Sorry, couldn't help myself with an Easter pun!

Easter 2021 at AAC Falls Creek was a sight to behold! Fantastic weather, pristine walking and riding trails, beautiful views and most importantly, people in the Lodge!! It really was great to be back at Falls Creek, our home away from home.

Granted, for those travelling from Melbourne the drive was longer than usual with plenty of complete stops on the Hume highway to keep you on guard, but thankfully it seemed most took their time and kept their cool.

A huge thanks again to John B, Jenny H and Justin C for all they did getting the Lodge COVID-friendly for Easter, it was great to see everyone socially distancing, disinfecting and checking in using the QR code when they arrived.

Wish you were there? Well here's a selection of photos which hopefully let's you feel like you were there and might inspire you to visit in 2022.

Published: 06 April 2021

Notice is given that a Special General Meeting of AAC Falls Creek Inc will be held:
DATE: Tuesday, 13 April, 2021
VENUE: via Zoom videoconference
TIME: 7:30 pm – Special General Meeting to commence
RSVP by Friday 9 April 2021 is essential

AGENDA

1. Apologies
2. Update the Rules of Association

Special Resolutions to be voted on

A. That the proposed changes to replace the term President with Chairperson be adopted

B. That the proposed changes to better support videoconference annual general meetings be adopted

C. That the proposed change to update the means of giving notice be adopted

D. That the proposed change to the example age for a progressive debenture/joining fee payment be adopted

Preparation and conduct of this special general meeting

• To be admitted to the meeting you must RSVP by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 5pm Friday 9 April. Prior to the meeting you will be sent a link to join the meeting.

• The meeting may only address items on this notice.

• All proxy forms, must be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 5pm Friday 9 April. Proxy Forms may be downloaded from aacfallscreek.com/pdf/SGM2021/ProxyFormSGM2021.pdf

• If you will be attending the meeting, please prepare in advance. Install Zoom on your computer, tablet or phone and use Zoom’s facilities to test that your audio and video are working. If you have a headset with microphone, please use it to reduce background noise.

• Please keep your mic muted during the meeting unless the chairman recognises you to speak. The chairman or his assistant may mute you if necessary. We prefer having all cameras active during the meeting but you may be asked to “mute” cameras if there are difficulties.

Jenny Hughes (Secretary)
C/- ProAcct Advisors & Accountants Pty Ltd
PO Box 140 BALWYN VIC 3103
Phone: (03) 9880-9600
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

​Note: The AGM is planned for Tue 18 May.

________________________________________

Explanation of Proposed Changes

Why do we need to change the Rules?

Elections for committee members have rarely been required. When the Rules of Association (aka the constitution) were updated in 2014 to comply with new legislation for Incorporated Associations, we simply adopted the default election procedure from the Model Rules provided by government. Our focus at the time was more on ensuring that our membership and debenture provisions were properly included in the new Rules.

In 2019 and 2020, however, the club was in the fortunate position of having more willing candidates than positions to fill. The election in 2019 showed some weaknesses in the procedure laid down in the rules. In 2020 the AGM was held as a video conference. It became clear that while the Rules allowed for members to attend the AGM and vote using technology, this was not well supported by some of the other rules pertaining to AGMs and elections.

The videoconference AGM was very successful, allowing members to participate who had previously been unable to attend in person. The Committee has determined that even after the pandemic has subsided, AGMs should encourage remote attendance. Accordingly the Rules should be revised to explicitly include measures that were beneficial in the running of an AGM that includes members attending via technology. After reflecting on the ballot process for videoconferences it became clear that further improvements to the process should be considered in future, such as the possibility of using preferential voting. The proposed rule changes address all these considerations and should be treated as a group.

While reviewing the Rules, some other minor items were identified that we would like to update.

Summary of the proposed changes

The specific changes proposed are detailed in aacfallscreek.com/pdf/SGM2021/Detail_of_Proposed_Changes.pdf .

The current Rules of Association can be found at aacfallscreek.com/xDocs/rules/rules2014.pdf .

Improve support for video conference AGMs

Rule 40 Use of technology

• Allow modified procedure where a video conference or similar is used for a meeting

Rule 43 Adjournment of general meeting

• Allow adjournment if there are serious technology problems

Rule 35 Annual General Meetings

• Allow election of committee and possibly some resolutions to be voted on before the AGM. Allow finalisation of results after the meeting closes.
• Allow a deadline for proxies prior to a meeting so proxy voting is efficient during a videoconference, including validation of the proxies

Rule 57 Nominations

• Allow for a deadline for nominations prior to the AGM so that a ballot can be organised if required

Rule 59 Ballot

• Allow for a ballot process other than the simplistic paper process that was in the model rules
• The new wording provides scope for a ballot to be held before the AGM, with announcement of the results at the AGM, or possibly soon after the AGM. There is also scope to move to preferential voting without mandating it

Rule 39 Proxies

• Allow for a situation where there is a direct ballot of members and proxy votes will not be used

Rule 46 Determining whether resolution carried

• Allow for electronic equivalent of a written poll in a videoconference

Other proposed changes

In revising the Rules, we also identified a number of minor changes that would be beneficial

• Use the term Chairperson rather than President (numerous occurrences throughout the Rules)
• Remove faxes as a means of giving notices and make allowance for direct electronic messaging such as SMS (Rule 80 Notice Requirements)
• Change an example of when junior membership payments may be due from 17 to 18 to reflect our current practice. It is only used as an example so this is not essential, but it would be clearer (Rule 12 Debentures)

________________________________________

Published: 16 March 2021

After a thorough recruitment process, we are extremely pleased to announce the new AAC Falls Creek Lodge Managers are Julia Mitas and Craig Moegel.

