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Kerry O’Keeffe
Isa Guha
Adam Gilchrist
Mark Waugh
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Summer is here and so is the third issue of Club Management
Whether we are on leave or working through, we’ll be supporting our favourite clubs.
THIS COLUMN IS titled Signing In and I’ve signed in to many a club, both here and overseas. But club culture in Australia is like no other. Many of our older clubs are now hitting the century mark, and many more are in their 70s and 80s, having been established in the post-war years.
Call me old-fashioned, but I do quite like belonging to a club and the ease of flashing your card at the counter or swiping your mag stripe down a slot to see if you have won a prize. Then there’s swiping at the bar or food counter to get a discount on your F&B. Sometimes I’ve just signed up to a new club for a small fee, just to save instantly with my first discounted order. But the card can’t last, and clubs that don’t refresh and rejuvenate will wither on the vine.
As you will read in the following pages, massive change is afoot in clubs. While most focus on the EGM, facial technology and redevelopment battles, just two simple letters will offer the biggest transformational change to clubs since NSW became the first Australian state to permit poker machines in registered clubs in 1956.
That is IT, tech, call it what you will, but your club’s place in a world that is changing rapidly will be severely impacted by how quickly you respond to the digital revolution. From club-based membership apps, to back-of-house ordering systems, even getting members to and from your front door will be at the press of a finger on their mobile phone.
Add to that machinery making your cocktails, a kitchen crew consisting of robots, delivering meals to members or even the digital recruiting of the few warm bodies you will need, then there is no time to waste. Dare I say it, even a proposed cashless card system for gaming will be, urrr, cardless. All of it will be on a club app in that ultimate portible computer in your pocket or handbag.
Signing out.
Grant Jones Editor, Club Management gjones@intermedia.com.au www.clubmanagement.com.au
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Your club’s place in a world that is changing rapidly will be severely impacted by how quickly you respond to the digital revolution.
Club Management, a new business magazine, website and newsletter aimed at the huge clubs sector in Australia, is from the trusted stable of Food and Beverage Media.
Food & Beverage Media is a division of The Intermedia Group. For the best coverage of the food and drink sectors in Australia, subscribe to our titles at www.intermedia.com.au
Regulars 10 / News briefs
Club news from across the country 16 / The Foyer
The best new products on the market 72 / People & Culture Attracting casuals and millenials 82 / Q&A
The smiling face of Cheryl Jones departs Southport Sharks
Features 14 / Wyong Leagues Club Group
Special promotion: Destiny created two generations of club leader 20 / Chinchilla RSL
How an ex-publican and his wife turned a struggling RSL around 21 / Doxa Community Club
The impressive Japanese-inspired Kuma restaurant hits the spot 22 / Brothers Cairns
Oh Brother! Fratelli’s cafe creates new hub for a Queensland favourite
26 / Club of tomorrow
What does the future hold for your club – and are you ready for it? 30 / In-house catering
The pros and cons of taking back control of your club kitchen 38 / Cafes in clubs
Clever tips and tricks to improve your trade in the cafe space 62 / Golf clubs
With green space at a premium, how are clubs utisilising that to their best advantage?
70
/ RACV: Behind closed doors
The prestigious motoring club offering all the bells and whistles in the private club space 76 / Currumbin RSL
How a career change reinvented a former Afghanistan veteran Drinks 58 / NOLO
Non-alcoholic drinks are fast becoming popular
Gaming
46 / Room design
The pandemic forced clubs to increase space between EGMs, now it’s all part of the plan
52 / Technology
As the pressure increases, facial recognition, cashless cards and player safety are part of the play
74 / Corowa RSL
‘We want to be seen from Melbourne’, was the brief
78 / ClubsWA
All the winners from a big night out in the West 80 / Bowls Australia
Games stars honoured
Entertainment
81 / Live Music
How two small Melbourne clubs collaborated to become one big music hub
The board of Bowls Australia has elected Matt Burgess as the national governing body’s new President and appointed experienced sports executive Matthew Kennedy as BA’s new CEO.
Burgess (below), a member of NSW’s Kingscliff Bowling Club, spent more than two decades involved in sports legal practices and in CEO roles, and has a Bachelor of Laws and Graduate Diploma of Sports Law.
“It’s an exciting period for the sport and the future is particularly bright, underpinned by the recent appointment of experienced sports executive Matthew Kennedy as BA’s new CEO and outgoing CEO Neil Dalrymple’s employment at the helm of World Bowls,” Burgess said.
“Collectively, we are excited to work alongside the member State and Territory Associations and clubs to progress our sport.”
Kennedy (above) is a former Chief of Sport Performance at Swimming Australia and CEO of Tennis Victoria.
“The sport of bowls has an enormous reach across the width and breadth of Australia and it’s been exciting to witness the made-for-television product, the Bowls Premier League –or BPL16, during my first week in the role,” Kennedy said.
“The BPL event helps bring bowls into the lounge rooms of the already-converted bowls community and regular sporting enthusiasts alike, showcasing that the sport can be played and enjoyed by Australians of all ages and demographics.”
City Tattersalls Group’s temporary home base, The Castlereagh Club, has hit the market and could fetch up to $50m.
For sale through Cushman & Wakefield and JLL, the property housing The Castlereagh Club is currently owned by Sydney-based fund manager Fife Capital which bought the four-level strata property for $19.85m in 2019. The Castlereagh Club still has a 10-year lease on the site, with options.
The Castlereagh Club includes celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge’s new restaurant, a World Gym, plus gaming, and will be City Tatts’ temporary HQ until the group’s original 127-year-old old Pitt St home is redeveloped. The $505m build, at 194-204 Pitt St, will be transform the site into a new City Tatts clubhouse, plus 50-storey mixed-use tower comprising 101-room hotel and 241 high-end residences.
City Tatts members are also able to access other Group venues, The James on Castlereagh Street and the recently merged The Barracks in Barrack St, during the four- to five-year build process.
Former Pittwater RSL Executive Chef John McFadden has taken out the World Seafood Champion Title at the World Food Championship in Dallas, Texas with a nearperfect score of 99.15.
“The final was intense,” McFadden, who is now at Squizify, told Club Management
“One hour, 30 minutes to cook 11 plates, one show plate, 10 sample plates. The turn-in window opens at one hour, twenty and closes bang-on one hour, 30. If you’re late, you’re disqualified.
“What I didn’t realise is you could have teams of two or three in the
Clubs Queensland members that are exclusive TAB venues will receive a full rebate on Sky Racing Subscription Fees with clubs also benefitting from digital commissions.
CQ CEO Craig Harley said the deal with Tabcorp was negotiated to support the Queensland club industry.
“What’s great for our industry is the benefits that come from TAB’s exclusive Venue Mode, facilitating the payment of digital commissions to a punter’s local club,” Harley said. “CQ is incredibly thrilled to continue its strong partnership with Tabcorp to facilitate these types of offers for our members.”
Tabcorp CEO Adam Rytenskild said it was continuing to innovate with a pipeline of new digital products coming soon.
“Our new app was recently released with a 16% increase in active customers compared to the six weeks prior to release,” Rytenskild said. “We’re looking forward to working even closer with clubs in Queensland to grow their businesses.”
kitchen and I was the only one cooking on my own which makes the victory sweeter. Everyone watching, even competitors, said I was a machine and clinical around the kitchen.”
McFadden (pictured with US judge Shaun Hergatt), represented Australia at the World Food Championships after winning the local competition at Fine Food Australia at ICC Sydney in October (main picture). McFadden now goes through to the Final Table event in 2023, where all category winners cook off against each other for the position of top chef in the World Food Championship and $US100,000 in prizemoney.
When this editor was a young reporter on police rounds in Sydney in the mid-1980s, illegal casinos were still a thing. There were more than a few in the Cross, and often combined their illicit trade with drugs, alcohol and prositution, with the results sometimes spilling out onto the dawn streets.
With the tacit protection from police and other authorities, illegal gaming houses often had shabby exteriors leading to plush interiors reminiscent of Monte Carlo, not Marrickville or Carlton. In Sydney’s eastern suburbs, home to the wealthy, it was not unknown for a club to turn over the equivalent of many millions of dollars per year.
And so we come to the cashless card and the topic of sending gambling back underground, tax-free! I’m not saying there isn’t problem gambling, but putting all your personal data on a gaming card looks a little suspect to me given current events. If people want a bet, they’ll do so. Cashless card, facial recognition or not.
On horses or machines, on two-up or two flies up a wall. As I know from family experience, underlying issues are often at the heart of a problem gambler, or a drinker for that matter, and forcing the problem punter to reveal their vulnerabilities is unlikely. They are more likely to go underground or on their phone.
Perhaps governments should look at investing some of the billions received in EGM tax revenue in looking at the root cause of the problem, not the aftermath. And just so you know, I am a member of numerous clubs, but I don’t drink and don’t play the pokies, although I will have the occasional lobster on a nag at the track. I rarely win, but that’s not the point. I’m not hiding anything.
Adelaide’s prestigious The Grange Golf Club will play host to Australia’s first LIV Golf event in April next year. With Greg Norman as CEO, the Saudi-backed international, a rich competitor to the PGA and offering more than $US400 million in prize money, will tee off from April 21-23 at The Grange, the location of Norman’s first professional victory in 1976.
“The Grange Golf Club is excited to host the world’s best golfers at our course,” said club president Nicolle Rantanen Reynolds on the announcement by SA Premier Peter Malinauskas. “It is recognition of our excellent facilities and our ability to host world-class golf tournaments. We are looking forward to working with LIV Golf and the SA Government to deliver an outstanding event.”
LIV Golf’s international field will feature major winners including Australia’s Cam Smith as one of its biggest stars. Final rosters for the LIV Golf League will be announced in 2023, when 12 established team franchises will compete in a global 14-event schedule with the Grange round total prize money at $US25m and the winner taking home about $US4m.
“From the beginning of my family’s journey to Australia on my father’s side via Port Lincoln, to my first professional win as a young 21-year-old Queenslander at the 1976 West Lakes Classic, it is only fitting to be bringing LIV Golf to South Australia’s The Grange Golf Club in 2023,” said Norman. “Thank you to Peter Malinauskas, The Grange Golf Club, and the South Australian Government for your monumental effort to bring LIV Golf to Australia.”
One of South Australia’s premier sporting venues, The Grange has hosted major professional events including the West Lakes Classic, the South Australian Open and multiple PGA Tour of Australasia events, the Club has also welcomed marquee amateur tournaments including the Australian Amateur and Interstate Team Series, as well as women’s amateur events. Most recently, the Club hosted the 2019 and 2016 Women’s Australian Open.
T h e b e s t n e w a n d i n n o v a t i v e g a m i n g m a c h i n e s , c o m m e r c i a l k i t c h e n e q u i p m e n t , p o i n t o f s a l e s y s t e m s , p a g i n g a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n d e v i c e s , w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t s o l u t i o n s , v e n u e d e s i g n a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n p r o v i d e r s , f u r n i t u r e a n d f l o o r i n g , f o o d a n d b e v e r a g e , e n t e r t a i n m e n t , u n i f o r m s a n d m o r e , a r e f o u n d a t t h e A u s t r a l a s i a n G a m i n g E x p o ( A G E ) .
A G E i s t h e c o r n e r s t o n e o f t h e A u s t r a l i a n g a m i n g a n d h o s p i t a l i t y i n d u s t r y . I t ' s w h e r e g a m i n g , t e c h n o l o g y , a n d h o s p i t a l i t y m e e t .
w w w . a u s t g a m i n g e x p o . c o m
Try as he might to forge a career as a player, destiny decided Ben Coghlan should be running the leagues club instead.
PERIODS OF ADVERSITY often push people into paths they wouldn’t normally take and there is no more prime example of that than Wyong Leagues Group CEO Ben Coghlan.
Signed with the Parramatta Eels in 1998, his HSC year, Coghlan was looking towards a career as a professional footballer, topping up his skills with the then Junior Employment Training Scheme (JETS), and employed at what was then known as Central Coast Masonic Club. In 2001, aged 19, a leg fracture in three places playing for the Wyong Roos 1st Grade side after completing the junior rep season with the Eels that year – on the very oval at Wyong Leagues Club that we now overlook – put a stop to that plan.
Back then, his father Michael ran the club, drawn out of semiretirement on the NSW Central Coast to rescue the struggling venue and reduce a mountain of debt.
The year after Ben busted his leg, Michael completed the club’s first successful merger with Central Coast Masonic Club. In effect, Ben became an employee of his dad’s club.
“Within the first 12 months, he did the first amalgamation,” recalls Ben, now 41. As the years and amalgamations rolled on, “it became more about each community and each merger fulfilling the needs of those clubs and their people,” he says.
Recovery and a halted Eels career meant a Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Management through TAFE, then a return to play for the Wyong Roos and work as Beverage Manager at Wyong Leagues Club. Ben then he moved into operations, to gain a
better understanding of the machinations of club operations from a grassroots level. Many more amalgamations were to follow.
“I saw so many opportunities in so many areas and once we started amalgamating, the interest that came from that, is what kept me and my team interested year after year,” he says. “We did four amalgamations in four years and it changed the model of the business and it allowed a lot of us – that working at a single club would have been bored with – it allowed for us to have a diverse focus on what we were all about.”
After a stint in the UK in 2007-08 where he met now-wife Gina, a Kiwi, he was invited back as F&B manager and returned to set up home again, this time at the Central Coast, where they now live with their six-year-old son Louis.
A few years ago, fate dealt another cruel hand when his father was slashing grass on his property and a tree collapsed onto the tractor, crushing Michael under its weight. He broke his neck and back, and perforated a lung, which meant a long recovery in Royal North Shore Hospital. Then COO, Ben was asked to step up as interim Chief Executive Officer with that role made official in January 2020.
