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WELCOME / Ed’s Note
Signing in Welcome to our first edition of Club Management, your magazine about clubs, for clubs WELCOME TO OUR inaugural Club Management
non-performing venues was already assured but
magazine, serving Australia’s dynamic clubs’ sector.
just how long it was going to take was another
And what a time to launch! Clubs Australia-wide
matter. COVID-19 answered that question for many.
are going through a time of great change, as is
While the loss of many a local sporting and
their membership. From the days of beers, bistros
community club is always a sad prospect,
and bingo to today’s fine diners, fancy hotels and
merged clubs are often re-created into new,
elaborate functions centres, there is a lot happening.
invigorated venues bringing with them increased
In more than a decade of writing about and
opportunity to diversify or start afresh. Clubbies
working with clubs, I have seen the big venues
are a resilient bunch and they are already
get bigger and improve their economies of scale.
bouncing back better than ever, so we look
In addition, they have created an amazing variety
forward to sharing more good club news with
of new offerings worthy of shouting from the
you and helping you and your club become a
rooftops – literally.
better leader in your field.
As our cover illustration shows, club portfolios
Club Management aims to share all this exciting
increasingly include standalone restaurants and
activity with you, plus offer a host of fresh ideas in
smart cafes, plush new hotels, conference and
our weekly digital newsletter, on our website and in
business centres, gyms, child-care and aged care
this quarterly magazine. We value your feedback,
facilities. There are medical centres and upmarket,
be you a bowlo, RSL, sporting or surf club, so drop
luxe apartment complexes for active retirees, as well
us a line anytime from anywhere in Australia.
as investment in hotels and holiday apartments for
Signing out.
club members to use. Diversification is not only the key to surviving but thriving.
Grant Jones
Grant Jones
Demographics are changing, some sporting
Acting Managing Editor, Club Management
habits have withered, and old clubs now sit on
gjones@intermedia.com.au
increasingly valuable real estate. The attrition of
www.clubmanagement.com.au
Published by: Food and Beverage Media Pty Ltd 41 Bridge Road GLEBE NSW Australia 2037 Tel: 02 9660 2113
WE ENCOURAGE RESPONSIBLE DRINKING Get the facts DrinkWise.org.au
‘From the days of beers, bistros and bingo to today’s fine diners, fancy hotels and elaborate functions centres, there is a lot happening.’
Commercial Director - Hospitality Group: Simon York Tel: 02 8586 6163 Mob: 0431 219 328 syork@intermedia.com.au
Publisher: Paul Wootton
General Manager Sales – Liquor & Hospitality Group: Shane T. Williams
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Cover Illustration: Elena Fombertaux
Production Manager: Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au
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This publication is published by Food and Beverage Media Pty Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by Australian and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information. All express or implied terms, conditions, warranties, statements, assurances and representations in relation to the Publisher, its publications and its services are expressly excluded save for those conditions and warranties which must be implied under the laws of any State of Australia or the provisions of Division 2 of Part V of the Trade Practices Act 1974 and any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof. To the extent permitted by law, the Publisher will not be liable for any damages including special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (including but not limited to economic loss or loss of profit or revenue or loss of opportunity) or indirect loss or damage of any kind arising in contract, tort or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such loss of profits or damages. While we use our best endeavours to ensure accuracy of the materials we create, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher excludes all liability for loss resulting from any inaccuracies or false or misleading statements that may appear in this publication. Copyright © 2022 - Food and Beverage Media Pty Ltd
6 / Club Management
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.
See the full range of our liquor and hospitality titles below.
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BEER & BREWER
SPICE MAGAZINE
CONTENTS / Winter
Winter 2022
34 Regulars
10 / News Briefs
54 34 / Dee Why RSL
Beachside club’s biggest reno in 70 years
Club news across the country
18 / The Foyer
42 / RACV Wrap
The best new products on
New Cape Schanck chef and
the market
resort reno
62 / PLAY
44 / Surf Clubs
The next generation of our
With MJ Playgrounds
Features
22 / Gosford RSL
iconic SLSCs
54 / The Castlereagh
City Tatts’ new Colin Fassnidge pub
The new gateway to the Central Coast
58 / Soft Furnishings
24 / The Concord
Croatian Club’s rebirth at Concord RSL
26 / Brothers Cairns
Stadium spend and new Q Sports Bar
28 / Perfect Plate
Chefs on tour for ClubsNSW food awards
30 / Illawarra Catholic Club
Creating atmosphere in the colder months
Insiders
80 / The great return to work
Managing expectations after the pandemic
82 / The hunt is on
Search for staff at home and abroad
84 / Navigating the new normal
ClubsNSW CEO Josh Landis’s
stays clean
brighter future
Steve Sidd takes on three venues
74 / The Innovators
Straight to the Source taps into talent
/ Awards for Excellence Queensland clubs kick up their heels
Hurstville hotel,
Drinks
Blue Mountains hotel
70 /
8 / Club Management
72 / Winter is coming
Textiles going green and what
66 / Catering HQ
76
58
86 / Recognising candidates
CVV CEO Andrew Lloyd on the state election
88 / Looking ahead
Extrapreneur’s Ron Browne says regroup to survive
89 / Q&A
Second generation club manager Jackson Sobb
Two Birds Ground-breaking female brewers
90 / Diary
The events you need to know
NEWS / National News briefs
Cashless card trial up in the air The Tasmanian Government is “determined” to bring in a cashless pre-commitment card for EGMs should it be recommended by the Liquor and Gaming Commission, while NSW appears to have put its plans on ice. According to the latest reports, Tasmanian Treasurer Michael Ferguson has directed the LGC to investigate card-based precommitment scheme schemes and facial recognition technology as part of legislation passed last year. The investigation is looking into time limits, expenditure limits, live activity data, self-exclusion, breaks in play and on-screen messaging. A full report and recommendations are expected to be tabled by June 30. The NSW Government, meanwhile, is reportedly reversing a
$20m Live Music grants up for grabs
commitment to bring in a mandatory cashless card scheme after a
Applications for round five of the $20m Live Music Australia
change of minister and lobbying by ClubsNSW which claimed the
program to support club venues from 2023 are expected to open up
system would cost the industry $1.8bn a year.
again later this year, after the Federal election.
The NSW cashless card trial was led by Aristocrat Gaming and
The Federal Government is supporting the return of live music
was scheduled to take place at Wests Newcastle. But new Gaming
to venues, including clubs, as they continue to re-establish regular
Minister Kevin Anderson is believed to want to ditch the cashless
programming of original live Australian music. Up to $2.5m in grants has
card in favour of other opt-in digital payments.
been shared by 102 venues under round four of the program.
Victoria’s voluntary opt-in system only accounted for 0.1 per cent
The Live Music Australia funding has been adapted to assist live
of gaming machine turnover, while a trial in Queensland found
music venues in the post-pandemic recovery phase. The grants are
“significant effort” was needed to encourage players to use the cards.
intended to bring more original live Australian music to communities by funding small-to-medium venues, including clubs, across the country. “Local pubs and clubs are vital to the live music economy, which is why we’re pleased to deliver $2.5 million to support 102 venues rebuild and become operational as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease,” Minister Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said. “We want our live music venues primed to host performances, to engage and entertain audiences, and to maximise their economic recovery and sustainability.” For more information go to the Live Music Australia program at www.arts.gov.au
Surf club committment The 50-year-old Torquay Surf Lifesaving Club is set for a rebuild after Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged $6.5 million for its redevelopment. “This funding means the club can expand patrols, Nipper programs, surf sports and community events,” said Liberal candidate for Corangamite Stephanie Asher who recently visited the club with PM. “The existing Torquay SLSC was built in 1972 and has been outgrown by the increasing number of local residents and visitors at one of Victoria’s busiest beaches,” the PM said. The federal pledge of $6.5m adds to a $3.5m pledge from the state Liberals earlier in the year, and $2 million the club has itself raised. The pledge comes on top of is in addition to an already promised $9.7 million in additional funds promised to Surf Life Saving Clubs. Surf clubs: The next generation, page 42
10 / Club Management
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NEWS / NSW
Wests sells Workers site Wests Group is pulling out of its DA-approved $160 million twin-tower residential apartments and seniors living concept in Newcastle with the old Newcastle Workers Club site back on the market. Wests, which owns the Newcastle Knights NRL team, bought the site and adjoining car park in 2015 for $19m from the Panthers Group. The original club was destroyed in the earthquake which hit the city in 1989, killing nine people in the club. A new club building was unveiled in 1992 with Panthers group acquiring the venue in 2001. Wests purchased the inner-city property with the intention of redeveloping it into a residential and entertainment precinct but Colliers now has
Ragged tail of Tigers The long-running saga of the neglected Balmain Tigers
the 6600sqm site property listed for sale with DA approval for the two towers and 285 basement parking spaces. Wests’ portfolio also includes registered clubs
Leagues Club in Sydney’s inner
Wests New Lambton Leagues Club, Wests New
west continues after yet another
Lambton Bowling Club, Wests Mayfield, Wests City,
blaze broke out, causing traffic
Wests Nelson Bay and Wests Cardiff.
chaos at the Rozelle site.
It also owns accommodation offerings at The
The fire ripped through the
Executive Inn and The Gateway Inn in Newcastle
vandalised building with police
and The Anchorage in Port Stephens. The group
searching for two suspects who
also runs Balance Collective fitness centres and the
were seen running from the club
Newcastle Exhibition & Convention Centre.
which has been sitting idle for
In 2019, planning authorities rejected a similar
more than a decade since it was
seniors’ living and aged-care development at Wests
shuttered in 2010.
Mayfield because of the scale and impact of the plan.
The club – and its debt of $24m – was bought for $1, before it changed hands several times over the past decade. Balmain Leagues Club entered voluntary administration in 2018 and in 2019 members of both Balmain Leagues Club and Wests Ashfield Leagues Club voted almost unanimously for amalgamation, backed by the most recent owner, developer, Heworth. The Wests merger offered a five-year commitment to provide funding for the Balmain Tigers Rugby League Football Club and Balmain Tigers Junior Rugby League Club. Wests Ashfield accepted responsibility for the outstanding loan repayments that were owed to the NRL by Balmain Tigers. Malaysian real estate and hospitality investors Mulpha backed the Heworth plan for $75 million in 2018 and endorsed $135-million mixed-use development plans, which included a new Balmain Tigers club, and was approved by the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel in 2020. Heworth also proposed two apartment towers, shops and a metro station but it never eventuated, stymied by height restrictions and local objections. The State Government then considered using the Victoria Rd block as a spoil excavation site for the Western Harbour Tunnel project. The local Mayor has called for what remains of the site to be demolished. 12 / Club Management
FOOD & HOSPITALITY ADVISORS TO CLUBS CUSTOMISED, ON TREND, F&B STRATEGIES FOR THE CLUB INDUSTRY OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: › › › › › › › › ›
Food & Hospitality Strategies - Realignments, Redevelopments and New Build Projects Concept Development & Implementation EOI + Catering Tender Process Operational Assessments & Restaurant Capability Assessments Competitive Landscape Reviews & Benchmarking Revenue Forecasting / P&L Analysis Sustainable F&B Volumes (Floor Area & Revenue) Scheme Assessment - Maximising the Physical Envelope Gap Analysis - Understanding Opportunities
WE ARE CLUB SPECIALISTS Contact Francis Loughran on 0418 586 149 or floughran@futurefood.com.au futurefood.com.au
NEWS / NSW & ACT
Country clubs bowled over The local RSL SubBranch is assessing the future of the Bomaderry RSL Club site after its operator, Bomaderry Bowling Club, decided to
Mingara’s room for Central Coast hotel Mingara Recreation Club has lodged a development application for a five-storey, 86-room hotel with the NSW Central Coast Council.
close the RSL Club by the end of the financial year. The Bomaderry RSL sub-branch had
The Tumbi Umbi hotel, including new foyer, service rooms and an extra 11 car spaces, would be built on the western side of the existing club, making use of a refurbished front entrance. Parent company Mingara Leisure Group also runs Springwood Sports Club in the Blue Mountains, The
previously stated the NSW South Coast club will “remain and continue
Westport Club at Port Macquarie, Lantern Club in south-west Sydney and The Greens at The Entrance. It
to operate and offer
posted revenues of $89.9 million in the 2020-21 financial year, up from $71.6 million.
services and support our
Last year, the group also lodged plans with the council for a $10.5 million rebuild of The Greens club, destroyed by fire in 2020.
veterans require”. The RSL’s liquor and gaming licences will remain with Bomaderry
Croquet CAP grant
ACT clubs pokie pushback
The ACT Government has
Canberra clubs, struggling post-COVID,
EGMs will be absorbed
vowed to contribute almost
are pushing back against continued ACT
into the bowling club
half a million dollars to save
Government moves to limit the number
operations and are
the heritage-listed Canberra
and spend on EGMs.
likely to be transferred
Croquet Club in Yarralumla. The $410,000 grant, from the
Government reforms propose a
Bowling Club and 54
to a new club facility in
central monitoring system to link all
Bomaderry on the site of
Capital Assistance Program
poker machines in the ACT and cap
the former cattle
(CAP), will go towards new
the maximum individual bet at $5
sale yards.
toilets, female-friendly facilities,
and maximum credit at $100. After
disability access and storage
battling the pandemic for two years, the
examples of many
and safety improvements.
industry says this system could cost
more club sites which
up to $18m to introduce, yet no one knows who will foot the bill. In all
are allowed to fall into
old club currently share one
likelihood, the government would cover upfront establishment costs
neglect, despite their
toilet and asbestos has been
with clubs paying ongoing fees. On top of that the ACT Government
massive potential as
discovered in its internal walls.
has launched the latest round of its $15,000 per poker machine
community hubs.
Members of the 94-year-
“This is a heritage-listed site
surrender incentive as part of an ongoing campaign to reduce the
in the ACT [the government is]
number of machines. It has budgeted $1.74m on the incentive in a bid
providing that funding for a site
to cut the number of EGM authorisations by up to 116.
that is meaningful to so many
As part of a Labor-Greens power-sharing agreement, the ACT has
in the community,” Minister for
committed to reducing the number of EGMs from about 4000 to 3500
Education Yvette Berry said.
by July 2025. There are 3611 EGMs in operation across Canberra.
