From Pizza Nights to Zoom screens

Tonight I logged in to the Zoom Zoom Club Annual General Meeting, something I have done in one form or another for more than twenty years. As I listened to the online discussion, I reflected on how much club life has changed over those two decades. When I first joined the club, we held committee and general meetings in person at the Albert Park Sailing Club. The meetings mattered, but they were only part of the experience. The evening usually began with a pizza dinner somewhere around South Melbourne. Members would arrive early, catch up over a meal, and spend an hour talking about their cars, recent events, track days, and future plans. Friendships grew from those conversations as much as from the formal club business.

Like many organisations, the club changed during COVID. Online meetings became the norm, and even after restrictions lifted, Zoom’s convenience remained. Attendance is often easier now, particularly for members who live further away, and club business can be handled efficiently from home. Yet something has been lost along the way. The casual conversations before and after meetings, the laughter over dinner, and chance encounters with members are difficult to replicate online. While technology keeps us connected, it cannot fully replace the warmth and camaraderie of sharing a meal and talking cars together in person. I miss those evenings and the sense of community they created.