Tramore.
23rd. December 2010
Dear Friends, Colleagues, Staff in Irish Water Safety,
On behalf of Alice and I we extend to all our friends in Water Safety the Happiness & Peace of Christmas and every good wish for the New Year. We will be spending Christmas and the New Year at home here in Tramore with my Mum and it is lovely to have her with us. No doubt I will take a swim or two in the sea over the festive season, this despite the bitter cold weather we are all experiencing this year! Once again for the New Year we have to earnestly try and get down some of these pounds!
This year 2010, as it comes to a closehas not been an easy one for us all due to the unfortunate state of our national finances and as you are aware this has had an affect on Irish Water Safety also. While I understand that it is not the popular thing to do, we have had to be prudent in our spending and cutting the available cloth to measure, this,coupled with “unfortunately” having to become more self sufficient through the commercialisation of our organisation. This is and in my opinion has to be the way for the future, particularly with regard to the National scene. I can categorically state that we are and have been treated most kindly by our Parent Department over the past two years within their available resources and similarly by all Local Authorities nationwide. To support this fact, we are taking another hit on grants for 2011, but be assured it could be far worse and I am satisfied with what we have been allocated. Thisrecognition of “worth” is in no small measure due to your dedication as volunteers giving so much of your time and energy in the interest of saving life from drowning in our Country and abroad. I thank you personally for your dedication to our organisation throughout 2010.
Enough of the doom and gloom especially with regard to finances coupled with this cold weather, however, despite the constraints upon us, our Organisation continues to grow from strength to strength, as reflected in our recently published 2009 Annual Report, which is available for all of you to view online. As at local level within Water Safety Area Committees, the Council Members and the Commission Members have worked and continue to work extremely hard in support of your efforts. Beassured, that the amount of time and energy given by these volunteers at national level is second to none without exception and I thank them on your behalf for their commitment!
Within the Council, the Rescue, Lifesaving, Lifeguarding, Sport, Education, Legal, Swimming, Promotion andFinance Commissions, there is a genuine positive outlook and feel good factor going forward into 2011 thus playing a continual supportive role towards all 30 Water Safety Area Committees.
While we are getting the water safety awareness message across to the public, we still have much to do and cannot become complacent. There are still far too many drowning accidents taking place, which with a little more care and attention could be avoided. We hear and read about these incidents far too often in the media that is of drownings despite our efforts. I have issued a public Christmas Media Message giving advice on Christmas Swims, Frozen Ponds “etc” and I ask you to support me fully in this by issuing warnings on your local radios and papers at this time.
As Chairman, I thank you all for your hard work in a voluntary capacity in promoting the teaching of swimming and lifesaving coupled with all the other projects we are involved in. I thank our Staff at headquarters who work so hard to support our efforts in water safety, notwithstanding the fact that they could do with some additional help in tandem with our achievements, which generates additional work for them. I do ask you to be understanding if they cannot assist you immediately on any request you might have. I thank all that have supported us financially and otherwise during 2010 and we trust that they have received great satisfaction in doing so within a philanthropic organisation like ours.
It would be remiss of me not to pay special tribute to our “Life Governors” who are there for us when called on. They give us tremendous support at all times.
Once again every happiness to you and your families at this festive time of Christmas and the New Year and our good wishes go to you.
For those of you “Our Friends” that have lost loved ones during 2010, we understand it is not easy and it is lonely! For you we offer to you the Peace of Christmas and that of the coming New Year.
For our members that have been unwell during 2010 we are aware of you, we pray that 2011 will give you strength and renewed hope as we look forward to the coming Spring.
God Bless you all at this time of year!
Sincerely.