Sign up or ship out

By Sonia Isaacs

AN impasse between the Glasshouse Country Horse and Pony Club and council could see the beloved organisation move out of its traditional Beerwah headquarters and merge with another club.

The Sunshine Coast Council has rejected calls from the Pony Club to amend permit documents granting what the club says are more equitable terms.

The stoush came to a head last month following the dissolution of the community-run Beerwah Sportsground Management Committee that worked with the many organisations that used facilities. Pony Club President, Alexandra Parker, said she felt council had seemingly adopted an inflexible approach to their written concerns - effectively rejecting or disagreeing with the majority of requested amendments. These include concerns around additional outgoings such as rates and land tax costs and transparency around expectations for apportioned water and electricity usage costs. There have been discrepancies around areas of use, a refusal to include any provision to compensate the club for their existing infrastructure, the standard right of ‘quiet enjoyment’ removed from the permit and according to club members a raft of inequitable clauses and requirements contained within the permit. She said it had been made very clear that they either sign the agreement or get out by June 30, 2023.

“We feel incredibly frustrated,” she said, “We feel like we are not being listened to and we just feel diminished and powerless,” Mrs Parker said. A council spokesperson said the agreements offered to the former affiliate users are consistent with agreements offered across the Sunshine

Coast and “provides the user groups with a number of advantages and financial benefits not available under the prior arrangements”.

“Six of the seven community affiliates have already taken up these agreements,” the spokesperson said.

“The Pony Club is a valued community organisation and Council with continue to work with the club to address any concerns they have with the new arrangements.”

Calls to extend the current land tenure agreement for the club from a 12-month renewable permit to a long-term lease arrangement with council have also been rejected, with the club committee questioning if council envisages a long-term future for the club within the sportsground.

“Essentially this permit agreement will give council all the power while we in turn just take on increased obligations and have little or no ongoing rights,” Mrs Parker said.

“It frankly contains deplorable clauses for not-for-profit organisations like us. We are just a bunch of volunteers, but heavyhanded rigmarole like this just makes it increasingly hard to want to continue.”

If the club decides not to sign or their permit is terminated with three months notice, they would have to surrender $130,000 of community sourced assets with no recourse for compensation, the club argued. These assets include the clubhouse, equipment shed, yards, and perimeter fencing which had been built and obtained through community fund raising and hard work. “We have formed the unanimous opinion that the club would suffer significant administrative and financial hardship under the terms of the current Trustee Permit, and we feel council are overlooking their own policy and guiding principles when dealing with community groups like ours who are occupying Council owned or Council controlled land,” Mrs Parker said.

“All of these additional obligations we will have to adhere to just means more work for overworked volunteers. Basically, we will be handing over all our rights to the Council with no security of tenure, recourse, or opportunity for negotiation. Our Council is meant to be helping us out but all we see is a lack of transparency and accountability,” said Mrs. Parker.