News from RACV Clubs

After three days of hectic competition, two RACV chefs were awarded equal second place in the Savour Patissier of the Year 2017 competition. Josh Cochrane (who also took out first place for best eclair and People’s Choice award) and Michael Gimanos from City Club missed out by only a few points to the winner from Biblot.

The best pastry chefs from around the globe travelled to Melbourne, to battle it out at the second annual Savour Patissier of the Year competition. Held at Foodservice Australia from 28-30 May 2017, patisserie professionals showcased their skills and expertise before a world-class judging panel.

Second place is a great reward for the extensive training and commitment displayed by Josh and Michael. 

We are continually striving to improve and enhance the experience and service we offer to members. In order to ensure that all members’ retail and travel needs are supported and addressed in the one location, Club Tours & Travel has relocated to the RACV Shop on corner of New Chancery Lane. The relocation will provide a one-stop-shop for all members, with additional space for the travel desk operations.

Contact RACV Club Tours & Travel on 9944 8916 or email clubtravel@racv.com.au

RACV is developing an End of Trip facility for use by RACV Club members, RACV employees and tenants.

The facility will provide a mobility hub to support a healthier and more sustainable approach to transport. The hub will include bicycle storage, ebike charge facilities, lockers, and change room facilities.

As we prepare for the facility, we would like to share with our Members the following changes to the Club car park at the B1 level.

From Monday 5 June to early September, hoarding will be on the B1 level around the site of the EOT facility.

From Monday 5 June to early July, electric vehicle and Tesla charge points will be closed.

The facility will be completed by mid-September.

We apologise for any inconvenience during this period and thank you for your support as we continue to build Member benefits and improve Club mobility facilities.

RACV is developing a new rewards program that will provide members with a range of offers at the City Club and Healesville Country Club & Resort. This new program will replace the previous renewal-based paper voucher booklets.

Launching in July, the new program will include a range of offers to be used throughout the year, some valid for 12 months and a range of seasonal offers will be valid for three months.

Members will also be able to view, and redeem, the offers via tablets which will be located at both the City and Healesville properties by presenting a membership card, and they will be visible on the website.

This exciting new program will allow members to have access to a wider and more dynamic offering. We apologise for the delay in releasing this exciting new program and thank members for their patience.  Once we are at implementation stage, a communication will be sent to members.

There have been some exciting changes to the accommodation rooms at Healesville Country Club & Resort.

Our Premium Mountain View rooms have received a refurbishment with new runners, cushions and doonas in contemporary colours and designs. 

We are also pleased to advise that in response to member demand, we have increased the number of Premium rooms available to members. All Mt Juliet View rooms have been converted to Premium Mt Juliet View rooms and now include Nespresso machines, additional amenities and premium minibar offerings.

Book your next stay at the Healesville Country Club & Resort and experience these rooms for yourself.

A painting from RACV’s art collection, Headlights Dance (2003), by Australian artist Jenny Watson, will be loaned as part of an exhibition, The Fabric of Fantasy, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.

Join us for a guided tour of RACV’s Art Collection at City Club led by Samantha Comte, Curator/Exhibitions Coordinator at the Ian Potter Museum of Art. 

We have two overnight stays at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) to give away to two lucky Club members. The stays are valid up to and including 5 September 2017. To enter the competition, dine in the Members’ Dining Room or the Blue Tree Grill on a Wednesday or Thursday in June and charge to your Club account, and hand in a copy of your receipt to staff.

*Terms and conditions apply. Competition closes at 11.59pm AEST on 30 June 2017. Draw will take place at 550 Princes Hwy, Noble Park North at 10am on 14 July 2017. Winners will be notified by telephone and email. For full terms and conditions, see racv.com.au/competitions.

RACV Club’s own talented Le Petit Gâteau commis chef Jade Heynsbergh recently returned from a very special trip to Sri Lanka, which she won for her creative use of tea as an ingredient in a Le Petit Gâteau Christmas cake as part of the 2016 Dilmah Tea Inspired Christmas Challenge.

Le Petit Gâteau has an annual tradition in which pastry chefs put forward their best idea for the Christmas cake. In 2016, Jade’s cake was chosen and was available for sale in December. Her modern Bûche de Noël used chamomile tea and other complementary flavours to create a smooth, refreshing and lightly tangy cake, perfect for a warmer Australian Christmas.

Find more winning flavours in Le Petit Gâteau’s chef’s specials every Friday.

