FOCUS Magazine

R S L & S E RV I C E S C LU B S A S S O C I ATI O N F E B R UA RY – A P R I L 2020 | E D ITI O N #1

WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A LEGEND CHARLIE TO ACH MILESTON ANZAC

LY N N IEVE E OVER DAY

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CHAIRM A N’S MESSAGE

DEAN THOMAS

Welcome to the first edition of our new feature magazine; “Focus”.

RSL & SERVICES CLUBS ASSOCIATION Suite 1103, 109 Pitt St Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 9233 2624 Email: info@rslservicesclubs.com.au RSLSERVICESCLUBS.COM.AU FOLLOW US

CEO Garrie Gibson Chairman Dean Thomas CHP RSL

This publication aims to not only inform Club Directors, Managers and staff about current issues and trends but also aims to stimulate discussion and promote new ideas. We are seeking to encourage ‘thought leadership’ by inviting consideration of different perspectives and strategies to strengthen sustainability and success for all member venues.

Not all the views expressed in each edition will be the official ‘policy’ or perspective of the Board or members of the Association.

In “Focus” you will see regular contributions from valued Corporate Partners and also information from outside our sector and our industry, to contribute new ideas and approaches to the challenges we face. The goal of this quarterly publication is critical thinking and analysis.

To encourage and stimulate discussion we welcome input from all our readers so to that end if you would like to respond to an article, recommend a contributor or even share information please by all means contact the Association office.

The Board of the RSL & Services Clubs Association hopes you find “Focus” a worthwhile new addition to industry communications.

Regards

Directors Andrew Bell Michael Brennan

DEAN THOMAS Chairman

Patsy Edwards Del Gaudry John Millar

MEDIA Editor Brad Smith Designer Diana Cascione Daily Press Printing Daily Press

H AV E YOU R SAY If you would like to respond to an article, recommend a contributor or even share information please contact the editor of ‘Focus’.

EMAIL THE EDITOR: marketing@rslservicesclubs.com.au We invite any information from outside our sector and our industry, to contribute new ideas and approaches to the challenges we face. Please make sure you provide your name, email address and contact phone number so we can get in touch with you!

FOCUS IS ALSO AVAILABLE TO VIEW ON YOUR PHONE, TABLET OR COMPUTER! VISIT RSLSERVICESCLUBS.COM.AU FOR MORE INFORMATION

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CLUB DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS – WHY DO CLUBS KEEP GETTING IT WRONG?

BRETT BOON - THOMSON GEER

Many clubs struggle with disciplinary proceedings against members.

This is not surprising, as a disciplinary proceeding is a legal process.

In the absence of a lawyer guiding the proceedings from start to finish, there are many areas in which clubs can make mistakes.

1. Confusing the charge with the particulars This is a very common mistake. If a member abuses another member using offensive language the charge is not “Abusive language”. The charge under the club’s constitution will most likely be “Conduct unbecoming of a member”. Look at the Disciplinary Rules section of your constitution to see what charges are available. The particulars of the charge will be the details of the abusive language – when, where, what was said and by whom and to whom. Often you will receive a request for further and better particulars from the member (or a solicitor acting on behalf of a member) and this will also need to be answered.

2. Prejudgement Another common mistake is issuing a Notice of Charge stating that the Board considers that a member is guilty of a charge and providing an opportunity for the member to say why they are not guilty. This is the wrong way around. A Notice of Charge should state what is alleged against the member (e.g. Conduct unbecoming a member), provide particulars of that charge and that the member may attend a hearing at which the charge will be considered. At the hearing the member is entitled to:  hear and see all the evidence that is being considered by the board;  be given a chance to answer; and  provide the member’s own evidence (which includes bringing the member’s own witnesses if relevant).

3. Failure to give an opportunity to address on penalty Once a charge is determined against a member and if the member is found guilty, the member must be given an opportunity to address on what penalty is appropriate. Failure to give the member a separate opportunity to address on penalty will almost always be fatal to the proceedings being challenged legally or otherwise.

