3. Introduction:
Last Sunday, we went out to visit with Mr. Hedley Butterfield to the
club and we met with the administrator Mr. Mike who was a gentleman
and respectful. Initially he welcomed us and then we did a short
interview with him .He accepted all the questions with an open mind
and explained to us all the details about the club and then we went on
a tour around the club; specifically in the reception center he explained
to us some pictures that tell the history of the club and then we took
some photos with him, and he gave as a gift a wonderful book that tells
the history of the club from the sixties until today. I promise you when I
finish processing photos taken there I will lay it down here. I do not
want to forget Hedley’s wife Mary; she played a big role in our visit to
the club and gave us full information; we really thank her for her
information. At the end, I would like to tell you it was a fun trip and
interesting and I hope to visit that place again in the near future.
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4. History:
We asked Mr. Mike about how the club was established in 1962 and
how they got the idea to construct the club. He replied that someone
spoke to His Highness, and His Highness said okay we can sort it out,
and a building which was 500 meters far from the main port gate, by
that time the original building was known to expatriates as
“Henderson’s Folly”. He said “okay, take this building and turn it to the
club”, and that how we started in 1962. In 1966, Sheikh Zayed saw the
club and one year later in 1967 Sheikh Zayed said to the expatriates if
you went to leave this building we have a new place for you and he give
them the previous land, and they officially started in 1967. At that time
they had 152 members but today they have approximately 4,500 .The
members are from 84 countries, 26 of them are formal ambassador,
while 5% of the members are Emirati local.
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5. Interview:
Moreover we asked the
manager
about
the
membership and how much
was the cost to be a
member in the club and he said the membership is for all nationalities,
however it’s by invitation, and he explained detailing that who wants to
join the club, they have to apply first, then their application will be
reviewed then can be accepted or denied, as it depends on the demand
while keeping in mind their resources. Furthermore we asked the
manager about the financial system of the club and the manager
replied that the land was gifted by the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed
and they are grateful for that, and since then, the development and the
construction was run by the profits of the memberships. Another
question was if there is an opportunity of opening a shooting place in
the club and he answered we must have the requirements for that and
considering the space for it; also he said that it will be hard to require
the equipment like guns for instance, while in his opinion they will face
some health and safety issues, denying any financial obstacles for this
facility as their policy is to provide the membership with a wide variety
of services and facilities at an affordable price. We asked the manager
about the future plans for the club and he said that their vision is to
support the efforts of the government for their future plan of Abu
Dhabi 2030, and their behavior is running in parallel to it, as they also
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6. contributed the Alnadi tower that presents the legacy of the club over
the 50 years as they had over 30000 members; he also talked about the
non-Emirati old members and said that many members said if the Club
did not exist at that time 1960 they would be gone back to their
countries, so the Club is offering many & various amounts of facilities
which afterwards they can contribute to the development of Abu Dhabi
as they have members from all the sectors and he believes that their
job of providing pleasure and comfort so when they go back to their
work in Sunday feeling refreshed and it continues over the year as their
goal to support a larger slice of the society of Abu Dhabi. Afterward,
Nasser asked him about the system of invitation to friends of the
members. He answered that there are two ways , one if the invitation
and you are not a member to use the facilities there is a guest fee;
however if a member invited a friend there will be no charges whoever
they were, but with just a call before for notice. Hamad asked him
about the relation of calling the Club the British Club. He answered that
it’s historical; however he denied immediately that it was never the
British club and he reasoned by that the first elected chairman in 19711972 was not British.
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8. This map shows all the sites in the club which was drawn 8 years ago by Mr. Hedley’s wife Mrs.
Mary Butterfield; who described the areas in details. Many changes happened since the map
was drawn and we will explain these changes.
The Vista offers wonderful sea views, the place is great and consistent and attractive and the
food service was fine. There is an international menu and there are Omani shrimps and
everything you may like. The place is considered one of the best places for the family for many
reasons the most important is calm and staying away from places nagging (opening hours: SunSat 12pm to 1am)
The club’s breadth of sports and fitness facilities are among the most extensive in Abu Dhabi.
The purpose built health complex includes a fully equipped gym, fitness studio and offers
members personal training, programmer management and full fitness assessments. The sports
complex features four flood-lit tennis courts, two squash courts and badminton court.
Additionally, the club offers members swimming, sailing, scuba diving, volleyball and basketball
facilities.
A. There was a water front cabin, currently there is Vista.
B. There was ramp for boats, currently there is the deck.
C. Tennis courts and club section.
D. Fitness.
E. Sports Complex
F. Family friendly club.
G. Family Room.
H. Private room.
I. Main entrance (reception).
J. Sailing Club.
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9. Pictures of the trip:
Tour In The Sports Bar
Tour In The Sports Bar
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10. Tour In The Sports Bar
Tour In The Sports Bar
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11. Outside The Sports Bar, a look to the key map.
Heading toward meeting the general manager
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12. Mr. Headley introducing students to the general manager outsideAl Sarab Lounge
Mr. Headley, talking about meeting plan, outside ALSARAB LOUNGE
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13. Heading toward THE DECK for the meeting.
Discussion about the meeting with the Mr. Mike before starting.
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14. All seated in before the meeting starts, on THE DECK.
During The Meeting (1) , Hamad asking questions to Mr. Mike.
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15. During the Meeting (2), Mr. Mike answering a question
During the Meeting (3), Mr. Mike answering a question
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17. Hamad receiving a book about the club covering 50 years history of the Club (1).
Hamad receiving a book about the club covering 50 years history of the Club (2).
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18. Conclusion:
In conclusion, we found that the Club was worth visiting and it
is very impressive. We would like to mention that Mr. Mike
helped us a lot in the interview and answered all of the
questions in a proper way. Most of us want to have a
membership in the Club after hearing about it in the next few
years. We also learned many other things such as the history,
rules and facilities. We wish the best for the club and hope it
continues developing.
A photograph represents the classmates with their teacher at the Club.
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