2009/2010 Annual General Meeting
29th July 2010 At 7-30 P.M.

In his opening address at Penzance & Newlyn RFC's Annual General Meeting held this past week, the club's President, Robin Turner, commented: “We are in our 65 th year as Penzance & Newlyn RFC, but we are a country mile away from retirement!”

Mr. Turner said that the last year had been spent working hard to reform the way the clubhouse operates, with work still in progress. He was delighted to report that the youth section are going from strength to strength, and the first XV, the Cornish Pirates, not only retained a strong presence in the Championship, but were also the first ever winners of the British & Irish Cup.

Thanks were also expressed to Dicky Evans, committee members, supporters, volunteers, professional staff, players and coaches for the massive quantity of work it has taken to get the club where it is, as everyone together looks forward to what will likely be one of the most important and intense seasons in the club's history.

The Chairman reiterated comments similar to the President's, and he made particular mention to Scott Dugdale and his team for their efforts in getting the Pirates Amateurs affiliated to the Cornwall RFU and accepted into the league system, whereby it was necessary to form a new club, with its own committee and constitution. The Amateurs will be based at 'Westholme' and will play many of their games on the Mennaye, and will be deserving of support.

In his report, Terry Drew, the Club Administrator, highlighted the highs, plus also the lows, of a year when the club at times experienced very difficult 'sailing' conditions. However, overall there was generally so much to commend in all areas, for a proud club that clearly plays a truly major role in the community. His thanks to the many who 'do their bit', and are appreciated, were also sincere.

Wendy Nicholas, as 'Chair' of the Youth Section, spoke about another incredibly busy year, with congratulations also expressed to players who achieved certain honours. These included Luke Cowan-Dickie, who has played for England U18s, and Jack Nowell, who has been in the England U17s squad. The commitment from everyone involved in the Youth Section has been huge, and looking ahead to the new season the members are thrilled that they will be able to support the Cornish Pirates at the Mennaye Field. Because the mini-junior games are played on Sundays, the Youth Section will liaise closely with the senior club management to make sure there is as little disruption as possible to any match, and everyone is already working hard to make the necessary changes.

Because of circumstances beyond the Management Committee's control, it was not possible for the Treasurer's report to be administered at the AGM, so a Special General Meeting will now take place on Thursday 26 th August, when the 2009-10 accounts will be produced and a full report given by the Treasurer.

The approval of appointments to the Management Committee made at the meeting were as follows:-

President – Robin Turner, Chairman – Sid Thomas, and Treasurer – Geoff Read, plus committee members Nicky Brooks, Rod Coward, Scott Dugdale, Martin Murrish and Wendy Nicholas.

An important part of the evening also concerned the approval given to three stalwart Pirates who had been nominated for Life Membership. The three gentlemen bestowed the honour were Colin Dymond, Terry Drew and Geoff Read, and at the meeting Phil Westren took the opportunity to say a few words about each.

Terry first played for the colts in the 1950s, and later played a number of senior games in the early-mid 1970s. He became the club's Assistant Treasurer in 1986 during difficult times - it a mark of a person to step forward when things are tough, when others hold back or don't respond at all. Taking on the office ofClub Administrator in 1997, it is a role he still holds today, whilst he has also travelled all over the country on match day duties.

Geoff Read played a number of games for the Pirates in the 1960s, but it was from 1990 onwards that his input became more than quite considerable. His first official office was termed Building Maintenance Officer, followed by Clubhouse Adminstrator and then in 1993 Treasurer of Penzance & Newlyn RFC – a post he still holds today. Also, in a Development Manager role he been extremely busy at times, considering his input to the Kenwyn and Camborne developments, and not forgetting also all the tremendous work carried out at the Mennaye Field – such as at the present time.

With reference to Colin Dymond, he first followed the Pirates from theearly 1960s, and then played for the colts in 1965. Developing into a very fine player, he skippered the Pirates to their first ever Cornwall KO Cup win in 1976, he played for Cornwall, and he is also one of a small number of people who played over 500 games for the club. After he hung up his boots, Colin continued a year by year association with the Pirates, providing input initially in helping to voluntarily maintain the Mennaye Field, followed by the responsibility of being the club's groundsman at Kenwyn for the one year, and then Camborne for the past four seasons.

To end the AGM there was a question and answer session with Rod Coward, the Chief Executive of the Cornish Pirates, plus also Chris Stirling, the club's High Performance Manager. Members welcomed the opportunity to receive answers to questions that mainly concerned the return to the Mennaye, plus up to date team news and prospects for what will clearly be a fascinating and exciting season ahead.