It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Ernest Kinnersly, surrounded by family after a lengthy and courageous battle with dementia.

Barbados Friendship Cup - Oct. 7 to 11, 2024

Dear Tam Heather Members,

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of David Earle Baird on Thursday June 6, 2024, in his 89th year.  David was a dedicated Tennis member at Tam Heather for many years and served two consecutive terms on the Board as Secretary. His significant contributions, including his involvement in establishing our current constitution, have left a lasting impact on our community.

On-line registration for the 2024 – 2025 Curling Season will begin on July 15, 2024

Things to keep in mind:

Registration

• Returning members will be given a 2-week priority period (from July 15 to July 29) in which to register and guarantee placement in their respective leagues. A minimum of 2 returning members must be registered to qualify as a returning team. After the 2-week priority period, new members will be allowed to register for curling.
• For the 2024-25 season, a returning member is someone who was an active member in the 2023-2024.
• Registrations are not considered as 'complete' until membership fees are fully paid.

*NEW Sunday Draw Time Changes – See below

8:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 3 Sheets HOLY SPIRIT

8:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 4 Sheets SUNDAY SINNERS

10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. 8 Sheets LITTLE ROCKS

12:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. 8 Sheets JUNIORS & BANTAMS

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. 8 Sheets MAINTENANCE

3:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.  8 Sheets MIXED TEAM ENTRY

5:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.  8 Sheets MIXED TEAM ENTRY

Practice Ice: Will be available Monday, September 30th to Sunday, October 6th through the on-line Ice Booking feature on the website.

Rowan’s Law – Concussion Safety: This Act, passed by the Ontario Government imposes various requirements on sports organizations in connection with concussion protocol and amateur sports. Members under 26 years of age, as well as their parent (for athletes under 18) are responsible for understanding and agreeing to the protocols detailed under this act. Specifics, as it pertains to Tam Heather are provided on the 2024-2025 Membership signup (Step 4 – Agree to Club Waiver) page (Terms and Conditions) which we encourage you to read and agree to as part of your registration process.

New Members Wanted: The success of Tam Heather is dependent on continuing membership of our club members, thank you. We also must keep our membership growing with new members. We have found that the best way to recruit new members is though you, our existing membership and to this end we ask you to encourage friends and family to try the sport and join Tam Heather.

We have listened to you and have been making some upgrades for new members. We now have a sub-committee of the Curling Committee, our Curling Education and Development (CED) Committee, who have made it their mission to help new and returning members throughout their first and second year of curling. We have added new discounts to first- and second-year curlers membership fees in order to encourage new curlers to stay and learn more while here. This will apply to all second-year new curlers from last year.

We would like your help in encouraging new members to enrol in the Club’s Learn to Curl program which will run on Saturdays in October this season and finish in time for them to sign up for second draw of league play. Please help out by spreading the word!

We will also be seeking help and participation in our planned new club-wide curling clinics such as: brush-up sessions, specialized and individual coaching lessons, as well as many other strategies to help all curlers. The Curling Education and Development committee will be seeking experienced members to consider registering for CurlON Club Coaching seminars and clinics in order to help spread good curling practice throughout our club. Please consider this and check the box “X” on the application.

Thanks,

Jason Leneeuw
General Manager

On Tuesday June 4^th Venerables held our annual golf tournament.  The event was very successful with about 124 golfers including guests. We had great golf weather and enjoyed a delicious prime rib dinner. The 2024 Venerables Golf trophy was awarded to the team of Neil Clarke, Bob Williams, Joe Flynn and Perry Radwick with a score of minus 12 (scramble format).

Individual hole winners were:

• longest drive, Steve Hawes
• straightest drive, Bruce Watson
• closest to the pin on hole #11, Brent Gasson
• closest to the pin on hole #17, Bill Fox.

The putting contest and 50 / 50 draw had winners of cash and other donated prizes.
Thank-you to our 11 hole sponsors who sponsored 17 holes and added to our financial success.

Also, thanks to volunteers Gary Mandel and Ray Cockburn and to the golf committee.
We look forward to seeing everyone again at next year's tournament.

Pictures (in order): First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth (tie), Registration Crew

To All Tam Members

On Monday May 27, 2024, we held a Special General Meeting of the membership to approve a planned renovation of the Tam Heather Upper Lounge.

There were 52 people attending the meeting in person and prior to the meeting, we had received 33 valid Proxy Forms from members that were unable to attend. That gave us a total of 85 member votes and I am pleased to say that the membership unanimously approved the following motion at the meeting:

Motion by Erwin Psotka, seconded by Jim Christie, to approve spending of up to $200,000 on the Tam Heather Upper Lounge Renovation with the target completion date of mid-September 2024 and exact details to be approved by the Tam BOD.

I would personally like to thank everyone who attending this meeting and to those of you for sending in their Proxy Forms and showing your interest in this renovation project. I hope that everyone will be very happy about the new look of Tam when everyone returns in the fall.

