Commodore’s Notes

Happy New Year everyone. Again another trying summer season but we are surviving better than expected at the club.
Hutch has again waved his magic wand and managed to find enough staff to stay open 7 days a week. A big thanks to all our bar staff and volunteers that have helped us out. Like everyone, several of our regular staff have tested COVID Positive and have had to isolate for the required 7 days as, myself included. I was lucky and had no symptoms at all unlike a lot of others, just the luck of the draw I suppose.
Lorne did extremely well having no COVID cases for two years, but it’s finally caught up with us in a big way. I suppose it was inevitable.
We’ve finally cracked it for some great summer weather with a few shitty bits in between but that’s quite normal for January in our neck of the woods. Our outer sanctum area has been a life saver allowing everyone to spread out and enjoy the fresh sea air.
We have been limiting the numbers inline with our staff availability and also to help everyone stay safe. We decided to cancel the live music event on Pier to Pub day which is traditionally our biggest day of the year. We were limited staff wise and also didn’t want to create over crowding and possibly causing a COVID spreader event.
Drop in and enjoy the worlds friendliest club with our sensational location and the worlds best and coldest beer. On a sadder note, we have recently lost three highly respected and much loved local identities. Vale Sam Coulson, Helen Stribling and Don Stewart, they will be sadly missed.
Our condolences go our to their families.

MAJOR FISHING COMPETITION NUMBER 1 2022
SPONSORED BY LORNE AUTO CARE PAUL AND MAXINE SPIZZICA

On Sunday the 23rd of January, this comp is traditionally one of our biggest comps of the year so come along and have a crack. All you have to do is be a member, catch a fish on the day and weigh it in at the club. We start weighing fish in at midday with the cut off being 12.30pm.
Each competitor can only weigh in one fish so anyone can win on the day.
We also have a junior section for the under 18’s.
You even score points for just having a go and get your name up on the board even if you don’t catch a fish. We give out generous prizes and serve up a scrumptious free roast lunch to all competitors and only $10 for non competing members. All welcome, get the kids involved and away from the screens.

PUB TO PIER & ANGLERS BEER
SPONSORED BY GREAT OCEAN ROAD BAKERY

There has been a bit of confusion regarding this event on social media.
This is a free fun event and is the Pier to Pub in reverse. It’s not connected to the Pier to Pub.
On Australian Day, Wednesday 26th January the annual Pub to Pier Swim which starts in front of the Surf Club and finishes at our club house has quickly become a tradition.
As it’s on Australia Day we will be getting into the spirit by handing out free Vegemite Sandwiches and Lamingtons all supplied free of charge by our sponsors of the day Great Ocean Road Bakery.
Our local CFA will be running a sausage sizzle and a few raffles. All the profits will go to them so come along and support a great cause.

GREAT OCEAN ROAD HOME GROWN TOMATO COMPETITION
SPONSORED BY LORNE PHARMACY

Friday the 25th of February 2022. Judging will start at 5pm.
We will have novelty prizes for the Biggest tomato, Smallest tomato and Funniest Shape tomato. The perpetual trophy will be presented to the best tomato overall.
Our expert judges will readily accept bribes. A free sausage sizzle will be served after. Start feeding your tomato plants now.

GOLF COMPETITION
SPONSORED BY THE PEAK RESTAURANT AT THE LORNE COUNTRY CLUB

Sunday 27th February 2022.
We are the current champions and have a firm grip on the historic and very famous perpetual trophy that goes all the way back to 1960. The country club (or hill people) sit up there above the clouds and look down on us all but they got the shock of their lives when we rolled them last February so they will be keen to reclaim the trophy.
We have to stop that happening so it’s very important that any of our members out there, men and women, who can swing a golf club and cope with the odd small hill, put their names down at our clubhouse so we can humiliate the hill people again. I’m a bit concerned about them way up there. The last time I was up that way I could hear banjos playing. At the conclusion of the event we will be running a free BBQ with a few light refreshments for all involved. We will also be raffling for only $1 a ticket, a round of golf for 4 people at the PENINSULA KINGSWOOD COUNTRY GOLF CLUB, valued at $1400. A big thanks to Heath Wilson, an ex Lorne resident who is CEO of the Peninsula Club.