Keep up with the latest industry news! Subscribe now to our weekly newsletter: https://clubmanagement.com.au/subscribe-to-newsletter/ 14 / Club Management
They are just three
info@capitaldesignworks.com.au
www.capitaldesignworks.com.au
NEWS / QLD
Clubs Queensland announces new CEO Clubs Queensland has announced IGT Queensland & NT State Manager Craig Harley as its new Chief Executive Officer who will take up the role on 20 June. Craig (pictured below) replaces former rugby league player and coach Kelly Egan who handed in his resignation in February. Craig brings a wealth of experience to the role, not only from IGT but also many years in senior leadership roles with Knight Frank Australia, CB Richard Ellis and Aristocrat Technologies. He is also the father of three teenage children. “Craig has an incredible dedication to the community, involvement with the charity, Smart
VALE: Cairns Jockey Club legend Clive
Pups Assistance Dogs for Special
Queensland’s equestrian and
Needs Kids,” Clubs Queensland
thoroughbred racing industries
President Gavin Lyons said.
have lost their most influential and
which is exemplified through his
“Craig also has an in-depth
iconic character – the voice of the
knowledge of the club industry
Far North’s racing scene – Clive
and is exactly the person needed
Gordon, who died in May aged 87.
to build upon the success of Clubs
Mr Gordon was regarded as
Queensland and the club industry as
a legend of the racing industry,
a whole. We are looking forward to
dedicating more than 40 years
Craig joining us.”
to the Cairns Jockey Club in a
Egan, CEO since 2020, is moving
number of roles before retiring as
back to NSW with his family for
the club’s Clerk of Scales in 2019
personal and health reasons. His
at the age of 84.
last official event was hosting the
He accumulated more than 70 years’ of
“It didn’t matter how long someone had been on the scene, he knew every rider,
recent Awards for Excellence, held
experience in equestrian sports, having
trainer, horse and we was very accurate.
in March, at the Brisbane Exhibition
started out as a 12-year-old competitor at
He’ll be remembered as a gentleman, but
Centre (see P74). Kelly will be taking
the Cairns Show in 1946. The main arena
also for his tones as a caller and then his
on the role of head of recruitment for
at Cairns Showgrounds has been named
in-depth knowledge of racing,” Alex told
the Canberra Raiders.
the Clive Gordon Arena in his honour. It is
local press.
likely there will now be a race named in Mr Gordon’s honour. The President of Cairns Jockey Club, Tom Hedley, said Mr Gordon had the “most beautiful voice”. Mareeba Turf Club president Alex Malliff
16 / Club Management
Cairns-based trainer Peter Rowe was among those who posted tributes on social media. “Devastated to hear of the passing of one of the most supportive, kind-hearted and amazing people in Mr Clive Gordon. Your
said Sunday was a “very sad day for racing”
support towards my training but more so my
in North Queensland, after the industry lost
race calling career will never go unnoticed,”
its most knowledgeable patron.
Peter said.
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Brand news an promotions
2. RDM Pizza RDM Pizza Australia is giving you the opportunity to win a gold Moretti Forni Oven T64E worth over $15,000! All you need to do to enter is simply purchase two cartons of any RDM Pizza product from your Distributor, scan the carton’s QR code on and complete the online entry form. RDM are also rewarding the Distributor and three sales reps over the promotional period that sells the most to entrants over this time and you can enter as many times as you want. Online entries are open until 31 July. Competition is open to foodservice customers and through foodservice distributors and reps only. Keep
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3. Bepoz QR Ordering and Digital Menus are here to stay! Even after social distancing and pandemic restrictions have been lifted, diners are now accustomed to ordering by scanning a QR code. An interactive QR ordering system not only enhances customer engagement, but also increases the total revenue. Experts suggest that customers order more when they see delicious food images and pop-ups suggesting ‘add fries’ before checkout. Updating a menu is also super easy and spend per head increases. “We have seen an increase of 25 per cent in sales after implementing YourOrder,” says Kevin Gebert from Botanical Hotel and Creekside Hotel. Bepoz’s Online Ordering system, YourOrder, also provides hands-on data about customer behaviour which helps you run profitable marketing campaigns and enhance customer loyalty. Get all the tools you need to help your customers celebrate life! www.bepoz.com.au 18 / Club Management
4. Empire Liquor Old Speckled Hen continues to deliver for shoppers. Old Speckled Hen was originally brewed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in England and was named after the old runaround car for the factory. Often parked outside the paint shop, it became the paint-spattered MG became known as the “Owld Speckl’d Un”. Today, Old Speckled Hen is the No.1 selling traditional premium canned ale in the UK, 59 per cent bigger than the second highest selling brand. It’s proudly brought to Australia by distributor Empire Liquor, a local home for iconic British brews. Driving the Australian success of Old Speckled Hen is the unique toffee malt flavour, contributing to a distinctively rich flavour and fruity aroma in this finely balanced and refreshing English Pale Ale. Old Speckled Hen comes in at 5 per cent ABV and 500ml cans, making it the perfect beverage for weekend BBQs, and even pairing with sticky toffee pudding. www.empireliquor.com.au
5. SureVision Now more than ever, customers are engaging with your business through digital means, so it is crucial that the in-store environment replicates the online to create a unified, positive customer experience. At SureVision we specialise in digital LED/LCD solutions, from menu boards, digital advertising screens, street pylons with incorporated digital LED screens to wayfinding digital, transparent or curtain LED screen and much more. Engage your customers at right moment with our best-in-class digital signage platforms, comprising cloud-based CMS, controllers, media players, LED & LCD screens, routers/switches installed on-site, helping bridge the gap between your customers online and in-club experience. With many options, competitive prices and scalability, SureVision provides the right signage solution for your club. www.surevision.com.au
6. JANDS The Evid loudspeaker family is your next high-quality hospitality audio and paging solution. Each member of the EVID family is fit for commercial level audio application, offering superior sound quality at a highly competitive price point while being incredible easy for integrators to install. While the surface model is the most durable, water resistant and viable for indoor and outdoor spaces, the ceiling model is the most popular, due to its seamless integration, and array coverage. The pendant model is the most versatile, going everywhere the other two can’t! Great hospitality centres on care and consideration to every aspect of the customers’ experience. Crafting a well aligned atmosphere for your venue unlocks the next level of care needed to create truly great experiences. Come join the family today. www.jands.com.au Winter 2022 / 19
THE FOYER
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8. MakMax
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Leaving competitors in the shade. MakMax Australia range of Modular Shade Structures and Architectural Umbrellas is the perfect outdoor shade solution for clubs, pubs and restaurants and will enhance your outdoor dining spaces and function areas and attract new customers keen to enjoy an alfresco dining experience. There are limitless possibilities and the MakMax Australia design and engineering teams specialise in bringing you flexible and stylish design options to complement and enhance your alfresco dining areas. MakMax Modular Shade Structures and Architectural Umbrellas are durable
9. C+I Partnership
shade solutions that are built to withstand the harsh
Cullinan Ivanov Partnership (C + I Partnership) is an integrated architectural
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focused projects. C + I believe superior design can transform people’s enjoyment
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Call 1300 625 629, email info@makmax.com.au
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fully-managed process. The C + I team will always comprise highly experienced practitioners dedicated to the efficient and competitive delivery of your project. www.cipartnership.com.au
10. Mixologiq Everyone’s the best bartender with Mixologiq! The Mixologiq Cocktail Machine is the only automated cocktail machine in the world, helping you save time and make money. A cocktail prepared in seconds? No problem! The Mixologiq can mix a drink in under 30 seconds and ensure a consistent, high-quality cocktail. It comes with 100 pre-loaded cocktails, designed by professional bartenders that you can make with two taps of the touch screen. You can also customise as many cocktails as you like! Say goodbye to waste and unnecessary costs and hello to the fastest, most precise and perfect cocktail every time. A must for any club, bar, restaurant or function venue, easy to install, easy to use and easy to clean, with cocktail perfection every time. www.grandcruwinefridges.com.au 20 / Club Management
FEATURE / Redevelopment
Gosford RSL’s $45m transformation The landmark building creating a Gateway to the NSW Central Coast
GOSFORD RSL’S $45M transformation has
a sports bar and a brewery. Another
for the NSW Central Coast.
accommodate the expected increase in the
been revealed as a new landmark building The upgrade, designed by WMK
Architecture with construction by
154-car parking spaces will be added to number of patrons.
“We are incredibly excited to bring
local contractor North Construction &
this project to life after many years of
simulation, will see the club transformed
pandemic,” says Gosford RSL Club CEO
Building and outlined in a new 4D video into a contemporary three-storey ultramodern venue.
The new build will feature a distinctive
porte-cochere entry, RSL museum and
reception servicing both the RSL and the adjoining motel on the ground floor. The first floor will contain a cafe,
lounge, bar, multiple indoor and outdoor
planning and delays caused by the recent Russell Cooper. “Our club has gone
from strength to strength over the past
decade with our popularity demanding significant expansion.”
After reviewing many options, the
decision was made to create an entirely
new venue, to be completed by late 2023. “We are a parochial local business and it
dining options, kids’ play area and teen
means the world to us to be able to create
sophisticated conference and event spaces,
and be proud of whilst also ensuring we
retreat. The second floor will showcase
22 / Club Management
a venue that our community will enjoy
‘It means the world to us to be able to create a venue that our community will enjoy and be proud of.’ Gosford RSL Club CEO, Russell Cooper
FEATURE / Redevelopment
Not just another job for North THE REDEVELOPMENT of Gosford RSL represents more than just another building project for Tuggerah-based company North Construction & Building. “Our site teams and subcontractors live locally and have been enjoying the club’s facilities for many years,” North Managing Director Matthew Cook says. “Many have celebrated significant family events at the club’s restaurant and function rooms and continue to visit regularly. This is North continuing to build in the community and help create the Gateway to Gosford and the Central Coast.” North Projects is also an experienced club project builder having had direct involvement in Wentworth Park and Gosford greyhound racing clubs, Wanderers Rugby Club, Mariners Centre of Excellence Soccer 5’s Clubhouse, The Entrance Leagues Club carpark and Terrigal Surf Lifesaving Club. North staff have, over the years, worked on other club projects before starting at the Central Coast construction company. They include Kurri Kurri Bowling Club, Cessnock Leagues Club, Singleton Diggers, Sporties Tuncurry, Belmont Golf Club, Wingham Services Club, Bathurst Panthers, Wyong Rugby Leagues Club, St John’s Park Bowling Club, Wanderers Rugby Leagues Club, Berkeley Sports & Social Club South Coast, Club Foster, Dee Why RSL, Pittwater RSL, Sawtell RSL and Penrith Panthers. are able to continue supporting our
The existing club will
community and providing outstanding
remain operational throughout
employment opportunities for many
is being created next door. The old
entertainment, hospitality and years to come,” says Russell.
“The fact that we are able to
partner with a successful and capable local builder in North Construction & Building is the icing on the cake. We
can’t wait to welcome our members,
guests, staff and local community into
construction as the new building
and a new carpark constructed in its place.
Equally as excited about the project
is award-winning local contractor North Construction & Building.
“This is a very special project
for us,” North Managing Director
operating since 1960, has about
significant year for North, celebrating
25,000 members and consists of
Gosford RSL Club, The Galaxy Motel
and the Ashwood Motel and employs more than 130 staff.
contract is yet executed.
building will then be demolished
the new Gosford RSL Club.”
Gosford RSL Club Group has been
North also has preferred builder status on the Avoca Beach Bowling Club refurbishment but the
Matthew Cook says. “Not only is it a
our 35-year anniversary, but we also now get to celebrate being awarded our largest community construction project to date.”
Gosford RSL Club Director Gary Young and North Director Ray Millar at the contract signing.
Winter 2022 / 23
FEATURE / Redevelopment
Flight of The Concord Croatian Club aims to transform abandoned RSL into food, family and fun hub
THE CONCORD – that’s the new name of
The Concord director David Matesic on site at the old Concord RSL.
“Gaming is not big in our culture,” says
the old Concord RSL and Community Club
Michael during an exclusive site visit.
owners The Croatian Club Ltd and will make
was less than 10 per cent of takings.”
which is currently being gutted by new
way for an exciting multi-million dollar refit. The Concord will feature a totally new
design by Altis Architecture, new livery
with hints of Croatian colours and fitout
and food inspired by the Dalmatian Coast with fresh and grilled seafood, plus a
“When Punchbowl closed pokies revenue But food is big and the outdoor dining
area will also be a major focus. The main entry will feature a drive-through porte-
cochere to a stairway leading guests to twostorey foyer with lounge. A separate entry
RSL NSW was not legally connected with Concord RSL Club it had been paying
annual holding costs on the vacant site.
The sale was controversial because the
land had been transferred by Concord Golf
Club to the now defunct Concord Council in
1955 under a covenant stating it was only to be used for “public recreation generally”.
In 1963 it was transferred to Concord
to the right leads to the function space.
District RSL Sub Branch under a covenant
wood-fired pizza ovens.
will be a cafe, lounge and, in the distance,
for a registered club and other associated
Concord directors Michael Rimac and David
alfresco area with raised terrace and booths
rotisserie for whole pigs or lamb and two In a guided tour of the site by The
Matesic, the design elements of the 2100sqm
inner western Sydney site have been inspired by Merivale concepts including Justin
On the left, once inside the club, there
a two-storey bar behind which is the
set among olive trees, bocce pitches, big screen and kids play area.
“A quarter of a million Australians used
that stated the site was only to be used recreational uses.
The Concord directors have also reached
out to the remaining RSL club directors for their input.
“We are in contact with the community,
Hemmes’ The Newport and the upstairs
to visit Croatia every year,” David says.
we asked for their feedback and while
as Paul Signorelli’s Doltone House.
back here.”
pride we have in our culture through foods
340-person function space by operators such While the modern fit-out will be created
“We want to bring a taste of that culture The Croatian Club Ltd sold its old
we will be bringing in our people and the and hints in the design, this is a club for
to lure in new members, The Concord
Punchbowl site to pay its way out of a
war memorial feature, and hand over
Concord RSL from RSL NSW for $8.55m
to the City of Canada Bay council in
decision to divest the Concord RSL Club
independent planning panel. The Concord
also intends to reinstate the original
Anzac Day responsibilities to the local RSL sub-branch. Gaming will remain,
likely starting with 20 EGMs, from of a permissible 40 but it’s not a focus. 24 / Club Management
$5m debt and had enough left to purchase last year. The RSL NSW Board made the
premises after it was vacated in 2019 when Concord RSL Club ceased trading. While
everyone,” says Michael.
The Concord plans will be submitted
June and, if approved, will go to an
is looking to open on the October long weekend of 2023.
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FEATURE / Brothers Cairns
Brothers Cairns rebirth begins New Q Sports Bar adds to bistro and function centre, with gaming room and café to come
BROTHERS LEAGUES CAIRNS has revealed
back to the club and construction has just been
renovation plan.
features dedicated seating for punters and
new facilities and part of a major $7m In late February, the club unveiled its
refurbished second-floor function facilities after it moved a block of toilets from the Dreams
function room to another location at the back
of the smaller boardroom function spaces. That
completed on the new Q Sports Bar which
sporting enthusiasts as well as high-definition projection screens for racing and live sports,
alongside TAB, Keno and bar facilities with a
separate entrance for members in Anderson St.
The next stages of the project are the gaming
created an opportunity to open up the space to
room, expected to open in late May, and the café
natural light into the venue.
lounge will be expanded to allow for improved
new northeast-facing windows bringing in more Dreams can now cater for up to 200 guests
and features an island bar and alfresco deck area. While the upstairs provides a boost for functions,
it’s downstairs where the club is spending serious
with a scheduled launch in July. The gaming
spacing between machines following the club’s
success in reducing EGM numbers and improving spacing after the COVID shutdowns in 2020. Brothers Group General Manager Shane
money on a major transformation of its food
Fitzgerald said that decision just made sense.
Constructions on-site working in stages since
that there was more space between patrons,”
and beverage offerings, with builders Rubicon November last year. 26 / Club Management
Last month the renovated bistro was handed
its new Q Sports Bar, among the first of its
“Our members took comfort from the fact
Shane says. “Aside from the positive perceptions
FEATURE / Brothers Cairns
this created during the pandemic, it also
provided greater comfort for players and a more inviting room.