Recently, we have seen cases where the Board claimed that they couldn’t give an opportunity to address on penalty because the member was becoming abusive or potentially violent. In such cases, remember that you don’t have to give the member the outcome concerning penalty on the day – you can inform the member by post or email (depending on the club’s rules for notices). This should allay most concerns. If the member is potentially violent then security should be present.

4. What happens if you get it wrong?

There are two main ways a member can challenge a procedurally unfair disciplinary proceeding. The most common approach is for the member to complain to the ClubsNSW Code Authority that the club has breached the Code of Practice. All ClubsNSW member clubs must adhere to the Code. The Code Authority will consider the matter, particularly whether the member has been afforded procedural fairness.

Failure on any of the three grounds listed above will probably mean that the Code Authority will find a breach. The Code Authority will order the club to remedy the breach by either giving the member a new hearing or if this is not possible, re-instating the member’s membership (if the member has been expelled) or lifting any other penalty such as a suspension of membership. The other, less commonly used alternative, is that a member can seek a Supreme Court declaration that the disciplinary proceedings are invalid.

Brett Boon | Partner | +61 2 8248 5832 | bboon@tglaw.com.au

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AGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

I F YO U R C AT E R I N G F O R O L D E R C U STO M E R S B E G I N S A N D E N DS AT S P E C I A L LU N C H D E A L S , YO U N E E D TO R E T H I N K YO U R M A R K E T I N G ST R AT E GY, EXPL AINS M AX’S CUSTOMER M ARKETING M ANAGER , AILEEN RAI.

THREE WAYS TO MARKET TO BABY BOOMERS: 1/. C reate and actively manage a Facebook page – with Facebook being the platform of choice for Baby Boomers, you must make sure your venue not only has a page, but that you are posting regularly, considering the types of images you share, your tone of voice and replying to comments and queries quickly.

2/. Give great customer service – Boomers grew up in a time when if they wanted something they had to actually talk to a human. It means they appreciate one-on-one polite interactions. Have a look around your venue to figure out where your interactions may lack that human touch.

3/. Spice up the menu – Boomers know what they like; however, this doesn’t mean that food and drink menus need to be drab and traditional. Introduce them to something new with sharing platters, small plates and local wines and beers.

Somewhere along the way, it was decided that our late teens and early 20s were to be hedonistic prime time. The time to drink shots, dance until dawn, camp in the hot sun at music festivals before sleeping off the aftereffects the next day.

Our 30s were when the shots would be swapped for a glass of fine wine or local craft beer, high heels exchanged for comfy flats and conversations would lean towards the best new binge-watch and how sleep-deprived we were – from the babies, you understand, not the clubs. And these conversations? Well, they would take place sitting down in a venue where we didn’t have to shout over the music, of course.

Weekends in our 40s and 50s? Well, the fun myth states that they’re generally to be filled with ferrying tweens or teens to sporting practice or birthday parties, attending family engagements or recovering from a busy week at work. And then after your 50s? What happens then?

Weekends spent knitting, gardening and making soup? We don’t think so.

While we know these tropes are as old-fashioned as asking for a plastic straw in your drink, it seems like entertainment venues all over the country are still falling for them hook line and sinker. How? By believing that the money is where the Millennial is and so marketing accordingly.

It’s a crazy decision when you learn that Millennials, and Gen Z for that

matter, are consuming far less alcohol than any generation before them and it’s actually the Baby Boomers who have disposable income and an inclination to spend it.

Baby Boomers are classified as people between the ages of 53 and 71.

Baby Boomers of this generation look a lot different to the same cohort 20 years ago. This is an age-defying generation of go-getters who are fit, healthy and spend their weekends doing triathlons and travelling the world. Too busy with their own lives to be part-time babysitters for their offspring’s offspring, Baby Boomers are instead on the lookout for the next hot place to eat, drink and be merry. And they have the disposable income to pay for the privilege.

It’s been proven time and time again that Facebook is this demographic’s platform of choice with a recent Colorado University study showing that Facebook is more than twice as popular as LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter, and nine times as popular as Instagram. It’s why if you do one thing to market your venue to this particular crowd it should be to get on Facebook.

