Dear ERC Members,

We are now into December! The festive season has kicked off and we are all eagerly awaiting the end of the year (well... I am at least...)! I would like to start this email by saying thank you to everyone for your efforts, and support of ERC in 2024. 

2024 G.J. Gardner Homes Essendon Henley on the Maribyrnong Regatta - 14 December 2024

This year, the 2024 Henley on the Maribyrnong Regatta has been sponsored by G.J. Gardner Homes Essendon. This is a great partnership for Essendon Rowing Club, and we are thankful for all the support that G.J. Gardner Homes are able to provide. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We are currently in need of as much help as we can get for the regatta! The day does not happen without the support of all our members, partners, parents, families and friends, so please reach out if you can help on the day. There are a lot of empty spaces on the volunteer list, so please email us at regattas@essrc.com or leave a comment on the sheet if you can help. 

A quick reminder that the ERC Masters (ERCSS & other masters) are on set up duties from 6am on regatta day and the other coached squads are rostered on for pack up. 

If any members are able to provide baked goods for the food stall on the day, that would be greatly appreciated. Please provide a list of ingredients and possible allergens with them! 

2024 Head of the Yarra

ERC were winners at this year's Head of the Yarra Regatta! We had members in three eights who raced the 8km course, and all went exceptionally well given the heat the day brought! 

We had a full Essendon Eight race the Female B Grade Eight, and come 6th in a fast field, Lisa & Judy compete in a composite Female Masters G-K Eight, and John Haag race in a composite Male Maskers I+ Eight (placed 4th).

A massive well done to Lisa Gandolfo and Judy Armstrong who came home with a win in the Female Masters G-K Eight! It's awesome to see ERC in the winner's column of a Head of the Yarra Eight once again! 

ERC Renovations

Our club renovations are progressing well, the old bar is removed and the works for the new bar starting! We are getting closer to being finished with the renovations and I am sure we are all looking forward to them being done. 

Please remember that the Club Lounge area is not accessible to members until further notice, as it is a construction zone. 

GJ Gardner Homes Essendon provided the demolition to ERC in kind, and are helping out with the remainder of trades in varying capacities. On behalf of the ERC Committee, a huge thank you to GJ Gardner Homes Essendon for their ongoing support! 

Changerooms Update

We are aware that there are some defects in the new changerooms, and we have been progressively raising these with the council as needed. Please keep letting us know if there are any further defects identified. To get these rectified, Black Sheep Constructions may be in and out of the club as needed, please keep an eye out for them. 

You likely will have noticed that Moonee Valley City Council have started painting the gutters and flashings on the outside of the club. The club is looking really good as we approach the formal opening of the changerooms and club lounge (details to come). 

Entry Fee Levy

A reminder to all our competitive members that there is a $2 levy that is applied to each entry at all regattas (except Saltwater Challenge and Henley on the Maribyrnong). This levy is used to cover towing fees, trailer repairs and fuel usage for those who tow our trailers. 

COM minutes

For those interested, the latest ERC Committee approved minutes (October 2024) are linked here. Our last meeting for 2024 is this coming Tuesday (10 December), so please let us know of any items you may want raised with the Committee. If you do have anything for our Committee, please send these to our Secretary, Judy, at secretary@essrc.com. 

Regatta Shop Ordering Window 

We have opened an ordering window with the Regatta Shop.

The window is open for ordering until 10am tomorrow! Please follow this link to view and order merchandise: 

https://www.theregattashop.com.au/pages/essendon-rowing-club-window

Orders will be sent to the club approximately two weeks after the ordering window closes. 

Safety

As we approach a busy time of the year within the rowing club, and outside of the rowing club in our own personal lives, it is important that we all stay aware of our safety and avoid complacency around the club (and outside of our rowing lives). Please remember to stay aware of your surroundings (both on & off the water), and take care in everything we do! We are all human, and it's the little things that will catch us all out, so please stay safe! 

If anything does happen around the club (in the gym, around the club or on the water), please ensure you report the incident through our website, so that we can review the incident and try to make sure it doesn't happen again! Once the report has been submitted and reviewed, we will reach out if there is anything further we required from you.

The ERC incident form is located on our website (link here).

On behalf of the Essendon Rowing Club Committee, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you again for all your efforts throughout 2024, it has been a huge year for the club, and none of it would be possible without the help from all our members.

Cheers,

Luke Mascaro
President - Essendon Rowing Club