Jack Ferrett from The Clubhouse (Tanunda Club)

A widely known and well respected local in Tanunda, Jack Ferrett possesses many skills and characteristics to make him a great leader. This was recognised in 2020 when he was inducted as a ‘Baron of The Barossa’ in recognition of his steadfast leadership and community service for “Hospitality knowledge, business acumen, leadership, innovation, custodial thinking, an excellent communicator with natural “people skills”, community involvement, ability to network, ability to take decisive action and to “get the job done”.

Jack was approached by the Board of the Tanunda Club early in 2005 to take on the position of General Manager and try to turn the Club around. Although the venue had a long trading history dating back to 1891, the Club had met with financial difficulty and was at risk of closure and sale if it could not trade out of near bankruptcy.

Growing up locally and with a strong connection to the town, Jack accepted the challenge and turned the business around within his first three months of operating, achieving record sales figures within six months His business acumen led the Club out of a desperate trading position to one of solidarity and viability Since then he has initiated four major renovation projects and grown the profitability and reputation of the venue for the benefit of members and the local community. Jack’s most recent achievement has seen the Club open eight new Deluxe Guest Suites in November 2022. The launch coincided with the 131 years’ anniversary of the venue, adding a new revenue stream. This was many years in the making, including six years of efforts to attract grant funding and is an example of Jack’s foresight and determination to ‘future proof’ the Club. Jack’s collaborative style of leadership was evident in this project.

The Board explained: “Community collaboration was a vital part of seeing this project across the finish line and Jack was also required to liaise with a wide range of government bodies, community consultants, construction professionals and tradespeople to achieve the final outcome. The $1.4 million project was completed on-time and on-budget in November 2022. The official launch was followed with a special preview weekend to members so they could see the Club’s new asset prior to taking bookings from the public The new Deluxe Guest Suites have been enthusiastically received and are already generating an 85% occupancy rate."

Here are just a few more examples of the contributions Jack has made to the Clubhouse:

• negotiating lower fixed rates with a new electricity supplier, anticipated to save the Club around $100,000 annually.

• increased membership by 600% over the last 15 years to achieve in excess of 1400 members in 2023

• reintroduced live entertainment on Friday nights with half price cocktail nights to build pre-weekend trade

• launch of a new digital marketing campaign attracting new followers and building clientele from new market segments

• implemented and committed to ongoing staff training and individual development

It is clear Jack has a strong commitment to promoting a ‘family values’ feel to the Clubhouse for not only Members and visitors, but importantly all the staff too.

Jack has achieved a lot in his time, as shown by the many awards he and the Club have won over the years He has great drive and ideas and truly wants the best for the Clubhouse and Barossa community and we look forward to seeing the next initiatives he comes up with, as we know for sure, Jack is not one for standing still!