6 minute read
Karen Gully, The Cadell Club
from Clublink 2023 Annual
by Clubs SA
I first met Karen in March 2021 but we’d had many a conversation in the years before this, as is often the case with our Clubbies, so it was lovely to finally put a face to a name. Although only taking on the role of Manager formally the month before, Karen’s involvement at Cadell Club goes back a long way….to 2010 actually when she began as a volunteer in the kitchen, before joining the paid staff a couple of years later.
From day one, Karen displayed a love of the community and a professional attitude in all that she did. Treasurer Di has provided an overview of Karen’s efforts over the years.
“In 2012, Karen began working as a bar and gaming attendant. Whilst Karen was in this role she stepped up to take on the role of manager on many occasions when managers resigned and it was difficult to find a replacement. Karen has been the one consistent employee who has made many sacrifices to enable the club to continue operating.
For several years, Karen heavily supported the Club Manager with great reliance being placed on her when various managers were not competently filling their roles. The Board quickly realised that Karen was a very competent manager in her own right, with a strong commitment and a passion for the club. In February 2021, after a certain amount of persuasion, Karen officially took on the role as full time Manager and the Board and other local community members are extremely grateful that we were able encourage her into the role that she has fully embraced.
Karen's dedication has not only impacted positively on the club but also on the local community.”
Karen’s professionalism, focus on compliance and good organisational skills are undoubtedly invaluable but it appears her leadership strength comes in the form of a genuine caring and friendly nature, which will go a long way to bringing the best out of staff members and volunteers. Her insight and intimate local knowledge of her community enables Karen to tailor functions specifically to the individual being celebrated / remembered.
“Karen is always there for her customers. In a small country community club, the manager is not only there to serve the customers, they are there as a listening post and Karen is very empathetic to the local community.”
It will come as no surprise that during Karen’s time in charge and due to her tireless efforts, the Club has grown in popularity.
A few years ago the Club was in quite a poor financial position and the Board decided to introduce additional events to hopefully attract patrons and increase revenue. Vital to the success of this strategy was the additional time and effort that Karen put in outside of her paid hours to organise and manage these events. Karen’s knowledge of what would appeal to her customers and bring in their families was pivotal.
“The Cadell Club is now a venue of choice in the Riverland West area for special functions including birthdays, meetings, weddings, funerals and memorials. We believe this is due to Karen's efforts in ensuring that functions are tailored to individual needs. Nothing is left to chance and all functions run smoothly. This has been particularly important for funerals and memorials where families have expressed their extreme gratitude for the effort Karen puts in to make these events so very special.”
Getting the most bang for buck with good financial management has been a strength of Karen’s. She is always thinking of ways to improve the profitability of the Club while still providing her customers with a personal, enjoyable experience.
Leaders in hospitality know only too well, the importance of being willing to roll up their sleeves to get the job done. Karen has taken this commitment to another level, volunteering a huge number of hours outside her paid work.
As well as improving the Club’s standing in the community, Karen has made a huge impact on its financial stability: “Karen has put in a tremendous amount of effort in fundraising for the Club with earnings up 26% over the last 12 months. She has improved the quality of weekly raffle prizes and always has additional raffle prizes ready so that if crowd numbers permit, extra raffles can be sold. Karen also takes the initiative to create raffles for special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas and Mothers’ Day.”
The additional money raised has enabled the Board to make significant purchases to improve the Club’s facilities including a new freezer room, a commercial kitchen fridge, repairs to the sound system and new bar tables.
Here are just a few more of Karen’s achievements:
Improved advertising and marketing of Club events
Regular maintenance of the Club’s social media pages
Implementing regular news emails to Members including twice weekly menu updates
Formalising volunteer rosters to ensure adequate cover each month
Managing the courtesy bus operations to ensure sufficient drivers
Increasing income by 10% over the last 12 months, despite the downturn in tourism due to the Floods
Organising an Anzac Day vigil
Karen truly goes above and beyond in everything she does for the club. Here is a sample of the regard in which Cadell Club’s customers and management hold Karen:
“We had only lived in Cadell three weeks when my husband needed an ambulance. I did not know anyone in town so rang Karen at the Club. She arrived within 2 minutes, defibrillator in hand. It was calming and reassuring for us at that time and we will always be grateful to Karen.”
“A friendly person, nothing is ever too much trouble for Karen. She is efficient, professional and community minded.”
“Karen and the Cadell Club is a big part of the reason I have decided to make my home at Cadell. Karen is a highly valued member of the community who thrives on a challenge”.
“I often hear comments from larger communities nearby, questioning how such a small club can have so many great events. I tell them it is largely due to Karen Gully!”.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
We are very pleased to follow this article with the news that Karen was chosen as Manager of the Year at this year’s Clubs and Community Awards. The judges admitted they had a really hard time picking a winner between these accomplished and dedicated candidates, but eventually landed on Karen.
This is how she was described on the night in front of a packed William Magarey Room at Adelaide Oval: “This year's Manager of the Year, Karen Gully, has been a long time coming. An individual that doesn’t just manage her Club, she volunteers for it too. Within the first year of taking over as Manager, tonight’s winner brought their Club back from the brink of insolvency.”
