Joining THSC pays off in a whole variety of unexpected ways.
My Personal Experience
In the first days I joined, I suddenly found myself outside the club fence (which was about 10 metres west of where it is now) twisting surplus Bell post support stakes – the kind that hold up telephone poles – into the ground to create a makeshift fence. Someone had figured out that if we claimed the land, no-one would dispute it and they were right. THSC picked up 10M of territory and I was part of the team that made it possible.
I met a few of the people. I learned a lot about land expropriation. I further learned that if the club acts as a band of warriors, a lot is possible.
Those were the good old days, but the principles hold. In the meantime, THSC has (somewhat) grown up incorporating a work party structure and a slightly less freewheeling operational philosophy. For me, the magic had happened and I instantly felt part of a club where I was a newbie. My initial experience led to learning about boats from the mooring lines up and learning about welding, concrete pouring and how to move wiring without blowing up. I learned that five people can lift a mast easily.
That was phase 1; phase 2 saw me part of a team sourcing a committee boat, becoming treasurer, helping re-roof the barbecue hut, being race captain, planting sod over concrete in the clubhouse front yard, and a dozen other tasks. Everything was shared with members who had some skills and created happy havoc as we built the club and its operations. I helped out on the executive, on committees and it always paid off with more knowledge and friendships.
I’m admittedly extremely lazy, but the value of volunteering is pretty damn obvious. By getting into club work I developed bonds that have lasted decades and got to point at finished projects with pride many year later.
Special Note: it’s worth noting that my contribution was constantly eclipsed by other members who brought more proficiencies, who did significantly more and completed staggering accomplishments.
Even if you joined THSC to simply house your boat, you are constantly reaping the benefit of volunteerism. The Board does the work of an expensive coterie of executives and managers. Volunteers keep the docks in good repair, do the gardening, serve on the membership committee, and endlessly more that would cost a fortune to replace. Our social events, our racing, repairs, painting and ..the list goes on and on.
There’s two sides to this: the pride and enjoyment that comes from the volunteering process and the benefits that come from all those volunteers’ efforts.
It’s central to the club’s enormous success over 75 years. Having lived here for a lot of it, I know how valuable the process is.
John Morris