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA
SPONSORED BY LIVEWIRE PARK & JASONS COFFEE

David and Anne McCormack have been successfully running this day for several years now making our beautiful town and surroundings something to be proud of so please help out on Sunday 6th of March, registration is at 8am at the club house.

RECENT EVENTS

CHRISTMAS EVE PARTY
We had a ripper of a night with a huge crowd and good weather.
We had to make a last minute change to our band line up and got hold of a group of young local boys. They were into heavy metal so everyone got a free ear wax removal. We raffled our traditional Christmas hamper and we also had a visit from Santa.
A local lady, I won’t mention her name but she looked a bit like Christine Walding arrived in the best Santa suit I’ve ever seen. It had a battery pack and a fan so it was filled with slightly compressed air making her look very rotund.

SPIZZ MAIDEN OCEAN VOYAGE

Local identity Paul Spizzica has just finished doing up his trusty old Tinny. He bought it off one of our old Commodores, Tony Peddie a few years ago and had used it a few times in lakes and rivers but never had it in the sea. Now that he’s got weekends off he has had time to fix it up and fit a new Honda 40HP motor, a new GPS/Fish Finder and a few other gadgets.
He took it out into the sea for the first time the other day along with his long time mate Tony Stribling. They had a lovely time out on the water catching a few flatties. We will see a lot of him and his boat out having a crack from now on. I just hope he leaves a few fish for everyone else.

FAMOUS SPICE MERCHANT RUNNER UP WORLD CHAMPION

Chris Langdon who is now a permanent Lorne resident came second in our recent World Sausage Roll Championship. Being one of Australia’s leading spice merchants he used 11 secret herbs and spices in his sausage roll entry but came in a close second.
We considered disqualifying him for his unfair advantage in having access to unknown ingredients but he bribed the judges and was allowed to enter.
Chris and his wife Belinda have had a holiday house here for many years but recently made the sea change and are now living here. They have two sons and a daughter. Both the boys play AFL. Tom was with Collingwood but a knee injury forced him to retire and Ed plays for Melbourne so is now a premiership player.
Belinda must have been good at footy because I’ve been told Chris couldn’t get a kick in a horse stampede when he played.
Anyway his boys AFL achievements pale into insignificance when their father is a runner up world champion. If you would like to try some of his spices the brand is Henry Langdon Spices and you will find some at our local FoodWorks.

HAWAIIAN SHIRT WEDNESDAYS

The weather hasn’t been kind to us on Wednesdays but we’ve still had quite a few members going to the trouble of hunting through their wardrobes and finding their Hawaiian Shirts.
There’s only two Wednesdays left so make an effort, wear one, get your first drink free and be eligible for a prize for best shirt and brightest shirt.

FISHING REPORT

The Pier has been out fishing the boats so far this summer. It’s going off.
There’s been lots of good size Snapper, Salmon, Trevally, King George Whiting, Flathead, Calamari and the odd Gummy Shark being caught. The boat fishing is slowly improving with some nice flathead coming in. Tom Dawson’s brother Jeremy recently caught the biggest flathead I’ve ever seen in our area. It was a Dusky Flathead weighing 3.1kg and 76cm long. Easily a new club record. They quickly weighed it then released it because it would have been a breeding female. 
The snapper are still patchy but the King George Whiting are coming on the bite with quite a few being landed. Still plenty of Gummies and the odd Blue Morwong being caught.

SAYING OF THE MONTH

“Everything before ‘but’ is bullshit”.
Think about this one. It’s especially true with politicians.

MERCHANDISE

Our tshirt colours for this season will be black, grey and pink.
Also we have received new stock of masks. They are a fitted mask with a double layer allowing a filter to be inserted if required.
We’ve also got caps in black and navy.
Our prices are:
Tshirts $35
Long Sleeve Tshirts $39
Stubby Holders $8
Caps $25
Masks $9

COFFEE

Jason is open 7 days a week from 8am serving up his famous Worlds Best Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate and Bickies.

COURTESY BUS

Our bus will be running on Friday’s and Saturdays. If anyone out there can help us out driving it please let Hutch know. Please be generous with your gold coin donations. Phone 0408 041234.

 

Cheers,

Commodore

Thanks to our sponsors:

KEANE CONTRACTING BRICK/BLOCK and SCAFFOLDING – Gary Keane
SURFCOAST GARDENING – Kerry Webster & Rob Dalziel