Sportsman's Charity Event, 13th November 2009
On 13th November we held our Annual Sportsman’s Charity Event at Parramatta Leagues Club. After a review of the event in 2008 and listening to the feedback we made a few changes to the day. Firstly the time of the event changed to a 3.30pm start so that people were able to get wickets and grounds prepared and then head off in the afternoon. Secondly we programmed the day to include a lot more socialising time so everyone had a chance to catch up after another busy year. The start time wasn’t very popular so we will return to a lunch time start in 2010. The program on the other hand has received some great feedback. Reports were that the guests found the day to be more relaxing and easier to catch up and a great day all round. There were over 170 people entertained throughout the event by our guest speaker, Canterbury Rugby League star, Brett Kimmorley, MC Steve Allan and Magician Ace McDermott. We also had Nathan Cayless and Geoff Robson from the Parramatta Eels on the Sterling table and they were happy to mingle with guests and get into the spirit of the day. The chosen charity this year was Movember, selected due to the very male oriented industry we work. Movember is a great organisation promoting men’s health and we had our first STA Movember Man of the Year announced. Gary Hudson a Ryde TAFE teacher took out the title for 2009. Gary then put the challenge to the audience that he would shave off his beard, that he had been growing for 30 years, if someone donated money to Movember. Tim Jeffs from Oatlands Golf Course took up the challenge and offered $300. Luckily we had an electric shaver in the room (a raffle prize kindly donated back) and the Canterbury cheergirls who were our hostesses for the event were happy to do the honors. Many thanks to all the guests who attended and the companies who donated items for the event. Everyone had lots of fun with the phantom race call, raffle items and the new chocolate wheel.	Gary Hudson getting shaved for a good cause Winner of Phantom Race Call

Regional Seminar, 18th August 2009

This was the fourth Regional Seminar held at Kurri Kurri TAFE and every year it continues to get stronger support and enthusiasm from the Turf Industry on the North Coast and Regional areas of NSW.
This year there was a big focus on the practical side of Greenkeeping including machinery demonstrations.
The event was kicked off by Adam Ayre of Muswellbrook Race Track who gave a presentation on his experience of winning the inaugural Steriline Racing & Australian Racecourse Managers Scholarship. This scholarship allowed Adam to experience time at the Hong Kong Race Club.

The next topic covered the extensive Water Management Program implemented at Kurri Kurri TAFE. Paul Park of Soil Conservation Service discussed the program and he was then followed by Alan England of SAS Solutions who reviewed the new wash down bay. Delegates then headed over to see the wash down bay in action. Time was also spent looking at TAFE's water management systems.

Delegates were then given the rare opportunity to see several different types of machinery operating on the sports field, bowling green and tennis green. It was a great experience for greenkeepers to have a close look at a variety of machines in operation and talk to the reps.

There were also presentations by the seminar sponsors on topics including new products, machinery and services available within the industry. The event was concluded by Graeme Logan who discussed the new Gro Lights system in place at ANZ Stadium. At the conclusion of the event a sausage sizzle was held where delegates could wrap up the day with a quiet drink and a snag.

STA would like to thank all the sponsors involved on the day, the delegates who made the effort to attend and inparticular Chris, Mark and all the staff at Kurri Kurri TAFE who put in a lot of work to get the venue ready for the seminar.

Despite a cold and wet morning everyone arrived ready to learn about identifying grass and weeds. It was a full class for this workshop and we are priviledged to utilise the facilities at Ryde TAFE and the expertise of organiser Frank Dempsey. Many thanks to Jim Hull from TAFE, Patrick Madden of Syngenta, Jyri Kaapro of Bayer Crop Science and John McCarthy of Barmac for their time in presenting to the delegates.

Whether they were there as a refresher course or to learn new information it was great to see such eager professionals of our industry. Thank you to all the staff at the TAFE for their assistance on the day, particularly Frank Dempsey.