Today, Wyong Leagues Club has just completed its tenth merger under the stewardship of the second generation of Coghlan CEOs, with the amalgamation proposal with Club Blackhead – soon to be known as Hallidays Sports Club. All clubs are undergoing
a rebranding by Daily Press, replacing the old sporting kangaroo with a more contemporary look and feel which reflects the environment of each individual club.
Following his father’s accident, Ben credits the support of his management team and Wyong board, then-chairman Kevin Pearce and in more recent years, Bob Pettiford, as the reason behind Wyong’s continued success. Even though he often talks shop with other club groups, Coghlan says they have a different approach to their metro Sydney compatriots.
“We are different to the bigger groups with their massive revenues,” he says. “We are very much more about seeing an area, identifying a single club such as Blackhead – a one-club town, with big growth. They need that club.”
Over the amalgamation path, Wyong has also acquired Goulburn Railway Bowling Club and Diggers Woolgoolga, as much by accident as by design.
“We got to that point, seven (clubs) on the coast, and said where else can we go? You didn’t want to get to the point that you’re a McDonald’s, that you have a club on every single main corner.”
Much time was spent at both Goulburn and Woolgoolga, getting to know the places and the people. Wyong has ploughed money into local sports in Woolgoolga, while Goulburn has turned under a local GM, originally put in by the receiver, and it continues to perform.
“By spending time in the town, you could see what was needed,” Coghlan says of Goulburn Railway. “It just needed a quality little club with good food, affordable food and drinks – not like the pubs in town with the pricing of Sydney-owned pubs – and an improved gaming offering. The biggest thing we have done over the years is to keep it affordable.”
Major renovations are also underway at Avoca Bowling Club, with an al fresco dining area, sports bar and kids’ play area extending into a third of one of the greens. The in-debt council is also selling the Tuggerah Lake foreshore to Wallarah Bay Club to better utilise the space for patrons, as no drinking or dining had been permitted as it was a public thoroughfare.
The Bateau Bay Bowling Club, once owned by Canterbury Leagues Club, is now thriving after its Wyong amalgamation and includes an all-weather covered green with LED lighting.
“It made sense for them (Canterbury Leagues) to sell the club to us with our local knowledge and
understanding of bowls. We have grown bowling numbers to just under 500,” he says.
His father is now General Manager – Strategic Planning & Asset Management and is helping with new acquisitions, such as Woolgoolga Diggers which was completed during Covid and “was one of the most challenging we could have done” due to the lockdowns, restrictions on travel and other Covid restrictions.
“Revenue is now strong because we supported the venue and community in general,” Coghlan says. “We committed a lot. We’ve spent over $8 million, which is the biggest on a venue of that size that we’ve ever done. But we were confident after doing so much research on the area and embracing and engaging and all those sporting groups that we did, we knew they would support us and they are.”
Even though Hallidays means they have now hit the cap, that may increase to 15. But Coghlan has enough to focus on at present rather than more amalgamations: from the far west of NSW to small local clubs with no assets, no EGMs and run by volunteers.
“As much as you’d like to help them, you can’t help them all,” he says. “A lot of them are that far past it (the point of no return), that’s it hard for us to consider it.”
Back home, the 2021-22 audited assets of the Wyong Leagues Group have been calculated at $125m, and the group has zero debt, alongside significant investments.
“It put us in that position to sit back and have a review of where we were and where we wanted to go to,” he says.
That includes retaining staff by offering them new challenges, looking at land acquisitions, improving Wyong’s rugby league fields and facilities and plans for an 800sqm block at the back of one of the ovals which could include expanded gaming, improved dining and a kids’ playground. Plus there is the return of patrons in their thousands for dining, the cafe, bingo fours days a week, fight nights, bands, discos and indoor bowls.
“We are re-engaging with community after Covid,” he adds, looking a little uncomfortable and being ribbed by patrons as we complete our photoshoot in the smart new sports bar.
“It’s bringing it back to what our club’s core is about.”
... and the old
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WHEN JEFFREY KUHL arrived at Chinchilla RSL in May last year as general manager he thought it could do with a bit of a “kick along”.
It started with a food revamp that has improved kitchen turnover from $30,00040,0000 a month to $140,000 resulting in gaming turnover also rising to $4m a month with a profit of $250,000 per month.
With that sort of result, the board has now backed Kuhl’s renovation plan by BSPN Architecture, tripling the original budget from $500,000 to $1.5m. He says the board didn’t take much convincing, given the instant improvement he had already made.
“They were happy to take my direction. Most of the successful clubs have boards that listen to their managers. In my experience, it’s the unsuccessful ones who don’t listen,” Kuhl told Club Management
The BSPN renovation project, to be delivered by Ashley Cooper Construction, consists of internal refurbishment of the bistro, sports bar and function space.
“The club was going okay but it just needed an outside input, just to kick it along a bit,” Kuhl said. “We got it going a lot better than what it was and the renovations were well overdue. Nothing had been done in 10 years.”
Kuhl, a former Rockhampton publican, already had some experience in food, creating a Mexican restaurant in the hotel he ran with his wife, Sam. He is also a club veteran, having started at Frenchville Sports Club RSL at 19 and leaving more than 15 years later.
A new kitchen for their new chef and an outdoor space for kids are also in the works for the club in the Western Downs region of Queensland, northwest of Brisbane.
“It’s a town of about 7000 or 8000 people and there is only us, the bowling
club and the two hotels and the whole place shuts down on Saturday at 12 o’clock,” he said. “Woolworths doesn’t even open on a Sunday! It was like when you were kids, nothing was open after midday on Saturday.”
Ashley Cooper Construction says it has enjoyed working closely with the Chinchilla RSL management team.
“The direction taken with the refurbishment works will ensure that the club will be a popular hub for the Chinchilla community moving forward,” the company said.
A full F&B and cafe service on Sundays is also expected to boost membership, which has risen to 3500, increasing at the rate of 300 a month.
“We’ve created a bigger gap between members’ price and non-members’ specials, up to $5 difference, to encourage people to sign up,” Kuhl said.
He’s also expecting more plans ahead, encouraged by the board, over the next three to four years.
“They do like what is happening at the moment and they were sort of rudderless for a long time.
“They like the direction we are taking the club. The staff are happy and just in general it seems to be a better place.”
“Most of the successful clubs have boards that listen to their managers.”
Was the long delay for Doxa Community Club’s new Kuma pan-Asian restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD worth the wait? You bet! says Grant Jones
WITH STOP-START BUILDING and staff hired then let go because of delays, the light at the end of the tunnel for the opening of Doxa Community Club’s Kuma restaurant seemed to be moving further away.
But open it did, right at the peak of Melbourne’s wave of pan-Asian bars and restaurants in Melbourne’s Elizabeth St and in its surrounding laneways. While this particular venue has a 1930s Shanghai-inspired interior, and pan-Asian menu, the club says it is elevated Japanese. Nevertheless, the circa $6m build of the restaurant and the adjacent cafe, Betsy Jane, fit this quirky quarter like a kimono. The menu features everything from Chinese bao to chicken teriyaki, plus set and share menus.
“Japanese food is huge right now in the market, especially for the younger generation who are getting right behind it,” says Doxa Community Club COO Anthony Simioni. “It pleases everybody.”
Post-Covid, it is expected to be popular with gatherings, with the club allowing groups of up to 18 people in the 120-seater.
Further renovation plans for the ground floor of Central Point include a new lounge, updated TAB, plus 20 additional EGMs which were part of the original building application to extend into an adjacent building the club owns.
Doxa, like Kuma itself, is a bit of a dichotomy. The club group was founded by Father Joe Giacobbe in 1986 with all profits from the operation of its venues providing funding for the Doxa Youth Foundation which helps and educates disadvantaged youth.
Doxa also has Clocks at Flinders Street Station, which currently offers coffee, an a la carte bistro, plus TAB and EGMs. A whisk(e)y bar is in the planning and permit stages.
Bistro catering has also been brought back in-house under an internationally-experienced chef, reports Grant Jones.
THE FINAL STAGE of Brothers Leagues Club Cairns’ $7 million renovations is complete, with the opening of Fratelli’s Café, Bar & Restaurant.
The new dining outlet follows the completion of earlier stages including a new Q Sports Bar, revamped Bistro 26 outlet, function room upgrades and a gaming room extension.
Brothers Group general manager Shane Fitzgerald said the 12-month project has transformed the footprint of the club.
“Our research identified the need to better cater for our target market, and a new modern café offering was essential to this,” Fitzgerald said. “The renovations included an extension to the northeast corner of the club which not only increased our footprint, but also greatly improved our street appeal along the busy Anderson St.
“Fratelli’s features floor-to-ceiling windows and European courtyard styling, including a water fountain feature which has been popular with members. It’s a light, bright and modern new space for members.”
Fratelli’s (which is Italian for Brothers) draws on Mediterranean inspiration across its menus which currently include a breakfast menu, café selection and pizza menu seven days a week.
In a further transformation to the food offer at Brothers, Fratelli’s head chef Saiful (Sai) Azhar is also set to launch a new restaurant menu in the coming weeks.
“We’ve been through a big transition in the last 12 months,” Fitzgerald confirmed. “The club took over operations of our bistro which was previously outsourced to a third party and operated as a buffet restaurant. We’ve now rebranded this to Bistro 26 (a nod to the establishment of Brothers Cairns in 1926), with a mid-range bistro offering, encompassing a range of club favourites and a carvery buffet.
“With chef Sai at the helm, Fratelli’s will become our signature dining outlet, offering a mix of café items, pizza and modern restaurant quality dishes.”
Azhar is no stranger to opening new restaurants, with experience in pre-opening across three countries.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of four pre-opening restaurant teams including Traders Hotel by Shangri-la Kuala Lumpur, Shangri-la Abu Dhabi, St Regis Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi and Aqualuna Restaurant in Cairns,” he explained.
Azhar has been passionate about cooking for as long as he can remember.
“Growing up, my family owned a catering business in Malaysia, so food was always the thing that I loved the most. While my family honed their skills in Malaysian cuisine, I decided to follow my passion for western cuisine,” he said. “Throughout my 19 years in the industry, I have been lucky enough to be mentored by
Michelin-star chef Theodor Falser, Executive Chef Kevin Fleming and Area Executive Chef Rod Zamora.”
Azhar confirmed fresh was the focus for Fratelli’s, showcasing local produce with a Mediterranean twist.
“Our hand-stretched pizza bases are made from scratch in-house and we also create many of our own pastries and café selections inhouse,” he said. “The upcoming restaurant menu will also feature our range of freshly prepared pasta and signature Mediterranean inspired dishes with a local twist.
“For me it’s a passion, I love to create and bring a new, elevated dining experience to members. While our food theme is Mediterranean, we still balance this with traditional offers that our market is after. It’s about creating a balance while showcasing the best ingredients from around us.”
In a sign of how Brothers is tapping into new markets, chef Azhar has embraced the digital age, with his range of Insta-worthy food.
“Sai is big on Instagram and loves to create his own content,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s pretty unique to find a chef that is also a great photographer, but Sai brings the whole package! His Instagram is filled with amazing content including behind the scenes videos of his preparation and mouth-watering finished products.
“We’ve embraced this by creating a dedicated Instagram for @FratellisCairns and we recently hosted an Insta Meet event with local food bloggers. It’s all part of the new age of marketing and essential to tap into the younger market.”
With the renovations now complete, Brothers is looking to drive its new outlets and scale up in 2023.
“We’ve been through the ups and downs of covid and right now we’re facing big challenges with staffing,” Fitzgerald added. “It’s across the country but operating in a regional centre and competing with a hospitality and tourism sector that is quickly scaling back up to pre-covid levels further ads to that challenge.
“However, we’re working hard to build a strong team and realise the potential of our renovations. It’s an exciting time for the club and our members.”
Get your venue’s COGS and other performance metrics optimised with the aid of new technology.
WHILST MANY INDUSTRIES have embraced the shift to digital which was accelerated by the pandemic, the hospitality industry is yet to fully embrace its powerful potential. Despite this, technology can play a vital role in optimising operations and increasing capacity for any hospitality venue, including clubs, pubs, restaurants and more.
The government’s latest skills and technology incentive provides businesses with an opportunity to reevaluate digital operations and be financially compensated. Likewise, Labor’s new budget could provide further assistance to hospitality businesses with the shift to digital.
So, here are a few tips to help you get started with optimising your club using digital tools.
Inflation, rising costs and staff shortages are key pain points for the hospitality industry right now, which could be significantly eased through better use of digital tech and tools.
Smarter wholesale ordering solutions, such as Foodbomb, can help you simplify your ordering and take control of your COGS. By taking the hassle out of ordering, Foodbomb’s technology allows chefs and businesses to do more of what matters, such as creating inspiring menus and growing their business. Foodbomb harnesses the power of data to surface key business insights that help professionals make better decisions for their business, whether that is finding the right suppliers or adapting menus to the market.
Similarly, QR code ordering systems like Mr Yum, can reduce the need for additional staff and streamline customer ordering. Meanwhile, AI powered apps and chatbots can be used at club check-in desks in place of binders or paper sign-in systems.
With increased pressures on venue owners due to rising costs, these minor changes could make a significant difference from a financial and operations standpoint.
Regardless of how optimised your venue is, with regards to digital tech, doing an audit of your processes and digital solutions could unveil key areas for improvement.
Start by listing every touch point of the business and its correlating software or tech programs. Include wholesale ordering, staff management, customer interactions and engagements, your marketing and website, in-venue ordering solutions and accounting and financial apps. This list will be different for every business.
Once you’ve done this, give yourself a score from 1 to 5, to evaluate how well your current system is operating and include how this could be improved. This will be your technology roadmap for improvements. You might want to start with your club’s biggest pain point, which could be staff shortages or financial administration.
