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LONG TERM VISION
Mornington Peninsula Fly Fishers Inc. (¡°the club¡±) was incorporated on 9th June 1998. At the time the sport of flyfishing was undergoing a wave of popularity and as a result, the club¡¯s numbers quickly grew and at one stage we had well over 100 financial members.
Through the efforts of an energetic committee and a responsive membership, the club quickly developed its finances and as a result, the club is now extremely well placed in terms of its financial backing. As anticipated, membership fell off after the initial influx and we now have a solid core of? financial members with a substantial emphasis on family membership. Statistically, the club counts family membership as one person only so the actual number of people participating in the club and enjoying the benefits of the club is far greater than the actual number of members recorded.
For a fishing club we are fortunate to have a number of active female members and our junior membership is also reasonable. We are however trying to improve this situation which will be referred to later in this document.
The club has decided to prepare this Long Term Vision both for its own use as an internal reference document and also to allow outsiders to understand more fully the club¡¯s goals and the means by which it intends to achieve those goals.?



As part of the Incorporation process which the club undertook on it¡¯s formation, the club put a great deal of effort and thought into considering the contents of it¡¯s Statement of Purposes. It was always intended to refer back to this document in future years as a yardstick by which the club¡¯s development and success could be measured and as a point of reference for it¡¯s future direction. It is therefore useful to include particulars of the Statement of Purposes within this document.?
STATEMENT OF PURPOSES
 
1. To promote, foster and encourage the art of flyfishing in all it¡¯s aspects.
2. To promote, foster and encourage the art of flytying.
3. To promote, foster and encourage the sport of flycasting.
4. To increase the pleasure derived by members from their sport by social intercourse, interchange of ideas and by collective or mutually assistive action generally.
5. To promote and assist in the stocking with trout and other sporting fish, of local and other waters.
6. To foster and promote the conservation of the environment in which the sport of flyfishing is practised and to assist scientific and practical research in all matters pertaining to the sport.
7. To do all such other things that are incidental to or conducive to the attainment of these purposes and for the exercise of the power of the club.
 
Purpose number 7 is purely an enabling purpose and therefore does not need to be dealt with specifically in this document. Items 1-6 inclusive can be reviewed individually.
1. To promote, foster and encourage the art of flyfishing in all it¡¯s aspects.
At the outset the club was heavily weighted in favour of members who had either never been flyfishing or whose experiences in flyfishing was minimal. The initial committee of the club comprised approximately 50% committee persons who had never caught a fish on a fly. In every sense, we were a novice club and a club full of novices with probably less than 25% of our members being flyfishers who could be considered experienced.?
This mix presented a unique challenge for the club but at the same time, presented a unique opportunity. Enthusiasm levels were high amongst the novices and we have been fortunate that the experienced flyfishers were keen to give freely of their knowledge to assist the novice members.
New members and in particular novices are targeted for assistance by more experienced members of the club and club events have been scheduled so as to provide a range of experiences for novice flyfishers in an environment and in circumstances where assistance is available. In particular, the club schedules a ¡°Novice Weekend¡± on the Big River each year which provides an opportunity for novice flyfishers to fish on a one on one basis with an experienced ¡°guide¡±. These weekends have become annual events and have provided an opportunity for novice flyfishers to gain practical hands on experience. Their popularity is evidenced by the fact that each year these weekends are fully booked out almost immediately they open and the transition of a number of members from ¡°novice¡± to ¡°guide¡± has been substantial. Many prospective members have attended these weekends and subsequently joined the ranks of flyfishers and have joined the club itself.?
The club schedules it¡¯s events to include flyfishing on rivers, lakes and various impoundments as well as salt-water venues. The club has participated in State and other championship events and through this has provided the opportunity for it¡¯s members to experience a wide range of flyfishing opportunities.
As part of it¡¯s stated purposes, the club will continue to provide these opportunities in the future both for members and for other members of the public which the club would like to see encouraged toward the art of flyfishing. In particular, the club has a stated intention of expanding these opportunities to include the disabled, young people and women all of whom might otherwise have been discouraged from joining in the activities of a formal fishing club.?
2. To promote,foster and encourge the art of flytying
Flytying has been an integral part of the development process of our club. Flytying is a pursuit which can be carried on by people who might use it as an adjunct to the pursuit of flyfishing but can also be carried on by people who might otherwise not be able to participate or who might not wish to participate in flyfishing. This would include people who are of an age that they are no longer able to flyfish or through some physical or other incapacity, are prevented from flyfishing in one way or another.?
From the outset the club has promoted flytying for these purposes. The club has a Chairman of flytying and with the assistance of it¡¯s major sponsor, Billfisher Tackle, flytying classes have been run for members and other interested persons at little or no charge. The club has accumulated an investment in flytying equipment and this is provided at nominal cost in order to promote flytying as a recreation. In addition to formal classes the club¡¯s Chairman of flytying also offers classes on an individual basis as part of this promotion.
The club intends to continue to promote flytying as a pursuit and in particular, intends taking steps to encourage members of the community to take up this hobby and to continue to offer this opportunity to people who might otherwise not be able to enjoy the other aspects of flyfishing. A particular emphasis of these opportunities offered will be to ensure that flytying is made available to people who because of disability or by reason of their age, would benefit from the ability to take up such a pursuit.?
3. To promote, foster and encourage the sport of flycasting

Flycasting is a sport in itself and at the elite level, there are numerous competitive opportunities available for persons who are interested. There are interclub, state and national championships held for this sport.?