“Like many clubs, our turnover
increased, despite having less machines on the floor and we’ve continued to trade strongly.”
At the centre of the downstairs
renovation will be the new café Fratelli
(Brothers in Italian) which will sit behind floor-to-ceiling windows on the corner
of the building. The new outlet will offer all-day Mediterranean-inspired grazing
options along with pizza, coffee, snacks and treats.
Inspiration for the renovations included
membership profiling and surveys
conducted by marketing consultants Maer Group in 2020. The results highlighted the opportunity to attract a slightly
Cairns Regional Council had initially agreed on a $4m Brothers planned investment into upgrading
grandstand and new storey on the existing pavilion,
The inclusion of a separate entrance
The $12m upgrade will feature improved public bar, offices and spectator viewing areas, as well as new change rooms, gym and other sporting facilities downstairs, alongside a commercial
for Q Sports Bar will also help to zone the
kitchen and bar area with tables.
target markets.
an upstairs undercover area will feature a further
venue and meet the needs of its different The renovations will also introduce
more efficient building management
General Manager
in Manunda.
from the old buffet concept to a new café concept.
Brothers Group
Brothers Leagues Club’s Stan Williams Park
pavilion amenities in line with a state league level.
bistro format and introducing the elevated
Shane Fitzgerald,
A STUNNING $12m upgrade is planned for
younger audience and build its female
membership. That includes moving away
‘Like many clubs, our turnover increased, despite having less machines on the floor and we’ve continued to trade strongly.’
Stan Williams Park $12m upgrade
systems and lower carbon footprint
resulting in smaller power bills. Big-
ticket items include replacing the current cooling system with York chillers which
feature some of the highest efficiencies in the market, along with air-handling units
The main grandstand will seat 517 spectators and 492sqm of seated viewing. The club has applied for federal government funding which is expected to meet half the cost, and as trustee for the site, will pay for maintenance and utilities, expected to be about $400,000pa. Brothers Leagues Club facility on Anderson Rd is also undergoing major upgrades with new cafe and sports bar, plus a refurbished restaurant.
that prevent the over- or under-supply of cooling.
As the first big development at the
club since 2014, there will be up to 150-
full time jobs on-site during construction and an additional 50 staff positions
upon completion. The club has been
focused on hiring locally for the build
in line with its focus on supporting the community it serves.
“Since 2019, Brothers Leagues Club
Group has contributed more than $5m
in support to local sport and community organisations,” Shane says.
Winter 2022 / 27
FEATURE / Perfect Plate
Stepping up to the Plate Patrons dish out compliments for ClubsNSW’s dining awards
COLIN FASSNIDGE KNOWS more
than most about breaking down the
preconceptions of what constitutes pub and club food. After making his name in the
Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel at Dedes Wtaerfront Group’s Watergrill, Cronulla RSL.
kitchen of the Four in Hand pub in Sydney’s Paddington from 2005, the now hard-
working “celebrity” chef has just opened a
venue at The Castlereagh, City Tatts’ latest dining offering in Sydney’s CBD.
“It’s as good as any restaurant,” he
says of the new venue (see P52) after an
agonising two years in hospitality. “A lot of restaurants went bust but clubs were still a
great place to meet and to catch up as many of them are a one-stop shop.”
While many smaller clubs were forced to
close because of the financial impact of the pandemic, Colin is aiming for this year’s
ClubsNSW Perfect Plate awards to lift up
the reputation of dining in the club space. “They have a high customer turnover
and a lot of them are now sourcing great fresh produce. The idea that they are
opening bags full of frozen food is no
improve all the time because the market is constantly changing and people’s
expectations are constantly changing,”
where things are grown, people want to
“They want to compete against each other
great produce and natural ingredients and know where meat comes from.
“People take an interest in how a product
is put together and you are definitely finding
cuisine twice!”
Cronulla RSL CEO Sue McNeill says her
chef and Watergrill kitchen, run by Dedes
want to see creativity and a full explanation
level as a metropolitan centre, regional
“They are still pushing the boundaries for
of what it is,” she says adding that the
themselves. They are all pushing themselves
favour towards younger club members.
always been the hard one to sell here (apart
balance of the demographic is starting to in “We are finding that in a table of 10
traditional RSL club schnitzel, chips, salad, who are expecting things like poke bowls
and creations from chefs like those we have seen from the Perfect Plate today. There is a real widening of expectations on what a group of people want to eat.”
Colin will hit the road with old mate
help raise expectations among members.
the 160-off participating clubs across NSW.
28 / Club Management
While Manu admits that produce quality
clubs are still coming up with the goods.
and fellow Perfect Plate ambassador Manu
“I believe we are still trying to
each other across the whole of NSW.”
is when people come into clubs. And they
a five-star offering and what the expectation
Waterfront Group, are always looking to
improve and the Perfect Plate continues to
so this is pushing them to compete against
and accessibility may not be at the same
steak and then you’ll have the other half
seven nights a week and not eat the same
you know,” he says with a knowing grin.
that there is not a lot of difference between
Ambassador, Colin is still amazed at the “In some clubs, you could eat out
“We are pushing the chefs to get into this
competition because chefs have big egos,
people, you’ll have half of them that are the
variety on offer in some of the bigger clubs.
appeal to the next generation.
she says. “People are more aware now of
longer realistic,” he says.
In his second year as Perfect Plate
says Manu but those that did want to
Feildel to promote the competition among “A lot of the small clubs didn’t survive,”
to do better. For some reason, seafood has from fish and chips), even though we are living here in Australia. But (I see) more
seafood on the menu, there are beautifully grilled prawns, I’ve seen scallops with XO
sauce, there is bouillabaisse risotto. They are creating things outside the norms.”
Members and guests can nominate their
favourite dish up until 19 June. Meanwhile, the chefs’ tour will cover about 20 venues, from the Newcastle to the Hunter Valley, then up and down the coast, including a couple of overnighters. The sleeping arrangements?
“It’s top and tail,” he jokes.
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FEATURE / Illawarra Catholic Club
Club Central’s Above 8 is a step up Heritage hotel, apartments and Travelodge added to an impressive Illawarra Catholic Club portfolio
CLUB CENTRAL’S NEW $80m hotel and club renovation and the purchase of a
heritage hotel and luxury apartments in
atmosphere, and an experience not previously available in the area”.
“We’re uniquely located between the
Blue Mountains confirms the Illawarra
city and southern Sydney bringing a
luxury accommodation market.
with inner city bars,” says Club Central
Catholic Club (ICC) Group’s push into the ICC has acquired the Mountain Heritage
Hotel in Katoomba and the Falls Mountain Retreat apartments in Wentworth Falls,
which follows the relaunch of the ICC’s
Club Central Hurstville, which includes a
new 124-room Travelodge Hotel, operated by TFE Hotels.
By day, natural light streams through
relaxed, modern setting usually associated CEO Paul Richardson. “We have also
NESTLED in the heart of the spectacular Blue Mountains, the multi award-winning Hotel Mountain Heritage purchased by Illawarra Catholic Club Group offers a unique combination of a 4.5 star stay with olde-world charm of the 1900s with breathtaking views over the
focused on locally-sourced, quality
Jamison Valley.
delivers quality over quantity.
nestled on 1.6ha of lush surrounds on
ingredients and a unique menu that “It’s unconventionally categorised by
cooking style including raw, cured, smoked, and dehydrated – ideal to be shared in
The Retreat is a contemporary oasis the edge of the National Park. The fully self-contained one- and two-bedroom apartment suites are equipped with full
small or large groups.”
kitchens and laundries.
Architects designed interior of Above 8,
8’s pizza chef is Erasmo Marsiglia who
Crockett Group managing director
lounge. Perched atop the new Travelodge
be enjoyed next to one of two fireplaces.
floor-to-ceiling glass of the Crawford
Hurstville’s first rooftop restaurant, bar and Hurstville, Above 8’s open-air rooftop offers
Trained by Stefano Manfredi, Above
produces authentic Italian pizza which can The new accommodation and dining
Mountain Heritage Hotel owner The Garry Crockett said ICC was “the perfect custodian for adding another layer of history and development to
stunning views across Sydney.
joins Southern Sydney Event Centre an
each of the properties”.
eclectic blend of indoor seating choices
of Club Central, featuring a 600-seat
record of service and commitment
The club describes the setting as “an
opens onto a lush outdoor terrace
that delivers a refined, yet relaxed,
expanded function space on level three
auditorium for corporate gatherings, major entertainment events and shows.
“ICC Group has an established track to their staff, their members, and the community at large,” he said. Originally known as ‘The California’ as it was clad in Californian Redwood, it was built by wealthy Sydney businessman Herbert Preston. The ICC also recently rescued the Georges River 16ft Sailing Club which came under severe financial pressure during the COVID pandemic. ICC committed to paying out the sailing club’s outstanding debts, plus improvements including new feature balcony facing the beach and Botany Bay, and an adjoining bar and restaurant.
30 / Club Management
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XXXXXXX //Refurbishment FEATURE XXXX XXXX
Burning ambitions After the biggest renovation in 70 years, Dee Why RSL club boss
Bruce McLean tells Grant Jones about the final piece in the puzzle
34 / Club Management
FEATURE XXXXXXX / Refurbishment / XXXX XXXX
DEE WHY RSL has just put the finishing touches
on its three-year, six-stage renovation, reputed to
have cost about $100million. It is the club’s largest redevelopment project in the more than 70 years it has existed with the club not only having to
accommodate the wants and desires of existing
members but also to ensure it would attract new members long into the future.
With the last phase of the redevelopment
complete, the results are plain to see as soon as
patrons arrive with the venue more in keeping with
a luxury cruise ship or five-star hotel. From the entry point with its stunning porte-cochere, a modern,
welcoming foyer and the refreshed uniforms of staff to the state-of-the art sports bar, sun-lit courtyards, and the return of much-loved Flame restaurant to
a dedicated Bingo and Cash Housie Room, dubbed ‘The Gallery’, there’s not much that has been left untouched, back of house included.
“That was the last piece of that puzzle,” says
Bruce McLean, Executive Manager – Operations and Compliance of the completion of Stage 6. “We are
always growing as is our membership base and our
the community expectations of what we are and we have to cater for all those expectations.”
Among the new facilities are Battery House sports
bar, which can accommodate 1000 people who
can watch any one of the 57 screens, play poker
machines, TAB and Keno, while enjoying the largest operable sunroof in the country. The three glass
panels can open in 20 seconds which highlights the light-filled space of the main internal area and two external courtyards. The courtyard offers a huge
lounge area, fireplace, 20m bar, six fireplaces and
a library. The upmarket food offering is based on a share menu and includes seafood and charcuterie platters as well as treats from the pizza oven. The
club sponsored Italian pizzaiola, Luca Barbanera, to oversee operations.
“He’s the best pizza maker I’ve ever met and
he makes up to 250 pizzas a night himself,” says Bruce. “There is also a heavy emphasis in that
area on light music. We are having a lot of young, fun local acts now playing in the courtyard and sometimes the demographic is much older. You
wouldn’t think they’d enjoy it but they are loving
it and they are really enjoying the younger artists which is really exciting. We try as hard as we can
to support local and we are supporting a lot of the
young bands and they are moving from Narrabeen RSL which is now closed.”
Winter 2022 / 35
XXXXXXX //Refurbishment FEATURE XXXX XXXX
“It’s more upmarket in its presentation, think upmarket cruise
ship,” Bruce says. So, apart from “incredible pub food” and music it also rocks into the small hours when a DJ moves in.
“It’s a full pub experience within a club – which is highly
the pot when we were closed and not running, but we are still in a
position where we reached out and gave a lot more money than we were required to give.”
The renovation was long and involved, starting in July 2019 with
unusual – and its works,” he says. “At that outlet, we enjoy a wide
Flame reopening in November last year, with the venue having to
working so they are available at 11 o’clock in the morning. As the
With a long history in hotel management, before he moved to
demographic with the oldies in the morning for TAB, they’re not
day goes on, as 4 o’clock comes around, we get the tradies. A bit later we get the couples with kids in their pram and as the night
goes on we get the younger demo for the music and the girls get
navigate not only the build but numerous lockdowns.
clubs, Bruce said the renovation was a lot better managed than some refurbs he had seen in his hotel days.
“We kept as much open as possible and if there was a roadblock
together and have fun in a pub environment.”
in front of us, like losing a carpark, then we put on shuttle buses,
resolved with the building of the new car park, making Dee Why
we were at in the build and we had fly-throughs on the website
Carparking had always been an issue but that has now been
RSL a “one-stop shop” for entertainment in the area.
The club can now comfortably accommodate 2500 people in the
building at one time while also catering for patrons with its bars, restaurants and entertainment needs.
Having all that entertainment closer to home within a new
and improved venue also meant new signings with the club now
we kept the patron members completely aware of every stage
and showed the plans and it did end up looking like the artist’s
impressions which we had plastered up throughout the club and
on screens and hoardings. We had peepholes in the hoardings and time-lapse photography so when they were building the carpark, they could see the process.
“Every milestone we hit, we celebrated that with them. It was
at almost 52,000 members.
their money, they are the stakeholders so it’s very important
Bruce said.
investment corporation, we are a community members club, so we
“(That’s) a quarter of the population of this whole council area,” Financial and in-kind support also continues with the club
offering assistance to about 120 community clubs.
“We had to trim that a lot because there wasn’t enough money in
36 / Club Management
that they’re involved because it’s not our money, we are not an feel not only obliged but it is the right thing to do.
“So many of our members are not just here once a week or once
a month say in a hotel environment, a lot of them are here four or
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XXXXXXX //Refurbishment FEATURE XXXX XXXX
Keeping staff was key WITH THE lockdowns being a
‘(Senior management) were the only people left standing during Covid so we had a lot more time to work out what we were doing.’ Bruce McLean, Executive Manager, Dee Why RSL
constant and the duration of COVID an unknown, keeping staff informed and financially afloat was crucial to the club, says Executive Manager Bruce McLean. “We had no issues with line staff and we had a very large retention rate,” he says. “We looked after staff during the closures and we made sure they were all financially sound and no one was in trouble. “We had about 320 staff and we had a lot of check-ins and kept them informed as to what was going on along that whole horrible journey, and assisted them financially when it was necessary and I think we only lost about four people. “I’ve got 20 staff who have been here over 20 years, and four of them have been here over 40 years – 80 years if you count the double shifts a lot of them do. It’s a big part of their life.” When it came to getting back to work, and filling vacant positions, the club again tapped into its workforce. “We sent the word out. We had a heavy incentive program for our staff to refer a friend and that certainly helped a lot,” he says. “There was a financial reward after they passed their probation successfully. We certainly had a lot of assistance from the northern beaches TAFE and they were terrific in supplying a lot of chefs and apprentices and we restarted our apprenticeship programs.” Like everyone else in hospitality, the search is now on for senior managers, including supervisory staff and restaurant outlet managers. They will also get to enjoy new facilities – no staff eating lunch or dinner on milk crates here. “A poor back-of-house becomes a poor front-of-house,” Bruce says. “Something like COVID makes you stop and think how important your staff are to you. Without the members and our staff, it’s just a building.”