Create an action plan, with deliverables and timeframes for your business to bring your business up to speed digitally. Whilst there may be some initial outlay financially, don’t let this deter you from making changes – the long-term savings will speak for themselves.
Take advantage of any small business digital incentives offered by the government right now and use this to help implement change.
For more information on how Foodbomb can help you streamline your wholesale ordering visit foodbomb.com.au.
What does the next generation of club look like? Or is it already upon us, asks Grant Jones.
ONE OF THE biggest bonuses of the pandemic is that it fast-tracked the future. While much of the world worked from home, and continues to do so, a shut-down club industry had time to draw breath, look at their venue offering and how to improve it.
At the top of the list was IT, from contactless QR code entry and F&B ordering systems to integrating once-siloed networks, including membership, purchases and loyalty points.
Now, with a faltering economy, interest rate increases, inflation, staff shortages and discretionary consumer spending under pressure, what other opportunities for automation, cost savings and alternative or additional revenue earners to encourage increased patron spending can be found?
In the bar department, diversifying the drinks offering with non-alcoholic beverages, alongside seltzers and orange wines and expanding club
food offerings with multicultural options such as curries, poke bowls, tapas and healthy food options, including vegetarian and vegan dishes, will add to that.
In the activity space, clubs that offer openair experiences, whether that is a massive kids’ playground, rooftop bar, a beer garden for sunny days, a covered synthetic green or dedicated live outdoor entertainment space that will attract stronger, dedicated crowds, will always be ahead of the pack.
As for gaming, one of the fastest-growing segments is global esports and while skills gaming is around, how do clubs tap into that generational move where people want to compete using skills or chance, or a combination of the two? It must evolve beyond winning a cash first prize for a Tekken or Call of Duty competition.
While most of the above are already here, what else is beyond the horizon?
Australian clubs are in a good position to take advantage of new innovation because they typically have the turnover and scale that gives them the capacity to invest in new technology as well as having significant assets or infrastructure that lend themselves to new opportunities.
So says Rod Fowler, director at Food Industry Foresight, who offers security robots as one idea. They can extend the ability of human security guards to patrol outdoor areas remotely and comfortably, with mobile CCTV, temperature sensing and fire detection, audio and image analysis, two-way communications with visitors, licence plate recognition and more.
“One human security guard can supervise multiple robots and use them to communicate with patrons at the far end of the car park or observe or provide illumination at an incident or assistance to patrons,” he says.
There are already over 300 robotic waiters across hospitality, aged care and similar venues in Australia and these “assistant waiters”, similar to SoftBank Robotics tray delivery robots recently launched in Australia by GERMii, cost as little as $50 a day to run, remove menial tasks such as running food to tables which allows human waiters to connect with diners and provide better service.
“Robots are often viewed negatively with the fear of job losses as the first reaction,” adds Fowler. “That attitude is now out-of-date when you ask questions like: Do we raise prices, reduce opening hours, lower service levels, because of staff shortages and rising costs? Or should we add some automation to offload menial tasks so human staff can do the more important things and everyone is better off?” Food for thought…
While the club of the future will, no doubt, have a range of robotic solutions that save costs and provide a better, safer, and higher service level for patrons, one cost-saving solution is readily available.
“There is one area that can be improved immediately with existing technology, and often surprises me as to how unsophisticated many hospitality venues are,” Fowler says. “Modern kitchen management solutions, typically cloudbased at a very reasonable cost, can provide enormous insight and cost management tools.
“If you are not monitoring your costs regularly and automatically in today’s inflationary environment, measuring your profit at the meal level on a daily or weekly basis, using automated procurement recommendations and automated checking of invoiced prices (and much more), then you will be losing profit opportunities.
“I often put the question to managers planning for the future: how well will you be able to adopt new technology if you are not even using and getting the benefits of existing technology?”
Using tech and digital tools already offers efficiencies front- and back-of-house with ways to cut costs on transactions.
A whole new generation of club managers is behind the change, and they may well have been recruited online, interviewed via Zoom and completed their new employee induction via a series of videos.
“Post-covid customers expect businesses to harness technology to enhance their experiences, making innovation critical for clubs to stay relevant and with the times. Our customer base, including clubs, see the value in modernising to attract new customers,” says Marine Grangier from Foodbomb, which offers smart ordering software designed for the hospitality industry.
“We’re also starting to see younger hospitality professionals taking over clubs and enhancing them with new ideas and technology. This is the best way for clubs to guarantee their future.”
They are introducing systems such as Smartpay, for example, which handles payments, so your club doesn’t have to. They take their fees out daily and settle a club’s full transaction amount the next business day. One club estimated Smartpay Zero Cost’s EFTPOS solution saved it about $10,000 in merchant fees in the
first year. That’s cash going back into a club and its facilities, so all members benefit.
While new people are on the way in, old systems are on the way out with club swipe cards and magnetic stripes soon be a thing of the past, says Les Valcanis, Director of Industry Solutions for Liven. Liven offers tech-based incentive marketing and payment solutions through its entry-point Nomnie marketing tool and digital aggregator while Liven is a new payments and rewards system for hospitality, including clubs.
“The phone is becoming the more personal contact,” he says. “To me, the whole concept of mag stripes and card readers is just a thing of the past. We are evolved from card swipe to bar code scanning and bar code scanning is now really disappearing and it’s all now QR coding because you can do a lot more with a QR code.”
With downloadable apps also on the way out, what is expected to replace them is web-based apps that can be customised for your club and which will ask members what they want as soon as they walk into your venue. They scan a QR code – which is effectively your web landing page – and if they are new to the club, it will ask them if they want to sign in, sign up, want to visit, dine, go gaming, or book a venue. And all these POS transactions could be conducted in club dollars, a currency specific to a member’s chosen venue where their club currency gets more bang for their buck than an $AU transaction. You could even buy branded currency as a gift, say a $100 voucher in club dollars, which a member buys for $80.
Post-Covid customers expect businesses to harness technology to enhance their experiences, making innovation critical for clubs to stay relevant and with the times.
Marine Grangier, Foodbomb
If your club has a masterplan, or you have just completed a build, and it does not include charging stations for electric vehicles, then you are already behind the times.
Within the next decade, all major car manufacturers will cease global production of petrol/ diesel engines.
“Australia has no local vehicle manufacturing, so we have no choice but to go electric (or hydrogen) in the future,” says Food Industry Foresight’s Rod Fowler. “So, club patrons will need to be able to charge their vehicles, especially if you want them to stay for extended periods. But how many charging stations should you install and where should they be located?
As part of its recent rebuild, Sydney’s Club Central in Menai installed charging stations in its carpark, as has Bankstown Sports Club, which features a Tesla Destination Charger. The NRMA has also seen the light, installing two electric vehicle charging stations in the car park of Lithgow Workmen’s Club and another across the road from Yass Soldiers Club.
“Why not take the charging station to any parking spot at your venue by using a mobile charging robot?” asks Fowler. “Patrons could request a vehicle charge by using the app attached to Ziggy, the mobile EV charging robot which then goes to the parking spot, charges the vehicle and later can return to base to recharge itself.”
While self-driving cars already exist, will your GPS mapping take them to the correct entrance or car park for their needs? Self-driving or driverless buses or automated shuttles are also being tested with pilot projects in several cities worldwide. In Australia, Transport for NSW has opened expressions of interest for a $5 million on-road trial, coinciding with a NSW Government plan to accelerate the adoption of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs).
In Adelaide, the Flinders University Express Shuttle (FLEX) is set to carry 11-seated passengers on an expanded 2.8km route, which includes a stop at a train station. Will any clubs be a stop along the way? Or does your club need to start planning your own autonomous bus?
If so, do you have a porte-cochere for an autonomous bus drop-off zone for patrons who ordered their pick-up via the club app, are taken to the club, then booked to be dropped back home again?
The technological revolution in clubs has already begun and there’s no stopping it.
Faced with the challenges and unpredictability of outsourced catering, is it time to bring your F&B back in-house?
By Grant Jones.IN THE CURRENT hospitality climate, the worst thing you can do for your club is to do nothing. With members flooding back through doors, and many clubs still operating at half speed, now is the time to start making decisions, if you haven’t already. That includes the option of bringing F&B back in-house as many caterers struggle to make ends meet given the spiralling costs of labour, transport, produce and utilities.
Club managers also need to react faster to food trends and break the perceived mould of clubs pushing out discounted roasts and steaks, says Matt Dagg, former chef and the designer of Club Managers’ Association Australia’s Catering for Non-Catering Managers course. So cement your relationship with your existing customers and ask them what they want, not what the chairman’s favourite dish is! Also, look at what’s on trend outside your club.
Member services manager Dagg ran several successful catering courses in 2022 and is now looking to build on the back of that success by offering a range of similar programs next year.
“If you know nothing about it [catering], if you apply what’s taught then you are going to be miles in front than if you don’t apply with it,” says Dagg, a former chef and F&B and operations manager who has run venues in RSLs, thoroughbred racing and surf life-saving sectors across NSW, Victoria and Queensland. “You have to apply all the learnings and run with it.”
Dagg points out to clubs that they need to address the ‘PODs’, the ‘POPs’ and the ‘POOs’, or Points Of Difference, Points Of Parity and Points of Ordinary, the latter of which isn’t something to boast about. While he says gaming is the “engine room”, patrons will come back for the hospitality.
“It all comes back to the food, wine and the service that you offer. Food is going to be the main reason for foot traffic and visitation for now and ongoing,” he says.
“And clubs shouldn’t be afraid to charge the right price for the right food. These $5 meals are just a race to the bottom. Charge what you need to, and don’t be afraid of putting a meal out there for $32.
We just have to break the mould of food courts in clubs and contract catering which is pushing out roasts and steaks.
Matt Dagg, former chef and CMAA course designer
It’s such excellent value and not just on price.
Meaning you can offer greater value while making greater margins. Boom.
Pork is now Australia’s most popular meat (besides chicken) from ribs to burgers to bacon*. Make pork your menu hero! Get some Pork
In the food stakes, plant-based menus have been pushing into the club space for a while now, with ready-made products such as frozen felafel and burgers meeting both dietary requirements and food preference demands, and also adding labour-saving to their hit-list.
Delving into that market is former Merivale chef Kade Cohen whose Made By Kade Shroomi Burger was recently awarded Gold and Champion of the Specialty Food category at the recent Sydney Royal Fine Foods awards 2022.
“Our best customers are the ones that think they could do it themselves – make everything in-house,” says Cohen who supplies clubs, including Panthers and Wenty Leagues in Sydney’s west.
“I’m a big advocate for making things in-house. Most of the kitchens I’ve worked in were ‘everything from scratch’. But I also believe – especially when catering for venues which churn numbers i.e. clubs – that if you ask yourself honestly, ‘Can I make this better than these guys do?’ and the answer is ‘No’, use that product. Enhance it. Make it different. Pair it intelligently with cool flavour combos and move on.
“That will, in turn, free up some bandwidth to focus on other areas of your menu that you can probably afford to sink more prep time and mental energy into.”
While plant-based menus have yet to hit the great heights predicted, clubbies still like to tuck into a bit of real meat protein.
Pork is on menus at more than two in three cases where food service meals are purchased according to Australian Pork. But at clubs and RSLs pork menu item sales were almost 10 per cent above the average food service menu for winter 2022.
Convenience food and casual dining is also key, with the latest figures from 2021 revealing the largest gain in Club/RSL meals was for skewered kebabs which enjoyed a six per cent increase year on year.
Meanwhile, pre-made and single-serve can be great labour-saving devices given the current staffing shortages. Time pressures, hygiene and wastage are the top three reasons why 78 per cent of hospitality professionals said they were interested in using single-serve condiments.
The findings, commissioned by Birch & Waite, also found that premium quality (63%), fresh ingredients/real flavour (60%), and Australian-made (56%) are the most desirable attributes for single-serve products. And you may ask: ‘Where’s the sauce? Or dressing!’
The company has just introduced three new dressings in their premium On-The-Go range (Greek Lemon, Green Goddess, and Japanese Style) as well as their new plantbased offerings which all save on refilling bottles and wastage in self-serve sauces.
“Our customers have been adopting single-serve products because they reduce pressures on staffing, as there is no need for decanting or container sanitisation, and product wastage. These are great benefits for businesses of all sizes,” says Paul O’Brien, CEO of Birch & Waite.
“If it’s a value-for-money proposition and it’s fresh and good, don’t be afraid to back yourself!”
As this year’s recent Fine Food expo in Melbourne showcased, labour-saving devices are a godsend to clubs bring catering back in-house.
SMEG’s national foodservice manager Davide Zavaroni said there had been significant demand from customers to take the labour and guesswork out of using often complicated equipment at hospitality venues that are now experiencing a high turnover of chefs.
SMEG’s Galileo Professional oven is designed for catering and features patented technologies, in particular, a Thermofunnel cavity (a unique cone shape cavity) and SteamArt technology (internal boiler positioned directly into the cavity, able to generate saturated steam at low temperature). There is also a night function for low and slow cooking, a 4-points core probe, a 7-inch touch screen and USB port for updating and loading of new recipes.
“We invested a lot of time and effort in making sure the product is simple, intuitive and user friendly; able to deliver consistent results, day after day, with different chefs in the kitchen,” Zavaroni says.
But in the hospitality race, clubs are up against pubs, and pubs react very quickly to a new food trend, such as the rise of new ovens, smokers and Spanish chargrills, says Dagg.
“Unfortunately, clubs are a slow-moving beast and if a GM sees a great piece of equipment at an expo, by the time he’s gone to the chairman and it’s been approved by the board, the pub down the road will have introduced the trend into their menu months ago.
“Clubs have got to react quicker to food trends,” he says. “We just have to break the mould of food courts in clubs and contract catering which is pushing out roasts and steaks.”