Getting them through the door may be the challenging part of the Boomer equation, but if you provide a great experience, they will stay loyal customers. Just don’t expect them to live tweet the experience.

To discuss how MAX can help enhance your current marketing plans, contact us today.

Email: max@tabcorp.com.au Website: max.com.au LinkedIn: /maxcomau

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CLUBS. THAT’S WHAT WE DO. Liquor. Gaming. Hospitality. Property. Contracts. Disputes. Amalgamations. Developments. Constitutions. Governance.

We are proud to support the clubs industry. Our dedicated legal team focusses on all aspects that matter to club businesses from providing ongoing advice to working on the largest and most complex projects and transactions in the industry.

Contact us: Brett Boon 0414 808 265 | Sherif Mouakkassa 0414 364 766 | Vivienne Young 0438 673 556 | Arj Puveendran 0481 908 035

tglaw.com.au Thomson Geer @ThomsonGeer

Whatever your business goals, LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN. MAX now offers more flexibility than ever before, with a selection of core gaming systems, services and solutions designed to help drive performance and profitability.

Visit us at stand 123 at the 2020 MAX Australasian Hospitality and Gaming Expo in Brisbane from March 18-19 to learn more about the solution that’s right for you and your venue.

max@tabcorp.com.au max.com.au /maxcomau

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WA L K I N G I N T H E FO OTST E P S OF A LEGEND

W E S P O K E W I T H M A J O R C H A R L I E LY N N O A M O L A H E A D OF HIS 100TH TREK - BRAD SMITH MARKETING & COMMS M A N AG E R – R S L & S E RV I C E S C LU B S A SS O C I AT I O N For those who don’t know who Charlie Lynn is, he is a 75 year old former Army Major who previously served in the Australian Army for 21 years and during this time he saw active service in Vietnam. He was also an ultra-marathon runner to which he held the record by running a distance of 213 kilometres in 24 hours. If that isn’t enough Charlie was also a Member of the NSW Parliament for 20 years.

During that time, he was a member of the legislative council, parliamentary secretary for veterans’ affairs and shadow parliamentary secretary to the opposition leader.

“Whilst I regarded my 20 years as a Member of the NSW Parliament as a privilege and a great honour it was not my natural habitat”.

In 2015 Charlie was inducted as an Officer of the Logohu by the PNG government in their New Year’s Honours and Awards list ‘for service to the bilateral relations between Papua New Guinea and Australia and especially in the development of the Kokoda Trail and its honoured place in the history of both nations over the past 25 years.’

Then In 2018, Charlie added another achievement to his list as a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, which was for ‘service to the people and parliament of NSW’.

It’s hard not to be inspired by Charlie Lynn. He has a fierce passion for Kokoda, the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge (KYLC), and sharing its benefits with as many people as he can. He has been leading expeditions across the Kokoda Trail since 1991 and late last year completed his 99th crossing with 42 young KYLC trekkers under his wing.

“Every time I take a group of young Australians across to Kokoda it reinforces my faith in the future leadership of this place,” he said.

One of the perfect ways to describe Charlie was written by Mark Watson from Australian Geographic and he said; ‘If you threw Chuck Norris and Indiana Jones into a blender and added a few Anzac

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badges (not biscuits) for good measure, most likely it would be Charlie who would emerge.

He carries a distinct air of confidence, a hard as nails approach but with a hint of larrikin in his eyes’.

Approaching his 100th crossing of the trail over Anzac Day this year I spoke with Charlie to ask him some questions about himself so people can get an insight into Major Charlie Lynn OAM OL. How will you celebrate your 100th Trek?

“There will be no difference with the trek itself which will be yet another hard slog to share with another group of proud Australians”. Glenn Armstrong, a writer and publisher in PNG, will be releasing a hard-cover book about Charlie titled ‘Kokoda – 100 Treks’ on Anzac Day. Charlie has trekked with thousands of different people over the past 29 years including celebrities and politicians however.

