Speaking purely selfishly, from the perspective of the ARDC, Sydney Motorsport Park and motorsport enthusiasts I am delighted that the NSW Government was returned to office at the recent election. The pre-election funding commitments made by Sports Minister Stuart Ayres to support the installation of full-circuit lighting and other infrastructure investment at SMSP will now be able to proceed as we have hoped! The ARDC team has commenced conversations with the relevant departmental executives and we are reviewing and updating plans as required. We are now working to deliver the lights as soon as possible.
In the spirit of even-handedness, let’s not forget that the preceding Labor government provided the grant funding to enable to circuit extension work at SMSP, so it is great that the Coalition government is also extending support of our sport, its many different forms.
I must advise members that our friend and long-serving Director, Neil Turner, has decide to retire from our Board. Neil has been a diligent and dedicated Board member for over 20 years, first joining the Board in difficult times for the ARDC. He has always been a positive voice around the Board table and a calm and encouraging adviser in his usual role as a Competitor Relations Officer at race meetings. His work for ARDC and motorsport has always been matched, perhaps less visibly, by his equally dedicated wife Ronda. There will be more said at our AGM next month and in my annual President’s Report, but there is no doubt that Neil and Ronda have earned a long and enjoyable retirement. It is often said that an admirable goal is ‘to leave a place better than you found it’, and that is unquestionably the position of the ARDC after the service of Neil and Ronda Turner.
Neil’s term as an ARDC Director does not conclude until May 2020, and as such a casual vacancy has been created on the Board. Under our Constitution, it is the responsibility of the Board to decide the appointment of a qualified member to fill the vacancy until Neil’s term expires. The Board is considering this question and an appointment will be announced in the next few months.
The official Notice of the ARDC Annual General Meeting to be held on 22nd May this year is included with this newsletter, as are Proxy and Nomination Forms for members eligible to vote. John Cotter, Denis Cribbin, Evan Jones and Terry Thompson will retire at the end of their two-year terms as Directors and have nominated for re-election. Full ARDC Members of at least 3 years standing are eligible to nominate for election to the Board and Nomination Forms have been distributed previously. I encourage qualified members who wish to do so to nominate, but in particular the Board would benefit from a new Director who has skills in areas such as governance, marketing, social media, government relations, risk management and event management. Of course, a passion for motorsport is taken for granted! Nominations will close at 5:00pm on Wednesday 10th April, 2019.
I mentioned last month that we are seeing a marked increase in the number of female members joining ARDC over the last few months and this trend has continued. Unfortunately, none of our new female members has responded to my invitation to tell us why you joined ARDC and what benefit you hope (or expect) to receive. The invitation remains open and I am still keen to hear from anyone who would like do so, either by sending an email either to reception@ardc.com.au or direct to me at president@ardc.com.au
See you at SMSP,
Cheers,
Andrew
president@ardc.com.au