The Jesters Club Ontario
Minutes of 2019 Annual General Meeting
Held 6:00 PM, Wednesday, November 27th at the Toronto Cricket and Skating Club.
Chairman
Rea Godbold
Secretary
Derek Riley
The chairman declared a quorum was present and the meeting was formally called to order.
Minutes of the AGM meeting held November 28th, 2018
It was resolved that the reading of the minutes of the meeting be dispensed with. The motion was proposed by Mr. LeHeup, seconded by Mr. Nederpal and received unanimous approval.
Financial Report
A motion was made to accept the Annual Financial statements and report dated November 20th, 2019 as presented by Mr. Ferguson – proposed by Mr. Bovaird, seconded by Mr. Bracht and received unanimous approval. The Finances are in good shape with the Development Fund being roughly $ 140K, with a market value of $ 234K. We are able to continue our support of the Junior and University programs and the under 35 doubles tournament thru annual dues and drawdown of the fund. A discussion centered around the tax status of the club and its ability of spending funds, and further investigation and options will be pursued by the Executive.
University League
Mr. Carter filed a report outlining the growth of the league in its ninth year of operation. At the last sectionals, there were 170 players and over 350 matches played. Squash Ontario has allocated a fulltime coordinator to help manage the league now thru the new Club software. There was also a recent fixture between Western and Navy which exhibited a very high level of squash. An appeal was made to Jester members to support these events in the future.
Junior Development
Mr. Deverill spoke to the increased participation with junior squash year over year and our working relationship with Squash Ontario. There has also been a significant fundraising campaign at SO for high performance which raised 250K this past year. We will continue to support the Ontario Junior Open by providing a motivational speaker for the awards dinner.
Social Committee
Mr. Crozier reported on the success of the Spring Party, and details regarding his trip to South Africa with other Canadian Jesters. We will be hosting the South Africans next September. The club will continue to subsidize our social events to keep the cost of attending at a reasonable level.
Election of the Executive
The following Nominees were presented for election to the Executive Committee for the following year:
Derek Riley, Rea Godbold, Bob Ferguson, Iain Crozier, Alex Carter, Jeff Deverill, Jay Nash, Al Hunt, Strachan Jarvis, Ryan Forester, Nathan Drew.
The motion was proposed by Mr. Clarke, seconded by Mr. Nederpal, and received unanimous approval.
Other Business
Recognition given to Lolly Gillen for organizing the SantaPalooza Doubles matches today. All proceeds raised ($1,220) to go towards the Ontario Jester Junior Bursary Fund.
Presentation given by Lolly Gillen, as acting Secretary General of the Pan American Squash Federation, to Jeff Deverill for his involvement with juniors at the Pan Am games.
Mr. LeHeup spoke to the upcoming 100th playing anniversary of the upcoming 2021 Lapham Grant. Boston will host the 2022 event.
Recognition given to Strachan Jarvis for his running of the very successful Under 35 Doubles Squash tournament.
Recognition given to the new inductees to the Jester’s Club (Don Givelos, James Hewitt and Namsoo Oh), and to the passing away of Jester members over the past year ( Jim Coons, Tony Ross, and Tony Atilia, past secretary of the club.).
Tribute (book and video) given by Mr. Bracht to Mr. Keene in absentia in recognition of his many years as Chairman of the Jesters.
Recognition and gift given to Mr. Keene by incoming chair Mr. Riley for his tireless work as Chairman from 2013 – 2019 and Jester member since 1997.
The Barry Grant Jester of the Year was awarded to Mr. Jeff Deverill for his outstanding support and passionate efforts to the Junior Program for the Ontario Jesters.
Meeting Termination
There being no further business to discuss, on motion duly made, it was resolved that the meeting be terminated. The resolution was proposed by Mr. Bracht, seconded by Mr. Robertson and approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 pm.