I asked Charlie if there is one person who he would like to trek with again and why and this is what he had to say: “My favourite is probably Angry Anderson who came back to trek it a second time – he has a dinkum compassion for our veterans and will do whatever he can to help them in any way. People who have trekked with us over the past 29 years either have a genuine interest in our wartime heritage on the trail or have volunteered to develop their personal leadership abilities. The celebrities I have led across the trail are no different to any of the others after a couple of days – I regard them all as important”.

Is there one trek that stands out for you out of the 99 you have trekked?

“The Angry Anderson Challenge for A Current Affair which included Angry, Collette Mann, Darryl Braithwaite, Dermott Brereton, Grant Kenney, Shelly Taylor-Smith and Dr Kerryn Phelps. They were a terrific group and the documentary which was screened

by Channel 9 was one of their highest rating shows. However, if I had to choose between

leading another group of celebrities across the trail or fighting the Japanese I would choose the Japs – it would be less stressful”!

He is a keen student of the Kokoda campaign and an activist for protecting and honouring our military heritage along the trail. Charlie has spent much of his life to maintaining the legacy of the Kokoda Trail as a historic war site.

“My commitment to Kokoda has never wavered from my desire to protect and honour our Kokoda story through the development of a Master Heritage Interpretation Plan for the trail. Such a plan should provide for the development of sustainable economic opportunities for the local custodians of the land that is sacred to our shared wartime heritage.

My greatest disappointment is the failure of successive Australian Governments over the past decade to commit to this”.

Along the length of the trail Charlie recites stories of young Australian soldiers who fought and died on the same ground we stood on.

You can hear a pin drop as trekkers sit in silence looking up at a man wearing a wellworn Akubra, khaki clothing covered in mud and sporting a silver moustache he has been growing for over 40 years, as he recounts their experiences during fierce battles on the trail.

There is one specific poem called ‘A Soldier’s Farwell’ that captures the essence of emotional survival that Charlie can relate to and he explains why.

‘A Soldier’s Farewell’ by Sapper Bert Beros because it related to the emotions I felt when I left my young wife and baby daughter to go to Vietnam. The thought of the possibility of not seeing your family again is a strong emotion every serviceman and woman feels when they leave their homes for active service.

It’s impressive that he has memorised dozens of stories, letters and poems from soldiers to famous authors and delivers them so passionately, that you’re left with a tear in your RSLSERVICESCLUBS.COM. AU

eye and a feeling that you can tackle anything that Kokoda can throw at you.

Along the trail you visit many beautiful villages and campsites to which the locals all hear him coming as he yells out words you rarely hear these days like ‘digger’, ‘struth’ and ‘cooee cobber’ to his fellow trekkers before reaching their destination. They all greet him with a handshake or a hug because he is a living legend of Kokoda.

Do you have a favourite village or campsite on the trail?

“My favourite campsite is Bomber’s which is nestled in the Moss Forest in the upper r eaches of the Owen Stanley Ranges. It is one of the most beautiful sites one could imagine with the only hot shower along the trail.

Offerings of hot scones and fresh bread is always a welcome treat. I couldn’t select a favourite village as I have an affinity with them all and am often humbled by their compassion for us”.

With more than 550 young men and women now having made the trek since the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge commenced in 2005 by the RSL & Services Clubs Association and Charlie Lynn of Adventure Kokoda, that represents an investment of more than $3 million by clubs in our country’s youth.

“I believe the best investment an RSL Club or Sub-Branch can make is in the personal development of young leaders from their local communities. The Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge has no peer in this field. We now have more than 550 young ‘custodians of the spirit of Kokoda’ to ensure the values our veterans fought and died for are never forgotten”.

The objective of the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge is to identify young people within the community who are potential leaders, and who have an ability to both inspire and educate other young people in their communities.

“I feel it is important for young Australians to understand and respect their inheritance from previous generations. I don’t think the legacy of freedom is fully appreciated these days – it is much like air and water which is taken for granted until you are deprived of it. Kokoda offers a realistic example of the ability of the human spirit to conquer adversity and instills a belief in their ability to influence others to achieve their potential. I have never forgotten the words of the late Sergeant Stan Bryan in his address to a small group of aged veterans at the Cenotaph in Martin Place in 1995 – he concluded: RSLSERVICESCLUBS.COM. AU

“I say to all you people were today. To you who are responsible for governing this country, to all you who hold positions of leadership in the community, to all Australians. It is from the men we honour today that you inherited this land.

