Dear Members,
What a rollercoaster ride 2020 has been so far! One thing is for sure, it has kept all of us on the edge of our seats.
Your Board meets at the beginning of every calendar year to refresh our strategy, and plan for maximising opportunities and navigating any risks that we might face. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine those risks would include a global pandemic and total closure of the premises for an unspecified period of time. But part of the role of the Board and the management team is to stay focussed on the opportunities no matter how uncertain things may seem, and the last few weeks have demonstrated just how amazing the RUC team is at doing that.
Even though our premises are having a disco nap, the team has been busy. The place is squeaky clean and the service offering has never been so innovative. Who would have thought the humble Club meat raffle would have such a following as an online spectator sport? Our ticket sales are three times what they were pre-COVID, and the entertainment only gets better every week (what will Axel wear next?!). Virtual Trivia has been such a sell out that it has spilled over onto Wednesday as well as its usual Thursday night. Our Remote RUC Sunday Seshs have been going off. And our amazing community of members has flocked to social media to connect, share a laugh and a couple of virtual drinks. Maybe, just maybe, we might even keep some of our Remote RUC innovations going after the pandemic passes.
The RUC is really well placed to open up again with minimal risk to our members. We have heaps of space, and can divide it up in all sorts of ways to keep groups separate. All of the government recommendations and regulations are currently being analysed by our team, and a plan is being put together about the best way for us to reopen.
From the Board and the management team, we want to thank you all for your support during the shutdown. You have all kept the RUC well and truly alive during its hibernation, and we are looking forward to opening our doors and welcoming everyone back (in a socially distanced way) very soon. Stay tuned!
Alisa Taylor, President
On behalf of the Board and management team