You may review the minutes of the above meeting which are also available on our website under Governance.

Best Regards

Erwin Psotka
Secretary of Tam Heather

Dear Tam Members,

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with you all! As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance your experience at the club, we will be replacing all the upper lounge chairs with brand new, commercial-grade, black vinyl, double-stitched stacking crowned back chairs. These new chairs promise greater comfort and ease of use, making your time at the club even more enjoyable.

But that's not all! Tam has a wonderful opportunity for all of you. We're offering members a chance to take home as many of the old Tam chairs as you would like. These chairs have served us well over the years, and now they can find a new home with you.

For those who are unable to take them home, worry not! All remaining chairs will be donated to a furniture donation association to support those in need within our community. It's our way of giving back and making a positive impact beyond the confines of our club.

If you're interested in claiming some of the old chairs, you can pick them up at the club during our designated summer office hours. The pick-up period will be from May 27th to May 31st, Monday to Thursday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, and Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

This is a fantastic opportunity to bring a piece of the club home with you while also contributing to a great cause. We hope to see many of you taking advantage of this offer and helping us support our community.

If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

To all Members of Tam

In follow up the Jason's email announcing the Special General Meeting to be held on Monday May 27, 2024 at 6:30PM in the Tam Upper Lounge, I am sending you a copy of the Proxy Form. If you are unable to attend this special general meeting, you can use this Proxy Form to delegate your vote to a friend, who will be attending the meeting, or delegate your vote to the Secretary of Tam, so that they can vote on your behalf. This Proxy Form can also be found on our website under: Resources, then Governance, then AGM Documents/Notices. Please follow the instruction on the Proxy Form for submitting the form.

This Special General Meeting is being called so that the membership can vote to approve, or not, our planned Renovations for the Tam Upper Lounge. Please see Jason's email from May 9, 2024 for full details, but the short version is noted below:

Renovation Budget (Stage 1):

• Demolition of ceiling, bulkheads, slat wall and panels, approx. $12,000 plus HST
• Ceiling and Walls: remove all wallpaper, decorative wood slats and panels to drywall finish. Cover walls with drywall and install new T-Bar ceiling grid to existing height, approx. $85,500 plus HST
• Electrical: remove existing lighting and install 32 flat panel dimmable fixtures, pot lights, exit emergency fixtures, fire alarms, switches etc. approx. $52,500 plus HST
• Painting: prime and paint all surfaces, approx. $10,000 plus HST
• Total of above approx. $160,000, plus approx.10% contingency, for a total of say approx. $175,000 plus HST.

As noted in Jason's email from May 9, our constitution requires that the membership approve all significant capital expenditures, thus we need you to attend this special meeting to see for yourselves the types of renovations being considered and to vote for or against these renovations. To make the meeting a little more enjoyable, the BAR WILL BE OPEN.

I hope to see you at the meeting. If you have any questions, please speak to one of our directors or give me a call.

Thanks and Regards

Dear Tam Heather Members,

We are reaching out to share an update following the recent Board meeting held on April 24th.

During this meeting, the Board approved a motion to further renovate the upper lounge area.

This decision was reached, taking into account factors such as the current condition of the lounge, the Clubs financial position & ability to pay for the renovations, feedback from valued members and our goal to continue renovating & modernizing the Club's dining facilities which began with the Bar renovations last year.

In accordance with our Club's constitution, capital expenditure above $100,000 requires formal approval through a special meeting of the membership. The cost of the renovations approved by the Board being considered exceeds $100,000.00

We are dedicated to upholding these governance principles and ensuring transparency and inclusivity throughout this process.

The relevant section of the constitution regarding capital expenditure is set out below:

7.3 Capital expenditures in excess of $100,000 in any fiscal year shall not be made without the prior approval of a majority of the members of the Club present and voting at a duly constituted meeting of members called with notice to the members that such approval would be sought.

We want to assure you that the club possesses the necessary funds to cover the expenses associated with these proposed renovations.  We firmly believe that these enhancements will not only elevate the member experience but also enhance the club's ability to host more revenue generating private events.

Understanding the importance of your input, we acknowledge that you may have questions or concerns regarding this decision. I encourage you to reach out to us directly to voice your thoughts. Your feedback is crucial to us, and we are dedicated to ensuring that all members feel valued and well-informed throughout this journey.

We are convening a special meeting for all members to obtain more details on the renovations prior to casting their vote.  It is crucial to note that we need a quorum of 20 members to proceed with the recommended upper lounge renovations. Please mark your calendars for:

Special Meeting Details:

Date: Monday, May 27th

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: Tam Heather Curling & Tennis Club (Bar will be OPEN)

Proxy Voting: If you're unable to attend in person, proxy voting will be accepted. (Proxy form will be emailed out to the membership by the Board of Directors Secretary). 

Your attendance and participation in this meeting are highly encouraged as we collectively shape the future of our Club.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to your continued support and engagement.

Come cheer on our finalists!