Patrick Campion, Chairman’s Message September 2017

Dear Members,
Welcome to the Spring Issue of your City Tatts Magazine. I hope the change in season brings you good health and happiness.

You may remember that in our last edition of the magazine – and through a comprehensive emailed Members Survey – we asked for your feedback on how we could make your Club a better one. We are grateful for your comments and we hope you can see that many have been acted upon.

IMPROVEMENTS
You will have noticed the exciting new changes taking place around the Club house, with our Reception and Silks Gaming being the first two areas to receive a well-deserved makeover, along with the installation of some exciting new games. By the time this issue reaches you, we will be well advanced in making the following further improvements;

Library and Quiet Room: The Club will be making better use of the area formerly known as the Royal Den, which is located between the corridor to the Lower Bar and the Silks Gaming
Area. The Library currently on level 2 will be relocated to this new space, where you will be able to enjoy reading a book or newspaper with a cup of coffee in a comfortable and quiet
environment. This area will have full Wi-Fi access.

New Pitt Street Café: The area known as 196 Pitt Street will soon house a brand new café with direct access from the street. Members and passing foot-traffic will be able to access the new outlet from 6:30am weekdays and 8:00am on weekends, and will be able to pick from a great selection of breakfast and light lunch offerings.

The Club is also currently in discussions with TABCORP about the possible relocation of the TAB agency which used to be located in Park Street. This will potentially be housed within the balance of the ground floor of our 196 Pitt Street building. If a mutually beneficial agreement is reached, we will have secured two great retail offerings for our Members and a pair of solid tenancies until the property development gets underway.

Zest Kitchen: In a strategic move towards running a more efficient food and beverage operation, we have decided to merge Zest Restaurant and Café 2 into a single dining destination which offers the best of both worlds, seven days a week.

The newly-launched Zest Kitchen will not only feature an exciting new menu, it will also sport a whole new look, with an updated colour scheme. This will be coupled with a selection of brand new decorative pieces and tables and additional greenery on the balcony to encourage Members to make better use of this area during the warmer months. Zest Kitchen will officially open on the 16th of October, and we encourage you to come and try it.

The rationalisation of our dining options from three to two restaurants will also make room for some improvements to Esperanto, which will include the launch of a new menu in November ahead of the festive season.

And the best news … our initial plans for the rejuvenation of our Lower Bar have commenced. Our Lower Bar has considerable heritage restrictions that prevent it from being significantly altered, but our plans fully respect that heritage and are aimed at activating this bar to a whole new level. The artist’s impression above gives an indication of how the fantastic space will soon appear. We hope you like it as much as we do.

It is important to note that none of the projects referred to above would be possible without the relentless efforts of our staff and leadership team over the past six months. The first half of 2017 has been about reinvigorating our Club, and we hope you enjoy the new offerings and visit our Club more often.

I thank my fellow Directors for their commitment and dedication.

The Club now has seven (7) Sub-Committees of the Board which actively meet to deal with matters relating to Audit and Finance, Risk and Compliance, Property and Air Space Development, Governance, Remuneration, Nominations and Sponsorship and Community.
All of these areas demand considerable time over and above their usual roles as Directors.

Whilst on the subject of Directors, our Vice Chair, Linda Fitzhardinge, has recently been admitted as a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. This is a significant honour, considering that at present only 5,300 people across the nation are fellows of the Institute which has over 40,000 members. Congratulations Linda.

Spring is always a great season in the Club’s calendar. Horseracing is a proud part of our history. This October, as is tradition, we will be hosting the City Tattersalls Club Cup Day once again at Royal Randwick Racecourse with an exclusive luncheon as Sydney gets into the swing of Spring Carnival.

This year, the Club has made available 150 tickets to the event for purchase by Life and Gold Members in addition to the 70 Member and guest tickets available through the ballot. This is to ensure as many of you as possible have the chance to be a part of this fantastic event.

Just around the corner is The Race That Stops The Nation. It will be another wonderful day to celebrate with friends and family. We are looking forward to another bumper day in the Club house, full of vibrant colours and happy faces. Please make your bookings now, so that you are not disappointed.

On Sunday August 6, following the Boonoona Open Cross Country Race, the Club held a dedication ceremony where we officially named the main lounge at Boonoona Lodge in the memory of
the late Carl Melvey in recognition of his immense contribution.

I look forward to seeing you in our Club.

PCampion
Patrick Campion
Chairman
City Tattersalls Club