Sages President Newsletter March 2017
A few thoughts for the year…..
1. Branch Committees
At this time of the year our branches elect new office bearers. Thank you to the committee members who have run your tournaments, controlled the finances and kept the wheels oiled. May you be blessed with new committees with enthusiasm, vision and dedication. You have the power to choose well. Please do so.
Continuity is always a problem. Please pass all your wisdom and experience on to the new committee, and show them where to find the wealth of information support on our website sagesseniorgolfers.co.za.
The NMC requests you to focus on increasing the membership in your branch this year. I challenge every member of SAGES to encourage one new member to join SAGES this year. It is an entirely achievable result. We are the largest organization catering for senior golfers countrywide. Our members have access to unique golfing experiences through their membership. New members mainly join when they are approached to join. Invite your mates. Read the National Bulletin from our National Secretary available in the newsletters category of the website.
I wish to thank each and every one of you who worked so hard to enable us to keep our proud CANSA fund-raising record intact. We managed more than R497, 000 last year! If each SAGE added about R1.20 more this year we would have raised a total of half a million Rand! We play a significant role in supporting the Sanlam Cancer Challenge (SCC). It is truly better to give than to receive!
As you may know, Sanlam invites 4 SAGES members to the final of the SCC as guests. The NMC splits our branches into small, medium and large by membership and requests the branch that makes the biggest contribution in each category to choose a member to attend the SCC final with the national president. This year I have asked our national secretary, Elfie Alston, to accompany the SAGES team.
Our Vice-President Alec Dixon has released the statistics. Congratulations to the winning branches:
Eastern Province (R44, 000)
2. Medium: Lowveld (R17, 500)
3. Large: Highveld (R83, 437)
The NMC will forward the invitations from Sanlam to the winning branches in the second half of the year. The winning branches can in the interim decide on a worthy person to carry the burden of playing in the SCC final as a guest of Sanlam.
4. National Tournament
Zululand is working hard on the preparation for the Nationals to be played from 8-12 May 2017. Please support them by sending a full team. Our National Tournament is BIG - maybe the largest, with up to1200 rounds of golf being played. Please select your players of integrity who will not take more than 4.5 hours to complete a round. One obstinate slow player can destroy a tournament.
May 2017 reward you with many happy golfing hours with your SAGES friends.
Die tyd van die jaar word nuwe Komitees aangewys gedurende die AJVs. Baie dankie aan die uitgaande manne en dames wat die toernooie gereël, die finansies gesond gehou en die wiele ge-olie het. Mag elke tak geseën word met Komitees met entoesiasme, visie en toewyding. Julle het die mag om goed te kies. Maak so.
Die oordrag van kennis en ervaring is baie belangrik. Gee nie net die leisels oor nie, maar ook jul wysheid en ervaring. Wys hul al die inligting op ons webwerf sagesseniorgolfers.co.za.
Die nasionale bestuurskomitee (NBK) vra elke lid om vanjaar een nuwe SAGE te werf. Ek dink dit is haalbaar. Ons is die grootste organisasie wat omsien na die gholfbehoeftes van seniors. SAGES lidmaatskap bied toegang tot unieke gholf-ervarings. Nuwe lede loop nie van self by die deur in nie, maar word uitgenooi. Nooi jou maats. Lees asseblief die Nasionale Bulletin van ons Nasionale Sekretaris wat op die “Newsletters” gedeelte van die webblad verskyn.
Baie dankie aan elkeen wat so hard gewerk het om ons trotse rekord van fondsinsameling vir KANSA te onderskraag. Ons het verlede jaar R497, 000 ingesamel. Wonderlik! As elkeen ‘n ekstra R1.20 ingebring het, was dit ‘n half miljoen. Ons speel ‘n beduidende rol ter ondersteuning van die Sanlam Kanker Uitdaag-toernooie ten bate van KANSA. Dit is waarlik beter om te gee as om te ontvang!
Soos u weet, nooi Sanlam ‘n SAGES vierbal as gaste na die finaal. Ons stuur ‘n NBK-lid en een speler van elk van die wen-takke. Ek het Elfie Alston gevra om vanjaar die span te lei.
Geluk aan die takke wat bo uitgekom het:
Oostelike Provinsie (R44, 000)
2. Medium: Laeveld (R17, 500)
3. Large: Hoëveld (R83, 437)
Die NBK sal die uitnodiging van Sanlam later vanjaar aan die wen-takke stuur. Intussen kan elke tak begin besluit watter waardige SAGE die las sal moet dra om gratis by Sun City te gaan speel as ‘n gas van Sanlam.
4. Nasionale Toernooi
Zoeloeland werk hard aan die reëlings vir die nasionale toernooi wat vanaf 8-12 Mei 2017 plaasvind. Ondersteun hulle asseblief deur ‘n volle span in te skryf. Ons “Nationals” is GROOT - miskien die grootste in aantal rontes (oor 1200 as almal teenwoordig is). Kies asseblief spelers van integriteit wat ‘n ronte in 4.5 uur kan voltooi. Een hardkoppige stadige speler kan ‘n toernooi vernietig!
Mag 2017 vir u baie gelukkige ure met jou SAGES vriende op die gholfbaan bring.