The CMAA is soon to announce a range of courses for 2023. Check their website for details cmaa.asn.au
As Covid started to bite and club closures took their toll, the contract caterers at Queanbeyan Kangaroos Rugby League Football Club packed their knife rolls and left.
If the club still wanted food on the table, they had no other option but to take over the catering themselves, says club general manager Leigh Kiely.
“The club had engaged contract caterers for 43 years, ever since the club opened, so this was all new to us,” Kiely explains. “We had one workday to get organised and we opened the club’s restaurant (Bistro 2620) with only two chefs. Pleasingly, this has now grown into five full-time chefs and one casual cook amongst the kitchen staff we employ.”
But they didn’t do it alone.
“To help us learn about catering management, we attended the first Catering for Non-Catering Managers course which couldn’t have come at a better time and seeing as we had to learn what to do in such a small amount of time, we immediately applied most of what we learned at the CMAA course,” Kiely says.
“The management team and I now have more confidence in our food offer and our catering operation. Our customers have seen a substantial improvement in the quality and consistency of our food.
“We decided to buy quality ingredients and cook everything fresh, from making our own pizza bases to our in-house desserts. The waitstaff work to meet our expectations too and will refuse to take a meal out if they deem it’s not up to our usual high standards.
“The chefs are very proud of the quality of food that we offer, and we continue to maintain excellent monthly profits on our food helped by what we learnt in the first course about cost control, pricing strategies and the menu engineering process to maintain great GP targets.”
By taking the advanced course, the club was able to learn more about offering a point of difference, effective menu design, costing function menus, marketing food for profit and the importance of having a good wine list.
“From this, we decided to build a wine display cool room and update our wine list to incorporate mostly local wines, and this has seen a very large increase in the volume of wines that we now sell,” Kiely says.
The club has so far achieved a best net profit of 27.7 per cent (May 2022) and monthly food costs sit at around 29 per cent. Not bad for club managers who once knew nothing about F&B.
Club
“Over the past couple years, there has been a roller coaster for most catering operations. Clubs have soldiered on by being very resilient against tough odds, oftentimes with serious roadblocks.
One I have seen, more often than not, is when the contract caterer just up and leaves, this has occurred often through covid. Hastily the catering is brought back in-house, often with some staff left from the caterer.
While it solves a customer service problem with members expediently, it invariably opens up a whole range of shortcomings. Many times, resulting in a catering operation with high wages and low gross profit, creating a strain on limited financial resources.”
My top five ducks to line up first are:
1. Decide if you really want to bring your catering inhouse. Visit fellow clubs who have done this and can advise of the potential challenges that will occur. Many will report that a significant amount of management energy is spent solving catering issues, are you up to the task?
2. It is advisable to do the Club Manager’s Association course, Catering for Non-Catering Managers. This will give an insight into what it should look like, the knowledge gained will open your eyes to what catering is.
3. Take control of Food Safety from the get-go. Don’t let a chef tell you they know what they are doing, only to later say “I ran out of time”. Download a template of the Food Safety Plan from your state health website and see what a food safety plan actually entails, how the processes are recorded and verified. Many verification activities like fridge monitoring, cleaning rosters, staff training etc can be completed with digital systems.
4. Control the food! Consider implementing digital ordering, recipe and stocktake systems to ensure total control of the costings. Recipes must be linked to daily pricing to give current food costs.
5. Menus should be agile enough to change pricing as big fluctuations occur in produce. Be very mindful of how large a menu is, more items will result in more prep and wages. If items don’t sell, it will also result in wastage, with those menu items being costly as the wages to prep and then food cost to throw out.
A good brew, keeping on top of food trends and labour-saving devices can put your cafe a step ahead, writes Grant Jones.
CAFES ARE PROVING to be one of the more popular F&B offerings in clubs as they hit the mark on several levels, several times a day and are an attraction for all ages. From fresh juices at breakfast to light lunches and afternoon cake and coffee, opening a new cafe or reinvigorating an old one can create a buzz about your venue.
Cafes in clubs have become so popular that Nestle Professional has created an easy-to-drink coffee, BUONDI, positioning the brand to create “a more urban and stylish aesthetic” and targeting the consumer who is seeking an enhanced coffee experience in a club or pub.
“The refreshed BUONDI range is more contemporary and premium, yet approachable,” says Joanna Yuen, Nestlé Professional’s master barista. “The new positioning was created specifically for Australian coffee drinkers, with pubs and clubs in mind, in order to elevate their coffee experiences within these venues.”
While Drummoyne Sailing Club has rolled out a Sydney Harbourside coffee cart on weekends, members and guests at Club Pine Rivers have been flocking to the Moreton Bay venue’s refreshed Hidden Gem Cafe, unveiled following renovations last year. Once known as Treasures Coffee Shop, the Hidden Gem Cafe was transformed into a cafe with full cooking facilities and new menu that now delivers hot chips, nachos and $8 snack boxes, alongside a seafood offering.
“People have told us they really love the new cafe because we are stepping up the food that we were previously offering, and we can keep it open longer at night,” said Rebecca Barker of the club, which picked up Best Bowls Club at Keno and Clubs Queensland 2022 Awards for Excellence.
At Brothers Cairns, the brand new Fratellis cafe (see p22) is attracting praise far and wide. Brothers Group general manager Shane Fitzgerald said the project had transformed the club.
“Our research identified the need to better cater for our target market, and a new modern café offering was essential to this,” he says.
We believe that coffee is about moments. So, we blend our coffee for moments big and small. Whether it’s something smooth after lunch or something to help you smash out your day. BUONDI is crafted for now.
To find out more about Buondi coffee please contact us on NestleProfessional.Beverages@au.nestle.com or visit bit.ly/Buondi
Clubs are constantly looking for ways to improve their food offering and, at the same time, looking for ways to improve efficiencies. One example is the display of fresh bread rolls, wraps and panini which can be easily taken from a food display cabinet and are ready to serve within minutes. But how many times have you seen the curled corners of a sandwich or dehydrated lettuce peeking from a wrap?
While traditional food and cake displays suffice, there are now unique vertically integrated designs such as Stoddart’s Airex Food Display which supplies cool air to each shelf by a specially designed ventilation system. This reduces air velocity around the food which means your club food will look and taste fresher for longer.
“With cafes in clubs only getting bigger and bigger, we are finding an increase in demand on ways to display different types of food,” says Michael Smart, national product manager for Airex.
“Refrigerated food displays are fantastic. However, not all food is best kept and displayed below five degrees. Chocolate for example is best kept and displayed between 18-20 degrees. The Airex range of food displays are a great option for the ever-evolving café scene in our clubs.”
Cafes offer a great opportunity to improve a club’s bottom line but limiting yourself to coffee and cake or sandwiches and bottled juices is not necessarily the best. Add to that an extra labour load for staff, keeping an eye on costs and making sure the quality is there are all challenges in the current environment.
But there are solutions. While an average coffee will be marked up an average 300 per cent, fresh-pressed fruit juice can be as good as 700 per cent for oranges and be marked up to 1600 per cent for something like mint and watermelon.
“If cafes want to make coffee the hero, they are missing out on potential profit,” says Kuvings business manager Clint Facey. Kuvings offers a variety of commercial kitchen equipment, from commercial juicers to blenders. A starting-price juicing machine
comes in at just under $2000 with that cost earned back in less than a month, based on a conservative 10 juice sales a day. Cheaper seasonal produce can also be offered as a weekly juice for customers, with fruit at a dollar or two a kilo turning into a quick profit for clever cafe operators.
“Usually the feedback is phenomenal, the customers love it, the person who made the decision to have it, loves it. And it doesn’t just appeal to the older demographic either, kids love it as well,” he says.
Kuvings can also make nutmilk, with the leftover pulp used in baked goods or protein balls, and tomato passata for pizza bases or, using a separate attachment, fresh-fruit gelato.
“The yield you get from our machine, the ease of use, the price tag, the warranty, the cleaning, etc, we are just leagues above our competitors,” he says.
Airex’s extensive range of refrigeration and display products, exclusive to Stoddart, has been designed and tested in Australia to master the elements of its diverse climate.
Airex’s innovative and sleek line-up will fit seamlessly into any commercial setting, in retail, commercial kitchens, cafés, in either front or back of house applications.
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Vacuum smoothies will be the next trend, says Facey, with the produce loaded into the jug, a lidded dome automatically lowering, then a vacuum pumps and seals it for 7-10 seconds, before blending the produce into a super-smooth smoothie with no sign of oxidisation.
Priestley’s Gourmet Delights, Australia’s largest manufacturer of cakes and desserts for the foodservice industry, takes all the effort out of cakes and dessert at club cafe.
“The fact our entire product range across more than 120 options is frozen from bake, travels extremely well and is pre-portioned to be removed by the portion whilst still frozen at venue level has been invaluable to the end user,” says sales manager Jarrad Buckley.
Effectively it’s a labour-free, premium bakery/café and restaurant product that reduces and controls shrinkage as opposed to a fresh product.
“Our product has also reduced the risk in the kitchen without the need to use knives for cutting, and has provided consistency in terms of quality, portion size and healthy profit margins as every cake delivered is the same quantity and size every time.”
Priestley’s also offer a wide range of gluten- and dairy-free cakes as well as vegan products.
“We are proud to represent the quality product our team have created especially in the dietary space, and many would not even know they have just consumed a gluten-free or vegan product which allows venues to cater for everyone, an increasing challenge to the industry as a whole,” he says.
At Bankstown Sports, the club has gone all out to attract coffee lovers introducing its own café, Cornerstone, a couple of years ago with the popular venue featuring an in-house coffee roaster. In addition to the coffee and cakes on offer at Cornerstone, one of the other main dessert attractions is San Churro, the franchised chocolateria offering a variety of the Spanish doughnuts known as churros that are hand-crafted in-house. That sits alongside a Baskin-Robbins offering.
At the recently refurbished Burpengary Community Club, The Wattle Café serves a dazzling array of pastries and desserts, including cakes, muffins, croissants and banana bread, baked in-house. And in the steamy climate of Queensland, it also has a gelato bar.
When it comes to frozen sweet treats, Aussies love their ice cream with the category worth a staggering $1.9 billion in 2021. But labour-intensive scooping and a wide range of flavours can be a headache for some club venues and soft serve machines tend to offer a product that doesn’t last the distance.
A few decades ago, Riva revolutionised ice cream delivery by enabling the fast delivery of smooth, real dairy made ice cream with their patented sealed container technology. Today, clubs across Australia use Riva Ice Cream Dispensers to offer pre-frozen, real ice cream (not soft serve!) with patrons enjoying the same smooth results every time – even during peak hours.
The ice-cream market is also projected to grow by more than 4.3 per cent this year, according to Ibis World. Now that’s a scoop!
There are plenty of food and beverage options that a club can provide through a café offering. And with so many revenue raisers on the menu, it’s no wonder that proactive clubs are adding a café offer to their F&B options.
DURING THE PEAK of the Covid pandemic, clubs were required to leave 1.5m of space between EGMs on their gaming floors, in line with other social distancing measures. For a lot of clubs, the easiest way to do this was to remove anything from 15 per cent up to 30 per cent of the machines from their gaming floors. Most EGMs have since returned to gaming floors, but the main lesson from those restrictions has not been forgotten.
“Covid proved something that we’ve been telling clients all along, which is that people like space,” states Tony Donnelly of Donnelly Design. “A lot of operators saw the benefits of driving 70 per cent of their floor better was a better return than running the whole floor. It had a fantastically positive effect on turnover and on the player experience.”
While clubs may be back to running their gaming rooms at full capacity, many have calculated that taking square meterage from other areas of the club to create more space for their gaming rooms, with 1.2m between machine bases, offering smaller gaming bank configurations and additional privacy
screens, has not only increased player comfort but gaming-room turnover as well.
At Club Urunga on the Mid North Coast of NSW, the gaming room hadn’t had a significant update since 2012. During covid, to meet the 1.5m restrictions, Club Urunga dropped its active EGMs down from 53 to 39. Much to general manager Mark Parry’s surprise, turnover improved. Granted, there was more money in the economy domestically, but Parry says the extra comfort of the space had a lot to do with it.
So, last year, he engaged Donnelly Design to update the gaming room, extending it by 30sqm to create the extra space that was clearly desired by the bowling club’s punters.
“I have been on other bowling club boards before I moved into operations again, and the one thing covid showed us was that the old thinking about gaming rooms – i.e. get the smallest footprint you possibly can and jam them in there because people will still have a bet – that no longer really applied,” explains Parry.
“What it was, was ensuring the safety, health and comfort of your patrons, and then they were far happier and the turnover improved. Essentially ‘happy punter, more turnover.’”
Since creating that extra space, Parry has had a lot of positive feedback from members.
“I’ve had a lot of comments from women in particular since the room has opened that they enjoy the space around them – not feeling crowded in, not feeling intimidated or being elbow to elbow with people.
“The general consensus we were getting back was that people were happier. People will just generally spend longer doing something that is more comfortable… and results have flowed from there.”
In terms of the design, Club Urunga’s gaming room aesthetic has gone for a ‘Brisvegas’ style with flashy lights and a colour scheme to make the machines pop. To meet a strict budget, the existing carpet was retained, as was much of the original cabling.
“We’re still a small country club and have to take that into account when it comes to design,” explains Parry.
No one was prepared for how Covid would affect venues when it hit, but now Mark Parry has made sure Club Urunga’s gaming room layout is ready for any other foreseeable change in trading regulations in the future.
“We’re fully compliant with the harshest Covid rules that they had, so my gaming can stay open under any new public health threat that can be reasonably foreseen,” he says. “If that’s as hard as they went with covid – and they went pretty hard as far as I’m concerned – I’m compliant going forward, so I’m ready for it.”
