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Less than 2 months after moving in, our new
caterer has settled down comfortably and is ready to provide the services
and quality of food to the expectations of our Members. The Fairway
Restaurant offering Chinese, Thai and Asian favourites is now open for lunch
and dinner. There is no change in the Swimming Pool area as the Chef at the
pantry there is the same person. Our favourite hawker food from the Rotunda
will again be served in the Main Lounge and Terrace beginning 8th May 2004.
More importantly, there is no change in the prices of beverages. I hope
Members will continue to be patient and tolerant during this teething period
as this exercise is going to save our Club on payroll alone approximately
RM1.6 million per annum.
The operator
of the Driving Range terminated the contract on 29th February 2004 but full
service resumed the following day. In the meantime, our Club has
received a total of 4 new tenders which include 2 golf academies,
one local and one internationally renowned. By privatisation/outsourcing of
the Driving Range, our Club eliminates a loss of approximately RM100,000 per
annum. Any rental/revenue from the privatisation/outsourcing will be a
positive income to the Club
Members will have read the open letter signed by 31
Members regarding the implementation of our VSS/Retrenchment scheme and
Management’s chronology of events. The Committee does not resent or deny
Members the right to complain or criticise Management so long as they are
based on facts and not conjecture or personal interpretation of events. They
must not be abusive, defamatory in nature, disrupt the harmony of the Club
or be motivated by personal agenda. My letter of 26th September 2003 to the
Tennis Fraternity is perhaps relevant. I quote :-
“To Tennis
Fraternity
Of late, there have been a lot of grumbling and
complaints to me from Members of the Tennis Section. I had also received
a letter from Dr. Rahim and in the recent dialogue between The Committee
and Members on 22nd September 2003, Dr. Sekaran Nair had voiced his
views to me and The Committee.
I have always been a believer that in an organisation
like our Club there should be constant communications and interactions
between The Committee, the Management and Members. The several grouses
of the Tennis Section had been transmitted to Management, the Sports
Convenor and Convenor for Audit & Compliance.
The Sub-Committee for Audit & Compliance is a new
Sub-Committee and one of its main functions and duties include
establishing procedures and reviewing complaints and suggestions by
Members on Club’s policies, services and facilities and the quality
thereof provided or performed by Management. In addition, this
Sub-Committee is also responsible to oversee whether Management is
implementing the policies of The Committee in accordance with good
management practices and procedures; more importantly, whether
Management is providing the services and maintaining the facilities of
the Club to the standard befitting our status as a premier club.
Please be assured that I personally do not think
constructive and valid complaints and suggestions are frivolous and a
waste of time. The Committee can only strive to improve and maintain
good services and facilities of the Club if there are regular feedbacks
from Members. Time and trends have resulted in changing needs and
expectations of the general membership. We can never correct a wrong if
we are not informed nor can we cure an ailment if it is not diagnosed.
Similarly, services to Members can never improve unless there are
complaints. I believe a dialogue/discussion has been planned between the
Management and the respective Convenors with Members of your Section. I
hope you will all attend.”
Promoting involvement
and participation in activities by younger Members of this Club is one of
the important programmes undertaken by The Committee. As part of the
programmes, the Sports Office has been directed to allocate at least one
quarter of our inter-Club team places to our new and younger Members. This
will help inculcate the tradition and give them the chance to meet and
develop friendships with their
counterparts from our reciprocal clubs.
The
Annual Sports Carnival will soon be held on 9th May 2004 and I hope there
will be the usual overwhelming response to the several activities (including
new ones) that will be organised by Management.
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