Club Committee
2009-2010 Manifestos
I am standing for the position of Secretary of First and Third. The academic year 2009-2010 will be my last year in Cambridge and I would like to make a contribution to the running of the club before I leave. Having noviced in the Michaelmas term of my first year, I have thoroughly enjoyed rowing with First and Third for the last three years and I feel I now have enough experience to help with the organisation of the club.
I am sure every member of the club would agree that Chares Franklin has done a great job as Secretary this year: race entries were always made on time, the dinners were run very smoothly, and from speaking to Charles I gather that the club’s accounts are in good order. I would like to continue the great work that has been done by the Secretaries in recent years and provide the best possible support for the Captains and the committee.
Having spoken to Charles and to former Secretary Phil Horler, it seems the most important skills of a Secretary are good planning, time management and accuracy. I consider myself a good candidate, as I like to keep things under control and to deal with potential problems as early as possible. I have the dedication to spend time on the rather dull aspects of accounting and record-keeping to make sure every detail is correct. Admittedly, I have no prior committee or accounting experience, but I will spend some time over the summer to familiarise myself with the handling of the accounts and with how the committee is run. If elected, I would be a reliable, organised and helpful Secretary.
Key elements of my work would be:
- Managing the club’s accounts and keeping accurate records of the members’ bills.
- Organisation of the end-of-term dinners. The Lent and Mays Dinner will be held in college as in the past years. The Fairbairns Dinner might be held in the University Arms Hotel again, but I am open for new suggestions.
- Race entries, transport to races, trailering and small investments. As I will be rowing with the men’s upper squad, I’ll be aware of what is going on in the club and what is needed for the day-to-day running of the club.
- Organisation of the committee. I will do my best to run the committee smoothly and efficiently, so that the Captains can concentrate on the on-water side of the club.
- Sponsorship. This is absolutely crucial, as failure to secure a sponsor very soon will leave the club with old and useless equipment. While we might seem to be in an acceptable situation at the moment, we have to make sure the club will still have adequate boats and training facilities in five to ten years’ time. Together with the rest of the committee, I want to intensify our efforts to find a sponsor.
I am very keen to become involved in the running of First and Third and I hope you will entrust me with the office of the Secretary.
Proposed by John Kiely
Seconded by Miles Galloway