Check out the Education Page for some Facts and Features on Grasses

Sydney Sports Turf Seminar Review

	Martyn Black admiring Gary Beehag's tie with Dave Worrad		Joel Toogood of Green Horticulture and STA Committee with Chris Stig of PJC Sports Turf		Delegates enjoying Martyn Black's talk

On Tuesday, 21st April we held our Sydney Sports Turf Seminar and Tradeshow and all went extremely well with 175 attending and some great feedback from members.  This year we made some changes to the event including a new venue, Ryde TAFE which proved to be a great venue for us. We also added a choice of Streams for the delegates to go to including Cricket Wickets, Golf & Bowls and Management. This also worked well as our members were able to listen to talks specifically relating their workplace.

We started the seminar with Major Grant Gleeson who motivated everyone on team leadership from his extensive experience with the Defence Force.  This was followed by a very entertaining and inspiring presentation by Martin Black on achieving goals. Martin gave us an insight into his trek on the Kokoda Trail.  The morning session also included presentations from Living Turf, Sustainable Turf Renovations, Globe and The Green Horticultural Group.

Session 2 of the seminar was the Streams. The Cricket Wicket included a presentation by Bob Paddison on Cricket Wicket Construction and Peter McMaugh provided an understanding of wicket soil behaviour.  In the Golf/Bowling Greens Stream, Martin O’Malley provided details of the construction of Lynwood Country Club and Dave Westall talked about Nematode Control. The Management stream included a presentation on communication and management by Symon Scott of Avondale Golf Club and then a forum was held on ‘The Difficulties of Sports Facility Management” from the perspective of the Greenkeeper and the Manager. We had Pittwater RSL Club represented by Ben Hargy and Bruce Smith and ANZ Stadium was represented by myself and Daryl Kerry.  In addition to the above talks we also had presentations from Country Club International and Syngenta.

During the morning tea and lunch breaks guests were able to visit the Trade Display area with 22 sponsors displaying their products and services and machinery.

The day concluded with a talk from the Bulldogs Rugby League Club CEO, Todd Greenberg. Todd spoke of the challenges he has faced in rebuilding the club, getting the right people in the right place and improving the image of the Club.

Many thanks to all the sponsors and presenters for their support of the event.

	Trade Area
	Living Turf Team of Rob Cooper, Dave Worrad & Stuart Miller with Sam Hole of Syngenta
	Guest Speaker, Todd Greenberg, CEO Bulldogs Rugby League Club with STA President Graeme Logan

	Nadeem Zreikat of Colin Campbell Chemicals & STA with Sam Hole of Syngenta
	Grant Gleeson with Albert Leggett of Ecofertiliser

Gold Sponsors
Globe Australia
Living Turf
Sustainable Turf Renovations & Equipment
The Green Horticultural Group

Silver Sponsors
Country Club International
Syngenta Crop Protection
Sydney Weed & Pest Management

Trade Sponsors
Colin Campbell Chemicals
Bayer Environmental Science
Eco Plant
Endeavour Turf Products
Fountain Line
GYC
Maxwell & Kemp
Outdoor Design Source
Pitchcare Oceania
PJC Sportsturf
Silvan Australia / GWS Machinery
Sterling Group Services
Synthetic Grass & Rubber Surfaces
Turfcraft Machinery
Turfdrain Australia
Turf Tec Australia
Worksafe Medics

2009 Golf Day - Magenta Shores

Sponsors Green Horticultural Group Globe Australia Sustainable Turf Renovations & Machinery Living Turf Sydney Weed & Pest Management Country Club International Syngenta Benedicts Sand & Gravel Sterling Group Services Turfdrain Australia PJC Sportsturf Supporters Eastern Creek Tavern Parramatta Eels Canterbury Bulldogs Strathfield Golf Course St Aloysius College Barker College

On Tuesday, 17th March 88 Golfers headed to the magnificent Magenta Shores Golf Resort on the NSW Central Coast for the annual STA Golf Day. This was the first time the committee had taken the Golf Day out of Sydney. It was a great opportunity to play at a Group 1 course. The weather was fantastic and Magenta Shores if a fabulouse venue. The course was very challenging and many a ball was hit - to never be seen again!

Once all the golfers headed back to the Club, we were treated to a great lunch and presentation by Kenton Boyd on the environmental issues faced at Magenta.

STA would like to thank Kenton for his time in preparing the course and for the presentation. To all the ground staff at Magenta - thank you, a job well done.

In addition to the ground staff, many thanks to the staff in the Golf Shop and the function facilities for great support and service.

