Lucky you Graeme, I agree with your statement "I would like MY OWN CLUB
to continue in existence..."
I was/am the member of a club. Facilities included hanger to house 10
gliders clubhouse, amenities, power, phone, winches, aerodrome etc.
28 years ago when I joined there were 60 members 4 club and 6 private
gliders. 12 instructors and 12 airworthiness inspectors. (club only 5
years old) Now as any one who visited joey glide would have seen there
are 2 active members and a single seater.
Over the years most everything was tried 'joy flight days', 3 month
trial memberships, adult education organisations, scouts, air league.
Competitions have been held every summer of the clubs 33 year history,
with local advertising and news headlines. Obviously nothing worked.
Natural attrition of keen members saw the club diminish in size.
Experienced pilots didn't take on instructing or airworthiness roles
(for whatever reason), until they ultimately left the district.
Operations were conducted with less than minimum crew. When the last
level 2 instructor left town the club is at the end of its useful life.
I don't know any answers but the gliding community has lost another
club, not to mention the members that could have been. I imagine over
time they will also lose the great facilities that Leeton has, I doubt
that there would be any clubs that don't have pilots who have flown at
Leeton.
So Graeme I hope your club keeps chugging along, I am happy that you
have launching facilities, and don't seem to care that the world is
crumbling around you.
I hope other GFA members have a longer term view of gliding clubs for
them to have any hope of surviving.
Kevin Roden
Graeme Cant wrote:
From: "Geoff Kidd" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Good stuff.
Can you add the % increase/decrease, for each country, in your
spreadsheet, based on the comparison of the 93 - 04 figures
.......... to see what the various trends are?
I guess he can - but to what purpose?
I really don't care whether gliding in Australia is growing, shrinking
or tying itself in knots. I would like MY OWN CLUB to continue in
existence and it seems to be doing that very nicely, with relatively
stable numbers - perhaps slightly increasing. I've introduced a few
friends to gliding and every now and then other members do and the
club chugs along nicely.
I don't care if gliding becomes more popular. It appears it was much
more popular in the late 70s but since it has shrunk from then, that
popularity clearly didn't translate into a better gliding experience
for many of the members - because they left.
It seems to me that if we all try to make sure that our own club stays
a happy, solvent organisation which provides as far as possible an
affordable and enjoyable gliding life for those who wish to be part of
it, then that is the best we can do. Growth will then take care of
itself. By which I mean - it will happen if that is what makes people
enjoy gliding more. And if not, it won't.
The only thing I can do about the state of world gliding is to help
keep my own club viable. That's all you can do too. The rest is
gum-beating.
Graeme Cant
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