38 / Club Management
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FEATURE / Refurbishment
Champagne and Grange tastes FRENCH champagne and Grange Hermitage are just two luxury items on the inventory of the revamped Dee Why RSL with patrons treating themselves in a post-COVID world, says club boss Bruce McLean. “Last week I sold three $300 bottles of champagne,” he says. “I’ve sold, so far this year, nine bottles of Grange Hermitage at $1100 a pop which is extraordinary for a club. There is a market there and I can confirm that people have been treating themselves, particularly in the rush when we reopened. “I’m very excited now that I can buy French sparkling wine by the pallet,” he adds. “When I got here we had two (non-vintage) bottles of Moet that had sat there in the cellar for two-and-a-half years and no one was interested in them. “(Now) it’s a completely different demographic, it’s growing up and younger ones are coming through and that’s what we have been very deliberate in doing is constructing new venues that have an appeal to a younger demographic because they are the members of the future.” While the name of the Dee Why RSL’s restaurant, Flame, stayed the same in honour of the RSL’s eternal flame origins, the upmarket restaurant was moved to another end of the building. five times a week. This is their sanctuary, this is where their friends are and the staff are their friends as well.
But that doesn’t mean it was all smooth sailing.
“Covid allowed us that extra time to navel-gaze and to actually
plan things better,” he says. “Where Flame was, was going to be a
Chinese restaurant and if it wasn’t for Covid and for us having time
‘I’ve sold nine bottles of Grange Hermitage at $1100 a pop which is extraordinary for a club.’
and looking at each other and ask ‘Is that going to work?’, and we
Bruce McLean
just build it and they were going to come, we could actually work things out a bit more properly.
“As a result, we have ended up with a much better product and
I think a wider appeal to our members. And we ended up with an
independent bingo room for our bingo ladies, because we had time to stop and think.
“(Senior management) were the only people left standing during
Covid so we had a lot more time to work out what we were doing.
We were able to do the menus properly, to do the numbers, to find
the best cutlery, to find the best crockery and we had the time to do those things and in my crazy day, ordinarily, I don’t,” he says as his landline rings in the background.
“It’s a much better outlet now as its not a walk-through,” Bruce says. “A lot of people would be walking through while you were eating a meal while going to other areas of the club but now it’s now self-contained. It’s open five nights and it is full every night.” The older-style patron you expect to see in a club, those who really only want a schnitty and a schooner, are fast becoming the minority, he says. While not all are ordering champagne or Grange, Bruce is in the process of redoing his wine list in the $70-$90 range as demand for quality increases. With cooking shows, the broadening interest in cuisine, an expanding range in bottle shops and off-premise venues such as small bars,
As for the response to the renovations, Bruce says not a bad word
members are becoming more discerning.
“I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t liked what we have done. They
creating a higher expectation for food and beverage outlets,” he
has been heard.
vote with their feet and they are coming in. The club has about
“It’s enlarged everyone’s tastes and educated people and is says. But patrons still get bang for their buck. Take, for example,
15,000 people coming through a week.”
the 200g eye fillet for $34.
But the recently liquidated Narrabeen RSL is not in the equation.
care,” he says. “It could be mistaken for fine dining but we are not
Bruce says more plans are afoot, but won’t reveal anything just yet. “We are big plans of land, but that’s not available, it was a lease,
it’s owned by the (RSL) sub-branch.” 40 / Club Management
“It’s very good value and, with the execution, we take a lot of trying to be fine dining. All we want to do is have an upmarket offering and provide great value.”
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XXXXXXX //RACV FEATURE XXXX Wrap XXXX
Cape Schanck’s
Michelin touch
one of Victoria’s most picturesque golf courses serving as a backdrop.
The elevated dining experience features a
tasting menu, which features anything from eight
to 14 contemporary classic courses that champion high-quality ingredients sourced from passionate local growers and producers.
Previous menu highlights such as Spanner
Crab and Caviar, Squab with Jerusalem
Artichokes and Fennel, as well as Crown
Resort appoints French chef with star lineage to ramp up the menu
JORDAN CLAVARON, THE new head chef
of a reimagined CAPE restaurant at RACV’s
Cape Schanck Resort on Victoria’s Mornington
dishes that show off the chef’s dedication to local produce.
“One of the most important things is the story
Peninsula, says he is excited about the impact the
and history behind a dish,” Jordan says. “This is
have on the resort and the local food industry.
because we want their experience to be fun and
already-hatted restaurant and the new menu can
“Some of my earliest memories are of standing
in the kitchen next to my father, one of France’s
many Michelin Star chefs. Of course, growing up
why we love talking to people during each course insightful – we love creating a sense of theatre for them.”
Local wines can also be matched to each
with a parent immersed in France’s legendary
course with the 2016 Circe Hillcrest Road Pinot
progression for me to follow in his footsteps,”
extensive wine list.
culinary scene meant that it was a natural
Jordan (ex The Balfour Kitchen, Spicers Balfour
Noir from Red Hill one of the highlights on the “We’re really excited about how the menu
Hotel, Brisbane) says..
is going to be received with Australian diners
space where bar seating offers front row
that pays homage to European traditions, while
CAPE boasts an earthy, yet elegant dining
seats to an open kitchen and booths provide
a welcoming spot for an intimate dinner, with 42 / Club Management
Roasted Victorian Duck, are just a few
– we’ve worked hard to create an experience still focusing on the best local produce the Mornington Peninsula has to offer.”
XXXXXXX FEATURE / RACV XXXX XXXX wrap
RACV looks to go luxe Healesville Country Club relaunches with new restaurant and bar
THE RACV HEALESVILLE Country
Club and Resort has launched Banyalla
restaurant and Riddell’s Green, offering members and guests several different
dining experiences over two levels which feature picturesque bush views.
Banyalla and Riddell’s Green are the
most recent additions to the award-
winning RACV Resort accommodation, One Spa luxury treatment, on-site
playground and the Michael Claytondesigned 18-hole golf course.
Healesville Country Club & Resort
Manager Josh O’Brien said Banyalla and Riddell’s Green will turn the property
into a foodie destination, while offering RACV Club Members and visitors new
that blooms locally in the spring, includes a new restaurant with a private dining room for special events, cocktail lounge/bar,
dedicated coffee bar area and refurbished outdoor entertainment area.
Banyalla Executive Chef Himanshu
Sharda, formerly of Fenix (when it
was owned by MasterChef judge Gary
Mehigan) and executive chef at Novotel Hotel in Geelong, says the philosophy
for Banyalla is to keep the food simple, honest and local.
“We have incorporated fresh flavours,
something very special for the resort and
think it will be a highlight for our guests,”
The Riddell’s Green casual dining bar
offers alfresco indoor/outdoor dining, with
Josh O’Brien, Resort Manager,
Banyalla, named after the native shrub
sourced 90 per cent of our food locally
for Healesville,” Josh says.
Healesville Country Club and Resort
winners are for the week.”
experiences.
“These new dining venues represent
‘This is a place where you can go with the kids and have an up-market familyfriendly experience.’
“You can also sit down inside and watch
live sport on TV or find out who the golf
its name inspired by Healesville landmark Mount Riddell, offers a diner-style menu including ribs, steaks and salads.
“Whether you’re sitting at the bar to
have a drink or lounging outside, there will be different spaces to enjoy within Riddell’s Green,” Josh says.
“This is a place where you can go with
the kids and have an up-market familyfriendly experience. We also have some great local beers on tap.
and kept the menu modern and exciting. I Himanshu says.
Josh says Banyalla offers an intimate
space with nature-inspired fixtures and upholsteries, plus the terrace outside. “Guests are able to book the space for
special occasions, including birthdays,
anniversaries and engagements,” he says. “Their experience will be enhanced
with a personalised seasonal menu that
our Head Chef can customise to suit any dietary requirement or request.”
To learn more about Banyalla and Riddell’s Green go to www.racv.com.au
Winter 2022 / 43
FEATURE / Surf Clubs
Saving our beachside icons Surf life saving clubs getting a modern makeover
WITH AUSTRALIA’S LENGTHY coastline and its long history of
surf lifesaving, it’s a wonder the buildings that house the people who save those lives in the surf are not better equipped.
From the wild west coast of WA to the surf coast of Victoria,
the jewelled beaches of Sydney and beyond, and Queensland’s
Sunshine and Gold coasts glamour strips, these often simple coastal structures are recognised internationally as truly Australian. But many of the iconic edifices that emerged in the surge
of beachside clubs in the 1920s and 1930s, and even the next generation of clubs in the 1960s, are now crumbling wrecks.
Full of leaks and concrete cancer with a distinct lack of decent
life saving clubs themselves in raising funds, these icons are now getting the love and attention they deserve.
SLSA is the largest volunteer movement in Australia with more
than 173,000 members and 314 affiliated surf clubs across the nation. In February, the Federal Government announced an additional
$9.7m in funding for SLSA, but that will go to equipment and skills training, not infrastructure.
But with added infrastructure funding, and the occasional star turn
in a Dulux TV commercial - with the paint company dedicating itself in
2013 to paint all the surf clubs in Australia - the future is looking swell.
facilities, particularly for female club members, many are in
NSW
or if, they are too far gone, require total demolition and rebuilding.
Dulux commercial” and locally as “Glamorama”, but Tamarama
desperate need of repair, looking to restore their heritage features Over the past few years, with several rounds of government
cash, council contributions and particularly the hard work of surf 44 / Club Management
Nationally, it may be better known as “that surf club in the Surf Life Saving Club is one of the foundation clubs of Australian surf lifesaving.
FEATURE / Surf Clubs
Tamarama has budgeted $4.56 million on a major upgrade
of its iconic clubhouse, scheduled to be unveiled later this year, so it can continue serving the community through lifesaving
patrols, education programs and provision of clubhouse access to community groups including Zumba, yoga and martial arts.
“The redevelopment was a long time coming,” says Matteo
Salval, President of Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club. “Approvals and fundraising to get to construction took close to 10 years.
“The surf club building committee worked closely with architect
CHROFI on the design of a new facility fit for the next generation
of lifesaving and education as well as respectful of the heritage and history of the club.
“Waverley Council, the NSW and Federal Governments, Easts
Group and Sculptures by the Sea were instrumental to secure enough funds to proceed with tendering and the selection of builder Lloyd Group.”
He said the renovation would not have been possible without the
generous donations from individual members and friends of the surf club.
“Once completed, the surf club will be a terrific community asset
and will support our top-notch education programs, including Migrant Beach Days, as well as our lifesaving operations and Cronulla SLSC
community activities.”
On the Lower Northern Beaches, at either end of this iconic
strip of Sydney sand, Queenscliff SLSC recently had a million-
dollar makeover while Manly Life Saving Club is waiting on final planning approvals for its major renovation.
Upgrades to Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club are expected to be
completed by the end of the month with renovations to Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club finished by July.
“We’re so thrilled to be delivering two brand new purpose-built
clubhouses to the community this year,” said Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan. “Not only do the buildings meet both the community expectations by being modern, well-designed, environmentally-
friendly facilities, they will also meet the many needs of the clubs who do such incredible work keeping our community safe.
“While both clubs will be predominately used by the surf club
and its members and Council life guards they will also be a great Tamarama SLSC
new facility for the wider community to use and enjoy for many, many years to come. These projects are great examples of what
can be achieved when communities, clubs, federal, state and local governments work together.”
Works undertaken by Council on Mona Vale include a new
surf club building, new paths, landscaped gardens, concrete and sandstone seating, new public amenities and a professional life
guards building on the point, a pergola and new café. The SLSC
building is a fit-for-purpose facility, set over two levels with a total 1690sqm of floor space.
The amenities block, with lifeguard observation room, opened in
Mona Vale SLSC
December as did another amenities block across the road in Apex Park – both of which are already well utilised by the community.
Winter 2022 / 45
FEATURE / Surf Clubs
areas and public areas, a new balcony, accessible toilet, new lift and lift lobby with better accessibility, relocated club facilities and new Manly Surf Club, right, in its heyday and below, the old shark tower
A new cafe, restaurant, nippers’ facilities, storage for the local board
riders club, function space, a first aid room, family change facilities, and improved accessibility have been integrated into the design.
Both the beach amenities and surf club have been designed with
materials and finishes to withstand the harsh coastal environment while incorporating sustainable elements such as rainwater reuse,
solar panels and solar hot water. The $10 million project is funded by the State Government, Council and the club itself.
Council is also currently in the final stages of engaging a designer to
tiling, balustrades, landings and corridors.
Down south, work has finally begun on the new $10.6m
North Cronulla Surf Club after nearly a decade of delays. Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended a “sand-turning” ceremony in
February after the club received grants of $2.9m from the federal government, $500,000 from the NSW government, $2.6m from
Sutherland Shire Council and contributed $350,000 itself, with the rest to come from a loan.
Even further, North Wollongong Surf Club is undergoing
refurbishment after Wollongong City Council approved a $10.5
million tender process to update the crumbling 86-year-old structure. Up north, Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club lodged a DA for
create a concept for the new Manly club with expressions of interest
$1.24m in upgrades and extensions to its clubhouse with Central
tendered their services following the advertising of the EOI last year.
feature an open-air deck, extending over the existing ground
closing at the end of this month. Five consultancy groups have so far Long Reef SLSC is also being replaced with a new $8 million
building, which will include new café, modern, accessible public
amenities and additional storage areas, including space for the local boardrider group.
There will also be a public barbecue, outdoor showers and a
Coast Council last year. If plans are approved, the first floor would level public toilets and storage area. The upstairs deck will be
extended over the cafe with a total area of more than 70sqm and
underneath the deck would be a new training gym, servery, storage and toilet facilities.
The ground floor plant area would also contain air-conditioning,
courtyard including tiered seating. The SLSC building will use
building systems and access to water tanks. On the north-eastern
for both community and private functions. Works are expected to
featuring water views.
sustainable materials and have improved functionality with room be completed July, weather permitting.
The project costs will be met by contributions from NSW State
Government, the Commonwealth Government, Long Reef SLSC and Northern Beaches Council.
Council is also planning an upgrade of outdoor facilities in
corner is a ground-level café, seating and alfresco dining area
“The alterations and additions are of a complimentary design
and appearance to the existing club building, which will also be
repainted to further integrate the existing and proposed building elements,” the DA states.
“The additions will include a sloping roof to match the existing
partnership with Warriewood Surf Life Saving Club, which will
roof and the building height of the additions will be the same as the
in August 2022. A concept design is also being developed for a new
side and 7.343m on the southwestern (Terrigal Esplanade) side.”
include showers, staircase and paving. Works are scheduled to start boardwalk to connect to the coastal walk. Work on the new beach
existing club building, which is 5.989m on the north-eastern (beach) While State Government funding of $32,000 will also pay for new
access is scheduled to commence next year.
solar panels, other clubs to benefit from the NSW Government include
a public hall, new stairs to provide separate access to club member
a new roof and an upgrade to Shelly Beach SLSC worth $117,264.
Queenscliff’s $1 million renovations included a new lick of paint,
46 / Club Management
MacMasters Beach SLSC allocated $318,250 including $108,986 for
FEATURE / Surf Clubs
Queensland by contributor Brian Crisp Far from the denizens of sandy grommets and soggy storage rooms, many Queensland clubs are destinations in themselves with plush
fitouts featuring restaurants, bars and gaming lounges. Many clubs are
investing in multi-million dollar renovations to keep pace with changes in their communities.
