General Manager - Queensland Monthly Update February 2024

The latest updates from Australian Sailing's General Manager – Queensland – Annie Watson 

Please click this link to find a copy of all past Queensland General Managers Updates. 

General Update 

Well, that month went really quickly.  We are mid February and I’m sure Australia day was only last week!  

Grant and I have just come back from Cairns where we delivered participation workshops and  completed Discover Sailing Reviews at Cairns Yacht Club and Tinaroo Sailing Club. It was great to see how well both clubs are introducing people into our sport and to listen to their ideas for growth for their people.  We also went and saw Port Douglas Yacht Club, Douglas Sailing Club and Cairns Cruising Yacht Club and had some fabulous conversations about how we can help them. 

Alison has started working with Hervey Bay Sailing Club who is about to become a Discover Sailing Centre.  This commitment to junior and youth sailing in this region is exciting and we look forward to working with them to reach their goals. 

All three of us went to Melbourne this month where the Grow and Support team from around the country got together for the first time.  We had professional development sessions, learning about new resources and programs, finding solutions for continued growth of the combined team and shared successes.  We look forward to sharing with our Queensland Clubs and Classes the learnings and developments that came from this meeting. 

Club Survey 

Once a year we ask for feedback from our clubs. The Club Satisfaction Survey is an important tool to ensure we receive direct feedback from our affiliated Clubs, so we know what support and services you value and how we are performing. It is your opportunity to score our card and provide feedback. It forms part of Australian Sailing's annual review process which, in turn, will assist us to achieve our strategic goals.   

Responses to the survey will remain confidential and at completion, your feedback will be aggregated and reported to the Australian Sailing Board and back to Clubs in a transparent and timely manner.  

  Action Item/s for Club: Complete the Survey at your next committee meeting.  

Queensland Sailing Awards – Who are you going to nominate in 2024? 

Who are you going to nominate this year? We hope to see more clubs represented by nominating the incredible people in our Queensland Sailing Community. And to all our clubs, we think you are fantastic, so consider nominating your club this year. Keppel Bay Sailing Club and Humpybong Yacht Club showed that Queensland Clubs are the best in the Nation! If you aren't in it, you can't win it!   

  Action Item/s for Club: Have the conversation at your next committee meeting to start identifying the people in your community that you would like to nominate. 

Qld Sailing Summit – Saturday 13th July Southport Yacht Club Main Beach. 

The 2024 Queensland Sailing Summit date has been set.  There will be something for everyone in the sessions and President Alistair Murray and CEO Ben Houston will be in attendance. We have a great panel of Louise Davis IRO, Greg Kemp RJ and Chris Morgan NEA to talk about the benefits of having qualified officials at your club.  They will answer any questions about officiating including the new Race Officer training. https://www.sailing.org.au/news/release-of-race-officer-training/  

Refreshments are provided and we very much encourage all clubs and class associations to have a representative attend and in particular, if you are new to the committee to also attend. 

  Action Item/s for Club:  Register to attend today: https://www.sailing.org.au/events/172509/  

Training in Focus – Live – A must do for Instructors and Discover Sailing Centre Principals 

  Save the Date:  Sunday 28th July at Southport Yacht Club Oxenford. 

The 2024 Training in Focus - Live planning is well underway and will provide a great opportunity for Instructors, Discover Sailing Centre Principles and Training administrators to receive hands-on learning via workshops, practical on water activities, the opportunity to try a new discipline such as windsurfing, SUPs or Foiling and of course, plenty of time to share ideas and best practice amongst peers. 

Accredited Instructors who attend the Training in Focus – Live events will automatically have their qualifications extended for a further 12 months, assisting to further remove the barriers to reaccreditation. 

  Action Item/s for Club: 

• Make a day of this professional development opportunity for your full instructor team – Lock the date in your calendar! 

• Keep an eye on the news for the launch. 

Queensland Event Calendar 

Just a little reminder to check that your upcoming special events are in the Queensland Event Calendar for the new season.  

This calendar is driven by you, and for you, so please take the time to check the calendar and make any adjustments as necessary.  

Don’t forget, Class Associations have a link to see the calendar.  Hopefully this will help them make decisions about holding their events in conjunction with an already existing event or choose an area and club that is not busy on their preferred weekend. 

By adding your event to the calendar it will also stop the possibility of events clashing in your region.  

If you have misplaced the calendar link so that you can add your events, please get in touch. 

  Action Item/s for Club:  Add your special events to the Queensland Event Calendar https://www.sailing.org.au/qld/qld-events-calendar/  

Game Plan for Clubs 

For Clubs who have already completed the Participation Workshop with Alison or Grant, Game Plan is the next step for review.  It is a self-assessment tool for clubs and class associations to review all aspects of your organisation and provide an improvement plan with links to resources and templates. 

Game Plan is provided in partnership with the Australian Sports Commission. It is neatly set out in areas so that one person doesn’t have to complete the whole program.   Start today: https://www.sailingresources.org.au/clubresources/governance/  

National Youth Squad 

For those clubs that have youth moving towards the performance pathway.  Click here for an update about the youth squad.