“These were the men who helped build this nation. They were the ones associated with the building of our harbours and our bridges. They sealed the roads across the black soil plains, and they built the railways across Australia.

Then they fought off the Japanese invasion so that you could inherit this country.

“You now have the fruits of our labours. The cities and the harbours and the plains are yours. We few survivors are aged and can only look on with pride and wish you success in the future.

“But we do charge you, to accept the responsibility of your inheritance and nourish and guard them with care.

“And remember always, the men of the Eighth Australian Division and the two ships who stood between the Japanese invasion and Australia. They paid the price of your future.

Only they know the real cost.

“And remember - remember - we solemnly promised God that we would never forget!”

Kokoda occupies most of Charlie’s time because of his continuous fight to properly protect the wartime heritage of the trail.

Otherwise he enjoys reading, writing, riding his Harley Road King or getting away in his motorhome with his wife Jill.

“I obviously have to commit to maintaining a high degree of physical fitness each day. I don’t have much time for much else”.

The Kokoda Trail has become a pilgrimage for many Australians and taking on the Kokoda Trail could be one of the most memorable trekking experiences.

If you are looking for a personal challenge; want to follow the footsteps of our Australian soldiers; and experience the unique jungle environment and welcoming nature of the Papua New Guinea people, all while learning leadership skills and understanding the sacrifices our Diggers made so we can be young and free, then the Kokoda Trail should be on your bucket list!

W H AT F I V E THINGS DO Y O U A LWAY S PA C K F O R A TREK AND WHY? 1. A thermarest blow up mattress – I love my sleep.

2. A titanium coffee plunger – I couldn’t operate without a freshly brewed pot of steaming hot PNG roasted coffee each morning 3. A leatherman skeletool – essential for a myriad of small repairs 4. A lightweight portable stool – guarantees a degree of comfort at each stop along the trail 5. A small flask of Bundaberg Rum – a couple of nips after a hard day warms the cockles of the soul.

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DIVERSITY ON THE RISE IN CLUB MANAGEMENT

G A R R I E G I B S O N C E O – R S L & S E RV I C E S C LU B S A SS O C I AT I O N The RSL & Services Clubs sector of the NSW Club Industry has made significant progress in improving diversity in its Board and executive management structures in the last five years.

Although there is still much room to improve, the trends are showing a real determination by clubs to tackle representation of women in their decision-making structures.

In the last five years, the number of RSL & Services Clubs with women Directors has increased from 19 per cent of clubs to 80 percent! That is an outstanding improvement and is having important impacts on the success and sustainability of these clubs. Women now make up 19 percent of all Directors in our clubs, a huge increase on the 6 per cent recorded in 2015.

Even better, 40 percent of clubs have more than one female Director, with several having four women on the club Board. The target set

by ClubsNSW of 30 per cent of all Directors being women is achievable, but still needs positive effort.

Unfortunately, this improvement in female Board representation has not flowed into the CEO/General Manager role, with only 7 percent of club bosses being women in the RSL Clubs sector. This figure has not changed in five years and clearly demonstrates a barrier for women in advancing to the most senior employment position in our clubs.

Females are almost equally represented to males in the management roles in clubs (48 – 52%) but for certain reasons are not breaking through the final barrier to become the boss. I believe the industry needs to examine this factor and try to overcome the causes of this anomaly.

My personal observation over more than twenty years working in the NSW Club industry is that the majority of executive management

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positions held by women in clubs are in roles where they rarely present directly to the Board.

The executive roles which usually command the Board’s attention are in Finance, Operations and Gaming and in the vast majority of cases, people from these fields achieve promotion to Club CEO/GM. Women are very poorly represented in these leadership positions and therefore are not seen much by Directors.

This in no way diminishes the importance of the leadership roles largely held by women in clubs and their contribution to the Club’s success. There is no reason why women who are Marketing Managers, Food & Beverage Managers or Human Resources Managers should not aspire to the top job. The reality is they are rarely given the chance.