In the past 12 months, the Burleigh Heads Surf Club has opened its
$4.4 million development which includes a new restaurant, an extension to its beach kiosk and storage facilities that house up to 100 surf skis and paddleboards.
Right on the beach at Burleigh Heads, there’s no better place in this
tourist haven than the club’s bar and balcony – with seating for 220 – to take full advantage of the view, seven days a week.
Without being over the top, the dining space has more than a splash of
sophistication. There are now more than 20 different beers on tap to sate
any serious drinker’s tastebuds. And just for good measure, the renovation
included a two-lane lap pool located on the 3rd floor which is available for members and nippers – the club has more than 450 nippers!
“We are getting so many more young families moving to Burleigh,” Club
president Michael Boyce says. “We are catering to those families and our Nipper program continues to grow.”
Speaking of great views, you won’t find much better than those offered
at the Sunshine Beach Surf Club. Completely refurbished over the past
two years, the club now boasts two outdoor decks, a state-of-the-art gaming
You won’t find better views on the Gold Coast than from the balcony at the Burleigh Heads Surf Club. Pictures: Brian Crisp
room and stunning food.
Born-and-bred local chef Darren Sandilands works hard to fill his
extensive menu with the best local produce available and you know you are on a winner when you combine great food with magnificent views.
The Redcliffe Peninsula Surf Life Saving Club, 40km from Brisbane’s
CBD, has pride of place sitting on Sutton Beach. The club started a
transformation in May 2020 which doubled its floor space. There’s now
so much more storage space for essential gear and equipment for junior activities and lifesaving. This includes space for a new Inflatable Rescue
Boat, as well as the club’s Surf Rescue Vehicle making it accessible for use by club members.
The renovations also include a unisex, ambulant toilet facility with
shower, extended female toilet facilities and a revamped veranda providing a comfortable seating area for members and guests of the canteen.
Speaking of which, Fish Burgers are great value at $8 (chips $3 extra)
if you ever happen to be passing by. We are sure some of Wayne Bennett’s
Redcliffe Dolphins will find their way down to the canteen when they arrive in town later this year.
Further north at Emu Park, a scenic 20km drive along the coast south
from Yeppoon, the Emu Park SLSC has spent nearly $250,000 on a
renovation project updating its boat shed and amenity block. The result is a functional and aesthetically pleasing clean space that caters to the needs of the club’s growing list of members.
Because of its position on the coast, the architecture firm – Design
+ Architecture – has used many materials that won’t rust or require
maintenance. The use of concrete blockwork, timber and aluminium sheeting has helped create a stunning surf club complex. 48 / Club Management
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FEATURE / Surf Clubs
Victoria Warrnambool Surf Life Saving Club has
revealed a $12m plan to build a new HQ for its
800 members, 200 patrolling members and 300 nippers. The club is one of the oldest lifesaving
clubs on the Victorian coast and has been keeping its community safe since the 1930s.
The club’s aim is to “ensure we have a club
facility that is fit-for-purpose for modern life-
saving requirements, to meet the demands of increased beach visitation and to provide a
central point of gathering on the foreshore for community events”.
Upgrades would provide greater surveillance
The Warrnambool SLSC proposal
the City of Greater Geelong for a new $1m Barwon Coast clubhouse. The proposal includes training
room, new kitchens on the ground floor with lift
to a new second floor housing large training room, gym, First Aid room, front and rear decks, plus
toilet and change room facilities on both levels.
of the swimming area and greater accessibility;
WA
rooms to accommodate the club’s growing
west of Perth was formed in 1932 making it the
modern changerooms for users; meeting
Swanbourne-Nedlands Surf Life Saving Club
membership; first aid room; patrol support
seventh oldest surf club on the West Australian
and training room; and storage space for vital rescue and training equipment.
It is seeking state and federal funding for the
building with draft concept plans for a larger, fit-
for-purpose building west of the existing structure. Local firm Matthew Morse Architects was engaged
to create the concept design with the plans already released for community feedback.
A feasibility study found the clubhouse no
longer met emergency service or sporting facility standards so demolition was required and the new clubhouse relocated to a more optimal setting next to the existing facility.
At 13th Beach Lifesaving Club on Victoria’s
Bellarine Peninsula, plans habe been submitted to
50 / Club Management
coast and currently has more than 700 members. It has been promised more than $1.1m to
replace the the single toilet for women and just
four showers which are shared by the club’s 350 female members.
“Privacy is an issue for the women because
if a door to the showers is opened you can see right through to where someone could
be showering,” club deputy president Lucy Gunzberg said in January.
The Federal Government has pledged $610,000
from its Community Development Grants
Program while WA Labor made a $500,000
election promise. Construction is expected to start mid-year and be completed by late 2022.
‘Privacy is an issue for the women because if a door to the showers is opened you can see right through to where someone could be showering.’ Lucy Gunzberg, club deputy president, Swanbourne-Nedlands SLSC
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SOUND IS ONE of the most powerful ways to
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Good systems set up in the wrong spaces, at the
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into consideration, people are more compelled to
stay and return, and most importantly more likely
Elevate the customer experience through sound Jands has been in the business of entertaining Australia for over 50 years, working hand in hand with some of the biggest artists in the world, and at some of Australia’s biggest venues. Jands has expanded into numerous sectors creating and sourcing all sorts of audio and visual solutions from concerts to boardroom, to hospitality venues. Our years of audio expertise has given us a tremendous amount of insight into what makes a venue’s audio system stand out.
to spend. 51% of additional drink bill spending,
results from the complementary music atmosphere, and 71% of customers think playing background
music creates a better atmosphere while dining(1). In our expert opinion, a phenomenal sound
system is not a matter of using the biggest and loudest speakers to flood a venue with sound.
Good systems set up in the wrong spaces, at wrong angles, or with wrong configurations can still ruin
the experience of the venue. Instead, a great sound
system is about the strategic placement of a unified array of speakers, covering as much space as
possible without needing to push out massive heavy sounds. Effectively wrapping patrons in sound, keeping them drawn to your venue.
Different venues cater to different crowds, within
different spaces, each requiring a level of audiovisual knowledge to fine-tune to a venue’s story.
As a leading distributor of audio-visual solutions, Jands’ team of application designers pair our
decades of technical expertise with best-in-class solutions like Electro Voice’s EVID loudspeaker
family. Creating complementary audio atmospheres for all sorts of hospitality venues.
1) Knoferle, K., Spangenberg, E., Hermann, A. and Landwehr, J., 2011. It is all in the mix: The interactive effect of music tempo and mode on in-store sales. Marketing Letters, 23(1), pp. 325-337.
52 / Club Management
FIND OUT MORE
FEATURE / Fassnidge at City Tatts
54 / Club Management
FEATURE / Fassnidge at City Tatts
CELEBRITY CHEF COLIN Fassnidge has launched his pub-style bistro The
Castlereagh, the first taste of the City Tatts group’s $762 million redevelopment
of its Sydney CBD site. The Fassnidge food partnership with City Tatts is likely to
extend to a concept dubbed BOB’s Basement for Barracks on Barrack which went into voluntary administration last year and is now being managed by City Tatts.
Sky’s the limit
for City Tatts The Castlereagh by Fassnidge is just the start for Sydney’s CTC
The Castlereagh is part of City Tatts’ plan for a new whole 50-storey mixed-use
tower on Pitt Street which includes an upgrade to the club’s heritage ground floor, a 101-room hotel and 241 high-end residential apartments.
The redevelopment will also feature an upgraded lower bar and grill for the
club, new bars and lounge areas for the club, the finer details of which are yet to
be announced. But it is believed there will also be event spaces, a state-of-the-art commercial wellness centre and a co-working space.
The Castlereagh by Fassnidge launch has transformed the first level of the old
Castlereagh Club, which amalgamated with City Tatts in 2020, into a warm, inviting space featuring local produce in Fassnidge creations with a twist. The recent
refurbishment features natural wood tones with splashes of greenery, a cellar-style wall and cured meat on display.
“We’re bringing quality pub-style food, and service with character, that I’m
passionate about to the epicentre of the CBD,” Fassnidge says. “The venue is
inspired by the charm and comfort of a community-oriented pub, where people recognise your face and beer order.”
Colin, the former My Kitchen Rules host, whose Banksia Hotel in Sydney’s
south-west has created crowd favourites including chicken schnitty with mushroom sauce, is serving modernised Irish classics with a twist at The Castlereagh. They
include Suckling Pig Sausage Roll with Apple Butter, Ham Hock Croquettes with
Horseradish Crème Fraiche and Buttermilk Chicken Schnitzel with Slaw, Mushroom Gravy and Chips at the venue.
Winter 2022 / 55
FEATURE / Fassnidge at City Tatts
Group CEO Marcelo Veloz said that
the launch of The Castlereagh is the first
step in the Group’s vision to be one of the pre-eminent providers of hospitality and entertainment in the CBD.
“The partnership with Colin Fassnidge
to relaunch The Castlereagh marks our commitment to bringing top-class food experiences with life to the city. We’re
marrying our legacy in Sydney’s centre with Colin’s passion for food with soul,” he says. The Castlereagh was once a home to the
Catholic Club, a men’s club established in 1909 by 25 men which grew over time to
10,000 members. Over the last century, the club marked historic cultural milestones
such as opening its doors to women in the 1970s and evading bankruptcy after World War I.
‘The Castlereagh marks our commitment to bringing top-class food experiences with life to the city.’ Marcelo Veloz,
Group CEO, City Tatts
City Tatts other plans include using airspace for the
49-storey, 101-room Hotel Indigo Sydney Centre by IHG as well as offering 241 high-end residential apartments. City Tatts also signed a franchise agreement and has now purchased World Gym Castlereagh.
Meanwhile, City Tatts sees BOB’s Basement as a new dining and
bar destination designed for a younger segment through possible Group CEO Marcelo Veloz and Colin Fassnidge entertain the opening-night audience at The Castlereagh.
collaboration with Colin Fassnidge’s the Social Colin Group.
The club says it is: “An experienced catering group looking
to turn BOB’s Basement into American-style Sports Bar and restaurant, with live music and DJs.”
In a memo to members, City Tatts said Barracks on Barrack was
an ideal club merger prospect because of its nearby location and affinity with the CTC ethos.
“Its proximity to CTC is a significant benefit for our members and
for us to be able to manage a third site without having to increase the size of our administration,” the club says.
“From a growth perspective, it enables (us) to capture a greater
share of the market and it also allows us to segment our offerings
more effectively. It also helps us protect our existing market share from competitors entering the CBD.” 56 / Club Management
Serving suggestion
Cost per plate approx
$6.00*
INGREDIENTS (Serves 10) • 3kg pork shoulder • 400g shallots, peeled and cut into wedges • 1 fennel bulb, cut into wedges • 4 garlic cloves, crushed • 500ml unfiltered apple cider • 500ml apple cider vinegar • 2L chicken stock • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds • 4 apples cut into quarters, core removed • Salt and pepper
CIDER BRAISED PORK SHOULDER Method 1 Heat oven to 160°C.
2 Pat the pork dry with a paper towel and salt the
shoulder thoroughly. Brown the pork shoulder on all sides. Set it aside.
3 Sauté shallots and fennel for a few minutes, add garlic, cook gently till golden, remove from pot and set aside.
4 Deglaze the pot by pouring in the apple cider,
apple cider vinegar and chicken stock, add fennel seeds and bring to the boil. Reduce to simmer for 5 minutes. Carefully, place the pork shoulder into the liquid.
5 Cover the pot, place in preheated oven. 6 After 2 hours in the oven, take the pot out & nestle the
apples, fennel & shallots into the pot. Continue to cook in the oven for approximately 2-2.5 hours. The pork should be tender and falling apart.
7 Allow to rest before serving.
Get some Pork on your menu for an outstanding bottom line *Based on produce costs at time of calculation, from an independent consultant commissioned by APL, January 2022.
FEATURE / Soft Furnishings
58 / Club Management
FEATURE / Soft Furnishings
The COMFORT ZONE
Why stepping into today’s transformed club is the new great escape.
Going green has its pitfalls WHILE THERE are many sustainable materials available for the commercial market, if they don’t perform properly and need replacing sooner, then the sustainability of that product is lost, says Belinda Price, of Materialised. She suggests looking for sustainability certifications such as GREENGUARD Gold, Global GreenTag and OEKO-TEX, as well as recycled content composition, in particular postconsumer recycled content, that could help towards a Green Star Interiors
WHILE MANY EYES may focus on the
Materialised. “Light, plain upholstery
their time inside, walking on the carpet,
maintenance will be an issue. Selecting
and heavy-metal free.
consumed is a sensible choice as they are
entered the conversation with regards to
outside of a club, patrons spend most of
getting comfy in cafes, relaxing on lounges or sitting in their favourite restaurant.
Increasingly as patchwork refits are
replaced by holistic renovations or whole new complexes and a draft mood board
becomes a reality, deciding what is both fashionable and sustainable when it
comes to fabrics will set the mood for the whole club.
There are also an increasing number
of interior products to consider, from soft
furnishings to wall coverings and acoustic
panels. Accordingly, what materials a club
uses in a fitout will have a significant impact on the look and feel of a venue.
“With so many materials and finishes
to choose from, the decision of specifying
one single finish has become a big task as we not only have to think about aesthetic but also about compliance, sustainability,
and fire properties,” says Melbourne-based
colours in a heavy use area will mean faux leathers in areas where food is easy to maintain.”
Also as wall coverings need to withstand
the wear and tear of a demanding club environment they should also meet a
Type II standard that meets or exceeds
include the use of sustainable products, matched with practicality.
“Selecting upholstery and wall covering
advancement in soon, but this has to be a mutual conversation between the architectural and design team and the client,” says Jodie Duddington, Senior
of the fence so any budgetary and
and colourfastness.
“The most important aspect from a
supplier and manufacturer point of view is
“It has to be driven from both sides pragmatic implications are considered from the start of the process to ensure that sustainable principles are upheld all
that fit-for-purpose products are specified
the way through to project delivery.
is durable and cleanable,” Belinda says.
fabrics, carpet, and furniture are our
to ensure the fabric and wall covering
“We ensure a suite of highly aesthetically pleasing products but ultimately the
interior designers and architect work out the trend.”
Durability is key in the hospitality sector,
Revesby Works, St Ives Bowling Club and
that fresh feel-good factor, now needs to
club design which we hope to see some
strength, stain resistance, tear-resistance
scrub-ability, abrasion resistance, breaking
ships, club members have been waiting it embrace of a new fitout. Implementing
“Sustainability hasn’t really yet
Interior Designer at EJE Architecture.
says Ally Jago, General Manager, Mint FF&E
out in 5-star comfort, enjoying the warm
look for such as PVC-free, VOC-free,
specific requirements such as washability,
Catalina Loaiza of Enth Degree Architects. While others queue for planes and
rating. There are also other features to
which has fitted out Cabravale Diggers, Canterbury Leagues Club.
