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Dear All Welcome to the February newsletter. It certainly has been an exciting start to 2007. We have had a wonderful Tai Po festival, where once again Valley Fort teams were to the fore, had a visit to the Fort from the Laxton PLA team, participated in the Wanchai District mini rugby exhibition, had a coaches barbeque as well as having our Colts participate in some “crunch” matches. And of course, all of this is just a “warm up” for the end of season madness! Dave Peters is busy at the moment organising the Annual Dinner, which will again take place at Café Deco on The Peak on Saturday 24th March 2007. The early indications are that this is certain to be the biggest and best yet, so I would seriously advise you to book your place with your Head Coach. Without giving too much away, the evening will be themed, and those sixties suits that you have been hanging onto for 40 years will come in handy (if you can still fit into them). The benefits of such an evening are many. By coming to the function you are supporting your Rugby Club, supporting Charity, meeting new people and generally having a wonderful time. Remember guys we are a rugby club, and that means fun and frivolity! We have invested a lot in our kids over the previous months – so now it is our turn! Book early and avoid disappointment. The annual awards ceremony will take place on the last Sunday before the Sevens – which is our last day of the season at the Fort. There is always some controversy about choosing the “best” player, and it is a difficult time for coaches I know. Rugby is, was and always will be, a team game. From comments that I have had, we do need to look at this format in the months to come, but for this time around, we will have the same format as previous seasons. We are in full preparation for the March finale to our season, with the minis taking part in the Football Club Festival (on unholy ground). Thanks to Nick Pasha for organising the team submissions. The transition of Clubhouse management is just about complete – and I would like to pay tribute to the work of Sally Peters, who has handed over responsibility to Tonda Paulsen. Sally has of course been a fixture at the Clubhouse for a number of years, and has selflessly given her time to the Club – we thank Sally for this. Sally and David’s son Josh is now rarely at the Fort (as he is playing for the Colts – and nationally for Hong Kong!!), so it is right that we allow Sally an honourable discharge. Tonda joins the team as her son (also Josh, also a future national player) is part of the U10 team, and is often at the Fort. Tonda has already taken on the role with tremendous enthusiasm, and I am as always grateful for the volunteers such as Tonda (with able support from “Team Paulsen”, Jarrod and Skylar!!!) and others such as Charlene and Jianni in taking on this critical role. Of course the highlight of our season is the magnificent Hong Kong Sevens. The England team is going for an unprecedented 5th consecutive win, and I am sure that you will all join me in wishing them the best of luck in their endeavours. No? Ah well… never mind. Remember also to get behind the Hong Kong team (not when they are playing England). They are our home team, and I want Valley Fort to be behind the boys 100%. There is so much to look forward to in the Sevens – seeing our children playing on the hallowed turf, the spectacular march past on Sunday, and so on. At the time of writing, the ticket distribution will be on 4th March 2007 at the Fort. Please watch the website for more information. No individual notification will be given. My sincere thanks go to Kim Murphy and Nick Pasha, who have managed to handle the ticket allocation, payment and now the distribution organisation between them, with tremendous skill (and patience!). We all owe them a debt of thanks. (Nick had to count all of the tickets!). I will hold a Head Coaches’ meeting on 4th March. There are a number of messages that I need to get out to all coaches, parents and players – and this is the best mechanism. In the meantime folks, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy Lunar New Year. See the minis up at the Fort on Sunday 25th February 2007. Hopefully see some of the Colts on the afternoon. Kung Hei Fat Choy Carl Redman |