In my view, if we are to improve female representation as club CEO/GMs, there are two things that should happen. Firstly, a real effort will be required to increase the number of women who are Gaming Managers, Finance Managers and Operations Managers. Our current CEOs have to initiate the recruitment and training efforts, and the mentoring and support of potential women leaders, to achieve this. We need women regularly seen in these crucial roles and therefore perceived by Boards to be “Boss material”.

Secondly, we need Club CEOs to encourage, support and promote women in their teams to strive for the top, if they demonstrate strong leadership qualities and skills in whatever position they hold.

The other important elements of the diversity challenge – ethnicity, disability and indigenous representation in management – all remain areas where only small progress has been achieved.

Although 44 per cent of Clubs have employees with a range of disabilities in their

employment, only 8 per cent of clubs have a Director with a disability. The employment of people with disabilities in RSL Clubs has improved significantly in recent years but the actual number employed, as a percentage of the total number of employees, is still very low.

Only one club, of those who responded to the Survey, has an indigenous person on the Club Board. None have reported an indigenous person in a management role.

Despite the significant proportion of local communities with large ethnic populations in their midst, only 12 per cent of Clubs have representation of any minority ethnic groups on the Club Boards.

Meeting the diversity challenge within club employment and leadership is an important aspect for clubs to continue their efforts. As was outlined at our 2019 Annual Conference in Melbourne, there is real value and business return in the presence of leaders within the Club’s management who have different perspectives on the aspirations and tastes of club patrons and the expectations of local community populations. Relevance is the key word.

Are your Club offerings and your physical presence in your community addressing what the various segments of your market desire?

How do you strengthen your awareness of these various perspectives if you do not actually engage with these segments in a meaningful and positive manner? How can you hope to build stronger market share if you have little or no insight into what they are seeking from your venue?

This is the diversity challenge for clubs and the pay-off will be a successful, sustainable club industry well into the future.

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D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT O N E I N FIVE AUSTRALIANS EXPERIENCE M E N T A L I L L- H E A LT H ?

THIS ISSUE IS COSTING WORKPL ACES UP TO $17 BILLION PER YEAR .

One in Five Australians experience mental ill-health. Almost half of all Australian adults have met the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety, mood or substance use disorder at some point in their lives. The cost to the Australian economy of mental ill-health and suicide is, conservatively, in the order of $43 to $51 billion per year. Additional to this is an approximately $130 billion cost associated with diminished health and reduced life expectancy for those living with mental ill-health. Mental health issues within society continues to trend upwards at an alarming rate; and as our awareness of these issues continues to improve, so does our access to services and training to assist as a support to those affected, including ourselves.

This issue doesn’t just affect us in the community; it affects us in the workplace as well. Estimates for the cost of workplace absenteeism and presenteeism due to mental ill-health range from $13 billion per year, up to $17 billion per year, with 70-80% of this cost attributed to absenteeism. The 2018 KPMG and Mental Health Australia Report

found mental ill-health in the workplace costs an average of $3,200 per employee with mental illness, and up to $5,600 for employees with severe mental illness. In the workers compensation scheme (for data collected over the five years between 2010-11 and 201415), the typical compensation payment per psychological claim was $24,500 compared to $9,000 for all other claims, and typical time off work was 15.3 weeks for psychological injury compared to 5.5 weeks for all other injury claims. Bullying & Harassment is responsible for 41% of all Workers Compensation claims nationally.

This is a prevalent issue within the Defence Force too. The Australian Institute of Health & Welfare Report (2016) found that between 2001 and 2014, there were 292 certified deaths among people with at least one day of ADF service since 2001. Of these 84 occurred in the serving full-time population, 66 occurred in the reserve population, 142 occurred in the ex-serving population, and 272 were men and 20 were women.

At Saunders Safety & Training; we recognise the need to provide services and support to our customers and the community in a bid to reverse these trends. In 2019; we teamed up with Mental Health First Aid Australia to facilitate several sold-out Courses, where participants became more educated and more well-equipped to assist people who are developing or have developed a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.