“Commercial fabrics and particularly
vinyls are very popular. It’s great to see lots of new decorative vinyl options coming
through as well as ones that are better for
“From an interior design point of view, greatest opportunity to select ethical and sustainable products but we are yet to see a big push to ‘close the loop’ and lifecycle of the product when it comes to refurbishing venues. “Durability, longevity, compliance, tactile and aesthetic beauty are the primary consideration when it comes to materials and if we can add sustainable to that list we have a winning combination.” Amanda Primett of White Forest Design says be agile and choose enduring interiors using more natural,
the environment,” she says.
sustainable, locally sourced materiality.
to making sure the furnishings look as
custom-printed fabrics and finishes.
invest in quality furniture/finishes that
says Belinda Price, Product Director, of
patterns in any colour and size, and
type, pattern and colour choice is key
good as the day they were delivered,”
“We are also using more and more
Materialised, especially, can recreate
“Try to source Australian first and will last,” she says.
Winter 2022 / 59
FEATURE / Soft Furnishings
means you can always offer something new and different to a client.”
is something we always try to do,” she says.
based White Forest Design, likes Crypton fabrics.
of colour and different materials that they would
Amanda Primett, Design Director of Adelaide“They are the perfect match of luxury
and bullet-proof durability needed in hospitality venues.”
And the pandemic has thrown a whole new
aspect into the mix.
“One thing that we must include in our designs
is social distancing,” says Enth Degree’s Catalina
top tips
1
2
3
MINT FF&E: Find designers and architects you enjoy working with and don’t be afraid to be different. HITE FOREST W DESIGN: Clubs know their patrons intimately. Hearing and meeting these needs are key. Once done you can start to integrate the design studio’s vision.
EJE ARCHITECTURE: Offering families and children an ‘outside the box’ approach will be a major attraction.
60 / Club Management
“Creating ‘Instagrammable’ or funky spaces
Loaiza. “The pandemic has taught us that we
cannot rely on limited spaces when designing as we might not know if in a short period of time things will change drastically.
“At the same time, clients are tending to think
more about allowing for a future space growth as venues become more popular, or simply because the business is doing very well; so, we normally
leave open areas or make certain areas bigger in case they want to change soon.
“Another addition to our recent hospitality
“Therefore, they have been more open to pops not have accepted in their venues before.”
Ally Jago from MINT says big things are
happening in regional areas benefiting from local travel due to Covid.
“It’s really exciting to see these strong
community spaces grow. There is growth
in outdoor dining and lounge spaces, again because of covid. Our clients are investing
more money into their outdoor entertainment
spaces, including furniture that is different and
exciting. It’s not just bright plastic stacking chairs anymore. Flexibility is key – communal dining
spaces that are adaptable and can accommodate groups and families.”
Jodie Duddington of EJE Achitecture says the
impact of changing legislation will always be a
starting point for initial space and fit-out planning.
“These are always prone to change, particularly
projects has been a reception area. Clients have
given the last two years,” she says. “We’re also
attractive for patrons as they now tend to book
requirements for sports lounges and integration
found this to be very useful for business and it is their dinner or lunch in advance. Also, a beer
garden or an outdoor area has become a must for a hospitality venue.”
Where to now As for the future, Catalina says clients now
know that social media is a very important part of their business.
seeing a big push towards high-tech audio-visual of family and play spaces, with generally a variety of spaces required to capture a wider clientele base. Gaming rooms are taking on a ‘lighter’ aesthetic and clubs and hospitality venues,
in general, are asking for more integration of
biophilic principles and natural materials, as well as a softening around lounge and social spaces for both groups and individuals.”
COMMERCIAL FABRIC, WALL COVERING & ACOUSTICS. MANUFACTURING, PRINTING & WAREHOUSING IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. USE THE QR CODE TO SEE CLUB FURNISHING SOLUTIONS AND DIGITAL BROCHURE
www.materialised.com Image: Club Parramatta designed by EJE Architecture; Photography Alex McIntyre.
SYDNEY
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PLAY / with MJ Playgrounds
Softplay in small rooms Entertaining kids in a contained space is proving more practical than outdoors
WHILE IT MIGHT sound more like adult
entertainment, softplay in small rooms is hot with clubs right now as venues move away
from traditional, outdoor hard play areas for kids and revert to indoor play areas.
Despite COVID-19, indoor soft contained
play structures and indoor adventure parks, which include entertainment such as ninja tag, play areas and courses, are proving
more popular. Also in the mix are electric
ride-ons, such as bumper cars and go-karts. In addition, there is demand for separate
play areas for toddlers and digital offerings such as virtual reality simulators for the older kids.
While big clubs dedicate large areas to
children, it’s not out of the realm of smaller clubs to introduce softplay in small rooms
if they have a pocket space, says Matt Perry of MJ Playgrounds.
“They (clubs) are being much more
family-oriented and also the soft contained playground areas are preferred by parents
because of the lack of injuries that happen there,” Matt says.
“Plus we found that soft contained play
keeps children occupied for longer than an outdoor playground.
Mounties Group is a fan of the small
room concept and has set up Major Fun,
Another group, Tabatinga, also
operates play venues for a number of other clubs, licensing its name to the
space, the equipment and the fitout to a
“That’s one of my biggest selling points!” While the core of MJ Playground work
comes from NSW, the next largest market
on the side.
put the brakes on business in both states,
centre themselves, with a little support A lot of clubs were putting in hard play
indoors but kids found it boring, difficult to
do for a long time and the equipment didn’t keep kids engaged long enough, says Matt. Thus the preference for soft play.
“With soft play, the kids are not at their
parents’ feet all the time and it also because
Mount Pritchard.
tired when they leave the club, so instead
62 / Club Management
as they hit the car.
club which then operates the Tabatinga
a separate business that operates its
play areas in Freshwater and Mounties
of being hyped up, they are asleep as soon
it such an active play that it is making them
is Queensland and although COVID-19
things started to ramp up across the board 12 months ago.
MJ Playgrounds is currently working on
a smaller indoor play space at Shellharbour Workers Club’s Imperial Hotel on the South Coast, it is soon to unveil two “monstrous” RSL club venue playgrounds, two in NSW and one in Queensland. Long may they play.
MJ Playgrounds provides a large range of high quality products and services to the club industry throughout Australia. We will transform any space small or large into a new world for children, adding a play space to your club has a proven track record of to increase patronage and turn your facility into a family friendly environment. We provide everything from design & manufacturing to maintenance and refurbishments.
D ESIG N
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Our in-house design team will work with you to create a custom 3D design that is tailored to your budget, building and brief. All designs can be customized and themed to turn your visions into reality.
After perfecting your design, we will manufacture it in our Sydney based workshop, using the highest quality materials, and best manufacturing processes to ensure your equipment is of the highest standard.
Our professional and experienced team of installers will then deliver and install your equipment, efficiently and safely, ensuring you are 100% satisfied with the finished product.
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FEATURE / Food Focus
From zero to 100 Catering HQ is bouncing back with new clubs, new concepts and a new 1600sqm warehouse
66 / Club Management
FEATURE / Food Focus
STEVE SIDD DIDN’T sit back and wait for something to happen during
COVID-19. Instead, the catering industry veteran of 26 years decided to do something positive by planning a way out and looking ahead.
“There’s always something,” he says, after previously living through the
acronyms of FBT and GFC.
Having started in fine dining in St Ives way back when, he moved into his
first club, the Royal Motor Yacht Club, at Newport in Sydney’s far Northern
Beaches and that was followed by winning the catering tender for Cronulla
Sharks Leagues Club at the opposite end of the city. Something had to give. The move south was when expansion happened, with Club Central at
Hurstville joining the fold, then Georges River Sailing Club at Sans Souci and Bundeena RSL, plus a little consulting on the side.
Moorebank Sports Club came on board 11 years ago. Castle Hill RSL, which
had been run internally, was offered up three years ago. While they lost the tender to Trippas White, six months later, the club came calling.
“I spoke at a Clubs NSW seminar in Queensland with David O’Neil who was
CEO (of Castle Hill RSL) and we were on a panel together about insourcing
(catering) versus outsourcing and were going head to head and we still laugh about it that so many years down the track we are now doing his catering,” says Steve.
After proving themselves, the group has now handed over Lynwood
Country Club and Club Parramatta to Catering HQ. Sidd and business
partner Albie Aldahawi have also recently taken over the kitchens and
restaurants of Pittwater RSL, Ryde Eastwood Leagues and Wests Ashfield Leagues Club. Add to that several venues for the Mingara Leisure Group – Springwood Sports, Mingara Recreation Club and Mazi restaurant at
Lantern Club in Roselands – which makes 11 venues, 26 dining concepts, 40 event spaces and 350 staff, although Steve admits they are still 120 employees short.
Despite that, Catering HQ took on the three new clubs as they worked
through the pandemic, rolling out a new dumpling bar at Wests Ashfield, and launching two new concepts at existing clubs – an American-style
bar and restaurant, Short Cut, at Castle Hill RSL and a Mexican cantina concept, tentatively called Spiked, at Club Parramatta.
On top of that Catering HQ is putting the finishing touches to a
spacious 1600sqm warehouse and head office in Gregory Hills (see
breakout). On top of that Steve has invested in Hospitality Genie, a cloudbased IT solution for hospitality and kitchen management.
“I think what happens with clubs now and what they come to realise is
every area within the club has to be profitable. So the days when they used to fund the food outlets (through gaming), they can’t do that anymore. Not only that, clubs are now looking at expanding future developments, they do their
staged works, such as here (at Castle Hill), independent living apartments… “Catering is too hard. The key difference between us and the club is
that we only look after food. Our 100 per cent focus is on food, we have no other noise, no other distractions. They are looking at gaming, bars, amalgamations – there is all this other stuff going on.”
The first lockdown in March 2020 saw patronage go from “100 to zero just
like that” and as the doors opened and closed, they minimised their menus. “We’ve become resilient over the duration,” he says. “Albie and I still
got up every morning we still went to our office, we still worked on
Winter 2022 / 67
FEATURE / Food Focus
NEW HUB A NEW multimillion-dollar warehouse at Gregory Hills will allow Catering HQ to control costs even further as it features admin and finance, plus a production kitchen, cool room, freezer and training rooms, says boss Steve Sidd. “We will be buying directly from abattoirs, so we’ve got our beef and out pork – whole primal cuts. We are basically cutting out the distributors and the middle man because what we found during this time (of COVID) as well was that they were dictating to us, what products they wanted us to buy,” he says. “We want to stick to the brands. Say we want to buy the Ebony Black Angus brand from Kilcoy in Queensland? “We buy direct, it comes to our head office, we portion, dice it, mince it for bolognaise, burgers, patties. . .” Group Executive Chef Mitch Walton will work alongside club executive chefs to develop menus at Gregory Hills with the strategy to include a core menu of which 60 per cent will be the same across all venues, but customised by 40 cent to suit the individual club’s demographic. There are 41 items on the main menu, including the nonnegotiables such as burgers, steaks and schnitzels, but the menu changes every quarter. Hot trends are also monitored. Short Cut at Castle Hill RSL, for example, will feature the latest in plant-based offerings including “100 per cent Not Chicken” dish and vegan “fish” dish. “Plant-based is massive,” he says. “All our menus now have a vegan, gluten-free section at every venue. Everyone wants it.”
strategies, (we asked ourselves:) What is
this going to look like? What are we going to learn?”
The first decision was to give all their
in the business, vouchers to help recruit
other staff and working four days on three
food to charity before riding the roller
days off. And more changes are to come in
coaster of various lockdowns.
“Then we reopened again with one dining
the club dining scene.
Because of QR code table ordering, Steve
concept at every club, the same limited
says the casualisation of club dining spaces
with limited staff.”
Catering HQ.
menu across all the clubs and ran very tight, Supply chain and staff rosters had to be
is inevitable, but there will be no buzzers at “We call it casual dining, however, we still
checked and reorganised daily, in the event
want to offer them a restaurant experience
they could reopen. While they lost a
and the way our menu is presented
lot of staff the first time around, before the second lockdown they had already
reorganised their
strategy. And when it
did happen, they were ready and shut things off very quickly.
“When we came out
and plated, it’s not just served
Our 100 per cent focus is on food, we have no other noise, no other distractions.
of lockdown, we came out
with the same menu as we
with chips and salad or
mash and veg. It’s not steak and three veg.
And we still deliver to tables.”
Meanwhile, Short
Cut has opened at
Castle Hill RSL and
Steve Sidd, Catering HQ
didn’t know what to expect,” he
said. “Covid for us, although it was bad,
it was hard and depressing, we didn’t sit on our hands and feel sorry for ourselves.”
The pair also got to work on a “Getting
Back To Business” plan to be implemented as soon as the doors were allowed to
open again. They still engaged with staff
features a pimped-up
American menu including,
ribs, burgers, hotdogs and
steaks, alongside plant-based offerings
including “100-per cent Not Chicken” and
a vegan fish dish. The Parramatta cantina,
Spiked, is slated to open next month. Expect to see some ’grammable dishes posted from those venues sometime soon.
“We’ve got to be ahead of the game and
via online trivia nights or cheese making
keep things going otherwise you are always
conducting the classes over Zoom.
we are throwing a lot of energy into the
courses, delivering packs to staff homes and “We kept that engagement,” Steve said.
“Just touching base, just keeping connected, making sure they were alright.”
68 / Club Management
Staff are also offered progression
opportunities and training, as well as equity
going to be on the backfoot, that’s why business,” he says.
“We don’t want to be the biggest, but we
want to be the best.”
www.anchorfp.com.au
FEATURE / Two Birds Brewing
Birds of a feather
Craft beer has taken off in clubs, with some venues even introducing their own brews. Two Birds Brewing Co-Founder Danielle Allen reveals all to Brydie Allen about being the country’s first female-founded brewery.
WHILE DANIELLE ALLEN didn’t start
we’re still here 10 years later. Obviously,
originally found her feet in liquor through
now we’re part of Lion, but in terms of
her working life in the beer sector she
marketing. In the early 2000s, she got a taste of the industry through Metcash,
followed by a role at Woolworths around the same time private label activity was
the priority of starting a brewery or a
owning and driving the brand direction
founded brewery was just about making
and deciding where it goes, that’s still very much on Jayne and my shoulders.”
Being Australia’s first female-founded
beginning to take off.
brewery is something that drives the brand
in product development from start to
been an important event for Two Birds for
In marketing, Danielle became involved
finish - and everything in between. She developed significant knowledge on
global routes to market with brands and
companies in their early stages and gained a solid understanding of how the liquor industry worked.
After touring US craft breweries with
Jayne Lewis, Danielle had a lightbulb moment which would eventually be
developed into Two Birds Brewing. Lewis
had taken on roles at Little Creatures and
Mountain Goat and shared the ambition of wanting to launch a business.
“We realised with the background and
skill set I had, and her brewing skills,
we could team up and start a brewery
together,” says Danielle. “We launched Two Birds in 2011, built a brewery in 2014, and 70 / Club Management
“[But] it was never the objective or
we have a slightly different structure
and is why International Women’s Day has many years. It led to the creation of the
beer brand. Being Australia’s first femalegood beer because why shouldn’t we start a brewery? Now, we want to be not only
just a female voice in beer, but to inspire women to have a second think about
industries they might not automatically think they’re allowed to step into.”