At Western Suburbs Leagues Club in Sydney’s south-west, one part of its gaming floor had just begun a major renovation when lockdowns were first announced in March 2020. When gaming rooms were allowed to re-open with little notice, an ad hoc gaming and outdoor area was thrown together while the final plans for the space were finalised. That floor design was realised in October this year.
“We wanted to make it more luxurious, more spacious, to clean it up and make it fit with the rest of the floor,” explains Wests Group Macarthur gaming manager Christie Sciberras.
The new layout has plenty of space and the detailed fit-out maximises player comfort and privacy. There are new, intricately-patterned privacy screens and more of them. Raised hobs – so players don’t have to lean down for their drink or phone – are installed between machines, as are smaller moveable privacy screens, set up between the two sides of banked configurations. USB chargers are also inlaid into the hobs, as are handbag cubbies.
Bill Smith of Design Group, who completed the fit-out and joinery for Western Suburbs Leagues Club’s renovation, says all those personal amenities for the player help add to the enjoyment of the experience.
“We’re putting handbag cubbies in, we’re putting charger stations in, we’re doing slide-out privacy screens between players, giving them the option to play with a friend next to them or on their own. It’s just creating options for the ultimate VIP space,” explains Smith.
A similar approach was taken at Club Urunga, where a lot of investment was made into the personal player experience.
“They took the approach of essentially operating like a big pub in their gaming room. So, they gave the same amenities to their players that we would do in a high-end hotel in Sydney,” states Donnelly.
“The players all got a one-metre bench, they got a 300mm raised hob which has a little spot to put their handbag and space to put their drink. It’s got a wireless phone charger built into the top of it. So, it’s like a little business-class booth for each player.”
For Sciberras, accommodating every type of player was important.
“We wanted something with a more luxurious feel that would accommodate everyone. So different areas accommodate how you would want to play. There are some quite private areas and some not-soprivate areas,” she says.
“We also tried to support as many different combinations of games that you can play inside or outside, whether you are a smoker or non-smoker, you get to have the same games wherever you play. We’ve still got some older-style machines that people love and we’ve got the newer stuff as well.”
To help attract members to Western Suburbs Leagues Club’s newest gaming solution, Sciberras has also recently installed LED screens in the space, plus added a 3x1.6m Multi-Terminal Gaming Monitor. While it’s still early days, Sciberras says members like the personal touches that enhance their experience.
“Overall, we’ve had great feedback. They like the space, they like the new design and the new additions.”
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At Creative Commercial Furniture, a supplier of furniture for the hospitality industry, including gaming, Brett Davison has found that old trends have begun to re-emerge for gaming room furniture.
“We’re finding that people are actually going back to the velour-look materials, which is interesting. It goes back a long time. We’re getting a lot of enquiries for that kind of finish for the tub chairs,” he says.
“For stools, we look to the European Union for quality. We’ve found that stainless steel bases are also coming back into vogue, which is great from our point of view, because we do get longevity out of those as opposed to your standard steel, powder-coated stools.”
And after a couple of years of beige and bone coloured furniture being in vogue, Davison says operators are returning to more practical darker colours for their gaming furniture.
“You get a couple years less use out of lighter colours, when you get dirty marks over the chairs, and in the end they’re all having to be re-upholstered or replaced. Whereas your darker fabrics tend to hide that.”
In the end, Davison suggests that whatever you go for, make sure it’s the highest quality you can afford. It will last you longer and will be less of an outlay long term.
According to Donnelly, the higher performance of pub gaming rooms has forced clubs to compete and adapt at a rate like never before. Where in the past clubs may not have refreshed their gaming solutions for a decade, both Donnelly and Smith now suggest that gaming rooms should have a refresh every 5-7 years to maintain their appeal for players who have competing options nearby.
“With country towns as the exception, clubs are so geographically evenly spread that every club has a competitor within 5-8 minutes’ drive to them. So, if you’re the only one who hasn’t done it, you’re behind,” says Donnelly. “Clubs have a real healthy competition in that regard, in that they’ll always be trying to do at least what their competitors are doing.”
With that, however, comes a decent outlay that has increased dramatically in recent years. If you compared what was spent on a renovation per seat in 2005 versus 2022, even adjusted for inflation you’d be looking at spending 3-5 times as much money on a fit-out. But the ROI can be well worth it. Donnelly points to Club Urunga as a prime example.
“That’s a big cost for a club like that, so they’ve gone out on a limb and spent that higher amount per seat and they got a really good result out of it. The end result is that they took a great leap up from being just a coastal club, to being a club with a real point of difference to even the big guys around them, and I think it really works for them.
“And I’ll always pay credit there to the operator because some club managers, and especially their boards, if they’re not overly confident they will hold on to their money, but others will take a real chance and benefit from it. So that was a really good one.”
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF club, pub and casino operators to do all in their power to meet their gaming obligations is a hotbutton topic at the moment. The majority of operators meet these obligations and go further to ensure that their community of punters is gambling in a safe and sustainable manner.
But as the saying goes, ‘one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch’. Misconduct at Crown Melbourne and The Star Sydney has meant mandatory cashless gaming will be introduced into both casinos, and the calls have become louder for similar, tougher legislation to be introduced for any venue that operates EGMs. When announcing a $120m fine for Crown Melbourne, the Royal Commission’s chairperson Fran Thorn stated: “This disciplinary action also sounds a warning to all in the Victorian gambling industry that we expect them to do everything they can to minimise the harmful impacts of gambling. The Commission will be resolute in pursuing our new requirement to regulate for harm minimisation, and the
industry can expect further action from the Commission on this matter.”
In Tasmania, the Rockcliff government has announced that all venues operating EGMs will move to a mandatory precommitment scheme by 2024, with an annual limit of $5000 per person. Meanwhile, the NSW Crime Commission has recommended that a mandatory cashless gaming system also be introduced for all clubs and pubs in that state.
While legislators and governments may be trying to push these harsh regulations on the industry, club operators and their industry partners are proactively implementing new technology that helps to identify and address problem gambling in a more meaningful and targeted manner.
There is a misconception that club operators are against cashless gaming. In truth, clubs are happy to introduce technology that allows for cashless gaming that works handin-hand with gaming fuelled by cash – just as they do any other part of the business.
What most operators do not want, is the move to mandatory cashless gaming, as is being threatened in some jurisdictions. In a proactive move, ClubsNSW, Aristocrat and Wests Group have partnered with the Perottet Government for a cashless gaming trial using new groundbreaking technology to reduce the risk of gambling harm and to protect against money laundering.
The technology developed by Aristocrat Gaming has been installed on 36 of Wests New Lambton’s gaming machines and uses bluetooth to connect patrons’ mobile phones to machines. This will let patrons transfer money directly from the mobile phone’s gaming wallet onto the machine.
Minister for Hospitality and Racing Kevin Anderson said the three-month trial will test how the technology operates in reallife conditions and its potential benefits for venues and patrons.
“The trial is part of an exciting new era where innovations such as digital wallets offer customers greater convenience and control over their spending and help venues and authorities identify suspected
cases of money laundering,” he said.
The digital wallet can be used to fund gaming machine play and players can set spending or time limits, access real-time spending data, take a break or self-exclude from gambling and access other responsible gambling tools and services. Patrons cannot load funds into the gaming wallet from the gaming floor. Other limits include session length, frequency of play, amount spent and total bets.
Wests Group Australia CEO Phil Gardner said the initiative is designed to enhance the patron experience and introduce a new level of convenience and safety.
“This trial builds on our long-standing commitment to patron choice and welfare. We know many of our patrons want the convenience of digital payments, which is part of this trial. The trial also allows us to offer a powerful new suite of digital tools to empower our members and allow them to set limits, speak to a staff member, or even exclude themselves from the club if they choose.”
One major new piece of tech that is being implemented in clubs up and down the country is the OK2PLAY? player protection platform. The platform allows club members to press a button on a kiosk or scan strategically-placed QR codes around a venue, which then ask that member if they feel okay to play, i.e. gamble. If they press ‘No – can I talk to someone?’, then the venue manager is alerted and can approach that person discreetly, check on their welfare and direct them to relevant services.
“With OK2PLAY? you can think of the program as the yellow lights at a school crossing. Patrons can use OK2PLAY? to have a human-to-human conversation with a senior staff member of a venue, where they can be guided directly to assistance,” explains CEO Bryan TeWani.
“[It] has been developed to increase the speed of response between a patron of a venue and staff, creating the pathway for connecting venue’s patrons to assistance in a discreet, seamless, and frictionless manner, in real time.”
One early adopter of the OK2PLAY? platform is Hornsby RSL in northern Sydney. It has embraced the expanding role of technology in its operations, with CEO Mario Machado one
of several club operators who has pushed for technology like this platform for many years. Now that it has been developed, the club is on board and promoting the service to its members. Machado says the club has implemented a stringent procedure in case a member was to press ‘No’ in the OK2PLAY? prompts. In that scenario, the venue manager is immediately alerted and is to contact the player. If this doesn’t occur within 15 minutes, it is then escalated to the gaming manager and Machado himself. If the member still has not been attended to within half an hour, Machado then gets a text and an email. The CEO says the new platform allows guests of the club to know that they will be addressed with discretion.
“The venue manager will be in touch with them and speak with them in a confidential manner, as opposed to a staff member. So, you’re eliminating having to have the staff tap someone on the shoulder. We look at that as protecting both our members and our staff.”
Corowa RSL Club CEO Peter Norris also values the digital platform as a tool that protects the club’s members and staff.
“We are a club who supports the community in everything we do and by introducing OK2PLAY? we are strengthening our position as a responsible venue. For us it is about ensuring that we are providing our community, patrons and members with a safe entertainment venue and ensuring we are a responsible entertainment option,” states Norris.
For us it is about ensuring that we are providing our community, patrons and members with a safe entertainment venue and ensuring we are a responsible entertainment option.
Peter Norris, Corowa RSL ClubCorowa RSL Club CEO Peter Norris with the OK2PLAY? tech platform.
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In the first forty days over 52,000 (fifty two thousand) people have been asked directly the question, “Are you OK2PLAY?”
If numbers are your thing, the recent introduction of OK2PLAY? at Sporties Moorebank has yielded some telling results.
In the first month of implementation, almost 8,000 Sporties members were asked to simply answer, “Are you OK2PLAY?” at various, convenient points throughout the venue, and in simple terms, 99.4 percent of players have felt safe and secure to continue their venue experience without any further discreet intervention.
That’s almost “perfect” numbers, but it’s the remaining less than one percent that paints the success of the OK2PLAY? technology.
This portion of members who responded that they did not feel OK2PLAY? were approached discreetly by Sporties Senior staff, who facilitated in-venue assistance within an average time of 36 minutes.
Jeff Gibbs, CEO of Sporties, observed, “We had 115 of our members who responded, ‘Ask Me again’, and when OK2PLAY? technology checked in with them a second time they responded they were OK2PLAY?
Edward Camilleri – Central Coast Leagues Club Jeff Gibbs – Moorebank Sports Club Mario Machado – Hornsby RSL Gerard Darmody – SSA Albury“By introducing the OK2PLAY? technology into our venue, it allows us to continue to support our customers and staff, support player protection, and also support the whole community. We would like to continue to build on the current measures we have already here at Albury SS&A Club for both our patrons and staff, and by implementing this technology, it will allow us to do that.”
Mr Gerard Darmody,“This technology makes it easier for our patrons to reach out to us if they have a problem. It also makes it easier for our staff in the manner that first approach and first contact is made via a discreet and seamless system.
Mr Mario Machado, CEO, Hornsby RSL
“The purpose is for members to feel secure, and if they do have a problem and they are a bit shy in talking to our staff and trained personnel, this is a way they can go to an easy touch and get help fairly quickly.”
Mr Edward Camilleri, CEO, Central Coast LeaguesIn the first forty days over people have been asked directly the question, “Are you OK2PLAY?”
CEO, Albury SS&A Club
“We don’t want to roll along without thinking about the impact the business has on the community. Protecting both our staff and community is vitally important.”
Machado also makes the argument that this kind of tech works efficiently as a log of any incidents.
“It’s also about having a record of all these conversations and that technology keeps track if someone has clicked ‘I’m not ok2play’, what happened, how long did it take to get a hold of the person, what was the outcome, and it’s logged in as an incident.”
Hornsby RSL has gone above and beyond to ensure that it does all it can to support responsible gaming. It also runs a voluntary pre-commitment scheme via the Aristocrat 7000 system and their club membership cards.
“They can still take the card out and play uncarded, but because they can select that they can be approached by a staff member, it also gives us the opportunity to talk to them and say, ‘You’ve reached your limit, is everything ok?’”
Facial recognition software is also viewed as a new tool for the club industry as a method of supporting self-excluders, as well as identifying any problem gamblers or troublemakers. One leader in the space
is Cognitec which makes the case that facial recognition can more effectively identify self-excluders and anyone else on a list of interest than a human can. It can also still identify people regardless of whether they are wearing masks or glasses. None of these things can be done by a human in a busy situation at the same speed – particularly in large clubs that have thousands of visitors a day.
Facial recognition has already been legislated in South Australia on gaming floors, and many clubs in other jurisdictions are choosing to follow suit of their own accord.
Across the ditch, Christchurch Casino implemented Cognitec’s facial recognition software in 2017, after having to contend with problem gamblers trying to enter the casino on multiple occasions. In 2019, they increased their usage of the system to more internal areas of the casino floor and introduced a ‘time-on-site’ function to monitor how long people were spending on the gaming floor – hence helping to identify any problem gamblers.
“The Cognitec system provides us with the earliest notice of identification and therefore minimises the opportunity for gambling related harm,” states Darren Henderson, asset protection a nd responsible gaming manager for the casino.
