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NEWS: CHIRNSIDE PARK COUNTRY CLUB CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
Chirnside Park Country Club celebrates 50 years
General manager Barbara Kelly reflects on the club’s journey from its modest beginnings to becoming the vibrant community hub it is today.
CHIRNSIDE PARK COUNTRY Club celebrated its 50th birthday with a special dinner on Friday, 2 August. The event was attended by members both past and present and staff.
For general manager Barbara Kelly, who has been with the club for 34 years and in her current role for the past 30, the club’s thriving success is a testament to the teamwork between the board, the 100plus staff, and the community.
“I could never have done this alone,” she said.
“As the general manager of a club, especially one that struggled financially there’s a lot of pressure to keep staff employed and bills paid, I’ve been really lucky over the years to have boards that have great vision. We also have a great team of dedicated staff at the club and that has helped over the years.”
Located in Melbourne’s northeast at the gateway to the picturesque Yarra Valley, the original Chirnside Park Country Club was built in the 1960s by developers of the original Chirnside Park Estate, Wilmore and Randall. Once most of the land was sold, Wilmore and Randall approached local residents with a proposal to purchase the land, now known as Chirnside Park Country Club, to form a club. The club’s original Board of Directors acted as guarantors for the initial loan to purchase the property.
On 2 August, 1974, the club was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee in Victoria. Initially, the club occupied 146 acres and offered a modest clubhouse, golf course and tennis courts. In the early years it became a popular destination for local social and sporting events – from barbecues and annual cricket matches to art shows and St Patrick’s Day shindigs.
However, Kelly admitted it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Over two decades ago, the club faced significant financial challenges, leading to the sale of its golf course in 2011.
“It was a 10-year journey from 2002 to get the land rezoned. We had a lot of opposition from residents who backed onto the old golf course; it was a battle, but we persevered and when we finally got the tick off to rezone the land it was amazing,” she said.
The proceeds from the land sale allowed the club to buy land and build a new golf course, maintenance facility, and clubhouse five minutes away. Construction began in 2012, and the doors to Gardiners Run Golf Course opened in May 2014.
The club retained 11 acres of land at the original golf course site and with funds leftover it was able to completely transform the site into a “real community hub”. The Country Club now comprises bowling greens, tennis courts, mini golf, and a fully licensed bistro, gaming, and function space.
The club also boasts over 10,000 members, compared to only 1,000 before the redevelopment that was completed in March 2020, just prior to the first Covid lockdown.
“We’ve taken the members on the journey with us. The facilities we have developed at both sites are a real asset to the community. The way the community has embraced the club is a testament to what we’ve done here,” Kelly said.
Looking ahead, Kelly is optimistic about the club’s future development plans, which are expected to kick off towards the end of the year.
“The next stage of development is to refurbish our current bowls room to give us an additional function space. We are also extending our current function room, outdoor areas, and adding in new staff facilities.”