As always, this event wouldn’t be possible without the support of our wonderful sponsors and the companies who donated prizes.

To our members who were unable to attend this year, whether it be cost or location, be assured that we take all of these issues into consideration when chosing our venue for next year. The Golf Day is not a big profit day for the association - it is a day to get the members together for a bit fun.

We hope everyone had a great day and plans are underway for 2010 Golf Day.

The Winners

National Meeting of STA & TGAA Regions

	Touring the WACA
	Martyn Gillespie, Rob Sunblom, Sue Bailey, Matt Roche, Peter Ruscoe, Jenny Zadro, Graeme Logan, Scott Harris, Stuart Miller & John Forrest.

On Tuesday, 10th February 2009 a National Meeting of the STA and TGAA states was held in Perth. It was our turn to venture to the Great West as TGAA WA have always made the trip to the East Coast for other meetings.

The meeting was very productive and continues to strengthen our associations as one group working for the benefit of our members and the turf industry. We had a full day of meeting and it included a tour the WACA. We then caught up for a casual dinner that evening and up early the next day to join the TGAA WA President's Breakfast at Kings Park. The group were then given a tour of the magnificent park and its facilities. Following the Breakfast Peter Ruscoe and Tony Guy organised a visit of the University of WA and Subiaco Oval. Then it was back to the airport for flights home.

In Attendance
STA NSW: Graeme Logan, Jenny Zadro.
TGAA ACT: Scott Harris & Stuart Miller,
TGAA VIC: Rob Sundblom and Sue Bailey,
TGAA SA: Martyn Gillespie,
STA QLD: Matt Roche,
TGAA WA: Peter Ruscoe, Tony Guy, John Forrest & Eva Ricci.

Many thanks to Peter Ruscoe and Tony Guy and the TGAA WA
committee for their great organisation and hospitality.

Outdoor Design Source Directory

Recently all STA Members would have received a copy of the 2009 Outdoor Design Source. We hope this Directory assists you in your workplace.

Outdoor Design Source (ODS) is Australia’s most comprehensive annual directory servicing the external works industry. With over 500 pages of landscaping and external works products and services, and over 10,000 company listings and 1500 product images, ODS is the leading industry directory, covering all stages of an external works project.

ODS is endorsed by over 30 industry associations who support the publication as a vital communication tool and directory service for their members. And now with the Sports Turf Association on board, ODS will be reaching an even wider audience.

Sportsman's Charity Luncheon 2008

The STA’s final event for the 2008 was the Sportsman’s Charity Luncheon held at Parramatta Leagues Club with 200 people from the Turf Industry getting together for a great day of entertainment and socialising.

Many thanks to all the companies who supported the day and for everyone attending.

This year’s line up included Sports Commentator and Radio personality Ray Hadley. Ray shared his experiences at many Olympics from starting as the new boy on the block and learning the ropes up to many years experience and calling more events than most other commentators would dream of. We were also pleased to include Parramatta Eels tough man Nathan Hindmarsh as a late entry to the line up on the day. Originally Noel Cleal was booked but due to an illness in the family Noel wasn’t able to make it. Nathan was interviewed by MC Brian Melrose and was very entertaining with his dry sense of humour and his ‘tell it as it is’ style was enjoyed by all.

Despite such great sporting commentary from Ray and Nathan, the most talked about presenter was our first speaker, Professor Max Livingston from the UK. Max surprised many of our guests with his insight into the world of management and consultants and no doubt many of the guests were wondering why on earth he was presenting at all. This wasn’t the norm for an STA lunch - all too formal. It took a little while but they did eventually get it – Prof Livingston was in fact comedian David Cummings, a hoax presenter. David did a great job and was very entertaining.

Many thanks to our MC Brian Melrose and to our presenters. We again had some great prizes on offer for the race call, golf package and raffle prizes. Thank you to everyone who donated items.

This event for 2009 may be getting a bit of a revamp. We feel it is time to make a few changes to keep the interest and momentum of the event going. We are happy to get feedback from our members and sponsors on suggestions for 2009.

Not only is it great to be able to support the Children’s Hospital at Westmead but the highlight of the day is to see so many people from the Turf Industry enjoying themselves and catching up after a busy year.

	Guests at the Luncheon