It’s why the fundraising initiative with
limited annual Warrior Woman beer release
Endeavour Group is so special, because
collaboration with Endeavour
who can’t afford them but need them for
along with events and a recent fundraising Group around the Summer Ale SKU.
“It means justice and dignity, which
I think are two great values for us as a
business to hold ourselves accountable to,” says Danielle. Leading the beer industry
towards more gender equality has come
about with time as Two Birds has become part of the landscape.
“As we’ve gotten older, wiser and more
settled into the business with the brand being more established, it has really
it’s intended to provide boots to women workplace safety purposes in industries
such as brewing. Another defining moment was signing a “ground-breaking” sports sponsorship deal with AFL team, the Western Bulldogs.
It was the first time an independent craft
brewery forged a partnership with a major
football club and led to Two Birds not only entering the mainstream but celebrating women’s AFL teams, too.
“It was a great alignment of two brands
been about driving awareness around
coming together for the greater good and
conversation down that path,” says Danielle.
says Danielle.
equality and diversity and helping lead the
was when women’s AFL had just started,”
Breaking down the barriers From being involved with different sides of the industry and to
cofounding her own beer brand, Allen has been able to witness and experience the challenges women face in the industry firsthand. One of the greatest revolves around unconscious bias.
“Every day, we’re still confronted with people assuming the beer
industry is all about men and women don’t participate; women don’t drink beer and women don’t enjoy beer,” says Danielle. “I
think we’re still a long way from breaking down that first real basic bias about beer although we’ve already come a long way.”
Danielle believes there is still a gap in visibility and opportunities
for women in beer based on preconceived ideas and notions about
what people think is possible. There is also the challenge of having to work harder to be “taken seriously”, she says. But Danielle does see positive change is already in the works.
“There’s some leading women who have done such great
work to break some of those biases down,” she says. “There’s a small pocket of the industry
that does really well, but it’s about spreading the word into more mainstream areas
around Australia. “I’m not sure if there is one big solution or remedy, I think
it’s a lot of small efforts and starts with every community and everybody being responsible and accountable.”
One such effort Danielle references
is Beer Agents For Change, a collective of
“Every day, we’re still
Danielle Allen said it was never her objective to start a brewery.
confronted with people assuming the beer
women seeking to lead meaningful change in the Australian beer industry. The group
industry is all about
is working on information and resources
men and women don’t
the industry can use so every business
can create positive codes of conduct and
participate.”
guidelines around gender equality.
Danielle says it will provide invaluable
Danielle Allen, Two Birds
materials to the industry, which for the most part, is
trying to do better. “There are a lot of people interested
in it and getting it right already,” she says. “It’s definitely not for a
lack of desire [that there are still issues].”
Positive voice for change Danielle is an excellent role model for women in beer as the co-
owner of a successful business and a voice for positive change. Her
advice to other women in the industry who have similar aspirations is to always stay true to yourself and your motivations.
“People often say you’ve got to get insights from as many people
as possible, but it’s really important to first have your own vision, your own objective and your own goals,” she says. “People will offer you a variety of opinions and if you’re not 100 per cent
confident and believe in yourself and what you’re doing, it can be easy to [veer off] that direct path.
“Being absolutely 100 per cent authentic to yourself is just so
paramount in starting a business and getting it off the ground. It’s
not going to be easy, nothing is easy in this world, and it’s not going to fall into your lap.” Getting stuck into the fermentation tank.
This story was originally published by The Shout, which has launched a series of profiles on women working across the industry.
Winter 2022 / 71
FEATURE / Winter Drinks
WINTER IS COMING BAR CONSULTANT MIKEE Collins, of
While creative contributions from
Hospitality Intelligence (www.hospointel.
staff may not necessarily make the final
drinks list, having the confidence to back
what when will also help with the final
com), says whenever pulling together any yourself and being a little adventurous are
important qualities. But equally, if not more
menu, their insight as to who drinks winter roll-out.
“Winter beverage programs are generally
important, is asking yourself what has the
synonymous with dark spirits, richer
within your club demographic.
warmth,” he says.
best chance of selling to the target market To formulate a winter cocktail menu,
and more robust flavours, and a sense of “Keeping in mind you have a broad
consider analysing your POS backend as it
age group to cater for so adding some
Also ask your team their opinion about
appeal to the older generations should
will indicate what spirits are already sold.
what would appeal as staff “buy-in” will be a driving force behind sales.
Mikee also recommends batching
ingredients, where possible, to keep the speed and consistency and ensure the
workflow is smooth for all levels of staff involved in guest-facing bar service.
“Playing with the consumer senses is all
part of the guest experience and – executed with authentic delivery – will add a level
of intrigue which your staff, with the right training and motivation, will be able to convert into sales,” he says. 72 / Club Management
nostalgic classic cocktails that will also assist with your reach. Think Hot
Buttered Rum, Irish Coffee or even
Dark spirits, classic glassware and buyin from bar staff will be key components in creating this season’s winter cocktail menu, say the experts.
and Scotch) or from New Orleans, the
Vieux Carre which consists of bourbon, cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine
D.O.M and Peychauds bitters, all of which can be batched and become a store and pour scenario,” he says.
But no matter who drinks it, good looks
should always be a key component. “Think about using mismatched
vintage glassware and/or teacups and saucers you’ll find at op shops almost everywhere,” he says, adding that
they come at a fraction of the cost of new glassware.
“These will add visual character, become
Warm Cider.”
a talking point, and connect with the
flavours need to be more “sessionable” and
boozy coffee and or the warm top notes of
With the 20- to 40-year-old age bracket,
veer away from archaic gender norms.
“The drinks world has fought hard to
navigate consumers away from women only drink sweet drinks and men drink
strong ones,” he says. Quick-built classics that appeal to both sexes should also be on any cool-climate cocktail menu.
“Consider The Godfather (Amaretto
aromas of melted, sweet and spicy butter, apple or pear in cider.”
And lastly, there’s no point making the
effort with the drinks and service but not getting the vibe right.
“Try some playing some Sinatra, dim the
lighting, put candles everywhere, add warm tones throughout the room and some log fireplaces on the big screens,” he says.
www.ampersand-projects.com
FEATURE / Innovators
Kitchen creations When a great idea becomes a reality – and revenue. Tawnya Bahr and Lucy Allon
FOR THE PAST decade, Straight To The Source has been taking chefs to food-growing regions across Australia to discover new produce and learn about local flavours. Along
the way, they have discovered some amazing stories, helped grow many businesses and introduced amazing products into hospitality. Here are just two of those stories.
Knives out As every chef knows, the quality of our
a new future for cookware: one where
food we cook.
paramount and his desire to create an
cookware directly impacts the quality of the Mark Henry, the founder and creator of
Solidteknics, has spent the past decades
cementing his status as a true stalwart in
the cookware space. But there’s much more
the health of people and the planet are alternative cookware solution to the
disposable chemical-coated cookware clogging up kitchens and landfill.
Solidteknics goes beyond the singular
having established the only production
‘There was a lot to learn, and mistakes can be expensive.’
for locals and helping keep Australia’s
Naturally Sauced
to the story than just great cookware.
goal of creating cutting-edge cookware
foray into business was Füritechnics (the
truly covered!). Henry is a true pioneer
Always an entrepreneur, Henry’s first
producer of Füri Knives) which he started while studying at university.
Fast forward to 2014 and Solidteknics
was established from Henry’s vision of
(although they’ve got that well and
cookware made in Australia, creating jobs manufacturing industry alive.
Michelle Powell,
Straight to the sauce THE PUSH to create new revenue streams
created with chefs in mind.
clubs. With many clubs pivoting their
skills from restaurants to food retail, there
created an opportunity to look at alternative
expensive,” says chef Michelle Powell of
should apply to commercial kitchens in menus to delivery during Covid, that
revenue streams coming out of the kitchen. Apart from connecting producers
to chefs, Straight to the Source now
offers a course teaching club chefs how to commercialise a food-safe range of favourite in-house products.
While there are a few steps between
having a food product idea and creating a viable product, the course has been
74 / Club Management
“As a professional chef transferring my
was a lot to learn, and mistakes can be
Naturally Sauced, which stocks a range of
sauces dressings and a cafe de Paris butter developed with the help of the program.
Covering everything from food safety
hazards to packaging considerations,
the Concept to Consumer program helps chefs create small-batch, large-scale or
co-manufactured products for scale and commercial sale.
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FEATURE / Clubs Qld Winners
And the
winners are…
Queensland clubs kick up their heels at Awards for Excellence
76 / Club Management
FEATURE / Clubs Qld Winners
QUEENSLAND CLUBS KICKED up their heels at the Awards
for Excellence gala dinner held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The 2022 Keno & Clubs Queensland Awards for Excellence
on March 22 proved an opportunity to shine a spotlight
on all the good work in the clubs’ sector and a chance to
come together and celebrate those successes as well as the enormous contribution that clubs make day in, day out in their communities.
Top awards on the night went to North Lakes Sports Club
for Club of the Year Grand with the recently refurbished The Lion in Richlands picking up Club of the Year Enterprise and Football Club of the Year.
“Thank you to our wonderful members, staff, management
team and board members. Without your support, this would not have been possible,” The Lion Richlands club said.
Kedron-Wavell was awarded Best Licensed RSL and/
or Services Club and finished third in Club of the Year
(Enterprise). Club of the Year Intermediate being awarded to Blue Fin Fishing Club at Inala.
Outgoing Clubs Queensland CEO Kelly Egan said Brisbane’s
community clubs had stood tall when they were needed more than ever, commending their resilience in the face of ongoing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Despite the constantly evolving landscape, our clubs have
continued to provide invaluable service and social support for members and local communities,” Mr Egan said.
“It has been particularly special this year to be able to again
gather face-to-face for the awards night, which was a richly-
deserved acknowledgement of the great work of clubs state-
wide. Community clubs have a proud history of fostering local
spirit and delivering top-shelf facilities. Brisbane has again been prominent for the exemplary way its clubs have maintained their connection to community.”
This year, entrants completed a questionnaire and provided
a list of all cash and in-kind donations and services provided from 1 January to 31 December, 2021, along with an OLGR
Community Benefit Statement. The change was introduced to recognise that while money may not have been coming in as it used to, it is still going out and was in recognition for the continued contributions clubs made to their communities.
Due to the continued forced closure periods and subsequent
trading restrictions brought about in response to COVID-19,
financial reports did not form part of the 2022 Awards Program judging criteria.
Nominating into the Awards for Excellence was free and the
benefits of participating include internal review, marketing
opportunities, complimentary benchmarking and learning tools via the Mystery Customer judging element.
Turn the page to see the winners >>> Winter 2022 / 77
FEATURE / Clubs Qld Winners
78 / Club Management
FEATURE / Clubs Qld Winners
And the
winners are: Best Licensed RSL and/ or Services Club Kedron-Wavell
Best Bowls Club Club Pine Rivers
Health & Wellbeing Supporting All Veterans & The Community They Live In RSLA Gympie Sub Branch
Best Football Club
Support of Sport Success in Provision of Community Sporting Facilities
The Lion Richlands
Caboolture Sports Club
Best Surf Life Saving Supporters Club
Heart of the Community A Love of Humanity
BMD Northcliffe
Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving
Best Sports Club
Supporters Club
Royal Queensland
Young Manager of the Year
Yacht Squadron
Jack Orr, Maroochy Surf Club
Best Multi-Sports Club
Club Chef of the Year
Caboolture Sports Club
Jeramiah Abrogar,
Best Dining 1 to 50 Cantina on Russell,
Toowoomba Sports Club
Best Dining 51 to 100 Courtyard Café,
The Broncos Club
Best Dining 101 to 200 Social Café, Bribie Island RSL and Citizens Memorial Club
Best Dining 200+ The Precinct,
Norths Leagues & Services Club
Special Achievement Award, Responsible Gambling
BMD Northcliffe
Club Director of the Year Kevin Kaeser,
Caboolture Sports Club
Club Secretary/ Manager of the Year Steve Ratcliffe, Club Pine Rivers
Club of the Year Non-gaming Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
Club of the Year Boutique Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Supporters Club
Frenchville Sports Club
Special Achievement Award – Responsible Service of Alcohol Coolum Surf Club Winter 2022 / 79
FEATURE / The Great Return to Work
The great resignation return to work Managing the pitfalls as an employer and the expectations of employees in a post-COVID world.
IF FINDING SUITABLE employers and training
“Employee health and wellbeing programs
them isn’t enough to contend with, encouraging
are in place in most hospitality workplaces.
hours dramatically cut to come back into your
are lacking, leading smaller issues to snowball
stood-down employees or those who had their club is another battle.
In addition, a lack of suitable workers and the
great return to work post-Covid has also meant
However, prevention and early intervention into psychological and physical injuries,” she says.
“Prevention includes self-care implemented
that new employees are in a better bargaining
as part of a health and wellbeing program
of their return to the workplace.
life balance.
position and will likely want to dictate the terms “Employee expectations are changing with
many seeking flexibility, inclusivity and work-life
balance in addition to a competitive remuneration package,” says Renee Healey, founder and CEO of HR company The People Practice.
But the discussion doesn’t need to be
and having clear boundaries around work/ “Early intervention is the ability to identify the
signs that something might be wrong and having a strategy in place to discuss an employee’s
mental or physical health with a high level of
emotional intelligence, kindness and empathy.”
combative and, subject to the T&Cs of any
KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
for a new one, you may find that being flexible
implemented a clear vax status to employees?
existing employment agreement or the demand
COVID vaccination policies. Have you
will also enable your club to get a better result
Updated policies and procedures. What are
both for the employee and for the club.
Happier front and back of house staff also
usually reflects in better productivity and improved engagement too.
Renee says the priority now is clear
communication about the “what, how and why” of the return to work.
With resignations, a competitive job market,
a skills shortage and changing employee
expectations, there has been an increased focus
on building a strong employee value proposition, she says.
Mental and physical wellbeing also continues
to be a top priority after prolonged periods of remote work and constant uncertainty. 80 / Club Management
the practicalities of handling pandemics, severe
weather and natural disasters and other common cataclysmic events?
Talent attraction strategy. With the current talent shortage, have you created a talent
attraction strategy to remain competitive?
Prioritising mental health. What does wellbeing look like in a high-pressure work environment? Employee engagement & retention. Have
you realigned your club values with a new and successful workplace culture through career
development and progression opportunities?
WHS & wellbeing. How are you managing workand non-work-related illness (ie COVID) and injuries?
‘Prevention and early intervention are lacking, leading smaller issues to snowball.’ Renee Healey, founder and CEO, The People Practice
H EALT H & WELLBEIN G CULTU RE & ENGAGEME NT I N DIVI DUAL & LEADERS HIP DEVELOP ME NT CHAN G E MANAGEME NT HR & IR OP ERATIONAL SUP PORT + MORE
thepeoplepractice.com.au
COLUMN / Overseas employment
Global hunt is on
Searching for club staff here or over there is the question on everyone’s lips
WITH A JOBLESS rate around the 4 per
upskilling and retention strategies,” Rachelle
– hospitality staff and a limited pool of
employment, training, visa sponsorship,
cent mark, a lack of trained – or willing talent, clubs are increasingly looking overseas for staff.
