Dear members,

On behalf of the committee, I would just like to take a little time on this Christmas Day to say thankyou to a few people and to wish you all the best for the festive season.

First, we would like to say a big thank you to the 2008-2009 committee. Rosanne, Kajal, Stephanie, Stefanie, Lisa and Giuliana - you have all done a wonderful job! You should all be proud of your efforts over the past year and we cannot thank you enough for being willing to put your hands up and do the work. 

Kajal, thank you for adding a little joir de vivre and a sense of excitement to all Italian Club meetings and events. Stephanie, thank you so much for your work in getting the membership cards done and for always putting your hand up to do things, despite your amazingly hectic schedule. Stefanie, thank you for being the creative mind on the committee and for your posters and designs throughout the year. Lisa, thank you for all your efforts in regard to the Ball. Giuliana, thank you for always being willing to do the hard jobs and for your work during all of the events throughout the year. To all of you, we wish you all the best for the future and we hope to see you around at Italian Club events in the future! 

Last but not least, Rosanne. I think it is impossible to sum up in words the gratitude we all have on the committee for what you have done for the Club since you joined the committee four years ago. In particular, during your two years as President, you have ensured that this Club has continued to grow and go from strength to strength. I can't imagine that any Italian Ball that we've had over the last few years would have been as successful as they have been without your wonderful skill and expertise in organising them and for ensuring that everything got done and that all three clubs were on the same page. All we can do is express our absolute and sincerest thanks and gratitude for all the work you have done and wish you all the very best for your future endeavours. Don't forget to pay us a visit from time-to-time!

Secondly, to the current committee - Federica, David, Gabby, David, Gemma, Terry and especially partner-in-executive-crime Steve. Team, it's not an easy job to follow on from the excellent work that the previous committee had done, but you should all be happy with your achievements so far. Thank you very much for all the hard work you have put in throughout December to ensure that 2010 kicks off with a bang. There is a long road ahead of us, and I thank you all in advance for being willing to come on the journey with me.
A special thankyou is due here to current co-President Steve. Steve was, and continues to be, the steadying hand behind all of the Club events throughout the year - from keeping the books in balance, to controlling the finances, to making sure the grant applications get in on time, to dealing with suppliers and venues, to simply being there to listen and act when problems arise. Mate, it would be bloody boring and difficult without you!

Finally, to you the members, we would like to thank you for all of your support this year. A Club doesn't exist without its members, so we thank you all for attending events, for helping out when needs be and for providing the atmosphere that makes this a great club.
We especially thank all of our members who are graduating from university and are moving on to 'real' life - you have been our lifeblood for many years and we hope that you will consider staying on as members in 2010 and join us at events like the Italian Ball and other external events. Just because you are no longer at university doesn't mean you cannot join us for all the fun - you'll always be welcome here. 

For those still at university, we hope that you will all rejoin us as members in 2010. The committee has been working hard throughout December on planning and organising our event schedule for 2010 and, following the old wedding philosophy of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue (the Azzurri anyone?), we're sure that there will be events to cater to all interests (and even answer a few of your requests) and we cannot wait to reveal them to you in 2010.

On behalf of the committee, I hope you and your families and a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year and we hope to see you all in February/March 2010!
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo per voi e le vostre famiglie! Ci vediamo di nuovo nell'anno 2010!


The Committee of the Melbourne University Italian Social Club