From the outset, the club has been active in promoting flycasting. In particular, the club has promoted flycasting as part of its encouragement for people to take up flyfishing as a pursuit. The club has a Chairman of flycasting and is fortunate to have in it¡¯s current membership one present and one former Australian champion.?
Flycasting has been offered on a monthly basis at a local venue and has been supported both by members and non-members who are given guidance in the art by volunteers. This has assisted a number of people to more fully develop their ability to undertake flyfishing as a pursuit and has also exposed the sport to people who might otherwise not have been able to master the rudimentary aspects of flyfishing. In particular, the club has and will continue to emphasise this activity to young people and to women who might not otherwise have been able to experience this activity as a stepping stone to taking up flyfishing. Through this we have gained many members who have gone on to enjoy the sport in all it¡¯s other aspects. It is to be hoped in the future that this will lead to a number of people taking up the sport of flycasting as a sport in itself. ?
 

4. To increase the pleasure derived by members from their sport by social intercourse, interchange of ideas and by collective or mutually assistive action generally.

The club meets monthly in the form of a General Meeting. These meetings provide the opportunity for a social gathering and generally include a guest speaker on varying topics. These topics have included:?

  • International flyfishing experiences

  • Victorian and interstate flyfishing experiences.

  • Manufacturer¡¯s equipment and product exposure.

  • Flytying

  • Holiday and travel experiences.

  • Scientific and environmental issues.

  • Safety issues such as first aid, watercraft safety and the like.

General meetings provide a forum for members to bring along guests and expose them to the benefits of the club. General meetings also provide a forum for members to arrange fishing experiences to participate in both individually and as a club and to provide an opportunity for less experienced members to join other more experienced members on trips. General meetings further provide an opportunity for members to share their experiences and knowledge with others so that through the individual knowledge of some, the collective knowledge of all can be improved. Many friendships have been formed in this way and in addition, members have enjoyed the hospitality of others and the social benefits which have followed. ?

The club will continue to emphasise the social aspects of the sport as a means of enhancing the pleasure that members derive from it and as a means of promoting the sport to prospective devotees.
 
5. To promote and assist in the stocking with trout and other sporting fish, of local and other waters

The club has investigated the stocking of local private waters with trout however this has proved to be a difficult undertaking. Most private property owners are reluctant to make their waters available to others due primarily to the public liability risks associated with such endeavors. The stocking of private waters presents a problem in itself. There is a considerable turn around time before those waters become fishable and stocked waters require significant care and protection if the stock are not to be removed and the exercise rendered useless. It is difficult to police and manage private waters without constant surveillance and this in itself presents an impediment to private land owners providing facilities for us.?

As a result, the club has been actively promoting the use of the Devil Bend Reservoir and the Bittern Reservoir as a venue for flyfishing once they are decommissioned. The club has been actively involved in the public process being undertaken by Melbourne Water over the last 3 years. The club has a member on the consultative committee formed for that purpose and has presented a written submission on the future use of the facility. Depending on the outcome of the consultative process and the ultimate determination by Melbourne Water on the use of these reservoirs in the future, the club intends to devote its physical and financial energy to the stocking of these waters for use by its members and perhaps by the public at large.?

The club is taking active steps to form allegiances with other similar clubs who have waters available to them in the hope that through our economic assistance, these waters can be enhanced and in turn made available to our members and present as a viable fishery to them.?

The long term goal of stocking waters with fish will to a large extent depend on the outcome of the consultative process undertaken by Melbourne Water with respect to the Devil Bend and Bittern Reservoirs. If these waters are to be opened as an opportunity for the club to use as a fishery and stock with sporting fish, a considerable part of the club¡¯s financial resources will be needed to successfully undertake such a project. As a result, the club is at present preserving its funds to ensure that it is able to meet such a challenge should the opportunity present itself. In the meantime, the club does however intend using some of its resources should a strategic alliance be able to be formed with other similar clubs that have waters available to them. At present, the club has not actively sought to involve itself in projects outside these areas although of course this does not rule out such a possibility in the future.?

   
6. To foster and promote the conservation of the environment in which the sport of flyfishing is practised and to assist scientific and practical research in all matters pertaining to the sport.
The club is uniquely aware of the environmental pressures associated with an activity that is conducted in a fragile environment. The possibilities which exist at Bittern and Devil Bend reservoirs will provide an opportunity for the club to promote this aspect of its Purposes and should either or both bodies of water become available to the club, then the club¡¯s intention is to assist in the development of these waters in such a way where conservation of the environment is promoted as a premium objective. This would enable the club to promote a fishery and at the same time, do so in a way which would emphasis the environmental aspects of our sport to the public at large as well as present a practical opportunity to show by example the possibilities of restoring and enhancing our environment and as an educational example of what can be done with proper management and dedication. ?

The club has resolved to further promote the environmental aspects of the sport by ¡°adopting¡± the Big River in the Eildon National Park & Big River State Forest as a project for it¡¯s members to assist in the monitoring and cleanup of the pollutants caused by users and visitors to this area. The club intends on a regular basis to firstly monitor and secondly physically assist in the maintenance of a rubbish free environment in this area. Steps are under way at present to link this offer to the responsible authorities concerned with the Eildon National Park & Big River State Forest.?

Depending on the success of the club in obtaining the use of water to promote?flyfishing, the club intends expending part of its resources on scientific research and?using already available research to promote