Port Adelaide Cycling Club has been my home of cycling since I first obtained a racing licence, and I am thrilled to be nominated to serve as President of the Club. I am awed and humbled to try to step into the huge shoes left by my predecessors, Gemma Kernich, Jenny MacPherson, Kain Gardner and Mark Gregory, who have guided the club for as long as I’ve been around.
This year marks the first occasion that neither Mark Gregory nor Paula Hollamby have been on the board since 2010, and it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge their enormous contributions. Paula has served as Secretary of the Club for the last 10 years, and has been the constant experience on the Board during the restructuring of Cycling SA into AusCycling, and the upheaval that entailed. She’s volunteered at countless events, and has kept things running smoothly in the background for a decade. Mark served as President for five years, served a further term on the board, but has also been instrumental in getting so many of the Club’s events off the ground. We are lucky to have them as members of our Club, and I extend my thanks to them for their service.
I also acknowledge the contributions of Rohan Wight, who retired from the Board this year after serving as Vice President.
In my term as President, I hope to continue PACC’s tradition of delivering excellent events, and producing and nurturing cyclists in all disciplines, at all levels. I want to focus on quality events for competitive cyclists, but also to ensure that there is a welcoming space for cyclists who want to enjoy bikes without a timing chip and a flag waving over the finish line. Over the next few months, I will be reaching out to club members individually, inviting them to participate in races, social rides, and off-the-bike events. I will also be approaching members individually, asking them to consider volunteering at events, in whatever capacity they feel comfortable. Whether that’s helping to set up a CX course, standing at a corner with a radio, or even helping to run the event with timing and coordination, there will be space for everyone. If every active member volunteers once a year, we would be the envy of every club in the country!
I can’t wait to see what this year brings.
Barnaby Grant
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