast approaching and registration numbers are looking positive for a record number of participants. These FREE events are designed for our network of qualified instructors to gain professional development, networking and up skilling on changes to the Australian Sailing “learn to” syllabus and available resources. Over the two days instructors receive updates through both theory and practical presentations.

Action item for clubs: Ensure your instructors are aware of the conference and professional development opportunities and I encourage you to at least have one instructor from your club attend to be sure your club has all the latest information.

North Queensland Instructors Conference 18th & 19^th May – Townsville Sailing Club

 CLICK HERE FOR INFO AND REGISTRATION

South Queensland Instructors Conference 22^nd & 23^rd June – Southport Yacht Club

 CLICK HERE FOR INFO AND REGISTRATION

2. Queensland Clubs Conference

The annual Queensland Clubs Conference is just around the corner on the 20^th & 21^st July, this year hosted by the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. This is a FREE event to attend with TRAVEL SUBSIDY available for our regional clubs. This is a must attend event for all clubs.

This year’s presenters include our new Australian Sailing CEO Ben Houston (a Queenslander), guest speaker Offshore Yachting guru Stacey Jackson (Queenslander), and many club representatives, from Queensland, South Australia and Victoria delivering case studies and insights into some of their success. Topics include; SheSails, Attracting and hosting events/regattas, SailPass, Mentoring and succession planning for your club officials, Committee Governance and much much more. Sunday morning will also involve a Yachting Queensland General Meeting were you can receive an update direct from the Board of Yachting Queensland and provide your feedback to them directly.

Action item for clubs: Do not miss this event. Register online. Book your travel and accommodations. Come with an open mind and be prepared to learn, share and network with your fellow club administrators from across the state.

CLICK HERE FOR INFO AND REGISTRATION

CLICK HERE FOR TRAVEL SUBSIDY INFO

3. Queensland Sailing Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2019 Queensland Sailing Awards and will close on the 9^th June. This is your opportunity to thank, acknowledge and praise those in your club community for everything that they do. It is a great way to contribute to club culture, volunteer and member retention as well as promotion of the club and your great activities. The awards are not just for sailing performance but include volunteers, officials, instructors, administrators, pretty much the entire sailing community.

The 2019 Queensland Sailing Awards Night will be held on the Saturday 20^th July at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in conjunction with the 2019 Clubs Conference. The Awards night is open to all to attend, simply book your tickets through the link below.

Action item for clubs: Make a nomination. It’s not always about winning. Just by nominating someone you can show them that they are appreciated within your club community.

CLICK HERE FOR INFO AND NOMINATION FORMS

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TO ATTEND THE AWARDS NIGHT

4. Courses and prerequisites

The team in Queensland have administered the smooth running of many training courses over the start of 2019 and there are still plenty of chances to gain qualifications prior to the end of the year. Please remember that due to some funding received by the Queensland Government we are currently offering discounts on the Instructor and Officials courses (link to info below). These savings are quite significant and only confirmed until the end of 2019.

For the various instructor courses there are pre-requisites that participants are required to complete prior to attending the instructor course. We encourage you to look at what these are and put a plan in place as to when you will complete these prior to registering for your instructor course. We will not let participants join the instructor course if they do not have the pre-requisites. The reason for this is safety and efficiency. For example, if you do not have your AS Powerboat Handling Certificate, it is likely that the Senior Instructor presenting the course will have to spend more time with you on your powerboat driving skills as to assisting you with becoming the best possible dinghy instructor. 

If you require any assistance with planning which courses to attend, seeking funding for your club to pay for training for club volunteers or have any questions regarding becoming a qualified instructor or official, I encourage you to contact your Club Services Officer Annie Watson (annie.watson@sailing.org.au) or Grant Willmott (grant.willmott@sailing.org.au) via their email or phone the office on 3393 6788.

Action item for clubs: Become familiar with the Australian Sailing qualifications for instructors and/or officials (whichever is relevant for your club). Ear mark some people your club would benefit from having qualified and put a plan in place. Training your volunteers is a great way to show them a reward and that you value their time and contribution. Every club would benefit from having more qualified Race Officials. If you have any questions or need help, contact your Club Services Officer.

CLICK HERE FOR THE INFO ON COURSE DISCOUNTS

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON BECOMING ACCREDITED WITH AUSTRALIAN SAILING

CLICK HERE TO FIND A COURSE

5. SheSails

Australian Sailing recently launched the SheSails brand to assist clubs in attracting and retaining more females to sailing. The brand is less about a specific program and more about the awareness and benefits of the initiative of increasing female participation. Your club can choose to do whatever you wish to do in this space but we do encourage you to do something. Currently our membership base is made up of only 30% females so there are big opportunities for the majority of our clubs to increase participation and increase club membership. We encourage you to visit the website www.shesails.org.au and look through the case studies as an example of what other clubs are doing. On the website you will also find access to all the logos and branding templates which all clubs are welcome to use and we encourage you to do so.

Within Queensland we have a very active SheSails Networking group which continues to grow in both size and activities. Many of the participants in this group often tell us how great it is to be able to share and learn from what others are doing around the state.

If you have any questions on the SheSails activities or would like to get involve please contact Annie Watson on annie.watson@sailing.org.au or 3393 6788.

For resources including promotional and case studies visit www.shesails.org.au

Action item for clubs: As a club committee review the SheSails website and have a look at the case studies. Contact Annie Watson and ensure your club has a representative on the Queensland SheSails Networking group.