Congratulations to our Bridge Club member Frank Vearing who recently achieved Grand Master status in Australian Bridge.

Bridge is a partnership game, easy to learn but never mastered.

Frank would like to acknowledge his RACV partner Jo Heywood and the support of the Bridge group in general.

The Bridge Club is now ranked 14th in Victoria and is continuing to grow.

RACV is currently undertaking construction works in the City Club building. During the construction period there will be some periods of noise.  We would like to take the opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience during this period.

We would like to ask for your assistance in finding a valued lost item. A member has lost a gold crucifix at the City Club. It was lost on Tuesday 2 May between 12.30pm-2pm in the men's Fitness Centre change rooms in the vicinity of the bottom row section of lockers.

If you have any information on this necklace or have found it and would like to return it, please deliver it to any member of staff or post it to RACV City Club, 501 Bourke St, Melbourne 3000.

While we love and treasure our trusty steeds, we must keep them safe. Sadly, there have recently been a number of bike thefts in public places in the vicinity of the City Club car park. We encourage all members parking in the area to secure your bikes as best as possible. Although even bikes locked with thick, coiled wire-strand locks can prove to be no match for the bolt cutters carried by well-prepared thieves.

RACV takes pride in providing a place to store your bike, however we must remind members that storage of bicycles is at the owner’s risk. RACV assumes no liability for the loss or theft of any bicycle left on premises.

Most importantly, we encourage everyone to check your current bike lock and decide if it is up to the task. If in doubt – time to upgrade.

Rob Everett

My experience working at Healesville so far has been great. I’ve only been here a few weeks and I’ve met most of the staff as well as a few members.

I’m most looking forward to learning about the Club. I believe that you should always strive to leave your role in better shape then what you found it in. For me that’s going to be a challenge because my predecessors have done a great job but I want to make sure that we continue to provide outstanding service and a wonderful experience to our Club members.

Healesville is such a great community; I really look forward to immersing myself into it. I haven’t ventured around too much yet, but I am a wine drinker so I look forward to exploring the wineries a bit more. It’s just a nice part of the world with a strong sense of community.

To ensure the best possible experience at RACV Resorts for members and guests, we would like to take this opportunity to remind members about the resort cancellation policy.

If you need to make a cancellation or amendment to an existing booking, please contact the resort as soon as possible to ensure the room can be made available to other members wishing to stay at the resort. This is especially important for school holidays and other peak periods when rooms are in high demand.

Please ensure all changes including cancellation to bookings are made before 2pm on the day prior to your arrival, or 14 days before your arrival in the case of peak periods, to avoid any fees.

For more information on RACV Resorts, including the cancellation and amendment policy, please visit racv.com.au/resorts.

A major new Club member benefit was recently announced by RACV President & Chairman Kevin White at the 2015 RACV Annual General Meeting.

“Club members make extensive use of the resort network, and we want to recognise them with additional benefits,” said Mr White.

On 12 November 2015, a new Club Member only accommodation price was introduced at all RACV Resorts, which incorporates a 50% discount off the standard accommodation rate.

The new benefit will be available all year round at RACV’s resorts, and it can be used when, where and as many times as Members wish.

To access the new rate, Club members must book directly with the resort or via the RACV website. Members will need to have their member card available at the time of booking, and again at check-in.

The new Club member rate applies only to the room / cabin / villa / apartment / precinct / campsite / caravan site occupied by the Club member. Members should note that it does not apply to other rooms booked or paid for by the Club Member for the accommodation of extended family or groups of friends.

The new Club member rate will always be the best accommodation rate available, but it cannot be added to other offers, discounts or promotions.

For Club Members who already have a future booking at an RACV Resort, the new Club member rate will automatically be applied and charged at check out.

The discount does not apply at the City and Healesville properties, which are maintained exclusively for Club Members and their guests.

RACV Resorts are located at Cape Schanck, Cobram, Goldfields, Inverloch, Torquay, Hobart, Gold Coast and Noosa.

For more information or to book visit racv.com.au/resorts.

RACV City Club has been inducted into the Hall of Fame at the prestigious 2016 Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards. This achievement is a result of City Club having received the Best Club award for the previous three consecutive years.

The awards were established in 1994, to recognise and reward Australia’s best wine lists and the individuals and establishments behind them. The awards are judged by a panel of local and international experts to maintain absolute integrity and independence – plus add a global perspective.

Congratulations to RACV Club sommelier Christian Maier and the City Club team on this outstanding achievement.