Julia and Craig are Falls Creek locals and have previous experience managing a member lodge on the mountain. Julia will have primary responsibility for the day to day management of the Lodge while Craig will also provide assistance as required. For those that have visited “The Pass” for a coffee or snack, you may recognise Julia from there, while Craig is well known as Falls Creek Ski Patrol Leader and SES volunteer.

Julia and Craig are planning on moving into the Lodge in March and we will provide further updates as details are finalised.

Welcome Julia and Craig!

Published: 16 November 2020

The Club is pleased to announce the 2021 Summer Season rates will remain unchanged from the 2020 Rates when they come into effect on January 1, 2021. The Club hopes this provides an excellent opportunity for Members and their guests to escape to the Lodge to enjoy the beauty of Falls Creek in Summer.

The nightly rates for the 2021 Peaks Challenge along with the 2-night minimum stay for this event also remain unchanged from 2020. Please also be reminded that for the Peaks Challenge weekend linen is provided by The Club and all cleaning at the end of the stay will be done by the Lodge Manager.

There is one change to the Summer booking policy for 2021, which is the minimum booking cost increases from $300 to $400. Note this minimum booking cost does not apply to the Peaks Challenge weekend, or any other time that may be advertised by the Club from time to time.

Published: 27 October 2020

 To mark the 70th anniversary of AAC, the Club is making available for purchase a limited quantity of neck buffs for a price of $10.00 each, including GST. The buffs are dark navy in colour and are only available to Club Members. For any Member interested in ordering a neck buff, please send an e-mail to Justin C. on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published: 27 October 2020

Post the elections held at the AACFC AGM on August 25, and the subsequent Committee Meeting on September 1, your 2020/21 Committee is as follows:

With COVID-19 Stage 4 restrictions in place, the AAC Falls Creek AGM held on August 25 was the first ever virtual meeting, with all attendees dialing into the secure Zoom meeting. With only a few Internet connection issues throughout the meeting for some attendees, the meeting was a success and proved that videoconferencing could be something to consider for future meetings.

The Committee would like to thank Mike Szkilnik for his services as Treasurer. Mike has overseen the financial health of the club since 2012. The significant loans from the 2012 lodge redevelopment have been repaid and he has enabled financing of the recent refurbishment as well as the rejuvenation of the spa area with very little increase in annual subs and restrained growth in accommodation fees. Thanks again Mike, we look forward to seeing you and Maureen at the Club in the coming season.

A big thank you also to Tony Ryder, who advised at the the AGM he would be standing down from his role as Membership Officer. Tony, we thank you for your services to the Club and the Committee and look forward to seeing you at the Club in 2021.

Published: 28 September 2020

An enormous thank you to Nigel Cowie who advised he was standing down as President of the Club at the AAC AGM which was held on August 25.

Nigel has dedicated many years of personal time and effort to the Club, having joined the Committee in 2008 where he began his tenure as Lodge Supervisor and was instrumental in the Lodge renovation project. Nigel was then elected Chairman in 2012 and has held that role ever since. Nigel is also a representative on the AAC National Council, and he will continue this role going forward.

Nigel, from the Committee and Club Members, we would like to thank you for your commitment to the Club, your leadership as president and of course the support of Fiona and the rest of the family. We look forward to seeing you and the family at the Lodge for many years to come.

THANK YOU!

Published: 28 September 2020

Congratulations to Noel Poon and Ian Farrow for being recognised as Life Members of AAC Falls Creek! Both Noel and Ian have provided a huge amount of continuous service to our Club over a long number of years.

Noel Poon:

- AACFC Committee Member 2000 to 2013
- AACFC President 2008 to 2012
- AAC National Committee 2005 to 2020
- AAC National President 2015 – 2020
- AACFC National representative 2000 to 2015 for AACFC
- FCAA Representative

Ian Farrow:

- AACFC Committee Member 2000 to 2012
- AACFC President 2002 to 2006
- AAC National President 2003 – 2007
- AACFC National representative 2000 to 2020 for AACFC and AAC Niseko
- AAC Niseko Committee 2005 to current
- AAC Niseko President 205 to 2015
- Falls Creek Board of Management 2010 to 2015 (State government position)
- FCAA Representative

Congratulations and thank you to both!

For anyone wanting to put forward any recommendations for Life Members, please refer to the Life Member Policy here: Life Member Policy

Published: 28 September 2020

2021 Epic Pass ‘Lowest Price’ Sale Ends September 29!

We all know Season 2020 didn’t go the way we wanted for Falls Creek. Very little snow when we needed it and COVID-19 restrictions meant we needed to stay home.

With season 2020 over, it’s time to look forward to season 2021! September 29 marks the last day of the ‘lowest price’ discounted Epic Australia pass, so if you’re looking to buy a season pass for 2021 make sure you visit Epic Australia’s website to lock in the cheapest price.
https://www.epicaustraliapass.com.au/epic-australia-pass

Published: 28 September 2020

Australian Alpine Club (AAC) Falls Creek is seeking a Lodge Manager for 2021-2022. Our previous Lodge Managers, after 10 years, have decided to pursue the next chapter of their life on the mountain.

AAC Falls Creek is a well-appointed family friendly Club Lodge. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic and experienced in housekeeping, cooking and customer service. Ideally the successful candidate will take up residence at the Lodge in summer as well as winter. We are aiming to increase use of the lodge in “green” season, however it should be noted that most summer guests are expected to be self-sufficient.

If you are interested in this demanding yet rewarding role, please contact our Lodge Supervisor at https://aacfallscreek.com/contact-us/7-lodge-supervisor.html for an application form and more information, by 12th October 2020.

Interviews will be held in late October 2020.

Published: 09 September 2020