“The technology has exceeded my expectations in the identification of individuals that are too important to miss among the hundreds of thousands of annual guests at our premises.”
In an age of so much scrutiny when it comes to gaming, clubs must take advantage of every tool at their disposal to ensure that the wellbeing of their punters, staff and communities are well cared for. New technology is providing plenty of assistance to that end, complementing the work of club staff around the country.
Has
club?
Is this club member Mia Jones?
Did she ask for self-exclusion?
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she been banned from this
When, where did she enter?
How often was she here in the last two days, three months?
Is she an underage visitor?
Once dismissed as un-Australian, nonalcoholic drinks in clubs and licensed venues are becoming popular, writes Cat Woods.
THERE COULD BE any number of reasons why NOLO (no- and low-alcohol) drinks have exploded on to the on-premise scene. One of them could be the greater knowledge and commitment by patrons to look after their health and fitness, but mostly an expanded menu of low- or alcohol-free alternatives has made NOLO an appealing choice rather than an obligation.
Cronulla RSL Club Beverage Manager Bryn Dalton Morgan wanted to grow in the NOLO space, so took on revising the club’s regular beer, wine and spirits menu earlier this year.
“As we moved away from the years of the pandemic, the demand for a healthier drinking alternative had never had a better chance to grow in the beverage scene,” she said.
“We noticed a gap in the market, especially across venues within our region in the Sutherland Shire. People wanted to re-join society and socialise, without the added pressure of feeling the need to drink alcohol. Our NOLO menu gave us the chance to capitalise on this and promote a healthier drinking alternative.”
Venues that don’t heed the message from the market will inevitably fail to capitalise on this rising trend for NOLO beverages.
Adam Paterson, Southport Sharks Food & Beverage General Manager, says he started to think about NOLO drinks as far back as 2018.
“We recently launched our new rooftop bar, Aviary, and wanted to create some unique selling points with regards to the cocktail menu,” he says. “Wellness was a big talking point at the time, so we jumped on the opportunity and included a healthier cocktail section with low sugar and low-alcohol offerings. Although the cocktails were not our highest sellers, they became a talking point.”
That is supported by the 2021 IWSR Drinks Market Analysis’ No- and Low-Alcohol Strategic Study which indicated that the NOLO market outperformed alcohol in terms of volume growth in Australia. While NOLO volume rose 2.9 per cent in 2020, the volume of alcohol purchased decreased by 1.4 per cent. The same study found that 71 per cent of Australian consumers planned to maintain or increase their no- or low- alcohol consumption over the following year, and that almost two-thirds planned to try new brands of NOLO beverages in 2021. This strengthens the projected 16 per cent growth in Australia’s NOLO volume between 2020 and 2024, as forecast by IWSR.
Did Covid enhance the focus on health? Did constant health messaging from public institutions play a part in alcohol losing its appeal? Likely health played a large role, but the lack of ability to head to a venue for a meal and a drink likely lessened the social and celebratory nature of alcohol.
“NOLO drinks were always a hot topic of conversation between our operational team,” Dalton Morgan says.
Heading towards Dry July, the biggest challenge was to introduce NOLO products without taking a hit to sales.
“We wanted to ensure people saw this as a positive lifestyle choice, rather than as an alternative simply to replace alcohol for those who are not drinking. We got into contact with Lyre’s to start a conversation, then we introduced a limited menu of NOLO in midJuly 2022,” she says.
Dalton Morgan says the club has now seen significant growth in NOLO cocktails and zero-alcohol beer sales in the last few months.
“Once we completed our hard-in launch in July, 22.4 per cent of our overall alcoholic package beer sales were from our nonalcoholic range.”
Female patrons at Cronulla RSL Club are among those leaning towards non-alcoholic cocktails, primarily the Lyre’s Margarita. Male patrons are currently interested in the non-alcoholic beer range.
“Our best seller is Carlton Zero,” confirms Dalton Morgan. “As a club, we also wanted to offer the chance to have low-calorie and lowalcohol options for our patrons. This prompted to us to find lower calorie beverages, such as Peroni Libera and Four Pines Ultra Light. We have had a varying range of ages interested in our zero and low range, being popular in 18-25s and growing in our 25-35s.”
As reported by Smart Company, many major multinational alcohol brands are recognising and acting upon the market for
While operators new to the NOLO category may question its place in licensed premises, research suggests NOLO extends visitation, and doesn’t replace alcohol consumption completely.
Nearly 60 per cent of NOLO consumers reported that they switch between NOLO and fullstrength alcohol products on the same occasion, and a fraction of those at 14 per cent reported that they do not drink alcohol at all.
low- and no-alcohol beverages alongside their traditional products. Some have dedicated 20-30 per cent of their portfolios to NOLO products through to 2025, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, which aims for one-fifth of its total beer volume to be no- or low-alcohol by the end of 2025.
Paterson says at Southport Sharks the most popular zero-alcohol products are those made by the big beer brands.
“The big sellers are from the likes of Great Northern and Peroni. We have tried several craft beers from Craft Zero, and some of the craft versions are very good. However, our market prefers to stick to the trusted brands they know.”
Dalton Morgan says she currently stocks five different nonalcoholic and ultra-low beers., among an expansive list.
“Our wine range has created a great buzz, too,” she says. “Our list currently includes four wines, all directly from Jacob’s Creek’s Unvined range. Our NOLO cocktail list is something which we crafted with the help of Lyre’s. We have five non-alcoholic cocktails including the Lyre’s Cosmopolitan, Lyre’s Espresso Martini, Lyre’s Clover Club, Lyre’s Margarita and Lyre’s Mojito. Our best-selling cocktail for September was our Lyre’s Cosmopolitan, followed closely by the Lyre’s Mojito and Lyre’s Margarita.”
Cronulla RSL also intends to stock Lyre’s NOLO RTDs.
“These drinks provide a new selling point for our bartenders, and a new way to gauge customer’s interest in alternatives. We have been utilising different campaigns – such as Dry July and wellbeing pushes to promote these products.”
Importantly, the club’s bartenders have been able to sample the NOLO products they’re selling to understand the flavour palates and products.
“Instagram has been a huge advantage to push these products
onto to our younger market. We have also added our NOLO range into our beverage happy hour across the weekend, making them even more accessible for our patrons.”
The IWSR international survey indicated that consumers mostly opt for moderation rather than ceasing their alcohol intake overall. Nearly 60 per cent of NOLO consumers reported that they switch between NOLO and full-strength alcohol products on the same occasion, and a fraction of those at 14 per cent reported that they do not drink alcohol at all.
Founded in 2019 in the UK, Lyre’s nonalcoholic range mimics the most popular spirits in terms of presentation, smell, taste and texture, and has been a big hit in Australian clubs of late.
Kelli McPhie, Lyre’s VP Australia and New Zealand, says the brand is currently featured as a non-alcoholic option in about 50 RSLs and clubs across the east coast of Australia.
“Whilst we saw some early adopters within the sector such as the fantastic Revesby Workers and Harbord Diggers clubs, many of our club customers have come online in the last six month,” she says. “This is in alignment with a strong increase in consumer demand coming out of the worst of the pandemic and our efforts in taking the brand above the line through both outof-home and televised media.”
Lyre’s produces 17 non-alcoholic spirits, four classic RTD variants and a non-alcoholic sparkling inspired by prosecco. They also make a classic Dry London gin alternative, aperitifs in Italian Orange and Italian Spritz, and malts (both American and Highland style).
“Our products are designed to integrate seamlessly into the place of their alcoholic counterparts, so we find the success of the portfolio directly mirrors any trends in the alcoholic spirits sector. If outlets are looking at what to range from Lyre’s, their first step is to understand the performance of the alcoholic spirits in their club. If gin and gin cocktails dominate sales then Lyres’ Dry London or Pink London spirits will complement that perfectly as non-alcoholic substitutes, for example,” McPhie suggests.
While Southport Sharks wants to ensure it provides a comprehensive range to remain competitive, NOLO is not yet a major profit-driver
for the club. Paterson hasn’t noticed a particular demographic favouring NOLO, rather it is being embraced across their diverse clientele.
“The NOLO range has complemented Southport Sharks beverage offering and sales in the category has increased,” says Paterson. “The NOLO category is not our key sales driver, nor do we believe it will ever be. However, now having a quality offering in this category increases the likelihood people will visit us over another competitor.”
Dalton Morgan says Cronulla RSL will continue to expand and promote its NOLO range, based on its current success. As a growing club, it wants to be part of an expanding sector promoting a healthy lifestyle, rather than focusing purely on profits – although there is money to be made in the category.
“The NOLO range has been a good profit maker for the club, and only continues to grow each month. During September we saw an increase in all categories of our NOLO campaign. Our biggest mover was our Lyre’s range, as they become more popular with our members, and a talking point throughout the club. Our NOLO beers have accounted for nearly 15 per cent of our beer sales for the month of July. As we move into our busiest time of the year [pre-Christmas and New Year’s], I can only imagine the expansion of the NOLO range creating more profit for our venue.”
According to the IWSR, NOLO volume in Australia is projected to grow by 16 per cent between 2020-2024.
Once we completed our hard-in launch in July, 22.4 per cent of our overall alcoholic package beer sales were from our nonalcoholic range.
Bryn Dalton Morgan, Cronulla RSL
Australians always have had a love of the great outdoors but two years of Covid and social distancing have put pressure on clubs to create more open spaces within their venues, writes Grant Jones.
THE PANDEMIC HAS impacted many operational aspects for club managers, from staffing and PPE to ordering systems and reduced menus. But creating a new outdoor dining area takes a bit more organisation.
Some hurdles include planning permissions, alcohol licensing, construction budget and the pure logistics of finding a builder and getting any structure completed given the current state of the building industry. Then there is the weather to contend with – hot, cold, wet or all three.
But that hasn’t put many clubs off, with The Ary at Toukley on the NSW Central Coast subsuming one-third of its top bowling green this summer to create a beer garden, with a new menu set to attract sun-loving punters.
“With the increase in families moving into the area and the desire for outdoor dining we see this as a positive move and a space that now all members can enjoy,” the club says.
The green has been transformed with picnic tables, umbrellas, fencing, festoon lighting, table tennis and lawn games. At-table ordering is available via ClevaQ. Enquiries are already coming in for Barefoot Bowls parties for Christmas and birthdays. It has been named Mason’s Place after founding bowls members Fred Mason.
“With the steady decline of bowling members, The Ary, like many other clubs, has
recognised the need to turn the valuable real estate of one of our bowling greens into a revenue-yielding space,” says marketing and event manager Debbie Dickson.
The space will accommodate 150 people and will offer a dedicated live entertainment program, while two-thirds of the green is maintained for social bowls.
“Faced with restaurant capacity restrictions after reopening from our second covid lockdown, we saw it necessary to remove our indoor children’s play area to make way for additional seating in our dining area,” Dickson said.
“That action created a gap in our offering to the family market so we have embraced the opportunity to transform one of our bowling greens into a family-friendly social and recreational space.”
At Taren Point Bowling Club, in Sydney’s south, the pandemic has been cited as a significant factor behind its plans for a $2.4 million outdoor dining project featuring a new covered outdoor seating and barbecue area.
“After two years of covid, the club is acutely aware of the requirements for more outdoor space to meet the needs of its members and guests and the health benefits for members and guests,” states the club’s DA submitted to Sutherland Shire Council.
“The proposal seeks to provide additional outdoor seating and tables to allow members and guests to rest, dine and socialise, to a greater degree, outside without any impact upon the area allocated to bowling greens and without any unacceptable impacts upon neighbours.”
The build will also increase capacity from 700 patrons to a maximum of 800.
In the ACT, the Canberra Southern Cross Yacht Club in Yarralumla is redeveloping its lakeside hospitality facilities, after lodging a works application for Stage 1 with the National Capital Authority. Plans include external pergolas to the rear paved and decking areas and the installation of a new outdoor fireplace, outdoor furniture and shade umbrellas. The new deck will have an unimpeded view of Lake Burley Griffin, with a row of five melaleucas removed and replaced with dryland grasses.
CEO Ian Mackay says that the refurbishments would enhance the offering to make the club more accessible to a wider audience.
“While we will retain the magic of that casual experience in our courtyard and on the lawns of the lake, the refurbishment will deliver more opportunities for varied audiences, occasions and celebrations,” he told Club Management
“I envision people coming for a long, lazy afternoon where they can sip an Aperol Spritz and listen to live music, while families can still picnic and kick a ball beside the lake.
“The addition of indoor dining also means cold, windy or rainy weather doesn’t need to spoil plans.”
The ground floor refurbishment also includes a refit of the popular lakeside fish and chip shop, Snapper & Co, which will include a new kiosk and gelato bar.
“Fresh fish and chips in a family-friendly environment at one of Canberra’s best locations; that’s our core promise, which we will absolutely continue to deliver,” he adds.
• In Sydney, the old Concord RSL’s new owners, The Croatian Club, plans a multi-million-dollar refit, including outdoor dining with raised terrace and booths set among olive trees, bocce pitches, big screen and kids’ play area.
• The award-winning Lady Banks Rooftop bar, atop Bankstown Sports Club’s Flinders Centre has raised the bar on outdoor spaces in clubs. With sweeping 360-degree views of Sydney, from the Blue Mountains to the CBD, this venue even offers its own signature blended rum.
• Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club, south of Wollongong, opened its Lagoon Street Bar + Dining Piazza, transforming the area into a modern and vibrant outdoor space late last year. It features two alfresco dining outlets, a cocktail bar and a children’s playground.
• Avoca Bowling Club is in the middle of transforming the old sports bar with a new extension which will include an alfresco dining area and kids clubs which will spill out onto one of greens. The sports bar will also be refurbished.
