Dear members,
My Background
For those of you who do not know me, my name is Willie El-Fakir. I was born in St Louis Missouri. My mother was American of Dutch descent, and my father was from Damascus, Syria. They met at the University of Missouri.
I have lived in Cyprus since 1992. I joined Secret Valley in 2018. Before that, I was a member at JSGCE for over 25 years. Although it probably does not show, I have been playing golf since I was 17.
This past year, I was the vice-captain, IT member and webmaster. I also run my own business (MITSA INTERNATIONAL) that supplies tools, equipment, and manpower for electrical projects in the Middle East.
New Members Committee
I would like to welcome and introduce your new members committee for the 2023:
1. Vice-Captain – Boris Zilbermints
2. Treasurer – Trevor Holden
3. Competition Secretary – Jamie Evans
4. Assistant Competition Secretary – Andy Richardson
5. Members Representative – Catrin Koring
6. IT member – volunteer needed
Captain’s Charity
My designated captain’s charity for the 2023 golf season is Autism. As I understand it, we must donate to a regional charity because if we donate to the Cyprus wide charity, then the government will reduce funding by the amount of our donation.
Golf Calendar
This year our members will have:
60 Qualifying competitions
57 Non-Qualifying competitions
Knockouts (4 men’s, 4 ladies, 2 mixed, 1 scratch) (11)
Captain’s Shootout (Top 10 Men and Ladies in handicap order)
Interclub matches (Elea, Minthis and AH – home and away) (6)
Captain Pro Challenges (12)
9 Wine and Dine (12).
In addition, the Cyprus Amateur Men’s Open will be hosted by Secret Valley May 18-21.
It is quite a busy golf calendar.
Quiz Nights
In addition, I would like to have quiz nights at least every other month. We are tentatively looking at Friday March 3rd for our first Quiz night and we are hoping to get at least 6 teams of 6. Cost will be 5 euros for the quiz. Full details to follow.
Sponsorship
We will be actively looking for sponsorship for golf events this year. If you are interested in sponsoring golf events or are willing to help us find sponsors, this year, please let me know.
2022 Season Presentation Evening
We have sent multiple emails about this event and I hope to see as many members and guests as possible to make this event a huge success.
Captain's Drive In
The Captain's Drive in will be on Saturday, February 11th. I am hoping for a large turnout and the opportunity to introduce myself to members who did not attend the AGM.
I am looking forward to a memorable and fun year as captain. Happy golfing!!
