WITH a debt of more than $250,000, Robertson Bowling Club faces closing its doors permanently by Easter.
Members were first notified of the club’s failings last week with a letter informing them they will have to vote on whether to send the club into voluntary liquidation or fight to keep it open.
Speaking to the News, club president Bill Brenning revealed the club owed more than $260,000 to banks for money borrowed and around $20,000 in back-pay to staff for unpaid meal allowances.
He claims the combination of increased poker machines taxes, tough smoking laws and the recent financial crisis had taken their toll.
“Our bar trading has remained pretty steady and quite good but we just haven’t been able to keep up with the increased taxes and restrictive legislation,” Mr Brenning said.
Mr Brenning said the directors hadtried everything to prevent the situation they were currently facing.
“In November we had a consultant come in and reorganise, which involved reducing staff hours to reduce wages and cutting back on sponsorship,” he said.
Despite the dire forecast and speculations surrounding the outstanding amounts owed to staff, Mr Brenning said he would not play the blame game.
“At this point there is no sense in pointing the finger or dwelling on the past, we need to look forward and as a club we are determined to try and rectify the matter,” he said.
“If members vote not to go into liquidation, hopefully we can back that up with a real plan to get the club back on track.”
Mr Brenning was hopeful Robertson would not experience the same fate as bowling clubs at Moss Vale and Mittagong.
“Personally I won’t vote to send the club into liquidation but that will be up to the members, if more than 75 per cent vote for that to happen then it will happen,” Mr Brenning said.
“If the vote does not go that way then the club is seriously going to need the community to get behind it in a big way.”
As one of the club’s nine directors, Warrick Mitchell said, in hindsight, there were many things the club could have done differently to prevent the situation from getting so bad.
“Obviously we have made a few incorrect decisions or have been guided the wrong way, who knows,” Mr Mitchell said.
“Maybe over the last ten years or five years we have done things we shouldn’t have done, like after we had a good year we bought some extra poker machines, which is now like a bit of a millstone around our neck.
“But this is just typical of all the other smaller clubs around. The only advantage we've got is that we actually own our land and our building; we’re not leasing it from the Council,”?he said.
“It seems to me that back when the state government got involved in clubs and started drawing taxes off them and then allowed poker machines into pubs the decline has been just a significant downward graph.”
Members will vote on the next step for the club to take on March 28.
ROBERTSON Bowling Club will host a cheese and wine tasting afternoon on Sunday March 14.
From 4.30pm those over 18 and interested can sample many local varieties for $10 per person.
For more information contact the club on 4885 1306.
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