• The Brisbane suburb of Manly has been transformed via a revamp of the old Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club into the Manly Harbour Boat Club. It features a new waterfront dining area and the suburb’s first and only rooftop bar.
• Melbourne loves its narrow laneways so what to do with your own? Fill it with a purpose-built bright blue two-storey bar, of course. Sojourn, in Chancery Lane has a bird’s-eye view of Little Collins St and has become a distinctive restaurant, bar and takeaway venue for its owner, the prestigious RACV Club.
Golf clubs are getting down to business by reinventing their offerings and staying relevant.
By Brian Crisp.GOLF IN AUSTRALIA is booming. More than 24,000 new players joined a golf club in 2020-21, the largest jump since 1970 when data collection began. Golf Australia has launched a strategic plan for the entire golf industry in a bid to capitalise on increased post Covid-19 participation levels. But that does not necessarily mean it is an easy industry to succeed in.
“Golf’s currently booming but if we turn the clock back five years some clubs were closing and if the golf economy returns to that level of participation again, we’ll no doubt see rationalisation across the industry,” Links Hope Island general manager David Hogben said.
“The best way for clubs to fortify themselves against this is to take a very unemotional look at their business, potentially make hard decisions and ensure their business model is profitable.”
A new breed of business-focussed general managers are tweaking the golf offering to ensure that it is financially viable for the long term. Club Management spoke with a golf course industry veteran who said that general managers today
are making business decisions, not community decisions. And that means clubs are selling-off land for housing, re-imagining food and beverage offerings, and looking for ways to get more people through the door while all the time keeping an eye on costs.
“Whatever type of golf business an individual or organisation operates they essentially want one thing. Like all businesses they want a return on investment,” Hogben said. “They want to make a profit instead of having to reach into their pocket and pull out $10K a week to keep an operation afloat. Nobody likes to lose money, no matter how much of it you have.
“Unfortunately, a large majority of golfers from traditional committee-driven golf club backgrounds, some of whom have been very successful in business themselves, have a hard time accepting this because ‘it’s their golf club’. We should lose the word club because while its certainly still golf, its golf business.”
Here’s a rundown of some of the major changes happening in clubs across the east coast of Australia.
Chatswood Golf Club has closed its doors completely until at least late 2024. After operating as an 18-hole course for 85 years, the club will now undergo dramatic changes reducing it to a 12-hole course with driving range. Watermark Residences is the company behind the redevelopment of the course, which closed in May.
Under the council-approved plan, a newly designed 12-hole golf course will emerge. It will have the flexibility to be played as an 18hole layout and Golf Australia has advised that members will be able to keep a GA handicap. The shorter course will have world-class practice facilities including a Himalayas Putting Course.
“The future golf offering will be like no other, with a revitalised golf course and outstanding practice facilities that utilise state of the art technology making it a destination for members and the local community,” club general manager Aaron Vatner said.
Watermark Residences will use parts of the old course to build – and sell – 106 luxurious two and three-bedroom seniors’ apartments.
Cammeray Golf Club is also rebuilding after almost 40 per cent of the golf course
had been compulsorily acquired by the NSW Government for a motorway project. The course shut in March this year and when work is complete in mid-2023, the new nine-hole parthree layout will have larger greens, improved practice facilities and holes of varying lengths of up to 165 metres.
Shorter, nine-hole courses are proving extremely popular with newcomers to the game who like to get-in, get-out and have their fun in less than two hours.
Parkes Golf Club, in the Central West of the NSW, is also getting a redesign to make way for the Parkes Bypass roadworks project. Golf architect James Wilcher is working to turn the course into a 72-hole layout, which means the club will be able to apply to host Championship events.
Six new greens and nine new, more challenging tees will be introduced, and the 18th hole will now be near the clubhouse, allowing members and guests to sit on the balcony and watch golfers finish their rounds.
In Newcastle, the Merewether Golf Club will start construction on a new clubhouse, health and wellness centre and a seniors apartments living project next year. Developer Third.i says the redevelopment will secure
the financial future of the club and add amenities that the entire community will be able to enjoy. The board says the redevelopment was essential to arrest unacceptable financial performance of the golf club.
“Our clubhouse is now over 50 years-old and is reaching end of life,” the club states on its website. “The facilities are clearly dated and not attractive for functions, and the larger membership does not appear to be willing to support the current clubhouse facilities.
“We believe that, by any measure, it will not meet the needs of a successful golf club and therefore simply maintaining it (even at an increasing cost) is not suitable in the short, medium or longer term.”
In Brisbane, Nudgee Golf Club course architect James Wilcher has almost finished a three-year 36-hole redevelopment of its two courses. The Queensland PGA Championship was played across the par-72 Kurrai course in January and the second course, to be known as The Bulka (Sunrise in the Turrbal language), will open in October.
“When you design a course in a flood prone area, you have to work with what you’ve got,” Wilcher said. “So, the courses have a real wetlands feel and are very successful ecologically. The bird life in the area has gone through the roof.”
Before the redesign membership numbers at Nudgee Golf Club had been falling. According to Wilcher business is now booming with an additional 500 members.
On the Gold Coast, questions are being asked about whether the 33 courses that currently exist need to continue, especially when Queensland is in the middle of a housing crisis. Colliers Gold Coast director Steven King told the Gold Coast Bulletin that “three-quarters of the Gold Coast’s golf course[s] would not be profitable”.
King said courses take up massive amounts of green space and some could easily be sub-divided to make way
for major housing and infrastructure projects. The new developers at Arundel Hills Country Club have said that they plan to add “a little bit of residential” to the 67ha golf course. The Gold Coast club was placed into administration in May and according to the selling agent Joseph Codianni some 39 companies expressed an interest in buying the property.
“The golf business was operating at a loss, as are most golf clubs throughout the country and therefore the Chinese-based sellers wanted to offload the asset,” he said.
Developers Dale Carroll, Steven Kleytman and Andrew Barbayannis settle on the property on 1 March next year and, as yet, it is unclear what plans they have beyond a guarantee that waterways, trees and wildlife habits will be retained. Watch this space.
Links Hope Island has begun a community consultation process regarding its plans for a major residential project at the site of one of Australia’s best public golf courses. GH Properties wants to build luxury apartments on the course targeted at well-heeled emptynesters who are searching for wellness lifestyle benefits.
GH Properties say the funds from this apartment development will be spent on upgrading the golf facilities. They plan to build a luxe golfer’s lounge for members, a fitness centre, a terrace function area, medical consultation rooms and a 25-metre swimming pool.
Former PGA pro Luke Altschwager is leading a $300 million upgrade of Parkwood’s integrated resort which includes a hotel, residential units, a surf park, health and sports facilities around the existing golf course.
Chirnside Park Country Club has gone small to help it create big things with the recent launch of Puttz Mini Golf. The Yarra Valley club already offers tennis and lawn bowls, as well as the nearby golf course. But they hope the 18-hole wheelchair-friendly Puttz mini golf course will inspire families to get out and about and have some much-needed post-covid fun.
About $12 million is expected to be spent on the
redevelopment of the Morack Golf Course, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Plans include a revamped multi-use pavilion and 25-bay driving range, as well as an 18-hole adventure mini golf course.
Sandy Golf Links is now home to the $18.8 million Australian Golf Centre which officially opened in April this year. It includes a state-of-the-art high-performance facility, café, administration facilities, Sandringham Golf Links course and a driving range.
Two other major golf courses — Cranbourne and Huntingdale — are to merge in a mega $80-$120m redevelopment. It is understood that the redevelopment will be at Huntingdale’s site in Oakleigh South, and when complete in 2025, the Cranbourne course will close.
Cranbourne general manager Andrew Kenny told the HeraldSun that the reason behind the merger were changes to land tax made by the Victorian Government in 2021 which meant the club would have been required to pay an additional $1.6 million in land tax under the changes.
The 120-year-old car club has revealed a sleek new offering at its Melbourne headquarters.
RACV CLUB HAS revealed a modern and stylish new interior at its revamped Melbourne CBD headquarters. The cafe and dining offerings beyond the impressive new foyer to the private members’ club have been revamped, with members greeted by lush fabrics, plush carpets and timber tones in the refreshed space.
The major ground-floor and level-one refurbishment at 501 Bourke Street ushers in a new era for RACV Club, which was established in 1903. Beyond the foyer and front desk, the bistro space features a massive 13m high ceiling, sculptured lights and an impressive winding staircase. There is also more discreet seating in the coffee lounge with both banquette seating and bar chairs and high tables alongside the historic car badge display.
Apart from a revamped bistro and cafe, the club has also extended its state-of-the-art Fitness Centre adjacent to its 25m lap pool and One Spa, plus added multiple brand-new shared workspaces. Existing offerings, including a billiards room and function spaces, remain unchanged but there are plans for a refresh of its hotel-style accommodation.
On level one, the Gallery Lounge – which offers a program of exhibitions showcasing the RACV Art Collection – leads to the award-winning Members Dining Room and updated private Wine Bar where members can try local drops such as Little Lon Distilling Co.
The refit adds to the new Bourke Street Green which is open to the public, as is the bright blue rooftop bar Sojourn and the club’s Le Petit Gateau cafe and patisserie.
Instant pay is just one idea set to attract casuals and millennials to your club venue.
CLUBS FACE THINNING roster numbers this summer, adding to the existing pain of severe staff shortages with an extra 200,000 hospitality workers required to fill the gaps. With a lack of both trained and untrained staff, a lack of backpackers and skilled hospitality workers leaving in droves, food and bar takings are also expected to suffer as a result, despite the pent-up demand. Regional Australia is expected to be particularly hard hit.
Online recruiter Barcats Australia CEO Jeffrey Williams said the industry requires 200,000 new recruits overall this summer to prevent venues closing their doors for up to three days a week, and offering limited menus to diners who may have to wait up to 25 per cent longer for their meals.
“The hospitality industry in Australia is worth $71.3 billion, and right now, it is time to call in the reinforcements because if we are any chance of seeing hospitality soar this summer, we need support,” Williams said.
“It has been a long and challenging few years for this sector and we are desperate to see pubs and clubs, bars and restaurants, cafes and hotels thriving again. But the
reality is, if we don’t get workers back, customers will suffer.”
Casual staffing platform, Sidekicker, recently found that the hospitality sector has increased casual rates significantly, rising between 15-25 per cent and up to and beyond 30 per cent for certain roles compared to six months ago. Over the past year, Sidekicker found the highest growth in demand for casual work was for those under 25 and over 55.
Sidekicker CEO Thomas Amos said that there’s unprecedented opportunity for people to make extra cash through well-paid casual and temporary work. Hospitality workers are earning well above the minimum wage with F&B attendants and bartenders earning up to $40 an hour and casual chefs pocketing $50 an hour.
“Many businesses are continuing to experience huge demand for staff; not just the hospitality industry,” Amos said. “There are a lot of reasons people might choose to pick up extra work, whether they’re uni students looking for flexible work hours, business owners needing an extra income stream, or parents who just want to pick up shifts when it suits them.”
In a bid to solve staffing shortages and fill shifts some club venues are offering instant income after a shift, rather than staff having to wait for a pay cycle.
Australian Earned Wage Access provider Paytime says half the enquiries they receive each week come from hospitality workers who want to access their shift earnings as they work rather than wait for payday.
The Rocky Sports Club in Rockhampton and Club Toowoomba have both recently started offering Earned Wage Access to staff after struggling to fill shifts. For an ATM-style fee, employees can access their earned pay via an app with the money instantly transferred into their bank account.
“We normally pay our staff fortnightly so it can be quite a drawn-out process, especially if the shift you work is at the start of that pay cycle,” says Jack Hughes, general manager of both clubs. “When I heard about Paytime I thought it was a fantastic option for our clubs. Like many in the hospitality industry we hire a lot of uni students and senior school students so being able to offer them their money straight after a shift is a huge drawcard.”
That was the brief for GoPlay from Corowa RSL Club, now everyone is happy with the end result – especially the kids, writes Grant Jones.
WHEN COROWA RSL Club managers turned up at the GoPlay stand at this year’s Australasian Hospitality and Gaming (AHG) Expo in Brisbane, little did sales manager Simon Lovell realise this playground plan would be no walk in the park. After their initial meeting, Lovell headed to Corowa, a town of about 6000 people on the Victoria/NSW border.
The existing indoor playground had a play unit that included PlayStations, TV screens, and iPads for the kids to use. The play unit was designed to mimic Corowa’s main street and was a great touch. However, the PlayStations and iPads had taken a beating.
“I wanted to design a playground that kept kids entertained for hours,” Lovell said. Trying to keep with the town design feel, he created new acrylic graphic panels with a glass-like finish to display images of Corowa’s main street and included interactive game panels into the design. The club can easily update and rotate games to keep the entertainment rolling.
Next was the outside. This small Murray River town had big plans. Build us a playground. We want to be seen from Melbourne!
“I knew something extraordinary had to be drawn, and I was very excited,” Lovell says. “I wanted to create something for children to explore through, which offered little pockets of excitement on every level. So, big, bright and new was the thought pattern for the design.”
The new outdoor area, which officially opened in September, has lifted the 11,500-member club to new heights, with its 5.5m-high Skydeck, 6m double slide and 7m-plus viewing platform. As height isn’t for everyone, activity games and panels are also offered at a level that ensures everyone can be involved.
Club CEO Peter Norris says the club – and playground – has been “absolutely full” since opening.
“It’s taller than our building, at almost 8m at its highest point, and what it has done other than looking after our local community, is to attract people from larger regional centres, Albury-Wodonga and Wangaratta,” he says. “We even have had some families coming from Bright, in the High Country, because we are that sort of a day-trip distance [90 minutes, one-way]. There has been a lot more of that than we anticipated, and it also goes to show that, with a facility of this magnitude, there is not a lot of it around.”