But it’s a big world out there and
charges a flat fee of $5000 with six months replacement guarantee for an employee.
“We have 99 per cent success rate with
our placement,” Rachelle says.
knowledge of the language?
obligations once a candidate lands.
still over our shoulder how, as an employer,
supportive environment where candidates
overseas experience and credentials, and
and receive the salary and entitlement
And with the shadow of the pandemic
do you check their vax status, judge their
assess a CV? When they do get here, how do you make sure they are happy and not get
But employers also have their own “They need to provide a safe and
are supported to perform at their best
according to the award,” Rachelle adds. While many hospitality operators are
too homesick and head back, leaving you
looking to lure employees from overseas
is all this going to cost?
relocation costs, accommodation, cars, etc,
with another hole to fill. Oh, and how much For overseas recruitment company Ausphin
seeing is believing, so they have developed
Visume where employers can easily screen a candidate’s skills through a video resume. “Our Visume is loved by the industry,
especially the hospitality industry,” says
Ausphin founder and CEO, Rachelle Yilmaz, who emailed from Fiji.
Ausphin has a pool of more than 5000
skilled chefs and restaurant managers across the globe and while it is now
targeting Singapore, Dubai, the Philippines
with costly packages including airfares,
online training organisation Allara Learning
founder and CEO Andrew Lewis still believes there is an opportunity to find local talent. But employers must invest in training
programs and provide new employees
with the skills required to succeed in the hospitality industry.
“Some employees are not returning to the
hospitality industry post-lockdown due to
lack of support offered to the industry and
its employees through Covid,” Andrew says. Allara Learning has already run several
and Maldives, it will be aiming for skilled
successful JobReady programs for NSW
quarter. All candidates must be doubled-
and Dooleys.
candidates from Europe in the third
vaxxed and have intermediate English. “Ausphin is unique. We focus on
workforce solutions from attracting highly
skilled chefs and hospitality professionals to 82 / Club Management
being offered employment, while Ausphin
and will get the support they need to make that big move overseas, often with limited
Ausphin
From an employee perspective, the costs
chances of finding a recruit who not only a valid visa, can cope with the transition
founder and CEO,
career plan for each applicant.”
are covered if a candidate does succeed in
can do the job but who fits your culture, has
Rachelle Yilmaz,
relocation, PR application and personalised
something of a lucky dip when you recruit overseas. And how do you improve your
‘We have 99 per cent success rate with our placement.’
says. “We offer an end-to-end service from
clubs including Wests, Bankstown Sports “JobReady programs equip local job
seekers with the training and skills required for specific roles within your business,” Andrew says.
SAY GOODBYE TO WORKFORCE SHORTAGES Ausphin is the ONE STOP SHOP for all your recruitment needs so you can focus on keeping your business running.
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5,000+ Skilled Chefs & Restaurant Managers across the globe Easily Screen Candidate’s skills through Visume or Video Resume End-to-end visa processing with the experts - Ausphin! 98% Talent Retention Rate Trusted by 150+ Hospitality Employers in Australia Holistic & Long Term Recruitment Solutions
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COLUMN / Overseas employment
Navigating the new normal After a tumultuous two years, now is the time to invest in a brighter future
AFTER THE TURMOIL of the past two years,
scale in purchasing and recruitment.
club operators and employees to stay abreast of
overseas, providing a boost for some regional
What an extraordinary time to launch a new
CBDs are gradually coming back to life. However,
there has never been a more important time for all the latest developments in the club industry. publication in this space.
In the wake of the pandemic, hospitality
businesses are learning to navigate the ‘new normal’ — from dealing with workforce
shortages to battling consumer uncertainty. But
with international workers beginning to return to Australia and with the shift towards approaching
COVID in the same way we do the flu, we should start seeing job vacancies being filled more
rapidly and consumer confidence steadily lifting, meaning a return to regular trade for clubs.
While COVID restricted people from travelling
clubs, as workers begin to return to the office our city clubs will need to keep evolving to meet
consumer expectations and remain commercially viable. Clubs must also continue to diversify
their offerings, providing a range of dining and entertainment choices — alfresco options are
particularly popular at present — to suit different
demographics and budgets. This should be assisted by any long-term shift to employees working from
home, with clubs ideally situated and resourced to be a convenient ‘third place’ of work.
The regulatory environment remains
There is some concern that the virus and the
challenged, with AUSTRAC inquiries into Crown
seen the public form new habits. Reports indicate
inquiry into gaming machines by the NSW Crime
related lockdowns and restrictions may have
that people are used to going out less frequently, they may not want to play gaming machines as
often, and they may be looking for entirely new
experiences. There is some indication that people are now also willing to pay more for better
quality offerings. From personal observation, any
change in consumer behaviour seems incremental rather than transformative, but the gap between COVID winners and losers will grow.
Intel from the pub sector shows small
operators are exiting the industry, gobbled up by
the big operators who can leverage their balance
and the Star as well as a money laundering
Commission. Increased reliance on gaming has been commercially unavoidable through the
pandemic, but it necessitates greater investment of money and effort by not-for-profit clubs to
demonstrate we remain the most responsible operators. At ClubsNSW, we plan to work
closely with our very welcome new Minister
for Hospitality and Racing, Kevin Anderson, to
improve the gaming environment, lift responsible gaming standards across the industry, and help clubs get back on their feet again.
We’ve made it through the worst crisis ever
sheet and see opportunity in a time of crisis. This
faced by our industry. Now is the time for clubs
faced by clubs. The industry can’t stop this trend,
brighter future.
will increase the already competitive landscape
so the prudent approach is to strongly encourage club amalgamation and support club groups to
grow so they can also benefit from economies of 84 / Club Management
to collaborate, share ideas and invest in a
I wish the Club Management team all the best
with the new magazine and I look forward to reading it.
Josh Landis, ClubsNSW CEO
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COLUMN / Andrew Lloyd
We will recognise election candidates who recognise us With a Victorian State Election in November, Community Clubs Victoria will be running a campaign under the banner ‘Clubs Care – Great Clubs Connecting Communities’.
CCV REPRESENTS A broad spectrum of
proud of our role as vital hubs within local
tennis clubs to the multi-faceted large sporting
enterprises and some operate gaming machines
community clubs across Victoria, from volunteer and community clubs.
Some of these clubs have electronic gaming
machines and TAB wagering products as part of their entertainment offering, however, the
vast majority do not. Clubs exist for their core
Andrew Lloyd, Chief Executive, Community Clubs Victoria (CCV)
sporting, social or community reason such
as a sailing club, bowling club, golf club or multicultural-based social club.
All clubs have key issues in common, such as
state taxation and charges, council rates, liquor licensing and venue operator regulation. In
addition to these, there are issues to consider
concerning eligibility for grants and criteria for
community support initiatives that are dictated by government and local council policy.
You may not be aware, but it is important to
to support their reason for being – be it sporting, charitable, social or community-based. Gaming is always secondary to what a community club
offers its members and the wider community in which it operates.
EGMs are legal and licenced to venues by the
Victorian Government. Around 35 per cent of community club revenue is returned to State and Local Governments in the form of taxes
and rates, which are then directed to schools,
hospitals, and other vital infrastructure. Once wages and operating expenses are covered,
including local suppliers who serve community clubs, anything that is left is invested back into the community.
The Greens and many Green-affiliated
note that our vast array of clubs has a combined
independents are standing on anti-gambling
CCV wants to mobilise its membership and ask
CCV’s firm belief that community clubs will soon
membership in excess of three million Victorians. them to vote prudently in favour of parties /
candidates who support our important not-forprofit club sector.
To date, CCV can confirm that the ALP
platforms. If these changes are adopted, it is
become unviable. The Greens are working closely with the Local Government Association and antigambling lobbyists.
The CCV mobilisation strategy relies on
and Liberal/National Coalition support for
individual clubs communicating directly with their
extends to the minor parties, with the notable
at the next election. Importantly, clubs will not tell
community clubs is essentially bipartisan. This exception of the Greens and many Green-aligned independents.
There is tacit support for community clubs
and their contribution to the wider Victorian community, as well as a recognition that
members to ask them to exercise a prudent vote
members which party or candidate to support but
will instead provide them with a clear and concise summary of the key information to consider prior to casting their vote.
The 2022 mobilisation campaign will impact
community clubs are not-for-profit enterprises.
the results in some Lower House seats, but it is
purpose of supporting these communities.
once again significantly impact the balance of
Community clubs therefore operate with the sole Community clubs in Victoria are immensely
86 / Club Management
communities. These clubs are not-for-profit
in the Upper House where the Clubs vote could power post the election.
Take a squiz
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COLUMN / Ron Browne
Clubs have learned other ways to contribute to community during the pandemic.
Looking back to look forward The past two years have set many businesses back on their haunches, wondering what the heck they can do to regroup and thrive. In order to move forward, we sometimes need to stop – take stock – plan – execute.
IN CLUBS, WE were forced to stop. COVID has
old, where people gather to entertain, educate,
reduced capacities, disappearing workforces and
and the community at large.
disrupted us like never before with shutdowns, ‘pivot’ strategies to keep the doors open. If we
provide support and comfort to their members So how can we incorporate this into our
take stock of the things we did to keep trading,
plan for the future? Sit down and review what
• Take away food only to keep kitchens operating
incorporate the winning strategies into your
strategies included –
and some revenue flowing
• Operating with reduced staff numbers through both departures and COVID isolation rules
• Outdoor sports like golf and bowls are resurgent as activities to get people out of the house
• Care programs where clubs provided food,
medical support (including vaccination centres) and home care to aged members
• Operating as relief shelters in fire and more
worked and what didn’t and see how you can
ongoing operations. My crystal ball tells me that the following will be inevitable going forward – Change in visitation by members and the
community including more take away options and potentially less time spent on premise
Reduced staff needing to work smarter through
revised rosters, with cross-training becoming essential to cover ‘disease isolation’ absences Increased reliance on technology to
recently and repeatedly flood shelters
communicate with members (via apps and social
with online raffles, badge draws and food
as well as in house menu ordering options
• Providing online connections to our members ordering services
media), sign in technology and rewards tracking, When you review the possible strategies,
What is the central theme of all these things?
look to execute those which cost the least to
their pre-eminent position as the village green of
return.
Community Clubs have firmly re-established
88 / Club Management
implement but provide the greatest possible
Ron Browne Extrapreneur Services
Q&A Innovation Club is introducing
Q&A / Jackson Sobb
Jackson Sobb is a second-generation club executive, former Marketing Manager at Campsie RSL and former Assistant Operations Manager and Food & Beverage Manager at Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL.
pioneering products and manufacturing with an aim of reducing plastic consumption worldwide.
After the past two years, where to now for clubs? Clubs have been the mainstay of our community for generations, providing a
venue for local connection, recreation, and entertainment. However, financial
viability for many clubs (mainly small clubs, bowling, golf and regional clubs)
remains an ongoing concern. This is because gaming machine revenues remain
the lifeblood of the industry which explains why larger clubs operating numerous gaming machines are more financially viable and able to expand their operations and services.
But gaming is not the only solution? Although gaming machine revenues are sustaining the viability of clubs, increased regulation and competition from non-traditional sources (e.g.
online gaming) will remain a constant threat. Accordingly, clubs have been
reinventing their business models to seek additional sources of revenue through varying diversification strategies to underpin future growth. Innovation will be
crucial in achieving this goal. To achieve true diversification, the strategy should
Jackson Sobb CEO,
Innovation Club
aim at providing new products/services to new markets. Diversification should
aim to add to the club’s revenue base, but also be financially independent of the core business. It needs to be self-sufficient. If the core business was to fold, the diversified business can live on.
So, what should innovation mean to any club? To do anything well you have to understand it. Innovation can be defined as “the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new
goods or services”. The key word is new. A prerequisite to “new” in this context is to be disruptive. When you disrupt, you can break the rules. When the rules are broken you can re-write your own.
And the benefits? Innovation will ultimately grow your business. When your business grows, you’re adding value. When you add value, you increase profitability. If
your business fails to innovate, you might find yourself watching new and
upcoming companies bring new solutions to the marketplace. We all saw what happened with Uber and the taxi industry.
So what problems does innovation solve? Innovation isn’t necessarily a result of lack of ideas. Idea creation is rampant in our industry, and we have witnessed many of them. Innovation stems from the failure to recognise existing problems and creating a solution for them. Ego is
the death of much success, it’s ok not to know. Surround yourself with the right people who are willing to work together and find the answers. Change in our industry is inevitable but innovation is a choice.
Winter 2022 / 89
Events ary
And for your di
Out and About The latest events, lauches, openings and more within the Club Industry.
Wave of recognition The SLSCC Awards of Excellence
What’s on JUNE Women in Clubs The Clubs Queensland Women
2021, which recognises the amazing achievements of volunteer Surf Lifesavers from the 15 NSW Central Coast Surf Clubs will be held at Mingara Recreation Club on 11 June. The evening celebrates the
in Clubs Luncheon will highlight
accomplishments of members
leadership and the importance of
and clubs from the season and
teamwork. To book this women-
provides an excellent opportunity for
only event at Kedron-Wavell,
members of the 15 surf clubs to celebrate as one.
Chermside, on on Friday, 24 June, go to ClubsQueensland.com.au
The Surf Life Saving Central Coast Awards of Excellence celebrate the incredible people in the organisation and the impact they have on their club, members and their local communities. Categories include Volunteer and Program/Innovation Awards; Surf Lifesaver of the Year, Youth
JULY Clubs SA C&C
Surf Lifesaver, Volunteer, Trainer and Coach of the Year, Official of the Year; Assessor of the Year and Community Education Program of the Year. There is also Patrol Captain of the Year, Support Operations Member of the Year, Administrator of
Clubs SA has included
the Year, Facilitator of the Year and Services Team of the Year.
Community categories to further
For more details go to https://slscc.com.au/gwswp/awards-of-excellence/
celebrate the incredible work South Australian Licensed Clubs undertake for their communities.
Clubs ready for C&C
Hospitality and individuals are
NSW clubs have pulled out all stops to help their local community in the face of a difficult 12
also recognised along with Club
months, with 98 finalists being announced in the 2022 Clubs & Community Awards.
of the Year. Nominations close Monday, 4 July, go to www.clubssa.com.au
The awards recognise the outstanding social contributions made by clubs in their local areas and across the state in the following nine categories. ClubsNSW CEO Josh Landis said the way clubs have looked after their members and communities throughout what has been a very challenging 12-month period is nothing short of inspirational. “Despite a lengthy shutdown period, months of COVID restrictions and ongoing staff shortages,
AUGUST
clubs haven’t missed a beat when it comes
CCV Award Nominations
to looking after those who need them most,”
Community Clubs Victoria will
Josh said.
again celebrate and recognise
“From acting as COVID vaccination hubs
club industry talent at the annual
and cooking meals for those less fortunate
CCV Awards. The Gala Night will
to hosting virtual entertainment for members
be held at Melbourne Convention
during lockdown and raising money for
and Exhibition Centre on
mental health services, clubs have worked
Saturday, 6 August. To nominate,
tirelessly over the past year and this is their
go to ccv.net.au
chance to be recognised,” he said. The winners were set to be announced at a black-tie event at the International Convention Centre, Sydney on Thursday, May 26.
90 / Club Management
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