VGCSA
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hope everyone has had an enjoyable and successful summer season. The VGCSA has been methodically finetuning the 2021 meeting calendar in recent months to ensure we can maximise member attendance while complying with COVID restrictions. We are quietly confident that we can enjoy group meetings throughout the year, albeit with some possible restrictions. With this is mind, we are also exploring further prospects of educational and training content throughout 2021 outside the programme at hand. We plan to announce these events in due course. Early February marked our first face to face committee meeting for a long while, with the majority of meetings being conducted by Zoom across 2020. It was a worthwhile and productive session, not to mention terrific to catch up with the VGCSA team again in person. Even with COVID conditions influencing the operations of clubs throughout Victoria, it would appear that golf is more popular than ever with the number of rounds being played. Summer weather has been quite mild, with perfect weather to get outside and enjoy the
VGCSA Graduate of the Year Thomas Lyons (Ballarat GC)
game. With international borders potentially being closed for the whole of 2021 and state travel potentially being interrupted by border closures, it shapes as another extremely busy year on the course for many clubs across Victoria. First off the rank for the year is our March education meeting at Portarlington Golf Club and Lonsdale Links. In compliance with venue restrictions, we have needed to cap the event at 100. Regardless of this, I can confidently
claim it will be a popular and informative day and great start to the VGCSA calendar of events. Nominations for the Superintendent and Trade Recognition Awards will be open to VGCSA members in early March, while later that month committee nominations open in the lead up the 94th Annual General Meeting at Woodlands Golf Club in May. We also must congratulate our Apprentice of the Year winner Thomas Lyons. Thomas, a well-deserved winner, was nominated by The Gordon TAFE and is employed by Ballarat Golf Club under the supervision of superintendent Jeff Powell. We wish him all the best as a state finalist for the 2021 ASTMA Graduate of the Year Award, presented in partnership with Toro Australia. Finally, let’s hope that 2021 runs smoothly to a new ‘COVID normal’ and we can enjoy the freedom of life that went missing in 2020. I look forward to catching up with industry colleagues in person over the year.
SHANE GREENHILL PRESIDENT, VGCSA
STA VIC
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urrently with the ever-changing landscape, especially in Victoria, it is a little difficult to plan and book events going forward. What appears a clear path today can be shattered tomorrow. With this fickleness of the COVID-19 pandemic we all deserve a pat on the back for our collective achievements during 2020 and early 2021. However, the STA Victoria committee has decided it is time for positivity in events going forward for our members and is enthusiastic to confirm the following events are planned;
Wednesday 21 April: Regional Seminar at Mars Stadium, Ballarat (sponsored by Mentay); l Wednesday 28 July: Sports Turf Seminar at the MCG (sponsored by Bayer); l September: Pitch Preparation Day (date to be confirmed); Also in the pipeline is a field day with research results from the transition trial at Pakenham, as well as an Innovation & Technology Field Day (dates and venues to be confirmed). l
Sports Turf Graduate of the Year nominations have been called for from the RTOs. Our Victorian winner will then participate in final judging for the Sports Turf Association Toro National Graduate of the Year being held on the Gold Coast, on Sunday 20 June. STA Victoria will again sponsor a Graduate Diploma student. Please note that the new email for the Victorian office is vic@staaus.com.au with Jan Fenton contactable on 0439 089 005.
COMMITTEE, STA VICTORIA
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021
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