The GoPlay spaces are also something everyone could enjoy. As the club saying goes, if the kids are happy, the parents – and grandparents – are happy.
“It’s such a good facility to have and the guys did an amazing job and delivered everything they said they would,” Norris says.
This year, the club has invested about $1 million on the indoor and outdoor kids’ play areas, plus the new Miss Birdy function space – and there is more to come.
Short-term plans include renovations to the reception and foyer. Next is a meeting with architects to investigate options to introduce new accommodation.
“We’ve always got something on the go and ready to go next,” says Norris, a father of two, and now “Best Dad Ever!”
IF THE VETERAN community is core to an RSL club’s purpose then there is no better physical example than the smart new event room at Currumbin RSL. It doesn’t host vet services events – yet – nor is it the location for post-Anzac Day twoup or after-ceremony drinks – but it could be that too.
The reason this sparkling new multipurpose function space and balcony overlooking Currumbin Creek is a prime example of RSL clubs giving back, is that it was built by a former Afghanistan vet and Middle East security contractor. Paul Langer, the owner of AC Fitouts, has a strong connection to Currumbin RSL Club as it was the location of the Veteran Services Centre he was attending after he left the armed forces.
After four and a half years as a Brisbanebased infantry soldier, including a tour in Afghanistan, Langer left the army in 2010 but returned to the Middle East as a contractor for a further 10 years. But the role of providing personal protection in Afghanistan for the diplomatic services was “unsustainable” so he left. His permanent return to the Gold Coast led him to Currumbin RSL and the VSC.
“The Veteran Support Centre is an absolute literal lifesaver and is absolutely crucial for people who are leaving (the military),” he says. “Eligibility for benefits and services is a particularly difficult system to navigate without a guide. Which is what they do for you.”
Langer had sustained various back and knee injuries and hearing loss during his
military service and contracting work, eventually resulting in 11 surgeries, and knew after his return that he had to do something that didn’t require the mental and physical stamina of his military work. That turned out to be commercial fitouts and, after buying an existing business in January 2020, he discovered through his club contacts that the RSL was renovating.
“I stayed in contact with the club and contacts there, and that relationship has just grown organically. We were getting bigger projects and the business has grown alongside it,” he says.
In the face of covid, AC Fitouts took on the job of refurbing the gaming room, gaming suite and pizza shop, followed by the Waterside Events space which has just been completed.
“We put a lot into it, there is a lot of care taken. When you are working with someone that you care about, you put a lot of care into it,” he says.
While the issues that he faced during the build were vast “context is always key”, he says.
“You do manage to ground yourself a little bit more after seeing what you see (in the military),” he adds.
Langer is now in further discussions with the RSL club about other projects, including a refurb of Southport Bowling Club.
“The veteran community are our core purpose, and it was a good outcome that we were able to move forward with AC Fitouts for this renovation,” says Club CEO John Bucknell.
Langer is grateful for the mutual support.
“We are looking at future projects and helping out with budgeting and developing
their future planning,” he says. “We are trying to help them understand how much their projects are worth and how long they are going to take and how we will work in with their scheduling and their functioning.”
The more work he gets the better the chances are of employing other veterans.
“Returning was very confronting and very different but, like anything, you have to look after your family and your future and the people that we work with now are a huge part of our lives.
“It’s been a huge transition and it’s not always been easy but all in all if you surround yourself with good people, good results usually happen.
“We are trying to present it as a team sport instead of a competitive thing. The more open honest and forward you can be, the more beneficial is it to both parties in the process.”
MORE THAN 380 members from clubs across Western Australia attended the 2022 Clubs WA Industry Awards for Excellence at The Esplanade Hotel by Rydges, Fremantle recently.
“After another challenging year for the clubs’ sector, it’s great to come together and celebrate the efforts of our members,” Clubs WA CEO, Karen Giles said.
“Congratulations to all the category finalists and winners and thank you to all of our Corporate Partners who help make our annual awards such a spectacular event.”
In addition to the top awards, outgoing Clubs WA President Wally Maker was thanked for his 20-plus years of service to the WA clubs industry with incoming Clubs WA President (and long-term board member) Geof Irvin (Kalamunda RSL) presenting Maker (Royal Fremantle Golf Club) with a farewell gift on the night.
Special guests to attend the September event included state
politicians Paul Papalia and David Templeman and the former federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, The Hon. Ken Wyatt AM. Also in attendance were representatives from 25 of Clubs WA’s corporate partners.
After the awards were all presented, the winners congratulated and the dinner eaten, attendees danced the night away to classic West Australian band, the Troupadores plus special guest, Johnny Young, an inductee into both the TV Week Logie Awards Hall of Fame and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame.
There are almost 1,00 licensed community sport, social, cultural and recreation clubs across WA that share more than 400,000 members. Of those clubs more than 500 clubs and associations are members of Clubs WA, a not-for-profit industry body that represents the interests of licensed and community clubs in Western Australia.
With the serious business done, it was time to party.
Long-Term Service finalists with winner Matthew Holyday (far right) from The ANZAC Club WA.
Best Club Industry Supplier
MiClub – nominated by The Western Australian Golf Club Club Tourism Dunsborough & Districts Country Club
The Challenge
Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club
Grassroots Sports Ellenbrook Football Club
Function Facility
The ANZAC Club WA Club Development - Small/Medium
The Geraldton Yacht Club Club Development – Large Ocean Reef Sea Sports Club Club Marketing Coogee Beach Surf Lifesaving Club
Building Communities - Small/Medium Leederville Sporting Club
Building Communities – Large Byford and Districts Country Club
Future Direction Ocean Reef Sea Sports Club Road Safety
The Upper Great Southern Hockey Association
Long-Term Service
Matthew Holyday – nominated by The ANZAC Club WA Volunteer Contribution Kelly Berry – nominated by Byford and Districts Country Club
Lifetime Contribution to Volunteering
Kevin Shanhun – nominated by Emu Point Sports & Community Centre
Embracing Growth
Leederville Sporting Club Clubs WA Achievement Award Port Kennedy Soccer Club Resilience
Byford and Districts Country Club
Congratulations to WA clubs with milestone anniversaries
• Port Kennedy Soccer Club – 25 years
• Thornlie Football & Sports Club – Senior Football – 50 years
• Kalamunda RSL Sub-Branch – 50 years
• Maddington Football & Sporting Club – 100 years
• Leederville Sporting Club – 115 years
The bowling fraternity gathered for the Hall of Fame and Awards Night for the first time since 2019.
AUSTRALIA’S BOWLING FRATERNITY were finally able to gather in person for Bowls Australia’s 2022 Hall of Fame and Awards Night at Crowne Plaza, Surfers Paradise, after two years of virtual events. The event recognised and celebrated the outstanding performers of 2021 and 2022, and the sport’s greatest achievers.
Those honoured included Commonwealth Games Australia International Female Bowler of the Year Lynsey Clarke (Club Tweed) and Sport Australia International Male Bowler of the Year Aaron Wilson (Cabramatta, NSW) who spearheaded Australia’s attack on the 2022 Multi-Nations test event, UK Tri-Nations, Trans Tasman Test Series and Birmingham Commonwealth Games. It was Aaron’s second International Bowler of the Year accolade, following on from his previous win in 2017.
The night also paid recognition to a plethora of players, officials and clubs for their success throughout the 2021/22 calendar across 12 categories, as well as additions to the BA Hall of Fame and elevations to legend status.
Outgoing Bowls Australia CEO Neil Dalrymple said Surfers Paradise was the perfect backdrop to the sport’s night of nights.
“The Gold Coast is a heartland for the sport of bowls and was an ideal setting to showcase the achievements of both the sport’s grassroots and high-performance elite at the Hall of Fame and Awards Night, where many Queenslanders’ contributions were recognised,” he said.
Bowls Australia Hall of Fame inductees included Marion Stevens, Dennis Dalton, Herbert (Bert) Sharp, Albert (Bert) Palm and Ronald (Ron) Tuckerman. The recipients of the Elevation to Legend Status were Karen Murphy AM, Steve Glasson OAM and Rob Parrella OAM.
Audika Community Service Award: Chirnside Park Bowls Club (Chirnside Park, Vic)
Right at Home Volunteer of the Year: Eric Sydenham (Narre Warren, Vic)
Blooms the Chemist Official of the Year: Ann Walsh (Mornington Peninsula, Vic)
Apia Coach of the Year: John Rodis (West Dubbo, NSW)
DrinkWise Club of the Year: Club Merrylands (NSW)
BCiB Bowler with a Disability of the Year: Serena Bonnell (Broadbeach, Qld)
MakMax Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year: Taylor de Greenlaw (Cabramatta, NSW)
Specsavers Under-18 Male Bowler of the Year: Jack McShane (Club Merrylands, NSW)
Tourism and Events Queensland Male Bowler of the Year: Nick Cahill (Broadbeach, Qld)
Major Events Gold Coast Female Bowler of the Year: Kelsey Cottrell (Broadbeach, NSW)
Commonwealth Games Australia International Female Bowler of the Year: Lynsey Clarke (Club Tweed, Qld)
Sport Australia International Male Bowler of the Year: Aaron Wilson (Cabramatta, NSW)
A GRASSROOTS PUSH to keep a community asset is no more evident than the collaboration between Newport RSL Club and Newport Bowls Club in Melbourne’s inner west. At one end is a struggling RSL. At the other is a bowlo which had healthy visitation thanks to its Way Out West Roots Music Club, a live music collaboration that organisers Rob and Wendy Rowe relocated to Newport after the closure of the Williamstown RSL Club, despite better offers.
Music in Newport is unique with Way Out West not about bricks and mortar, but about a community supporting a club.
“We wanted to do it [move] for the right reasons, not just for money-spinning reasons,” says Rowe says. “Newport Bowlo wanted to make it a community hub and that’s what it already was. It’s a very closeknit goup of people and, after covid, it was pretty much a walk-up crowd, people coming from the area.”
Mary and Ian Nicholls took over the struggling RSL club a few years ago, ploughing tens of thousands of their own money into the venue, installing new fridges, stocking the bar and investing in upgrades, plus volunteering up to 50 hours a week. They were given 12 months by RSL
Victoria to turn the club around – and that they did.
Rather than be competitors, the Nicholls and Rowes decided to collaborate, with the bowlo’s Way Out West weekend entertainment offering local bands and visiting international artists from 2pm-5pm. At the same time, the RSL club offered smaller open-mic sessions and solo acts. After 6pm, the RSL takes over, with Mary booking live bands which means patrons who want to kick on can wander across from the bowlo.
“I’ll send her our gig list and she will work out someone who will work with our gig,” Rowe says, adding that they help each other out. “Just a couple of weeks ago, we needed a base amp and couldn’t get one, so we borrowed theirs.”
Around the same time, locals and longtime live music fans, Naomi West and Tom Backus, began to host live bands on their balcony overlooking a Newport park.
“Texas Tom’s Balcony Blues started in our home in 2017 but due to the overwhelming attendance, we moved it to the Newport RSL which has beared fruit for both us and the RSL,” says ‘Texas’ Tom. The musicians now receive door takings and the RSL the F&B takings.
“Moving to this larger venue enabled us to accommodate a larger crowd, most of which are Way Out West members, which in turn benefitted the bands. We now have people coming from all over Victoria to support live music.”
The aim was and still is, to have the bands benefit financially while having a great time, he says.
“It’s a great thing and people are supporting both clubs and we are working together,” says Mary Nicholls. “I think it’s important that clubs work together. People are rotating from venue to venue, so everybody wins.”
Mary and Ian now have enough in the bank to re-stump the old internment huts from Tatura, to improve the kitchen, add new toilet facilities and move the stage, plus continue to support veterans. They will also install air-con after being awarded a $10,000 State Local Communities Grant which make summer entertainment a bit more bearable in the 150-capacity venue.
“We are a non-pokie venue too, which means the venue has a wonderful feel to it,” adds Ian. “Some of our musicians say the vibe is perfect for them.”
That deserves an encore.
Cheryl Jones is a familiar face at the reception desk of Southport Sharks. After 21 years at the club she leaves with many memories.
Cheryl Jones joined Southport Sharks as a casual bar attendant in 2001, eventually finding her way to work at reception. In 2013, she was named the winner of the Silver Shark Award for her exceptional service skills. Cheryl also happens to be married to Southport Sharks COO Chris Jones.
How did you find yourself working at Southport Sharks?
We moved to the Gold Coast from Tasmania and initially purchased a business. After we sold the business, I was looking for part-time work and already had some friends and family working at Southport Sharks.
Sadly, a year after you joined, the Bali Bombings occurred and the club lost a player, Billy Hardy Jr, and several other players were injured. What did you learn about the club from its response? The club was quick to respond and offer support to the players on the trip and their families. They also gathered the players and other football support staff for regular updates. It was an extremely emotional time for all. The club still remembers the day every year with a candlelight memorial in the club foyer. Billy Hardy Jr’s football boots were bronzed and feature in the Club Memorial Display.
What roles have you played at the club since and what prompted you to stay so long?
I worked in the beverage outlets for the first couple of years and then was transferred to the club reception. The regular members and the great team of staff working on the front desk are what kept me there for so long. Gary – our Front Office Team Leader – has even been there longer than me.
What changes have you seen at the club in your decades there?
The club has grown impressively over my 21 years, adding a new gaming room, food court, café, sports bar, events and fitness centre, and even a 120-room hotel with a rooftop bar!
What will you miss most about working at the club?
The regulars and the fellow staff members.
What will you do now? Any plans?
I want to assist in the care and development of our grandchildren. And have a few cappuccinos and lunch with my girlfriends. I also want to get fit by taking up pickleball and pilates. We have already done a lot of domestic and overseas travel, but have a few holiday destinations that we may return to, plus we have a son who lives in Toronto who we hope to see more often.
