Message from Andy

Hi Everyone

I hope all is well.

An area of the Club that occupies the minds of the Board and GM’s this time of year in Finance / Money. The end of the financial year, 2023/24 budget submissions and auditing of accounts from the previous year all plays out during the winter.

I thought I would just take a moment to explain how we attempt to manage our finances from a big picture perspective, and how we seek to spend – some of it.

In short, the Club finances are generated from two sources:

1. The Club and its members, through fees, retail shop, bar, fundraising, sponsorship, and grants etc,
2. Income generated from our leasehold, currently with SWELL. SWELL is a relatively new addition and of course changed the way the Club was funded overall, given the previous arrangement with the City of Joondalup.

The Board currently seeks to run the Club’s finances using a very basic premise.

The Club needs to be able to stand alone, function within its means, and be able to operate within the funds provided the Club and its members (fees, shop, bar, fundraising, sponsorship, and grants etc). Should the commercial lease not be as successful, we still need to be able to resource the Club on a day-to-day basis and carry out our basic functions. Not having a successful tenant is a risk to the Club.

Income generated through the lease provides ‘ the cherry on the cake’ which allows for benefits to be returned to members and add value to what it means to be a member. There is always conjecture about how this money should be spent, but for now it is broadly spent on capital or project items identified by the Board, GM’s and or members. Money is also kept ‘for a rainy day’.

For example, in the 2022/23 season you will remember me publishing in an earlier newsletter that the the Board signed off on over $150.000 of items to support surf sports, patrolling, renovations, upgrades and education.

This included the new security system ($50,000) upgrade and following items:

$30,000 Downstairs changing rooms ‘facelift’

$18,000 (some) Club Air Conditioning units’ replacement

$3,300 Lounge Sound system Microphone

$8,400 Nipper Rescue Boards

$14,000 Nipper Boards

$2300.00 Adjustable ski’s

$13,000 Double Skis

$5000 Surfboat oars

Following this we also needed to invest in more security items to ensure the protection of members downstairs.

In the last few years and from my memory alone (also noting the presence of COVID !!!!) approvals have been given for a new patrol shelter; shade covering and furnishing of the deck area; BBQ’s; various furnishings and resources in the clubroom, including IT and sound; numerous sports boards, skis, boats, IRB’s etc; refit of the First Aid room; contributions to 2 x new Patrol towers and Drone patrols, and so on.

We have also improved our office services and reshaped how that looks with improved opening hours and paid staff to look after Information, Marketing, Accounts, and the Bar.

On the surface, it sometimes looks like the Club is awash with money. Indeed, we are in a solid position in that we do have funds to commit to such projects when other clubs don’t seemingly have such resources available. But please be aware that the Board operates in such a way that the Club is not exposed to the ebbs and flows of commercial environments.

We have to keep an eye on a safety gap should one or more of our main sources of income not be as fruitful as previous, such that the Club is not exposed.

That said, we are interested in ideas and thoughts about how the Club can add value to members. While acknowledging everyday costs are important (lower fees, prices, etc) and the fact that some costs are still subsidized (an e.g. Club bathers and caps etc), we are also keen to invest in projects that add value to the infrastructure and resources that make the Club tick.

If you have such ideas and thoughts, please feel free to contact me directly and or through

Have a good one !!

Andy