We have also partnered with other service providers to develop an innovative Employee Assistance Program with the aim of enhancing resilience, positivity, motivation and confidence problem solving skills and increased personal awareness in day to day working life.

If you are interested in these or any other services Saunders Safety & Training can offer; please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on (02) 9958 9009, or email us at info@saunderssafety.com.au

Club Insurance Specialist National Workers Compensation Saunders Safety & Training Premium Funding AB Investigations

WWW.WARRENSAUNDERS.COM.AU (02) 9587 3500 LEVEL 2, 550 PRINCES HWY, KIRRAWEE NSW 2232 RSLSERVICESCLUBS.COM. AU

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70 Y E A R S A N D ST I L L GOING STRONG! A FAC E L I F T FO R A CO F FS H A R B O U R B E AU T Y.

It’s an exciting time for C.ex Coffs, not only is the club celebrating 70 years in business, but the recent major redevelopment is now complete, and the locals love it.

C.ex Coffs recently underwent the biggest single redevelopment in the club’s history. The redevelopment included construction of new indoor and outdoor dining areas, a new street façade and major refurbishments and upgrades to existing facilities.

On Level one is the Ribeye Rooftop Bar & Kitchen. This refurbished venue is a first of its kind in the local area. The reinvigorated dining precinct includes a lavish bar area, modern amenity facilities and the feature attraction of a terraced alfresco location offering tapas style menu that boasts multiple lounge and table areas, including personal cabanas with city views.

Work on the project started at the end of 2018 and continued at full pace up until the opening in October 2019.

Design and Construction company, Paynter Dixon engaged with a large number of regional trades people, suppliers and personnel, including demolition contractors, site supervisors, structural, engineering, hydraulic, fire protection, mechanical, food, beverage and electrical engineering trades.

One of the new ground floor dining destinations is Papaveros an Italian restaurant with a terrace, able to cater for 120 members and guests. The name Papaveros symbolises the significance of the poppy flower, a nod to the club being an Ex-Services Club.

The new restaurant includes a gourmet pizza oven, terrace dining areas (in-door and alfresco), larger tables for group dining, bar area, a café area with direct access from the street, and state-of-the-art rest room facilities that include a generous sized parents’ room.

An exciting new cafe on street level is open early to cater for workers and shoppers looking for a coffee on the run or a quick snack.

All areas have been appointed with modern furniture and fixtures, and the menus have a fresh, contemporary style that allows different offerings throughout the club, a menu that will satisfy the very young and the more mature member or guest.

The biggest and most exciting impact is the external façade on Vernon Street. The stunning new façade adds to the streetscape and makes a wonderful welcome to members, guests and visitors when they arrive at the Vernon Street entrance.

The C.ex Group is excited about what the future holds and invites everyone to be apart of the journey.

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C.ex Coffs | Coffs Harbour

C.ex Coffs | Coffs Harbour

C.ex Coffs | Coffs Harbour

Award-Winning Design & Construct Services

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Award-Winning Design & Construct Services Award-Winning Design & Construct Services With more than 100 and years experience in design and (02) 9797 5555 (02) 9797 5555 With more than 100 years experience in design construction, Paynter Dixon is the industry leader in info@paynterdixon.com.au C.ex Coffs | Coffs Harbour construction, Paynter Dixon is thedelivering industryexceptional leader in info@paynterdixon.com.au projects. www.paynterdixon.com.au delivering exceptional projects. www.paynterdixon.com.au

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FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

3RD FEBRUARY Applications open for the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge 2020

18TH & 19TH MARCH AHG Expo Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

6TH APRIL Scientific Games Kokoda Golf Challenge Lynwood Country Club

17TH - 19TH MAY National RSL & Services Clubs Conference Crowne Plaza Hotel Hobart

RSLSERVICESCLUBS.COM. AU

25TH APRIL ANZAC Day & Respect the Day

Focus.

11

C

CELEBRATE OUR FREEDOMS | REMEMBER THEIR SACRIFICE

25TH

APRIL

HONOUR OUR TRADITIONS | LOOK AFTER YOUR MATES

#RESPECTTHEDAY