Dimmie Fleming Award citation - 2020 (nomination from Sussex)
Dick Wheeler has served the Sussex County Contract Bridge Association for many years as the Honorary Secretary. During his time as Secretary he performed a prodigious amount of work in ensuring that the administrative work required of the County is carried out in an efficient manner. This included carrying out all of the day-to-day and mundane (but important) tasks that no one else particularly wishes to be involved with.
It is probably not too fine a point to say that Dick has run the County since becoming Secretary, ensuring that other members of the Committee have been able to concentrate on Bridge matters – organising tournaments, developing Youth Bridge etc. Perhaps the biggest complement paid to Dick and the role he has paid relates to comments made by candidates for senior roles in the County, who have said they were only prepared to take on the role if Dick stayed on as Secretary.
The roles taken on by Dick, increasing year by year, include-
• Primary organiser of Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings of the Association as required, from 2012 to 2019 inclusive.
• Ownership of the Association Constitution and oversight of review and change as required, from 2011 to date.
• Membership of the Management Committee from 2011 to date.
• Provider of policy advice to the Management Committee as required from 2011 ti date.
• Primary communicator with affiliated clubs on behalf of the Management Committee.
• Organiser of occasional membership surveys as required, from 2012 to date.
• Chairmanship of the Tournament Committee from 2014 to date.
• Secretary to the Tournament Committee from 2011 to date.
• SCCBA Shareholder in the EBU from 2011 to date.
• SCCBA Youth Officer from 2017 to date.
• Teaching Co-ordinator (adults) from 2017 to date.
• Charities Co-ordinator from 2017 to date.
As will be evident from the length and breadth of this list, Dick has made a huge contribution to the running of the Association in Sussex.